Join Me At The Hear the Watchmen Conference Dallas 2017 – March 31 – April 2

Posted on January 2, 2017 by ccpastormike

Hi friends. I am honored and blessed to tell you that I will be speaking at the Hear The Watchmen Conference in Dallas, March 31 – April 2. More information and speaking schedule when available can be found at the conference website – www.hearthewatchmen.com

A $20 discount on tickets is available to you by entering promo code “Spaulding” without the quotation marks when you buy your tickets online here. Hope to see you there friends.

Listen to the promo for more speaker information (subject to change).

The Church and Its Mission Today – Part 2

Posted on November 5, 2016 by ccpastormike

We often hear that “revival starts with the people of God.” That statement is true but often masks what must precede revival. Before God will bring revival in and upon His people, Christians must repent, confess, and turn from their evil ways. In other words, revival is necessary for a people that have wandered off the narrow path and have come under judgment.

The idea of revival in America has a long and storied history. From traveling evangelists to week long “tent meetings,” revival was a yearly occurrence in the lives of Christians throughout the 1940’s through 1970’s. Somewhere in the process of holding annual revival meetings, Christians made them more about evangelism than about personal repentance. This means that Christians did not do much self-reflection but instead focused on inviting friends, co-workers, and family members that they believed needed to hear the gospel.

Over the years the effectiveness of this type of outreach has waned dramatically. The need for revival in and upon the body of Christ has never been clearer though. A problem is that the modern version of Christianity has been so distorted by false teaching, so misconstrued by a heretical breed of motivational charlatans, by the ever growing cadre of name-it-claim-it, blab-it-grab-it, mantra chattering, demon oppressed celebrity “pastors,” that the body of Christ is in the miry swamplands of self-absorbed materialism, self-inflicted narcissism, and demon produced doctrines of flesh and misdirection. Sadly they do not even realize their precarious estate.

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What Is The Purpose Of Music In Christian Worship? Dr. Mike Spaulding

Posted on October 28, 2016 by ccpastormike

That is a loaded question for sure. Modern Christians have strong convictions when it comes to so-called worship music in the church. I say “so-called” because Christian worship has become almost exclusively thought of in terms of “worship” music. It is now believed that worship music is the vehicle for ushering worshippers into the presence of God. This belief is a rather recent evolution in church thinking. Let me explain.

It is not uncommon today to hear those hired to lead congregations in corporate worship, say something along the lines of this – “Join us Sunday morning for an inspiring time of worship where you will enter into the presence of God.” Here is an actual flyer from a church that promised all who attend would encounter God. It said in part:

“Join us for dynamic teaching to set you on the right path, and inspiring worship where you can meet God and receive the energy and love you need to be a mover and shaker in today’s world. Alongside our teaching program are worship events which put you in touch with the power and love of God.”

This kind of superficial sales and marketing is unbiblical to the core. What kind of church leadership would make such an outlandish claim that everyone who attends will receive the energy and love they need to be successful in life, not to mention that their church staff has the ability to put people in touch with God’s power and love? This is nothing more than new age witchcraft.

The Bible states that there is one mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Only through Christ can we approach the Father. There is absolutely no biblical support for the belief that music in any way mediates direct encounters with God. That idea has been borrowed directly from pagan cults.

Friends, if you are in a church that gives much more time to the performance of music than to the teaching of the Bible, then you need to find another church. If the pulpit has disappeared but the stage lightening and special effects have increased then you are attending a show not a church service.

At issue here folks, is the fact that Christian worship as it is presented in far too many places today has become all about your experience. How did Christian music in our church services become about the experiences and feelings of those singing? This is emotionally driven deception.

Our thoughts during the singing of songs must be directed to Christ and to God the Father and to all that has been done on our behalf. All glory and honor belong to God but when we chase the emotional experience and equate that with having experienced God we are grievously mistaken.

Remember friends that music in our church services is meant to honor and glorify God first and foremost. We must reject the modern idea that it is meant to provide an experience for us that we mistakenly equate to an encounter with God.

That is transforming truth.

You may contact Pastor Mike at pastormike@cclohio.org