Packer Ponderings

Here is a section of J.I. Packer's chapter on the Grace of God. Very dominating!

Many church people "pay lip service to the idea of grace, but there they stop. Their conception of grace is not so much debased as non-existent. The thought means nothing to them; it does not touch their experience at all. Talk to them about the church's heating, or last year's accounts and they are with you at once; but speak to them about the realities to which the word 'grace' points, and their attitude is one of deferential blankness. They do not accuse you of talking non-sense; they do not doubt that your words have meaning; but they feel that, whatever it is that you are talking about, it is beyond them, and the longer they have lived without it the surer they are at their stage of life they do not really need it."

Do you agree with this statement? I sure do, but i also see a change in our culture. Then again, maybe it is not a change, but just my being exposed to different ways of doing church, but i digress. With the advent of the church planting movement it seems that there has been an onslaught of churches that operate from an elder type model, and therefore not everything has to go before the church to be voted on or talked about. I believe this is very freeing and allows the pastors and members to focus attention on the truths of God's word. Why have church members been more concerned with the budget than with diving into the word of God? One reason is because their own money ws tied up in the budget. But i think another reason was because they had been told to worry about it by the democratic way of doing church. Just rambling..feel free to disagree and let me know about it, or to echo and expand my sentiments.