Rick Warren urges return to love and passion of early church
As churches look forward to the 2,000-year anniversary of Jesus death and resurrection in 2033, they also need to look to the past for guidance, pastor and author Rick Warren said.
“Most of our churches are just known for a lot of talk,” Warren told attendees at the World Evangelical Alliance’s general assembly in Seoul, South Korea. “I’m not interested in American, European or any nation’s methods. If there’s a principle that’s truly biblical, it will work anywhere; it’s transcultural. God’s word is perfect; it is our best model.”
Christians must recapture the focus of First Century believers, reflecting their love, persistent prayer and urgency in proclaiming the good news, Warren said.
“Love is the magnet that attracted people to Christ,” he said. “If any church genuinely loves people, you will have to lock the door to keep people out, because the world is hungry for love. They’re not hungry for some of the other things we’re offering. I’ve never met a human being in the world who’s not hungry for love.”
Church leaders too often lack the love they want their members to practice.
“I’ve met a lot of pastors, particularly in large churches,” Warren said. “They love crowds and hate people. It’s not enough to know the word. The problem in Christianity today? We Christians know far more than we are doing. But we don’t get blessed for knowing the word of God; we get blessed for doing the word of God.”
The early church grew exponentially (roughly 50 percent each decade) because it followed Jesus’ model of ministry — preaching, teaching, healing and planting churches.
“And every church, regardless of size, can do them,” he said. “The early church began with only 120 believers praying in the upper room, but by A.D. 360, half of the Roman Empire — about 30 million of its 60 million citizens — had become Christians. Even the emperor himself became a believer How did they grow from 120 people to half an empire? They followed the way Jesus discipled his followers.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
Photo: Rick Warren you-tube video
