Martin Luther was asked if the Reformation was complete with his corrections and he replied that the Reformation had only just begun and would never end. We are always to be an attitude of Reformation. The Latin for that is Semper Reformanda. We ought never to become complacent in our church and think that we have arrived at the perfect ideal church or at monopolizing the truth or that we are the only ones. We could always learn from each other's churches because no church is THE "reformed" church. There is a church for everybody in my opinion or what you call niche churches and have a certain demographic or an appeal that they have. We cannot be all things to all people.
In other words, some churches try to become mega-churches or attract followers by teaching or preaching what the people want to hear especially when it comes to prophecy or prosperity theology. These preachers are really gifted entrepreneurs and not called by God. The Bible warns against those who have itching ears and only want to hear what they want to hear and preachers who cater to them. Even the devil himself disguised himself as an angel of light. So no wonder his servants do also.
We must admit that our teacher or our pastor will have his weaknesses and issues. But what is the bottom line? What is it that God considers important? God called Moses and Paul who were not good speakers! Good that the preacher admits and knows his flaws too. But that does not mean that he cannot become all things to all people by God's grace as Paul claimed. And that God cannot use him for what is important to majors are what's important in the minors are not we don't major in the minors in other words. We don't get distracted by things that are unimportant but remember what is important: KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING! None of which I put first things first and realize our priorities. Pastors should never be people pleasers then you cannot please God and our praise ought to be from God and not man.
Too many churches preach another Jesus, another gospel, or another spirit than the one that they should have received or did receive. There are too many counterfeit churches out there, and too many counterfeit preachers that were not even called into the ministry. They have just enough truth to deceive. They are experts at marketing, even using Madison Avenue techniques. They may be scammers or even grifters and rob their congregations because they do not gather the funds for God's purposes.
Today, we have too many churches that do not keep their eyes on Jesus and on the truth and have gotten side-tracked. They have forgotten about the church being the cornerstone of the truth and doctrine matters and truth matters. It is often looked drowned upon and frowned upon to be into polemics or defend against heresy. We ought to be obedient to the heavenly vision!
We have a church without doctrine today. The post-doctrinal era! What really matters, in the long run, is the truth. We ought to teach people to be searchers for the truth with an open mind yet a critical mind. An open mind says they do not think they know all the truth yet and they're willing to learn more but a critical mind in the sense they must test the spirit whether it is of God or not. Today, we have churches that are even into the New Age doctrine and want to say things like Jesus isn't enough. We need Jesus plus this Jesus plus that. We have the "church of what's happening now!' We need to realize that Jesus is enough and we have Jesus. We have all we need.
Churches cannot be good at everything; they each have a certain ministry in calling some churches are more evangelical, some churches are more ministerial, some churches are more mission-oriented, and some churches reach out to the lost more and loft into causes like social causes like the social gospel which is another mistake. We have a mission and a commission to reach the world through Christ but our commission is to preach the gospel. We have a social mandate yes to be a blessing to the world in the sense of being salt and light but not in the sense that there is a social gospel that all things work out good if we become Christians. The church ought to prepare and fight the actual enemy out there which is Satan and his minions and his servants truth that's why the doctrine is important we have a foundation of doctrine and we can readily discern who these false teachers are because, in the last days, many shall come in Christ's name saying they are Christ even.
And many false teachers will teach doctrines of demons. People will no longer endure sound doctrine! These churches ought to recognize the needs of the church and should really be needy people in the church. They should minister one to another. And the church also should be aware of strange teachings because many shall come in Christ's name and teach a new doctrine that sounds good to outsiders, especially in churches where they're overly seeker-sensitive rather than God-oriented.
Yes, there is a true battle in the Lord and the battle is the Lord's. If we know the truth and are armed with the truth and the word of God which is our only fence weapon we shall win this battle we should realize that we will not be good at everything and find and find what we are good at Christians ought to find their spiritual gift. In other words, they do that by experimenting or serving God and finding out what God blesses them in. Soli Deo Gloria!