Yesterday marked my first Sunday in the city to visit other churches extensively.
First stopped at First Baptist Church in Flushing (9:30am Chinese), and then it's Chinese Community Church in Manhattan (12pm Chinese), and then it's Times Square Church, largest church in New York.
My personal favorite would be Chinese Community Church, calm, steady and prudence. Even though it has the least attendants comparing to the other two. While one would say the morning session of the First Baptist Church would be more suited for youth, I'd say I don't believe only new modern musics can attract the younger generation. Something I have always envisioned for a while now. Perhaps I should attend the 11am session next week, to get a better understanding of the church.
As for Times Square Church, they had a very good guest speaker, who's American born Japanese, married to a Jewish, with 2 children, now citizen of Israel. Pastor Peter Tsukahira's illustration of God's work on the Israel nation throughout history is most impressive. I find it admirable that all the pastors of that church have to sit on stage and listen to the sermon. I supposed it is the format of the church, so that the pastors are students from time to time. Some churches that have more than one pastor, would never allow the pastors to participate in listening to God's word with the congregation. Moreover, many pastors rather go preach than be among the congregation, as if their only christian "duty" is to give sermons and lectures, as if they have already known others' lectures and sermons that they do not need to waste their time sitting and listening. In a way, I am proud of seeing an Asian preacher having such an impact on the American community. However, I also find Times Square Church's pentecostal influence disturbing. It isn't the charismatic atmosphere that disturbed me, it is the entertaining element. We must always be careful in discerning that which is of joy, and that which is of entertainment. The problem with pentecostal churches is they do not discern this. Joy is the happiness in TRUTH, in WISDOM and in the Presence of the Lord, joy is everlasting. Entertainment in the church is self-satisfactory in disguise of joy. It is not everlasting, it needs creative boosts from time to time, like drugs. I was reminded of one instance, when someone suggested to Rev. Stephen Tong if his church's music should use the charismatic musics instead of "boring" church hymnals, his reply was "absolutely NO!". I supposed I could imagine how it would like, for a church to have creative, active, charismatic type "gospel musics" combined with good sermons, yes, it could draw crowds, but at the same time, we would have submitted to the need to entertain. We would have submitted to something that is not of the everlasting value. Perhaps Pastor David Wilkerson has focused on drug addicts and criminals so much that he has underestimated Satan's work against him. He's a great pastor, no doubt, I must keep praying for him and his mission.
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