There are several reasons that I have concluded that not all church growth is of God.  One of the biggest reasons is that much church growth is the product of false teaching given by false teachers to shallow listeners who want to be entertained more than they want to be changed.

Here's an example.  I have changed the name of the preacher to protect the guilty.  TV pastor Handsome Harry said recently:    "God paused to praise Himself after every day of creation. We should do like he did. Stop and praise yourself."

Doctors talk about the "gag reflex," defined as "contraction of the back of the throat, evoked by touching the soft palate. It prevents something from entering the throat except as part of normal swallowing and helps prevent choking."

I have to admit to experiencing a gag reflex when I listen to a lot of popular teaching today.  I just can't swallow much of what is being taught for truth.  Unfortunately, millions of people are hungry for this stuff and they gobble it up by the barrel loads.

I won't delude myself into thinking that everyone who reads these lines will understand the deadly poison in that preacher's statement.  But think about it.  This teacher says that, because Almighty God looked at His creation (Genesis 1) and said, "That's good," that you and I should look at what we do and say, "Atta boy.  You da man.  You dun good."  Praise yourself, because you deserve it.  

I hope you'll develop a healthy "gag reflex" when it comes to false teaching.  The only way for that to happen is to be so familiar with truth that you instinctively and reflexively react to whatever tastes like false teaching.  Truth-loving believers can't stomach untruth.  They gag when they hear it.

I love to hear "Amen" and "Hallelujah" in the church.  That should be our response when the Preacher/Teacher is doing his thing and truth is being taught in the power of the Spirit.

But now and then we ought to hear a loud, "Yuck" coming from the mouths of the mature.  We've got to teach spiritual babies that not everything that looks edible and nourishing is good for them.  They don't have the automatic gag reflex yet.  Some never seem to develop it.  Their maturity depends upon their ability to say "Yuck."

And all God's people said, . . . .

Alan Day, Senior Pastor