Douglas Wilson made some interesting points, which I have noted myself growing up in various churches. Here’s a quick excerpt from his post:
“The apostle Paul resolved to know nothing but Christ and him crucified (1 Cor. 1: 22-24). I grew up in a tradition that interpreted this as requiring a simple gospel message every Sunday. So every seven days, the faithful saints gathered, and heard a message explaining to them how they could become Christians. And then an invitation to go forward was given.
Needless to say, the sermons traveled in a well-worn groove. If preaching Christ, or preaching the gospel, means a proclamation of how to become a Christian, and that is all it means, there are only so many ways to do this.
Early in my ministry I determined that it was necessary to preach from the entire Bible, and not just from John 3:16 and its close cousins. This meant preaching through Zechariah, and Deuteronomy, and Proverbs, and so on. And yet, the apostolic comment was still there.”
To read the full post, go to his blog.
It is incredibly important that we share with unbelievers how to receive Christ. However, if you are going to a church, and that is all the pastor is doing… sharing John 3:16, Romans 6:23, and a few more select verses… you are not growing. That church is dead or dying. God gave a whole 66 books to learn from, not 10 verses to repeatedly chant aloud.