![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/church-social.jpg\")
<\/a>The use of fleshly incentives to draw people to worship services is becoming more and more common. One church offers free cokes, doughnuts, and balloons to its bus riders. Another offers a prize to the child who brings the most visitors. Still, another uses some sports figure or entertainer to attract a crowd. Dinners and socials; elaborate church buildings; “Friendliest church in town” or “Fastest-growing church in town” advertising; the list of gimmicks is almost endless.<\/p>\nA study of I Corinthians, chapters 1 and 2, suggests that the people of our generation are not the first to demand fleshly incentives. The Jews and Greeks of Paul’s day demanded them. “For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom<\/em>” (I Corinthians 1:22). Paul could have produced both, but he refused to do so: “But we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumblingblock and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God<\/em>” (I Corinthians 1:23-24).<\/p>\n Paul recognized the fact that some people are just not “convertible”: “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called<\/em>” (I Corinthians 1:26). Why are such infrequently called? Because the majority place their trust in the flesh rather than in God. They are fleshly-minded. And Paul was not about to coax fleshly-minded, “unconvertible” people “into the church” by the use of signs, wisdom, the excellency of speech, enticing words, or any other fleshly incentive. To do so would result in getting their names on a “church roll,” but not in bringing them to Christ for the saving of their souls.<\/p>\n If Paul refused to use signs and wisdom as fleshly incentives, what would have been his reaction to the use of cokes and doughnuts? If he came “not with excellence of speech or of wisdom<\/em>” (I Corinthians 2:1), what would he have said concerning attempts to attract crowds through the use of sports figures and entertainers? If Paul, led by the Holy Spirit, followed a “no fleshly incentive” policy, should that not be our policy? And should we not always be able to say with Paul, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified<\/em>” (I Corinthians 2:2)?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Bill Hall The use of fleshly incentives to draw people to worship services is becoming more and more common. One church offers free cokes, doughnuts, and balloons to its bus riders. Another offers a prize to the child who brings the most visitors. Still, another uses some sports figure or entertainer to attract a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":38696,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-to-use-instrumental-music-during-a-talent-show-at-the-building\/","url_meta":{"origin":38706,"position":0},"title":"Is it wrong to use instrumental music during a talent show at the building?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I know musical instruments are not to be used in the\u00a0worship\u00a0setting. But our leadership is too biblical at times. Some are so biblical that they rather call an event a Gospel meeting and not a revival. I know that we must obey those who rule over us, but you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55152,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/because-it-is-right\/","url_meta":{"origin":38706,"position":1},"title":"Because It Is Right","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 11, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jim R. Everett Reward incentive motivation permeates our society. People respond to rewards just like little puppies do. Some parents think only in terms of rewarding their children, and, they even reward them for being bad. When a parent says to a little child, \"If you will quit throwing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/tantrum2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15955,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/in-your-sermon-spiritual-worship-you-didnt-mention-all-the-good-done-by-the-baptist-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":38706,"position":2},"title":"In your sermon “Spiritual Worship” you didn’t mention all the good done by the Baptist church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 1, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was on staff at First Baptist Church in Springdale, Arkansas (FBCS) for several years. In studying for an upcoming sermon I ran across your sermon, Spiritual Worship. In that message, you didn\u2019t mention that Bruce Barry, the designer of the sets, was led to Christ by the pastor\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":95298,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-did-paul-wait-a-week-to-teach-the-gentiles\/","url_meta":{"origin":38706,"position":3},"title":"Why did Paul wait a week to teach the Gentiles?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Regarding Acts 13:42, why would Paul have the Gentiles wait a week to hear the word of God? Why would he not simply tell them that the church is meeting tomorrow (the first day of the week) as we are commanded? Thank you Answer: \"But going on from Perga,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26136,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/basically-good\/","url_meta":{"origin":38706,"position":4},"title":"Basically Good","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Garry Floyd I used Ecclesiastes 7:29 to make the point that mankind is not basically good. The \u201cBasically Good\u201d title denotes the idea that mankind\u2019s standard of good, outside of God\u2019s standard, makes it not good, not even \u2018basically good\u2019 as most people think they are. My concern is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":69017,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/attendance\/","url_meta":{"origin":38706,"position":5},"title":"Attendance","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Perry Hall \"Attendance\" is a biblical topic (Hebrews 10:25), but how we approach attendance is not always biblical! I have visited congregations where Sunday morning attendance was almost matched on Sunday nights. Usually, these are smaller groups. However, I have also seen larger groups that were very impressive.\u00a0On the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38706\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}