As if the whole idea of a "user friendly" church or a "seeker driven" church isn't inane enough, some churches are taking the philosophy to its next logical step. Churches offer "drive-thru" Sunday services is a telling news piece about the extreme ends to which a so called church will go to "reach people with the gospel." Is this what Paul meant when he mentioned becoming "all things to all people?"
I actually mentioned drive thru marriages in a recent post in a tongue in cheek manner. It appears I was not too far from making a true to culture comment.
Maybe the scariest comment is the very last sentence of the article, "God created us each and every one good, and we celebrate that." Is that not the underlying false theology that drives the whole "seeker" philosophy. Each human is good and has within themselves the ability to turn to God, we simple need to provide the impetus through gimmicks and the like?
What about Romans 3.20 "There is no one righteouss, no not one. There is none that seek God." People will not naturally turn to God until He draws them. The primary means he uses to draw men to himself is the bold preaching of His Word (John 17.17; Rom 10.17; 2 Tim 3.15).
Something for you to muse on this afternoon!
Grace to You!
3 comments:
What distinguishes a user-friendly approach from an approach that tries to meet the needs that people have? The gospel is offensive to some, perhaps most, people, but shouldn't we avoid making it more offensive?
Of course we seek to be gentle as doves in our approach to a gospel minsitry; However, that does not mean we dumb down the glorious Gospel to a five minute thumbnail that can be handed out a drive thru window. God, I beleive, is honored in the variety of Gosepl minsitry approaches, but only to the extent that they involve the bold proclamation of His Word. Matt 28.18-20 indicates the method of disciplemaking - preaching, that is proclaiming, the Gospel.
There is a difference between seeker-driven approaches (where the church caters to the so-called needs of people rather the exposition of God's Word in a systematic manner) and an approach that is sensitive to the possibilities of unbelievers who may be present. Read 1 Cor 12-14 and see what Paul says about how to do church. There (14.23) he leaves open the possibilities that unbeleivers will enter into our services; however, he emphasizes our responsibility to see to the Glory of God and the edification of the saints.
Surely we must be sensitive to the unbeliever, but not at the expense of a Bible-Driven life and Bible-Driven Church.
Jesus told [Thomas], "I am the way, the truth, and the life. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME." John 14:6 (emphasis added)
"NO ONE CAN COME TO ME UNLESS THE FATHER DRAWS HIM, .... John 6:44 (HCSB) (emphasis mine)
The approach known as "seeker-sensitive" is ignorant of the simple truths made known by our Lord to us via John's Gospel. Not that our Lord WON'T use a "seeker-sensitive" church to draw someone; indeed, He uses whatever/whomever He chooses! Man's attempt to "help" our Lord draw someone are in ignorance of His sovereignty. None of us "lead [anyone] to Christ"; we merely may be used in the sovereign process of Him drawing someone to Himself.
"... [T]here is no one who seeks God." Romans 3:11 Until/unless our Lord draws someone, "doing church" can produce nothing but the result against which Jesus warns via Matthew 7:22-23, to wit: "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not [do church] in your name?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" As He had said (at vv. 13-14, "Enter throgh the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
John MacArthur points out via his recent book "Hard to Believe" that the broad way is often marked "Jesus"! Even churches that Preach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2) are densely populated with folks who have conjured up a Jesus in their own image; I've addressed that issue via my comments to your April posts titled WHY DO I FEEL THE NEED TO DEFEND POPE BENEDICT XVI? and DO ROMANIST[S] REALLY BELIEVE THE POPE IS HOLY TRINITY?
At least such folks are in a place where, should our Lord remove the "veil" (see 2 Cor. 3:16 and 4:3-4), conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit may occur. On the other hand, churches which remove the offense of the CROSS and promote anthropocentrism (man-centeredness) unwittingly foster ignorance of the only means by which anyone may be saved -- the Lamb of God.
"For to those who are perishing, the message of the cross is foolishness, but to us who are being saved, it is God's power."
1 Cor. 1:18 (HCSB)
"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."
1 Cor. 2:14 (NIV)
Jesus replied [to Nicodemus], "I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3 (HCSB)
As to offensiveness, the One whom we must not offend is our Lord. Nothing is more offensive to Him than our rejection of the Lamb of God. "Doing church", absent the transfer of trust from what we DO (religion) to what He has DONE (the essence of Christianity), is a tragic offense to our Lord and serves only to innoculate us from the Truth.
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