Caution Stumbling Block Ahead

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Caution: Stumbling Block Ahead

By David Block

Luke 20:18 (ESV)

“Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."

You walk into a local church one Sunday morning. The banner posted on the door reads, “We are a seeker-sensitive church: Come on in!” The service starts with a bang as a professional sounding and looking band rocks out to some catchy tunes about the love of Jesus and how they love God. The offering is collected with the amazing promise of getting tenfold of what you place in the plate. Then the pastor gets up and starts his message on being free from worry. He offers five easy steps to triumph over worry and guarantees that if you just follow the steps then God will bless you. The service ends with an invitation to say a little prayer as ten stanzas of “Just as I Am” is sung. Does this sound familiar?

The scene I described above is becoming more and more commonplace in Christianity today. I've been to churches like this and I will not be going back; unless I'm invited by a good friend or I need some new material for an article. When I walk into a church I want to see, figuratively or literally, a sign that says, “Caution: Stumbling Block Ahead,” Why would I want to see this instead of a worship leader in a mini skirt and mid drift exposed? The one is based on the truth the other is based on either error or deception but not on the word of God.

My belief is that many churches have fallen into the error of the “seeker-sensitive” movement simply because they misunderstand who a seeker of God is. There is really only one main misconception that people have concerning a seeker of God; they believe that seekers are non-Christians. This statement is probably a shock to many, but in light of scripture, we find it to be the truth.

The Bible tells us much about seekers. First, God has commanded that all people seek him (Is. 55:6; Matt. 7:7). However, the person that seeks God seeks his name (Ps. 83:16), his face (Ps. 105:4), and his strength (1 Chr. 16:11). A seeker pursues God's word (Is. 34:16), his commandments (1 Chr. 28:8), and his precepts (Ps. 119:45). People are to seek the kingdom of God, his righteousness (Matt. 6:33), his honor (John 5:44), and his city (Heb. 13:14). The seekers of God are to look for the Christ (Mal. 3:1) and his justification (Gal. 2:16,17). A true seeker seeks diligently (Heb 11:6), earnestly (Job 8:5), and with all his heart and soul (Deut. 4:29). If a seeker does all these things, the question is: Does a non-Christian do these things?

An unbeliever is also described in detail in the Bible. An unbeliever is dead in trespasses and sins, a son of disobedience and a child of wrath (Eph. 2:1-3). Their hearts are deceitful and wicked (Jer. 17:9) and their minds are enmity against God (Romans 8:7,8). In fact, they are conceived in iniquity (Ps. 51:5) and go astray as soon as they are born (Ps. 58:3). They love their darkness (John 3:19-21) and they won't receive the things of God because, to them, they are foolishness (1 Cor. 2:14). Are we to believe that these people seek God?

Many churches have sold out to the idea that there are all these non-believers out there diligently searching for God. All we have to do as the church is to present ourselves as “relevant,” “real,” and perpetually “uplifting.” Our messages (not sermons) need to be about God's love and how to live a better life (wrath, what's that?). They also need to be easy to understand (a.k.a. void of theology). The buildings we meet in need to be flashy and eye-catching. A seeker of God will see our multi million dollar godplex and will come running to truth of the Gospel. The idea that average “god-seeker”, Joe Pagan, will find the Almighty God when a wide-eyed, perfectly groomed speaker presents a message from the 7-Up Bible (the UnGospel), is preposterous.

What is more ridiculous is that these churches are denying the direct statements of the Bible which say that an unregenerate man will not and does not seek God.

Ps 14:2–3 The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

2 Chr 12:14 And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.

Is 9:13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.

Ps 10:4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.

Rom 3:11–12 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

So what should a church do if not cater to non-Christian “seekers”? Fortunately, for us, the Bible tells us that too. Take the prophet Micah for example. He says, “But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin,” (Micah 3:8). The church today is filled with the Spirit and we must, like Micah, declare the transgressions and sins to our congregations. To worship God we must be confronted on a regular basis with our sin. If we are not, then we will begin to think too highly of ourselves and fall into the trap of usurping power from God.

The apostle to the Gentiles, Paul, is the second greatest source of church conduct that we have. He tells us that, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,” (2 Tim. 1:7, 8). The church need not be afraid of telling people about Christ. If we are Christians, then we have the power and the self-control not to give in to the world but to declare all of the testimony (His sovereignty, His substitutionary death, and His wrath) of our Lord. If we do this then we will share in the suffering of Paul. If a church doesn't do this then the church will find that it is full of fat, lazy pagans instead of hard working, suffering bondservants. Likewise, Paul tells Timothy that what he writes is so that we, “may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth,” (1 Tim. 3:15). The church is what holds up truth in the world. Without the church all truth will fall to the side. A congregation that allows certain parts of the truth to fall has really ceased in doing it's function and therefore is worthless. The Builder of the church examines all the pillars and buttresses in the world and has promised in the book of Revelation to remove the failed supports.

Paul not only tells us about the motivation, power, and responsibility that should be found in our churches but also the message. What should be coming from our pulpits? In a chilling part of Scripture where Paul tells of his impending death he explains to the Ephesian elders that he “did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable,” and, “I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God,” (Acts 20:21,26-27). As a teacher of God's word a pastor, like the elders of Ephesus, are to follow Paul's example by preaching all that is profitable, which is the full counsel of God. What is profitable and the full counsel of God? Paul answers this elsewhere in 2 Tim 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable.” Should a pastor preach on heaven, worry, marriage, joy, and the blessings of God? Of course, he should. But that can't be the totality of his main ideas. He must include all scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, including the genealogies, the wrath of Christ, the depraved state of man, and all of the other difficult things to understand or accept. Preaching the Bible from cover to cover ought to be the goal of every pastor.

Jesus, of course, is our greatest example of the proclamation of total, uncompromised, pure truth. When Jesus spoke he used language and literary devices that made it easy for people to comprehend what he was saying, but he never watered down the truth. When the people where ignoring the truth and just hanging out with him for miracles he was doing he told them to hit the road. As Charles Spurgeon said, “I do not hear Him say, 'Run after these people, Peter, and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick, Peter, we must get the people somehow!'” Jesus knew that he didn't have to change what he was saying or avoid talking about something (like eating his flesh and drinking his blood) to have people follow him. He knew that all those that the Father had chosen for salvation would come to him (John 6:37).

The church needs to follow the examples that have been set before her. We can warn people that our church is all about God and that if you are not a follower of Christ, then some of the stuff you hear in our service will and should offend. If you are an unbeliever then our services will make you feel uncomfortable. This is not our goal, but the truth hurts and we will not back down from the truth. If you are not a follower of Christ then a lot of what is said or sung will not make any sense to you. We will not apologize for this for we believe that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. This is how we should appear to those outsiders that come into our church. They should leave knowing whether or not they are Christians and that Christianity teaches something radically different from all other religions of the world and of the self-help guru down at the Holiday Inn. They should not leave thinking that they just worshiped the Holy God.

Seeker-sensitive churches, like every church, need to go back to the Bible and reevaluate what they are doing in their worship. If it matches up, then it is good and acceptable. If it doesn't, as we have seen with the seeker churches, then they must come forward, admit their err, and reform their doctrine according to the full counsel of God. This is the only hope for a congregation to be around in the coming years. This is the only hope for the church in America. Our prayer ought to be that His word would once again be proclaimed in its totality from the pulpits of our country today; that all things that are profitable would be taught to the true seekers of God to all those that have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.