WHAT IS WRONG WITH SEEKER-FRIENDLY CHURCHES?

In the past few years, a new category of churches has come on the scene. They are what is called "seeker-friendly". You hear the title and you think "awww....how nice. How can that be bad?" Well, for starters, just the word "seeker" is wrong. Romans 3:11 says, "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." So, this title is bad from the get-go. NO ONE seeks after God. Why? Because the unregenerate person doesn't love God, so why would they seek HIM? Also, and this is the one thing that really irritates me, "seeker-friendly" churches will cater to the unsaved. They do this first of all by offering "entertainment" to draw them in. They may can draw them in, but if they do, they'll have to come up with bigger and better "entertainment" to keep them there. If not, they'll go to the church across town to get their "entertainment". Secondly, they water down or sugar-coat the Gospel so that it won't sound so offensive to those who are unsaved. Last time I checked, the Gospel is to be preached so that the unregenerate will be changed, not change the Gospel so that the lost wouldn't be offended. Romans 1:16 says "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Notice the second part of the verse. The Gospel "is THE POWER OF GOD for salvation". Pastors don't need to be messing with the Gospel message. Don't tone it down. Don't sugar-coat it. Don't soften it. LEAVE IT ALONE!! It is not to be tampered with. Just preach the Gospel as it is written and God will do the rest.

In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Notice the middle of the verse. Jesus says, "I will build my church". So if that's the case, why do churches and denominations have "church growth" programs, and different gimmicks to draw people in? If Jesus is the one who will build HIS church, why do pastors wrack their brains trying to think up the latest and greatest gimmick to bring people in? JUST PREACH THE GOSPEL!!! Pastors want the big numbers. They want to see a large crowd in church each Sunday and that's why they come up with all those church growth plans. So.....when they finally stand before God, what are they going to say? "Hey, God, look at what I did to bring people in?" Or, "look at this plan that I thought up to draw in the unsaved." Just exactly who's supposed to get the glory? I can tell you it AIN'T the pastor. Why? Because it is GOD, through the Holy Spirit, who draws the unsaved person to himself. The apostles didn't need gimmicks or church growth plans. They simply preached God's Word and God "gave the increase"....(see 1 Corinthians 3:6).

Churches don't need to be "seeker-friendly". They just need to make sure the Gospel is preached boldly and without error and without gimmicks.