Before I write this blog, let me state this. If anyone can show me biblically where I am wrong, I am very open to biblical correction. But only biblical correction, as I feel this is a profound biblical issue in the church today. Yesterday I mentioned the seeker sensitive church movement, which has now evolved into the emergent church movement. How in these churches true biblical discipleship does not occur so as not to offend non-believers who may be present, so the "whole counsel" of God is not presented. The word of God is a small part of church, as church is more about appealing to lost people, giving them something that is palatable for an unregenerate soul. The goal of these churches is to get lost people into church. So I'll ask the question, what's wrong with that? Well, the problem is, their is nothing biblical about this model for church.
In the bible, most Christians are familiar with the "Great Commission." Jesus's charge to us to go into the world, preach the gospel, win the lost and make disciples. But have we convoluted Jesus's way of accomplishing this? Well, if we look to the bible, the answer is clearly, yes. Let's look at how.
Throughout the gospels we see Jesus preaching and teaching. When Jesus is in the synagogue, what we would call church, He is dealing with people who believe of themselves, that they are believers in God. Many of them clearly were not, but Jesus's messages in these situations were aimed at people with a knowledge of God. Jesus preached often in the world, and when He was in the world, he hung out with sinners. With publicans and tax collectors. Jesus spent time with church people, and with the lost of the world. He chastised the religious folks for failing to go into the world as He did to witness to the lost. Jesus never invited a lost person of the world into the synagogue, or church.
In fact, no where in the New Testament will you find anyone inviting one lost person to church. Why is that? Because church is where disciples are to be made, and one cannot be a disciple, unless one first is a repentant, saved sinner. In scriptures like Acts 1:8 and Mark 16:15 we are clearly told to go into the world, not invite the world into the church. In Matthew 28:19-20, the scripture we refer to as the "Great Commission," we see the same thing. The command to "Therefore go," is not worded, "Therefore invite them to come." And our aim is not just to see someone saved, but to make them a disciple. To teach them "all things" Jesus has commanded us. You cannot teach a lost person to obey Christ. They must first turn to Him, repent and be saved. That is to happen in the world, then they come to church to learn, as they now have a Holy Spirit fueled desire to do so.
We see this at Pentecost in Acts 2:40-47. Here Peter preaches a powerful message to the crowd, and 3000 are saved. It is then, only then, that they are received into the church in Jerusalem, and begin to live amongst the brethren. Everywhere in the New Testament, it is Jesus or His followers going into the world and winning the lost, not going into the world and inviting them to church. When Jesus was confronted with one lost sheep in Luke chapter 15, he went into the world to find it. And their was "joy in heaven" because of the repentance of the sinner symbolized by that lost sheep. You see, it is only when we have surrendered to Christ and turned from sin, that we are ready to join His body. That change is to occur before we come to church, because if that change has not occurred, we're not in church for the right reason, and will not be able to edify the body, which is the duty of all in Christ's church.
I am not saying we should not welcome lost people in our churches, far from it. What I am saying is their is nothing biblical about gearing our churches to draw the lost. To water down sound, albeit tough, doctrine so as not to offend and drive away that lost person. They need the truth, not a feel good, psycho-babble, self-help message. Jesus never compromised His message, and many turned away from Him because the "teaching became to hard." If it happened to Him, it will happen to us if we faithfully proclaim the bible. It is the Father who draws the sinner to Christ, in fact, Jesus said no one can come "unto Him" unless that first happens. God does that through the Holy Spirit and conviction from the Holy writ. Not by making the lost feel comfortable in church.
In fact, I'll say this adamantly. If lost people are comfortable in the church you attend, the bible is not really being preached. If lost, unrepentant sinners can sit through a church service and leave feeling good about themselves, that church is not a church based upon the biblical model. You see, the bible, the law, is there to reveal our sin to us, so we can conform to the image of Christ. Only a believer or one whom the Holy Spirit is working upon will be convicted of sin, as that is one of the Holy Spirit's ministries. The lost, unregenerate person does not want to hear they are a sinner, that they cannot live the way they do, and be pleasing to God. So many churches simply ignore a convicting message, and most of the bible, in favor of pleasing people.
Friends, when we invite and welcome the world into the church, it does not help the church. As Paul says numerous times, and Jesus Himself warns us, leaven(sin) will work its way through the whole loaf. If we allow sin through unregenerate people to take hold in our churches, it will corrupt everyone. Our mission is not to bring worldly people into church, but to win them in the world, and bring them in as saved, hungry Christians on fire for God. The world is for winning souls, the church is for the body of Christ. This is what the bible teaches, so why do so many churches seem to be missing or simply ignoring this?
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