So the elephant still sits in the
pews across this country. No one wants to talk about it. No one wants to
realize the danger of it all. The seeker friendly, purpose driven model grows
the church horizontally, not vertically. People ask me sometimes why my
discernment ministry focuses so much on these poor theologies. The answer is
false conversions. The reality is that I would guess 70% of churches today are
implementing some version of
The purpose driven and seeker
friendly models do not care because next week there are a new batch of people
to call up for altar call. There are new "salvations" to count. Here is a Bible
and some literature; quickly sign up for baptism class so we can get you into
membership and you can discover your purpose! Don't believe me? Let's go back
to the words of Warren himself:
Help them get connected in your church. Let
them know about some of the significant assimilation ministries in your church
-- your membership class, your small groups or your Celebrate Recovery ministry
(which I hope you have!). You might do this on your website and simply share
the link in your letter or you might have some of this basic info in your
letter.
Assimilation ministries? You just
can't make this stuff up. And for the defenders, please realize that this is
not an attack upon the person of Rick Warren, or Osteen, or Prince -- just their
teaching and they are just the obvious ones. I guess I shouldn't be surprised
that in the Purpose Driven Life,
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you
do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. -- 1Timothy 4: 16 (NIV)
Only two things Paul warns Timothy
to watch closely. His life and his doctrine. THAT is how important what we
believe is. We are to persevere in our doctrine. Because if we believe on the
wrong gospel, then we run the risk of being falsely converted. If we think God
exists to provide us with earthly prosperity then we may have believed upon the
wrong gospel. If we believe this is our best life now and that God wants to
supernaturally bless everyone, then we may have believed on the wrong gospel. If
we believe that it is more important for a church to be relevant to a dying
culture, or provide significance instead of the Good News of Jesus Christ, then
we may have believed on the wrong gospel. This is not a game beloved. Playing
church may feel good now but when we stand before Christ"
Reverend Anthony Wade -- June 3, 2013