Original Date: 7/1/2008.

I think I'm catching on to a trend, here.

The words and phrases, "Building Community", "Missional", "Relevant", "Cultural Awareness", "Relationship", "seeker friendly", and "Meeting them 'Where they Are'", have become little more than post-modern code words for "hangin' out with sinners." And of course, the prime example is Jesus. After all, "Jesus ate with sinners."

This is very common amongst the "Church didn't meet my needs, so I left" crowd. These are often people who may even have, or had, a legitimate complaint against a particular church or denomination. They have a problem with the "institutional church", or "organized religion." But often enough, having swung one way in a bad way, they then swing wildly to the other in an equally bad way.

The error that I think they are making is stated thus: "Since abc is bad, then everything NOT abc is good." That's not terribly different from "if abc is bad, then anything opposed to abc is good."

In other words, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

But in this case, the "enemy of my enemy" is The World.

What these people, who are fond of pointing out that "Jesus ate with sinners", are not fond of pointing out is that, sure, Jesus ate with sinners; but he then told them to "repent and sin no more."

Jesus used the opportunity of "being relevant" to gain an audience, but he never left that audience without them hearing the words, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Repent, and sin no more."

And this is almost always the claim made by these sorts of people. "We are only using 'culture' as an inroad to, hopefully, afford the opportunity to share our testimony."

(Note: "Sharing Your Testimony" is completely useless if it is not preceeded by the "Sharing of the Gospel". Otherwise, all you can expect is "Cool! You can party with us anytime!").

"Sharing their testimony" often means nothing more than, "Hey, I'm just like you." Somehow their "testimony" never gets around to that part where they come to realize that they are a sinner before a God who is, according to that God, "angry with sinners every day" and who has promised to destroy both the sin and the sinner together in hell unless they repent. Somehow, that bit never gets to the table.

If the tactic of "meeting them where they were" was to "bring them to where you are", then I'd have little complaint. But the problem, as I see it, is that too many Christians, once they've met them where they are, they stay there themselves! And consequently, they never lead them out, or come out themselves either.

In the end, the whole point of "relationship" and "community" seems to be nothing more than an excuse to hang out and have "relationship" with the "community" so they can enjoy the lifestyle they experience (and, perhaps, used to experience themselves and now look back on with a retrospective, romantic eye).

"Meeting them where they are" turns out to mean, "Hey, we'll come be wordly with you.

"Seeker friendly" is rather the flip-side of the same coin: "Hey, you can come be worldly with us!"

Here's my take.

Look. If all you want to do is go down to the sports bar and watch the game and have a few beers, then by all means; go do it. I don't have a problem with it. I don't think there's anything wrong or sinful about it. We're cautioned against drunkeness and brawling, but if your goal is just to enjoy a brewski and watch the game with some friends, then knock yerself out, and God Bless you in your fellowship. I'm quite serious.

If you have a cadre of fellow believers who all know their proper liberty in Christ, and are capable of proper moderation, and your conscience doesn't condemn you, then go to, my friend. Be careful not to do so in a way that would damage the weak faith of another brother (in other words, be discerning), but otherwise, enjoy your fellowship.

It is perfectly permissible to enjoy fellowship without turning it into a "preaching opportunity" in the middle of the Super Bowl.

But christian fellowship is not "ministry." Fellowship is fellowship, and ministry is ministry. The two do not mix. One follows the other. To them, ministry follows fellowship. To me, fellowship only follows ministry - and specifically, ministry that has successfully born the fruit of fellowship.

But to sit there and try to justify it by claiming it's building inroads for the Gospel is just plain disingenuous. It borders on lying, and it's definately self-deception. It betrays the fact that your conscience does condem you, because you feel the need to justify your behaviour by dressing it up in "missional clothing."

Using "missional", or "relationship building", or "reaching out" as a cover for your desire to not only go where they are, but also do the things that they are doing, without intentionally making the attempt to lead them to a right view of themselves, their sin, their judgment before an angry God, and "the way and the truth that leads to eternal life" is doing no one a favour. Not you, or them.

The problem with addressing this business is that no matter when, along the way of "reaching out in a mission of building the relationship", no matter when I point this out, they can always say, "That's exactly what we are doing. We were just geting to that point about 'repentance' when you barged in here with guns blazing and screwed the whole thing up. Thanks a lot!"

But I'm not buying it. If this were true, someone would have seen some results somewhere. And "Hey, I made them just like me..." is quite different from "Hey, they're SAVED from God and his judgment and hell." I've never seen ANYONE go into the world, to be accepted of the world, who later came out themselves, and certainly not with anyone else at their side, whom they plucked from the fire, still smelling of smoke.

It becomes a lifestyle. And usually, a permanent lifestyle. They call it a "missional lifestyle". I'd call it "backsliding".

I call it a "dog returning to it's vomit". I call it "starting in the spirit and trying to finish it in the flesh." I call it, "putting the hand to the plow, and looking back." Jesus gave LOTS of these warnings.

I think that there's a subtle misconception behind this phenomenon: To people in this camp, "ministry" is the work of man, and it requires, as Jesus said, "being wise as serpents."

But ministry is not the work of man, it's success is not predicated on the techniques, and efforts, and oratorical skills of men. Nor on powerpoint presentations, sermon illustrations, games, X-Boxes, pool tables, men's fellowships, knitting clubs, or any other of a hundred of man's "relationship building" activities.

The work of God is performed exclusively by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit works exclusively from the Word of God. The Gospel must be heard; not demonstrated in a sort of "charades" game in which you hope people somehow "get it". ("Five words, first word, two syllables, read... no... "RE", second syllable, sounds like wrote... no, like 'pen', Oooo, Oooo. Pick me. I know. It's 'repent and sin no more...' ding ding ding!" Not gonna happen.)

The truth is, for a of of these people (perhaps not all, but most), they are ashamed of the Gospel. It makes them uneasy to talk about Jesus Christ in front of non-believers. It's easier to say "We'll just make friends and hope they 'get it' without us actually having to say 'except that you repent and are born again, you will in no wise see the kingdom of heaven'". The only reason anyone would feel this way talking about Jesus, is because they themselves are uncomfortable with it. Ducks certainly don't mind talking about water. And Christians don't mind talking about repentance.

Trying to convert the world by spiritual osmosis instead of stating it plainly is doomed to failure. And if you are stuck on that "they will know by your love for one another" bit, it's worth noting that Jesus simply said that that's how they will know you are His disciples. It will do nothing to make THEM his disciples unless you TELL THEM HOW.

The Gospel works through HEARING THE WORD and the Holy Spirit brings conviction, and the person turns to Christ as saviour from themselves and from God! Far from the Charade games, this ministry sounds like this: "For all have sinned and have fallen short of the Glory of God..." And the man, in his heart, through the work of the Holy spirit hears a voice saying "This means me. This is me he's talking about."

THAT is the working of the Gospel.

I think its possible that one of the reasons that so many have turned to the "missional/relational" model is that, to them, Ministry is "pragmatic" - it's true if it works (or seems to work). It appears (to them, at least) that the "traditional approach" just doesn't work. There aren't enough people being saved for this means to justify the ends.

What they do not realize is that Jesus said this would happen.

This is a common misconception held among the "Triumphalists" or the "Kingdom Now!" crowd. To them, their view of end time church is a church that is growing, sweeping great crowds in through "revival." A church that is preparing and presenting an overcoming "bride" that has brought the world into subjection, and is ready to present it as a gift to the bridegroom. But Jesus called that "the wide gate."

Jesus painted a picture of the true faith as something ever dwindling - ever decreasing on earth until, in the end, it would be completely erradicated from the face of the earth if He did not intervene and put an end to it. And a Holy Spirit who is drawing men until the full measure of the Gentiles has come in, and this Holy Spirit then begins to change from drawing men, to pulling away the retraints on their evil that their evil may know almost no end......., just in time for Christ to return and pick up the very few who are left of His true body and church before the Father says, "Enough!" and destroys the world, and it's people, and it's culture in Hell.

That's what Jesus called "The Narrow Gate."

Meanwhile, the "Church" is busy blogging about ways we can "accept people as they are", turning churches into circuses, sanctuaries into Hollywood Screening Rooms for Mel Gibson movies, and the Gospel of Repentance and Faith in Christ alone into a relic...

...Just like Jesus said it would happen.

Update: 7/26/2008


After re-reading this about a month later, I need to make a clarification. Specifically about my use of the phrase "This is very common amongst the 'Church didn't meet my needs, so I left' crowd."

The thing I want to add, or clarify, is that I am one of those people who "left the church." About 23 years ago. But I did not leave because I felt like my needs weren't being met. I am a sinner who deserves the eternal punishment of hell. My needs don't enter into it. To hell with my "needs". For a man who is dead and lost in sin, whose only hope lies outside of himself, outside of his life, outside of his culture, his world, even his wife and children, for such a man, what good would "meeting his needs" do? None! His needs are as sinful as he is.

No. I left because first, and foremost, what I was seeing in "the church" didn't even come close to matching what Jesus said was true of his disciples and his church. I left because the focus of the "church" was not the glorification of God. Not "the glory of God"... God's glory is not diminished one bit by ANYTHING that man does. I mean the complete lack of the glorification of God. Church was about me. MY needs. MY worship. MY edification. MY building-up. MY happiness. MY salvation. MY life. MY friends. MY growing. ME... ME... ME!

I don't know about you, but I HATE ME. I hate what I am. I loathe everything that I do and everything that I have ever done, even as a Christian. I have absolutely no trust at all in anything about ME. That's why I wrote "The Sexualization of Worship" - somehow, church became all about ME instead of all about GOD and JESUS CHRIST ALONE!

I left church because it was clear that the central issue was not GOD IS HOLY - MAN IS EVIL! That's why God led me OUT of church. I was in church just long enough for God to bring my lovely and godly wife into my life - and once that was accomplished, he led us both safely OUT.

When I speak of the people who leave church because they didn't feel like their needs were getting met, I am talking about people who are still makng THEMSELVES the center of their life. God is only as great as his ability to make them prosperous and happy, or "whole" (whatever they, in their vain imaginations, imagine that to mean). If you think that I'm talking about people who follow Benny Hinn, you are sadly mistaken. I'm talking about people who feel like church is supposed to make them happy, or to give them friends, or to make them comfortable, or to make them "real" or "genuine" or "relevant to the culture."

To hell with your culture. (And I mean it in the biblical sense - as in that is what God says He is going to do with it: burn it in fire). God is not there to validate your "culture" or your lifestyle, or to make you "relevant to others." In the end, God will burn your culture in hell along with you if you are not saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone. If you are not clothed in HIS righteousness, you are a goner. And God will not feel the slightest empathy, and show you not the slightest bit of mercy if you die in the state you are in right now if you are not trusting ONLY in the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ and on NOTHING ELSE.

God is there to be glorified as God, or to send you to hell. You choose which side of that line you want to be on. I left church because I was on the wrong side of the line. How about you?