Is This...Church?

Seeker-Sensitive Churches and the Super Bowl Showmanship

Welcome to the program ladies and gentlemen. My name is Justin Peters. I hope that this finds you and your family doing well today. I want to thank you so much for joining me for this program. So if you saw my last video, you know why things look a little bit different behind me.

That's because I am on the road preaching. In fact, I preached this morning. This is Sunday afternoon. Hence the tie but at any rate I wanted to redeem the time and get a couple of videos up on my channel.

Even while I'm on the road. Last video I talked about Stephen Furtick and in this video. I want to talk about some of these popular Evangelical quote-unquote whatever that term means anymore nowadays these big evangelical megachurches that make their church services fun and entertaining and Draw from popular culture and even the Super Bowl to draw in crowds and the thinking is well if we can make church fun if we can make it entertaining that will draw the crowds and then they'll hopefully hear enough about Jesus somewhere along the way to make some kind of a decision and Supposedly get saved.

So I want to I want to show you some clips from a couple of these churches the first is Life Church pastored by Craig Groeschel and I think this clip is actually from one of their satellite branches. They have churches different Satellites campuses, whatever you want to call them in I believe 13 different states.

So there's a lot of different life churches. The mothership if you will is in Oklahoma, but Watch this. This is from just a couple of weeks ago as they are having a Super Bowl themed service. Watch this.

This weekend is 32nd theology. We are having a huge football party at church. We're gonna have some Gatorade to drink. We're gonna have games for the whole family. Make sure that you wear your favorite football jersey.

Don't forget about the hot dogs that we are gonna have. This is the best week of football for the whole year.

Remember whoever finds God finds life. Whoever finds God finds life. Well, I'm not sure how you're gonna find God underneath all that junk you're holding.

I want to see you this Sunday for 32nd theology. It's where our pastor Craig Groeschel uses popular commercials to illustrate biblical truth. So we need you to bring your family bring your friends because here at switch We've got students who are excited to invite you to 32nd.

I really feel sorry for the kids in these churches because they don't know any better. They're being led astray. But did you notice how he said that we're gonna have 32nd theology sound bites taken from Commercials popular commercials.

So they're exegeting not scripture. Oh, no. No, no, they're gonna exegete commercials and try to find some spiritual meaning behind the Super Bowl commercials. Unbelievable.

32nd theology, of course,. I'm gonna have a hot dog first thing in the morning.

It's 32nd theology. Of course Taylor's gonna win. It's 32nd theology. Of course I'm gonna laugh and cry at the commercial.

For your right to party bud you heard him this weekend.

We're having a party at Life Church Derby for 32nd theology. We're gonna have food football and fun and we cannot wait to see you there.

Crossroads Church and the Mockery of Preaching

Well, I hope he's not holding his breath waiting on me because it's going to be a long wait. I would never darken the doors of that kind of a false church. So I want us to turn our attention now to Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, Ohio Pastored by a guy named Brian Tome and apparently every year around the Super Bowl They have a Super Bowl themed service and this clip I'm about to show you is from 2020.

Watch this.

Patterson back with the kick.

In each quarter preachers will be given a random phrase that they must effectively work into their message. And my understanding is these are completely random. They have never seen them before. Seriously seriously.

How fun so these the pastor is given a random? Phrases and these different preachers are supposed to work these phrases into their sermons somehow. So the so the sermon is not being driven by the text of God's Word.

No, it's being driven by these random phrases and it's a contest to see who's creative enough to get these random phrases worked into their sermon. That makes a Mockery out of preaching. Any pastor who would do that has no concept of what preaching is.

No understanding of the weight of the task the responsibility. No understanding whom it is. He is supposedly Representing to the people or presenting before the people God the Alpha and Omega. Absolutely, no reverence for God.

This is a joke. Literally, this is a joke.

You know, hey folks time to meet our players. Let's head down to the field for today's starting lineups.

The myth the legend Brian Tome the pastor in the smoke machines and the lights and the music and all this. Go off and he makes this big grand entrance with his arm raised and all that kind of.

Nonsense.

Dear friends Christ is to be the center of our attention the center of our affections the object of our worship in a church. That's not what we just saw it. This is this is celebrity pastor worship. This is making much ado about a man rather than Christ.

Who's the attention on Jesus not in a million years not in your wildest dreams? The attention here is pastor quote-unquote. Brian Tome and his other whoever he had else there and there's doing this kind of nonsense.

These are not churches. These are not churches. I'm gonna say more about that in just a moment.

We'll just call it when it lands call it in the air.

It.

Yeah, let's just go with tails. Would you like to kick or receive the Bible I will receive.

Yeah, you heard that right? He literally just said would you like to kick or receive the Bible?

Tom wins the toss chooses to receive the Bible. Patterson back with the kick. Oh my.

Time in 18 years. There's a touchback for the kickoff.

Yeah, she literally just kicked the Bible as Appalling and shocking as that is. You know in a roundabout way. I'm sort of in a sense Glad that she did that in that it shows exactly who these people are.

It shows you exactly what a low view of Scripture that they have. How lowly they view the Bible and how lowly they view the author of the Bible. They have no respect for God. No reverence for his majesty for his holiness at all on any level Church and God himself.

Jesus Christ to them is a joke. He's nothing more than a byword in these false churches. Believe it or not, though. It gets worse. Watch these clips from Crossroads Church from just a couple weeks ago.

Blasphemous Entertainment and the Wrecking Ball Reenactment

I showed up. Ruined your black tie. That's wanna know. That's one to show. I was the last one you thought you'd see there. That's all the surprise the fear in his eyes. I took his glass of champagne.

Said.

Singing. I've got friends in low places. Where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away. Boy. Now, that's there's a fitting worship song. To worship God in church, isn't it. Where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues way.

Unbelievable. This is not a church. These aren't Churches, these are not houses of worship. These are places of entertainment and blasphemous entertainment at that and Believe it or not it gets worse.

Because I got friends.

Wrecking ball. Now I saw this video posted on Twitter by Protestia and got the video downloaded. But as I started making this, you know getting my clips in order for this video. I Couldn't remember the name of the church actually, so I went to Google and I searched on Google wrecking ball Controversy because I knew as I knew that's all people have been talking about this.

So I googled wrecking ball controversy and What popped up was I think it was a Wikipedia or something article about wrecking ball? Controversy and I could just read the the first little bit. And so I I knew enough that this was a song by Miley Cyrus.

But I had I had no idea what it actually was. I'm proud to say I have never seen this wrecking ball video and never will.

But.

Apparently that the controversy of first thing that popped up was whenever this song was released. The controversy was that apparently Miley Cyrus was was swinging around on a wrecking ball.

Nude.

I.

Don't even know how that. I don't know where that video is posted. I mean nude is not you can't see it on regular TV. I don't think but whatever I've. I'm not a Miley Cyrus fan. I don't my wife will tell you I'm famously illiterate when it comes to music.

I like Johnny Cash and Ray Stephens Mississippi squirrel Bible.

So.

Dear friends. This is so apparently Miley Cyrus was swinging around on a wrecking ball nude and that's what they're reenacting in a church. I Don't even have any words. For that the the righteous indignation that I feel Knowing that that is what happened that the source of this and they're reenacting it in a church.

That's no church. That's a goat farm. There could not and this may sound judgmental There is no way that There could even be a Christian in that church at all. I'm not even talking about an immature Christian a baby Christian because if you're if even a baby Christian Understands the basics of the gospel even a baby Christian understands sin the penalty of sin.

What Christ did on the cross? I mean you have to have you have to have a sense to these basics of the gospel to become a Christian in the first place. And if you ever if you are a Christian that means you have felt the weight of your sin and your need for forgiveness and.

This I.

Am just at a loss for words that is not a church that is a goat farm. There can't be a single Christian in there. Unless some baby Christian not knowing what. Crossroads Church even was accidentally wandered in by some invitation not knowing what they were getting into.

But I guarantee as soon as that started. You wouldn't have to be saved more than about five seconds. To leave that garbage there. The pastor Brian Tome. No way that guy's a believer not a chance not a Chance.

The Church Is for the Redeemed, Not for Goats

Their friends that is so grievous to me church. Church is not for lost people. Churches for the redeemed a church literally the word church in the Greek church assembly ecclesia. Ecclesia the the the eck is a prefix for out and Ecclesia from the Greek word kaleo, which means to call.

So literally the called out ones. Christians are those who have been called out of the world. Out of the world into the family of God out of darkness into light out of sin into newness of life of in Christ a Church is where we worship God and by definition.

Only the redeemed can worship. Only sheep can worship. Goats can't worship. Only sheep can worship. This whole seeker sensitive market driven approach to doing church is so Backwards it is so contrary to the gospel and the the thinking is the reasoning is well.

We're gonna make our church fun. We're gonna make it entertaining. And we're gonna make our church look like the world so we can attract the world and then hopefully somewhere along. You know. We're not going to talk about sin very much because the world doesn't want to hear about sin doesn't want to hear about repentance.

So we're gonna make church fun and entertaining and and we're gonna present a Jesus that's not going to call you to repent. He's not gonna call you to take up your cross. He's not gonna call you to deny yourself.

No this Jesus that we're gonna present to you. He's gonna he's a life enhancement. Jesus, he's a life coach. Jesus he's gonna make your life better. He's gonna give you what you want. That's not church.

And that's not the gospel. And people say well if you talk about sin and repentance and you know, it's it's gonna it's gonna keep people away. You know what it will. It will keep people away. It's gonna keep the goats away.

But you know who it's gonna draw it's gonna draw the sheep it'll draw the sheep and that's what church is supposed to be comprised of local bodies of believers of sheep. Now, please don't misunderstand me.

I'm not against Inviting people to church. I'm not against inviting lost people to church. I do that. But lost people can't worship. And a church is comprised of the redeemed. But I when I invite lost people to church, I don't expect the pastor to water down the message.

I don't expect him to dilute the gospel at all. I don't expect him to soften the gospel to make lost people comfortable. That's not how the gospel works. Number of years ago when Kathy and I were living in Sandpoint, Idaho, we were members of Kootenai Community Church pastored by Jim Osmond.

Many of you have heard me talk about Jim and I've interviewed him for my channel before great great guy very able preacher and Kootenai Community Church in Sandpoint, that's no happy clappy church. That's no seeker sensitive church.

I mean everything is is very vertically oriented good deep solid preaching and when we were living at the time was in this neighborhood and When we moved in I would get on my scooter electric scooter and I would ride around the neighborhood on my scooter and Get to know the get to know the neighbors and talk to people and I befriended this couple named Jim and Sherry Skeen and they were older they were in their 70s at the time that we met them and neither one of them were converted, but I befriended them and began sharing the gospel with them and Kathy did as well and we kind of developed a friendship, but but they were they were lost and Sherry in particular I'm not sure I've ever talked to anyone or at least gotten to know anyone in this country.

Who had less Bible knowledge than Sherry did? Sherry did not even know that there was an Old and New Testament. I mean she knew nothing About the Bible she was raised in some kind of very nominal Episcopal Church.

But she didn't even know there's an Old and New Testament. But I shared the gospel with them a number of times and then one day Sherry said that she wanted to come to church with us and So she did and I'll never forget that first Sunday Jim was preaching out of John believe is in John chapter 15.

But this particular Sunday we were having communion the Lord's Supper and I was sitting there with Kathy my wife by my side and then Sherry was next to her and Came time for communion and they started passing around the elements, you know, the bread and the Grapejuice and Sherry didn't know really what that was what to do with it.

And so she asked Kathy she said Now what do I do, you know, is this can I do this and Kathy said no, no Sherry you can't do this I'll explain later and so the service came to an end and we walked outside and Kathy explained to Sherry why she couldn't partake of communion because she's not a believer she's not a Christian and Kathy shared the gospel with her again and.

And.

And you know what I kind of thought. Okay this this will probably be it for Sherry you know see this was her first Sunday with us and and probably not what she was expecting in church and probably wasn't expecting to be told at the end of the service that she's not a Christian and Kathy shared the gospel and she told Sherry if you were to die right now.

You would you would go to hell you would perish. Um. But you know what the next Sunday Sherry wanted to come back to church with us. And and so she came back with us the next Sunday and the next Sunday and the next Sunday.

And then somewhere along the way God softened her heart and he saved her. She passed from death to life. She was born again and we saw a dramatic change in Sherry. She began to have a hunger for the word she began to study.

She asked a lot of questions. Kathy spent a lot of time with her discipling her and and she would she never missed a Sunday never missed a Sunday until she got cancer and It's kind of an up and deal up and up and down battle for a while, but but eventually cancer Got worse and she got really sick and she died.

Sherry is in heaven now. She's in heaven now. I was there Kathy and I were both there when she was baptized. Of course before she got really sick, but Sherry is in heaven now.

The True Gospel Draws Sheep and Calls Sinners to Repent

Now.

Conventional thinking the thinking of these kind of false churches that we've been looking at. Oh. You can't tell someone like Sherry about sin and repentance and denial of self and Hell, you know, you can't tell her something like that.

But you know what? She was. She was a lost sheep who had not yet heard the voice of the Shepherd. And she came back and she came back and she came back and then at some point she heard the voice of the Shepherd.

She repented of her sins and placed her trust in Christ and she was saved. That's how the gospel works. That's what church is supposed to look like not catering to the goats feeding the sheep. And your friends these kinds of churches what we've just witnessed.

Those aren't churches. Those are goat farms. Churches are supposed to look different from the world. You will not find the seeker sensitive model in the pages of Scripture at all. In fact, if you want to try to find a seeker There's only one seeker truly and that's God who works who seeks those to worship who seeks those to worship him in spirit and in truth.

But if you want to try to find a seeker, I suppose you could look at Mark chapter 10 the rich young ruler. And the rich young ruler ran up to Jesus said good teacher what my stuff what must I do to inherit eternal life.

And Jesus said why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. And then Jesus cited to him the Ten Commandments. And then he said one thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and then You will have treasure in heaven and come follow me.

That's not very seeker friendly Jesus. Jesus was of course not teaching a work salvation. But he was zeroing in on the one thing that was most important to this man. And that was his wealth and Jesus was saying get rid of it.

Get rid of it then come follow me. Remember in John chapter 21 Jesus speaking to Peter and he said Peter. When you were young you used to gird yourself and go wherever you wish to go. But when you are old Peter You will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you and take you where you do not wish to go.

And the Bible says that Jesus said this Signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. Put that verse in your seeker sensitive pipe and smoke it. You mean you mean to tell me that we've got to tell people to get ready to die for the gospel if called upon to Do so to suffer for the glory of Christ.

So let me let me get this right. So you're saying that we have to tell people that they have to die to themselves deny themselves Take up the cross be willing to die for the gospel if called upon to do so all to glorify Christ and I've got to turn from my sins turn from everything that I've ever ever loved and and Turn to Christ and live a life of holiness and be willing to die give up my life for the glory of God.

That's right. Well who would respond to a message like that? That's the point goats won't sheep will lost sheep. Who just have not yet heard the voice of the shepherd they will respond to the true gospel to the true gospel your friend seeker sensitive churches are so 180 degrees polar opposite of how the Bible describes churches and how churches Should be run and what churches should do what they should look like everything about seeker sensitive churches is 180 degrees polar opposite of what the Bible teaches.

The vast majority of people will not respond to the true gospel being preached repentance and faith and denial of self. But God's people will they will respond. It'll repel the goats. But it will draw the sheep and wild horses wouldn't be able to keep them away from the true gospel.

Thank you very much dear ones until our next time together. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God and the fellowship of his Holy Spirit be with you all.