Make sure you follow this beloved because it is coming to your church too if you are not vigilant against it. The pastor will move away from solid bible exposition and start moving into topical sermons designed to tickle the ears and entertain the crowds. The Gospel presentation will cease addressing sin and repentance on any meaningful level. Even the sinner's prayer will be watered down. Some of the more seasoned congregants, maybe even some elders will go to speak to the pastor about the dangers and pitfalls of the path he is taking the church on. Unless these pillars of the church are willing to toe the new purpose driven line they will be blessedly subtracted. Doctrine will mean less and less. Consider that Andy Stanley has now preached against the inerrancy of Scripture and against Christians including the Old Testament in their faith!
"4. They'll do just about anything within reason to make the sale, but you'll have to work for it." - RJ Wilson
The purpose driven paradigm is a transactional one. It requires you to buy in to the scheme both literally and figuratively. It relies on people providing material support to the church and to volunteer in "ministry" that allows the church to not have to pay for crucial ministry staff. Make no mistake about it beloved. When you walk in as a visitor you are the mark. The attention is for you. The show is for you. Once you buy however, you are now part of the team marking the next you.
Once you are a consumer the model shifts to the next you visiting next week. The purpose driven church model feeds off of free labor. Make no mistake about it beloved. The gift of God is free but the purpose driven church will make you work for it. At my height of service in my old church I was leading three ministries and operating a bridge group. I worked all three Sunday services, the Friday Prayer Service and about 20 hours per week at home. This is not to complain because I believe in working alongside with the work of the Gospel. I was a minister however. The problem with the paradigm is it does not discriminate based on experience at all. So we had 50 bridge groups, all of which had an assigned leader. The church convinced the 50 leaders that this was their purpose God had ordained but the reality is most were horribly compromised themselves. You had people in ministry leadership in open adulterous relationships, with no spiritual disciplines whatsoever, and asked to lead Christians that they were no father along then. This along with the watered down Sunday gospel guarantees that the congregation did not grow spiritually.
"5. They might lie about trade-in value." - RJ Wilson
Salvation is a trade in beloved. We trade in our old self and put on our new self in Christ. That trade bears a cost however and it is a cost that is simply not spoken about within the purpose driven paradigm. I cringe when I hear preachers trying to convince people to come for altar call say that it will only take five minutes of their life. No! It will require the rest of their life! The Bible says that we must take up our cross daily! It says to constantly test ourselves to ensure we are in the faith. We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling and resist the enemy to our souls. When was the last time you ever heard any of those verses preached?
Instead you are fed a weekly pablum of spoiled milk. You become the hero of every Bible story. Suddenly God exists to be your blessing dispenser. Remember what happens if you read the Bible for yourself and dare to ask a question -- blessedly subtracted. The purpose driven church is focused on this world and this life. The quid pro quo they promise you is fool's gold.
"6. They're experts at reading people, and they'll adjust their pitch based on what you're looking for." - RJ Wilson
When Bill Hybels was going to open Willow Creek Church he canvased the region to see what people liked and didn't like about church. One of the findings was they didn't like the cross. So Hybels removed all crosses from, his church. How asinine and ridiculous. Of course the cross is offensive to those who do not believe! That is entirely the point! Rick Warren did the same thing when he opened Saddleback. So the purpose driven model is designed to cater to the unbelieving goats, lure them in with carnal music and preaching, convince they are saved when they are not, and the assimilate them into the paradigm.
They will adjust their methods as they go. Andy Stanley wanted to appeal to younger people so he had his worship team perform boy band songs from the 1990s. Perry Noble wanted to appeal to the inner rebel in his community so he played Highway to Hell on Easter. It doesn't matter beloved. It is all used car salesmen tricks and gimmicks. Many churches, including Steven Furtick's Elevation Church actually pose a 90 day tithe challenge. This absurdity is based on the same model that sports gambling services use to pretend they have inside information on a game. If 1000 people sign up for the challenge remember that is 1000 people who were not tithing anyway. If 500 experience nothing then there is no loss because they were non-tithers anyway. But the other 500 will ascribe anything remotely positive in their life to the tithing and now you got them locked in. Whatever it takes to sell you the car. What do I have to do to put you in this false christ today? Don't fall for the hard sell beloved.
Reverend Anthony Wade - May 25, 2018
"4. They'll do just about anything within reason to make the sale, but you'll have to work for it." - RJ Wilson
The purpose driven paradigm is a transactional one. It requires you to buy in to the scheme both literally and figuratively. It relies on people providing material support to the church and to volunteer in "ministry" that allows the church to not have to pay for crucial ministry staff. Make no mistake about it beloved. When you walk in as a visitor you are the mark. The attention is for you. The show is for you. Once you buy however, you are now part of the team marking the next you.
Once you are a consumer the model shifts to the next you visiting next week. The purpose driven church model feeds off of free labor. Make no mistake about it beloved. The gift of God is free but the purpose driven church will make you work for it. At my height of service in my old church I was leading three ministries and operating a bridge group. I worked all three Sunday services, the Friday Prayer Service and about 20 hours per week at home. This is not to complain because I believe in working alongside with the work of the Gospel. I was a minister however. The problem with the paradigm is it does not discriminate based on experience at all. So we had 50 bridge groups, all of which had an assigned leader. The church convinced the 50 leaders that this was their purpose God had ordained but the reality is most were horribly compromised themselves. You had people in ministry leadership in open adulterous relationships, with no spiritual disciplines whatsoever, and asked to lead Christians that they were no father along then. This along with the watered down Sunday gospel guarantees that the congregation did not grow spiritually.
"5. They might lie about trade-in value." - RJ Wilson
Salvation is a trade in beloved. We trade in our old self and put on our new self in Christ. That trade bears a cost however and it is a cost that is simply not spoken about within the purpose driven paradigm. I cringe when I hear preachers trying to convince people to come for altar call say that it will only take five minutes of their life. No! It will require the rest of their life! The Bible says that we must take up our cross daily! It says to constantly test ourselves to ensure we are in the faith. We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling and resist the enemy to our souls. When was the last time you ever heard any of those verses preached?
Instead you are fed a weekly pablum of spoiled milk. You become the hero of every Bible story. Suddenly God exists to be your blessing dispenser. Remember what happens if you read the Bible for yourself and dare to ask a question -- blessedly subtracted. The purpose driven church is focused on this world and this life. The quid pro quo they promise you is fool's gold.
"6. They're experts at reading people, and they'll adjust their pitch based on what you're looking for." - RJ Wilson
When Bill Hybels was going to open Willow Creek Church he canvased the region to see what people liked and didn't like about church. One of the findings was they didn't like the cross. So Hybels removed all crosses from, his church. How asinine and ridiculous. Of course the cross is offensive to those who do not believe! That is entirely the point! Rick Warren did the same thing when he opened Saddleback. So the purpose driven model is designed to cater to the unbelieving goats, lure them in with carnal music and preaching, convince they are saved when they are not, and the assimilate them into the paradigm.
They will adjust their methods as they go. Andy Stanley wanted to appeal to younger people so he had his worship team perform boy band songs from the 1990s. Perry Noble wanted to appeal to the inner rebel in his community so he played Highway to Hell on Easter. It doesn't matter beloved. It is all used car salesmen tricks and gimmicks. Many churches, including Steven Furtick's Elevation Church actually pose a 90 day tithe challenge. This absurdity is based on the same model that sports gambling services use to pretend they have inside information on a game. If 1000 people sign up for the challenge remember that is 1000 people who were not tithing anyway. If 500 experience nothing then there is no loss because they were non-tithers anyway. But the other 500 will ascribe anything remotely positive in their life to the tithing and now you got them locked in. Whatever it takes to sell you the car. What do I have to do to put you in this false christ today? Don't fall for the hard sell beloved.
Reverend Anthony Wade - May 25, 2018
