Elvis has left the Building!

This morning I came a cross one of those articles that when I read it I just couldn't help but say "Well you don't say (Sarcasm emphasized)!!". Apparently the "Seeker-Friendly" Mega Guru, Grand Pooba Pastor - Bill Hybel of the "World Renown" Super-Duper, Biggie Size, Mega Church Franchise known as "Willow Creek" has recently discovered that his model for building up "devoted disciples of Christ" has become a complete and utter failure (See Article). According to the Baptist Press, Mr. Hybel and company conducted a multi-year study on the effectiveness of their programs and philosophy of ministry. According to the article:

"The report reveals that most of what they have been doing for these many years and what they have taught millions of others to do is not producing solid disciples of Jesus Christ. Numbers yes, but not disciples. It gets worse. Hybels laments:

"Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn't helping people that much. Other things that we didn't put that much money into and didn't put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for."

Sadly, for many Christians who have for years been crying aloud that the likes of Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Joel Osteen, and many others having been teaching a doctrine that as Paul says "tickled the ears of men", this is a day of sadness and a day of hope. First, it is a sad day because these wolves in sheep's clothing have so wasted Kingdom money and so distorted and perverted the gospel that countless souls will mostly likely perish as a result of these mens leadership (see 1 Cor 3:10-23). How it must grieve my Lord's heart to see how the church has become like the harlot - playing to the hearts and desires of man! Secondly, this is possibly a day of hope, for I hope that people will leave these "temples of men" and begin to truly search for the Truths of God and fall before God and repent! I hope that the true gospel will now begin to be preached - not by Bill Hybel or Rick Warren - for they have proved themselves unworthy of teaching and need to remove themselves as teachers, but by Godly men - such as likes of Charles Finney, Leonard Ravenhill, or Gordon Olson - who that truly love God and want to see His will done here on earth as it is in heaven!

Personally, I went to a "Sinner....ooops I mean...Seeker Sensitive" church for about 5 years. I pleaded with management and others in the church to stop this "Seeker Sensitive" model as I began to see the horrific results in peoples doctrine and lives (ie. "I sin in word, thought and deed everyday" ad nauseam) . Instead I was greeted with scorn and even called a heretic at one point. So as a result, "Elvis has left the Building"! I left almost a year ago and started a home church and I must say I have never had one iota of regret in making that decision.

One must understand that the Gospel, whenever it is truly preached is OFFENSIVE to the world! How does one know when the gospel is being preached - when the church is persecuted. Never in the history of Christianity was the litmus test for success ever determined by numbers! This is how the world determines success, but God determines success by the strength of one's faith in Him - not numbers. Jesus says in Luke 6:22-24:

22Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. 23Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same manner did their fathers unto the prophets. 24But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.

Seems to me Jesus is saying "Whenever your hated and despised by men for your preaching" then rejoice and leap with joy for this is a sign that your doing a job well done. It is my hope that as a result of this latest news, men and women will leave in mass exodus from these men and become Seekers of God rather than "Seeker Sensitive".