Three Reasons to Equip the Saints for the Work of Ministry Versus Being Seeker Sensitive (Ephesians 4:12)

Based on Ephesians 4:12 the church leadership should equip the saints for the work of ministry versus being seeker sensitive. In seeker sensitive churches the focus is taken off believers and put on unbelievers. This is a reversal of the biblical pattern, and it leaves believers spiritually weak, emaciated, and starving. The focus should be on believers so they can be built up, equipped, sanctified, and strengthened. Then they can perform the work of the ministry, including going out and sharing the gospel with the lost. https://youtu.be/HjKjlt6D1nM Based on Ephesians 4:12 the church leadership should equip the saints for the work of ministry versus being seeker sensitive. Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for Equip the Saints for the Work of Ministry Versus Being Seeker SensitiveFamily Worship Guide for Equip the Saints for the Work of Ministry Versus Being Seeker SensitiveSermon Notes for Equip the Saints for the Work of Ministry Versus Being Seeker SensitiveWe don’t want to be seeker sensitive because (lesson one) it typically means pleasing man versus God.We don’t want to be seeker sensitive because (lesson two) we want unbelievers to be convicted.We don’t want to be seeker sensitive because (lesson three) we want believers equipped and sanctified. Sermon Lessons for Equip the Saints for the Work of Ministry Versus Being Seeker Sensitive We want to equip the saints for the work of ministry versus being seeker sensitive because: Lesson 1: it typically means ________________ ______ versus God. Lesson 2: we want unbelievers to ____ __________________ (2 Peter 2:8, 1 Corinthians 1:18, 2 Corinthians 2:15-16). Lesson 3: we want believers to be ________________ and ____________________ (Ephesians 2:20, 4:11-16). Family Worship Guide for Equip the Saints for the Work of Ministry Versus Being Seeker Sensitive Directions: Read 2 Peter 2:8, first Corinthians 1:18, 2 Corinthians 2:15-16, Ephesians 4:11-16 and then answer the following questions: Day one: what does seeker sensitive mean? Why would a church want to be seeker sensitive? What seems good about being seeker sensitive? What is wrong with being seeker sensitive? What do churches typically dismiss, or get rid of, when they are seeker sensitive? What might churches embrace when they are seeker sensitive? Day two: how should we treat unbelievers when they come to church? How do we want unbelievers to feel when they come to church? Should we treat longtime believers in the church differently than new attendees? If so, how? How should believers feel in worldly situations? How does the gospel sound to unbelievers? How about to unbelievers? Day three: what is the primary purpose of the Sunday morning worship service? Who (besides God) is it primarily for? What do we want to do with believers in the worship service, and why do we want to do this for them? What is the danger of not doing this? Why is it important for unbelievers that believers be spiritually strong? Sermon Notes for Equip the Saints for the Work of Ministry Versus Being Seeker Sensitive The title of this morning’s sermon is “Equip the Saints Versus Seeker Sensitive.” We are resuming our sermons on the vision of the church. As I told you in my last message this is not primarily about our theology. Instead, I want to define why we do things the way we do. This morning we’re going to be talking about why we want to equip the saints versus being seeker sensitive. The term seeker sensitive is an umbrella term encompassing lots of different churches and lots of different practices. It’s very reasonable that across the spectrum some seeker sensitive churches are doing a better job than others. So my point isn’t that everything I say applies to every seeker sensitive church, but I do think what I’ll say generally applies to churches under this umbrella. The other day I read this quote… “When a church changes biblical truths and standards to match current culture they are no longer following the Bible, they are following the lost.” And I think this describes what happened with seeker sensitive churches and brings us to lesson one… We don’t want to be seeker sensitive because (lesson one) it typically means pleasing man versus God. The seeker sensitive movement is about trying to give people what they want versus giving God what he wants. The focus of the seeker church is not Christ-centered, but man-centered. Bob Burney is a pastor, church planter, and radio show host. He described what it was like being trained to be a seeker sensitive church… “The size of the crowd rather than the depth of the heart determined success. If the crowd was large then surely God was blessing the ministry. Churches were built by demographic studies, professional strategists, marketing research, meeting ‘felt needs’ and sermons consistent with these techniques. We were told that preaching was out, relevance was in. Doctrine didn’t matter nearly as much as innovation. If it wasn’t ‘cutting edge’ and consumer friendly it was doomed. The mention of sin, salvation, and sanctification were taboo and replaced by Starbucks, strategy, and sensitivity.” Seeker sensitive churches will use the means that are most attractive to unbelievers to reach them, which generally means making the church as comfortable, inviting, and non-offensive as possible. Theatrics and entertainment are often the norm to keep the services interesting and exciting. Thousands of dollars can be spent on state of the art lighting and sound. This isn’t to say we shouldn’t spend money on lighting and sound. We’ve improved our lighting and updated our sound system, but I believe we did, not to be more exciting or entertaining, but so people could better read the word and hear the sermons. Because many of the traditional elements of church services aren’t attractive to unbelievers, they end up being removed. This includes: Scripture reading Hymns Lengthy sermons – typically the sermons, and that might not even be the best word to describe them, are shorter and focused on self-help. Communion – we might talk more about communion later, but it’s worth mentioning now that even though communion played a central role in the early church’s weekly worship service, it is often rarely observed, or even removed from Sunday morning services. One of the first churches we attended had communion monthly at the midweek service, which far fewer people attended. Grace to You, which is John MacArthur’s ministry, wrote… “It’s all the rage today. If your church is struggling to reach people and be relevant, do away with preaching, hymns, and anything traditional. Instead, do what successful corporations do: give people what they want. A hip environment, convenient services, lots of contemporary music or drama, and maybe a catchy campaign. Downplay doctrine or Christian lingo. If you must preach, keep it short and upbeat. That is the seeker church movement that’s rapidly transforming countless congregations.” The seeker sensitive movement hasn’t only changed the way church services take place, it has also changed the way church planting takes place… They pioneered a whole new method that involves sending out surveys to the community to see what people like. They conduct studies of the demographics. Unbelievers and unchurched people are asked what they want in a church. Then the new church is built with those answers in mind. In other words, the church is literally built to satisfy unbelievers. The most influential book in this movement was The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren. Some years back I started reading it, but I stopped a few chapters in because it was SO focused on having a church that was attractive to the local people. The question never seemed to be, “What does the Bible say, or what does God want?” Instead, the constant question was, “What do people want? What will please them?” Just last month Rick Warren ordained three women as pastors. I wasn’t surprised, because if you want to please the world, and the world becomes more feminist and blurs or even removes the line men and women, then it’s only a matter of time until you go that direction. You can probably guess how preaching is negatively affected… As soon as you’re concerned about unbelievers and how they feel and what they want, inevitably you’re going to be tempted to become a preacher of prosperity theology: You won’t preach on sin, repentance, holiness, hell, God’s wrath or judgment, the need for forgiveness, the exclusiveness of Christ for salvation, because these would be considered divisive and condemning of other religions. You won’t preach on coming to Christ to be saved from your sins. Instead, you’ll tell people to come to Christ because: He makes your life better He gives you everything you’ve ever wanted He fulfills your wildest dreams Your job will be better Your finances will be better Your health will be better All your relationships will be better And when this is the foundation for people to come to Christ you can imagine what happens when they experience trials. They abandon Christ, because: He isn’t doing what they were told He would do. He seems like a failure. Or He doesn’t love them as much as he loves others that He blesses Or they simply believe that Christianity is not real There are a number of well-known seeker sensitive churches, but I’m going to focus on Willow Creek because it has been the most prominent and influential. If the Purpose Driven Church is the most influential book in this movement, then Willow Creek is the most influential church. The church was pastored by Bill Hybel’s who recently resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him. But when the church was under his leadership it reached an average attendance of nearly 24,000 in 2018. ...