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Spirit-Led
or Purpose-Driven?
Part 2
(shorter series)
Widening the gate to the Kingdom
by Berit Kjos, December
2003
Please read Part
1: Spirit-Led or Purpose-Driven?
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“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way
that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because
narrow is the gate
and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find
it." Matthew 7:13-14
The phenomenal success of Rick Warren's
books and marketing
skills has both
popularized and accelerated the Church Growth Movement (CGM). Around the world,
seekers and believers are reading The Purpose Driven Life and discussing its 40 chapters. Following
its guidelines, they share their thoughts, express their feelings and "bounce
ideas off each other." [1,
page 11] They sign contracts and hold each other accountable to
the social and spiritual ideals of the 21st Century Church community. And, says Pastor Warren, their lives are being transformed.
[see
note]
I am sure many are. Pastor Warren has written some encouraging
pages about God, His glory, our walk with Him and our fellowship with one another. I especially
appreciate the sections that show the delight of a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ. But I was a little concerned when he invited all his
readers to "quietly whisper
the prayer that will change your eternity: 'Jesus,
I believe in you and I receive you.'"[1,
page 58]
You might ask, what could possibly be wrong with that short prayer?
Why question his promise that it would open the gate to God's Kingdom and
"change... eternity" for all who prayed?
Don't we want to
bring as many as possible into God's eternity?
Yes, of course we do! And God could surely use those nine words to draw His
chosen ones to Himself. But the
promises
and
assumptions
that accompany the prayer could also produce serious problems in the church.
For many will pray the prayer with little or no awareness of the holy nature of God,
of the unholy power of sin, or of the deep chasm between the two. In our times of easy beliefism
and Biblical illiteracy, anyone can personalize and claim God's promises
without any prompting by the Spirit, genuine conversion (spiritual rebirth) or lasting inner change. Where people learn
to tolerate evil and flow with the crowd, true repentance is rare and faith
often becomes presumption. Still unregenerate, many happily accept the group's
consensus: You prayed the prayer, therefore you must be a Christian.
Pastor Warren agrees. "If you sincerely meant that prayer, congratulations!"
he tells the reader. "Welcome to the family of God! You are now ready to
discover and start living God's purpose for your life!
[1, page 59]
We hear this claim from h
undreds
of "Christians" who tell us they have prayed "the prayer,"
yet they show little or no spiritual
understanding of God or His Word. Justifying their love for the world's
dark and
titillating thrills, they are blind to God's guidelines and desensitized to spiritual deceptions. One
such young
man wrote us the following words: "I am a Christian, and
I love my religion, but I also love
other religions." He
believed he had "received Christ" but, like the wayward Israel of
Old Testament times, he saw nothing wrong with "other spiritual paths to
god." He believed in "God" but followed a popular deception.
It's not surprising. Today's "positive" gospel emphasizes love, minimizes
doctrine and ignores divine justice. The essential Biblical
truths that prepare hearts for genuine conversion no longer fit. A postmodern
"believer" may be full of self-confidence but woefully short on spiritual
understanding. A recent study by pollster George Barna
bears this out:
"...relatively few people have a biblical worldview - even among devoutly religious people. The survey discovered that
only 9% of born again Christians
have
such a perspective
on life. The numbers were even lower among other religious classifications....
"For the purposes of the research, a biblical worldview was
defined as believing that
absolute moral truths
exist; that such
truth is defined by the Bible; and firm
belief in six specific religious views. Those views were that
Jesus Christ lived a sinless life;
God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator
of the universe and
He stills rules it today;
salvation is a gift from God
and cannot be earned;
Satan is real; a
Christian has a responsibility to share their faith
in Christ with other people; and the
Bible is accurate
in all of its teachings......
"Upon comparing the
perspectives of those who have a biblical worldview with those who do not, the
former group were 31 times less likely to accept cohabitation; 18 times less likely to endorse drunkenness; 15
times less likely to condone gay sex; 12 times less likely to
accept profanity; and 11 times less likely to describe adultery
as morally acceptable. In addition, less than one-half of one
percent of those with a biblical worldview said voluntary exposure to
pornography was morally acceptable (compared to 39% of other adults), and a
similarly miniscule proportion endorsed abortion (compared to 46% of adults who
lack a biblical worldview).
[2]
"At least Christians are not the only ones addled by their culture into
holding contradictory beliefs," writes Gene Edward Veith. "Atheists are
just as confused about their theology. ... They believe that accepting Christ can bring
eternal life, even though they don't believe in Jesus Christ. Just like 'nonevangelical
born-agains.'"[3]
But they're all coming together under the
worldwide ecumenical umbrella of the Church Growth Movement. As I
wrote in Re-Inventing the Church, the
21st century vision of global oneness is drawing diverse churches and people
into vast "Christian" networks
that provide trained leadership and management
consultants. Rick Warren's communitarian management guru, Peter Drucker,
described it well. Quoting him in a 1994 report, the "Leadership Network"
wrote,
"The Spirit is moving.... there is a
substantial critical mass of people and churches that are already
moving.' ... While acknowledging that there are
still many
unhealthy churches [those that
don't conform to the new, inclusive pattern], there is a justified 'change
in
basic premises,
basic attitudes, basic mindset...
on the whole, we are on the march...."[4]
[emphasis added]
This diversity is essential to the
mind-changing dialectic process that
Drucker has helped establish in organizations everywhere. (We will take a
closer look at it in Part 7 of this series) Meanwhile, Dr. Robert Klenck,
who has thoroughly researched the use of this manipulative process in the
CGM, shows how the pieces fit together in his report on "The 21st Century
Church:"
"...in this movement, it is imperative that unbelievers are
brought into the church; otherwise, the process of continual change cannot begin.
There must be an antithesis (unbelievers) present to oppose the thesis
(believers), in order to move towards consensus. (compromise), and move the believers
away from their moral absolutism (resistance to change).
If all members of the church stand firm on the Word of God, and it’s final
authority in all doctrine and tradition, then the church cannot and will not change. This is common faith. Soon, we will
see why these “change agents” are pushing so hard for change to occur in the church."[5]
Unlike some church leaders today, Pastor Warren does
try to
define sin. Before introducing his salvation prayer, he wrote, "All sin,
at its root, is failing to give God glory. It is loving anything
else more than God. Refusing to bring glory to God is prideful rebellion,
and it is the sin that caused Satan's fall--and ours, too. In different ways
we all lived for our own glory, not God's. The Bible says, 'All have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God."
[1, page 55]
That's true. But this general sin which
applies to all of humanity will hardly cause postmodern unbelievers to sense
any genuine guilt or a personal need for the cross.
Unlike earlier generations of Americans, few have been taught
the basic
truths about our Biblical God and His moral standards.[6]
Many simply dismiss the notion of "sin" as old-fashioned
legalism and shut their eyes to its corrupting power in their own lives. When faced with today's non-offensive teaching on
sin, many translate it into a more comfortable half truth: "Sin is
a normal part of life, and I'm just as good as everyone else -- maybe a
little better. Besides, God understands and loves me as I am."[7]
In other words, there's no sense of guilt,
fear
or brokenness before our eternal Judge! Like ancient Israel, "They were not at all ashamed; nor did they know how to
blush."
Jeremiah 6:13-15
In contrast to this postmodern
norm, Jesus shows us a heartfelt response that pleases Him. While dining at
the home of the self-satisfied Simon, He explains the blessing of a truly repentant heart:
"Do you see this woman? I entered your
house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with
her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss,
but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.
You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet
with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are
forgiven, for she loved much. But
to whom little is forgiven, the same
loves little.”
Luke
7:37-47
This precious woman was familiar with God's
moral law --
what the Bible describes as "our tutor
to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith."
[Gal
3:25]
While that uncompromising law
[6]
exposed her guilt and depravity, it also
caused her to treasure God's wonderful forgiving grace with all her heart.
Unlike those who ignore God's standard and their own sinful inclinations,
she was overwhelmed with gratitude to the One who forgave her sin and
set her free from the weight of the law and from bondage to her "flesh"
(sinful human nature).
God had prepared her heart and she humbly gave herself to
her beloved Lord -- heart, mind and soul. Jesus, in turn,
held her up as an example to others.
Her response to God's loving mercy
illustrates the fourth category in Jesus' parable of the sower. Remember, the
sower
(God) scatters the seed (the "word
of the kingdom") which fall into
four types of soil (or heart conditions):
Type 1. By the wayside: The person "hears
the word of the kingdom, and
does not understand it,
then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart."
Type 2. On stony ground: "he
hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
yet he has no root in himself,
but endures only for a while.
For
when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately
he stumbles."
Type 3. Among
thorns: "he
who
hears the word, and the
cares of this world
and the
deceitfulness of riches
choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful."
The gospel of Luke adds "the
desires for other things."
Type 4. On good
ground: "he
who hears the word and understands
it,
who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold,
some sixty, some thirty.”
Matthew 13:20-23
All four hear the life-giving word of truth, but only two
receive it. Both the second and the fourth appear to have
entered into the Kingdom, but only the fourth proves faithful and wins the
prize: God's gracious sufficiency and His abundant fruitfulness. Only the last group
"understands" God's Word, demonstrates His enduring strength
and knows the hope of eternal life with Christ. Those gifts are
only
given to those who are
truly
"born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God." John
1:13
This saving faith will be tested. New believers will face struggles,
temptation, suffering and persecution -- all normal for those who are called
to share in the suffering of Christ. They will fall, fail, grieve and
repent, but they will always return to the One whose Word and Spirit have
transformed their hearts. In contrast, others will leave this narrow way when life gets tough or the world too tempting
-- not because God has revoked His saving grace, but because they were not
truly changed in the first place. Look at the next Scripture:
"And you, who once were alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the
body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and
above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith,
grounded and steadfast...." Col 1:21-23
Pastor Warren seems to minimize the
sobering reality behind God's
warnings and inflate God's promises. To back his assertion
that all who pray his prayer are automatically transformed by the Holy
Spirit, he quotes a "Scripture" from
The Message, a paraphrased Bible translation by Eugene Peterson
that promises,
"Whoever accepts and trust the Son gets in on everything, life complete and
forever!"
[John 3:36a]
Do you wonder what the open-ended phrase, "gets in on everything,"
means? Written in "present tense," it seems to imply an irresistible heavenly life here on earth
-- a blissful offer that few would reject.
But if you compare that version of John 3:36 with any
standard translation, you will find that Mr. Peterson had added that
alluring phrase
in spite of God's
repeated command not to add to -- or delete from -- His unchanging,
Spirit-breathed
Word.[8]
The result is another misleading half-truth
that
obscures the fact that walking with Jesus means sharing His suffering. We
forget that some of God's most faithful servants have faced poverty,
hardships and torture that defy our comfort-centered Western
comprehension, yet they endured the pain for the greater joy of serving their
beloved King now and forever.
Pastor Warren starts the next chapter (8) in his book with this
feel-good assurance for all who prayed the prayer:
"The
moment you were born into the world, God was there as an unseen witness,
smiling at your birth.... You are a child of God and you bring pleasure
to God like nothing else he has ever created."
This
"positive" gospel will surely meet man's "felt need" for affirmation,
identity and a sense of belonging. The masses are more than willing to
believe in this new tolerant, non-judging God who fits their postmodern
culture. But God doesn't promise to make us comfortable and pamper our
feelings. While He does promise the resources needed to meet each day's
challenges, some of those spiritual resources have little to do with
today's "felt needs." Instead His path for us may be lonely and
rough, full of steep climbs and "impossible" challenges. Yet, as we persevere in faith, we will hear His
sweet voice whispering, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in your weakness." [2 Cor 12:9]
Did you hear
that? God will use our weakness, not our strengths! No need for management
consultants and surveys that
measure our natural abilities in order to discover our spiritual gifts
[1, page 57]
and God's purpose for us! The Shepherd will lead us along His chosen ways,
narrow and winding paths that
may differ radically from our human plans and purposes!
But those who have not yet been "crucified with Christ" and filled with
the Holy Spirit will neither hear the Shepherd nor "comprehend the
Scriptures"
[1
Corinthians 2:1-10].
That's one of the reasons
why today's spiritual diversity
demands simplified Bibles that have been paraphrased, reinterpreted
and made appealing to the natural mind.[9] Part 3
will illustrate the problem and the process.
End
notes:
1. Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life (Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan, 2002). See "Driven
or Led?"
2.
"A Biblical Worldview Has a Radical Effect on a Person's Life", December 1, 2003,
http://www.barna.org/cgi-bin/PagePressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=154&Reference=A. I have been told that Mr. Barna is becoming skeptical about the Church
Growth Movement, which he earlier supported.
[See
Re-Inventing the Church]
I can see why. His own statistics show the tragic consequences of "cheap
grace" and salvation prayers without a Biblical foundation.
3.
Gene Edward Veith, "Unbelieving 'born-agains,"
World on the Web, Dec. 6, 2003,
http://www.worldmag.com/world/issue/12-06-03/cultural_4.asp
4.
"Peter
Drucker on the Church and Denominations
."
This pdf file is posted on the Leadership Network website at
http://www.leadnet.org/allthingsln/archives/netfax/1.pdf
5. Dr. Robert Klenck, "The 21st Century
Church"
at
http://www.crossroad.to/News/Church/Klenck3.html
6.
God's
moral law can neither save us nor give us the strength to obey its
guidelines. But it gives us a standard for right and wrong -- and it helps
us to understand God's holiness, righteousness, mercy and grace.
7.
Many echo this belief:
"Sin is a normal part of life, and I'm just as good as everyone else --
maybe a little better. Besides, God loves me as I am." While this statement
is partly true, it's also misleading. The essence of God's character is
not only love. It's also unbending justice, indescribable holiness and
perfect righteousness. Without balanced information about God, we can neither
know or follow Him.
8. “You shall not add to the
word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the
commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." Deuteronomy
4:1-2. See also Deuteronomy 12:32; Proverbs 30:5-6 and Revelation
22:18-19.
9. "But the natural man does not receive the
things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:14
Note: Rick Warren promised, "The next 40 days will transform your life." [1,
page 10] Within the CGM, the word "transformation" often refers to minds and
churches being conformed to the new "relational" vision of "community." We
will take a closer look at those new "communities" and the mind-changing
process of "transformation" in Part 6.ithin the CGM, the word "transformation" often refers to minds and churches
being conformed to the new "relational" vision of "community." We will
take a closer look at those new "communities" in Part 7.
