Jesus is not Seeker-Friendly

  Now, before you click away, I am NOT saying that Jesus doesn't love mankind, that He doesn't want everyone to be saved. That He doesn't seek and save the lost because we know He does. What I'm saying is that Jesus makes zero compromises with both His character and His Word in order to save someone. Nor does He sugarcoat or water down His Gospel in order to lure people in. Let's look at a few of Jesus's own Words:

 

Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  Matthew 10:34-37

 

And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake, but he who perseveres and endures to the end will be saved  Matthew 10:22

 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.John 15:19

And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 10:38-39

And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].  Luke 9:23 Amp

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

Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:22-23
 

You serpents! You spawn of vipers! How can you escape the penalty to be suffered in hell  Matthew 22:33

Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. John 15:20

 

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. Matthew 24:9

And let's not forget how Jesus MADE A WHIP and turned over the merchants in the temple and whipped them. 

 

When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. John 2:15 

 

These are not very seeker-friendly verses, are they? Jesus always sought out those who were truly seeking Him and truth, but He was quick to reject the hypocrites and those who weren't serious about knowing Him. He is the same today. 

 

I used to attend a church that was small and the pastor really had a gift for Bible teaching. But he was young and he gave up the church to a bigger organization who quickly absorbed our little church. They shoved this pastor into an office job and started a Seeker-Friendly church in our area. My husband and I quit going.

 

That young pastor said once in his sermon:  "Salvation is Free, but it will cost you everything!"  I love that. Yes, salvation is a free gift. We are saved by grace alone! But once we get saved, living the Christian life will cost us. As is EVIDENT in the verses above. Being a disciple of Jesus has a high cost, but you rarely hear about that cost in church these days. Especially not in seeker Friendly churches. You won't even hear about end times, for fear that it will frighten people away.

 

Jesus had no problem with frightening people away!  He spoke the truth. If you follow Him, truly follow Him, it will be hard!  You will be hated, ostracized, belittled, and even persecuted. It will cause family problems. You will have to deny your fleshly desires and be obedient to Him and His Word. it is a life of submission, denial, and humility. And you will have trials and struggles!  But pastors either don't know this or they refuse to speak the truth because then they'd lose people... and people bring in the money.  Or maybe they are truly afraid that some people will walk out and never get saved. But should unbelievers even be in church in the first place? 

 

That same seeker-friendly church I mentioned above only preached a Teddy Bear loving Jesus and they gladly welcomed unrepentant homosexuals and immoral people into the congregation and even to serve in ministry. Why? They said it was on the hope they would eventually get saved.

 

But is that how real church should be? Real church, according to the New Testament, is where true believers come to fellowship, worship, and use their gifts to help each other grow in the faith... to be discipled. There should not be any unbelievers there, or especially any people living in willful sin. Paul in 1 Corinthians 5 told the church there to kick out a man who was part of their congregation because he was sleeping with his mother in law. Paul told them to "deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."  

 

As I mentioned in my last post about the "sinner's prayer", church was never meant to be in auditoriums where people were spectators and all the responsibilities fell to the pastor. The church in Acts met in homes where everyone could participate and use their gifts for the edification of all the believers. Then these Christians went out in the world to preach the Gospel to their neighbors and friends and when they led someone to the Lord, they would bring them to the church gathering where they could be discipled.  That's how it is supposed to work. That's what I see in the book of Acts and throughout the New Testament.

 

Jesus was not seeker-friendly. He did not sugarcoat the cost of following Him. He did not tolerate apathy or lukewarmness or hypocrisy. He did, however, gladly welcome anyone who truly wanted to know and follow Him.