WHEN MAN GOES UP AGAINST GOD TO BUILD AN EMPIRE OF HIS OWN

(The final downfall of Quest Community Church )    

     After watching a very disturbing documentary about how a corporate entity under the guise of an evangelical organization bamboozled and gaslighted a well-established and healthy, happy congregation, I've decided to post the letter I wrote back in 1997. Watching that docuseries about a hostile  church takeover brought back all those painful memories of when we experienced that heart break almost thirty years ago.  I cannot specifically give you the date that I saw this downfall coming, but I can give you the year.  It was 1997, we were a young family with three young children enjoying the fellowship of a healthy local congregation when the ambitions of one of the associate pastors wreaked havoc on a healthy and loving church family.  

     It was the beginning of the Seeker Sensitive movement, and a man name Bill Hybels was making a name for himself with his new brand of church.  He was the first generation of today's rock-star pastors of  mega churches built without the power of GOD, but by ingenuity of man by the spirit and power of the adversary, dressed up neatly under the disguise of evangelism.  Our associate pastor was awed by this man's ability to draw a crowd, and I'm convinced this youthful pastor was envisioning a mega church of his own, not for the glory of GOD, but the glory of man, only he did not know that himself.  I remember seeing the stars in his eyes at the very first meeting when he presented this evangelical outreach opportunity.  I  was in my early thirties and only about seven years-old-in-Christ, but I could see the writing on the wall clear as day, even if no one else saw it.  The leadership of this well-established strong congregation got caught up in this hell-fire of an idea with visions of being a part of a new burgeoning movement, one that would "put them on the map!"  

    As my husband and I watched this new church plant at its roots, we noticed something was just not right. Root rot was taking hold, and there was not good fruit coming from this branch.  When we voiced our opposition, we were told we were troublemakers getting in the way of a work from GOD.  This younger sect, only a decade younger than us was hell-bent on turning our stable congregation into a seeker-sensitive mega-church.  We watched founding family members leave one by one, with broken hearts and spirits. Children were hurt as they were ripped from dear friends that they had made from as early as their nursery days to being crying high schoolers as they were torn away by their broken-hearted and angry parents. Brothers and sisters in-Christ who were once loving siblings in the family of GOD became bitter enemies

    When I sent the following letter to the elders, I was promptly shown the door and told that we were no longer welcome back into this congregation.  At first, I was devastated, until the phone calls began pouring in from the previous founding members who had already left.  It seems my letter was leaked and made the rounds to many families who were long gone.  They were all telling me how grateful they were that I was able to put into words what they had been feeling all along as they watch their beloved church family go through a terrible church split.  One of those calls came from Lexington's beloved news anchor John Lindgren. I did not even know this man, but when he got a copy of the letter, he actually called me from the news studio and thanked me.  That was my first hint that some day I might end up as a writer, and it would take upwards of twenty-five years before that actually happened.  

   This is the letter that got me in trouble with the leadership and kicked out of the first church we invested our lives and family in  right after we moved here to Kentucky from Massachusetts. It was a heart breaking time, but isn't that how YVHV grows us up into adults under Him?  It's always in the fiery furnace of affliction that we learn the most valuable of lessons in Him.  Maybe you have seen your own congregation sliding down this slippery slope, but can't put your finger on what just does not feel right in your own spirit.  I've made no changes to it since 1997, so if it's a difficult read, you'll understand how much I've changed and grown as a writer in the past thirty or so years. 

THE NEW QUEST CHURCH AND THE SEEKER-ORIENTED MOVEMENT 

TO THE ELDER BOARD:

An examination of the seeker movement, as based on the new Quest Service at First Alliance Church which is modeled after the services at Willow Creek, near Chicago, pastored by Bill Hybels..  

By Kristina Sakowich. 

The following assessments are based solely on personal reflection and spiritual and Biblical searching done by myself and with no outside information gathered.  

     It is plain to see that we are using modern day man-made marketing strategies to try to draw people to the church.  In Jer. ch 7 the Lord says "Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!" Paul says in Galatians  Am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God?  Or an I trying to please men?... I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.  I did not receive it from any man or was I taught it; rather I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.   It is not uncommon for a church these days to use marketing techniques or hire consulting firms to attempt to cause an increase in giving or create “theme” churches or “themed sermons.”  

It seems we are trying to draw the current generation  to our church by using non-offensive language.  We don't say unsaved, we call it "unconvinced," or "irreligious,"  we don't say the word repentance, we call "changing  some of our wrong doings."  The Bible is clear about them who would be our listeners.  "To whom can I speak and give warning?  Who will listen to me?  Their ears are closed, so they cannot hear.  The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it."  Paul says in 2nd Cor. ch. 2 "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death; to the other the fragrance of life."  In Quest they were hiding the Bible and hymnals and any other "churchy" thing so as to not offend those who come in.  Opening and examining of Scripture is not encouraged or done during the Quest service, as that is seen as "barrier" to people who are the present day "seekers."  Other practices used are changing the sanctuary to an "auditorium,"  hiding "churchy type" things, and "churchy" words such as repentance so as not to "sound churchy", (these quotes were given to me by Quest people themselves.)   Let me remind you of some words of our Lord Jesus, in  Mark 8:38  "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in the adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."  Also His words in Matthew 24:35,  "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."  Hebrew 13:8 tell us that  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Are we guilty of using man's wisdom (or “state of the art facilities)  to reach our neighbors instead of God's Holy Word and relying on God’s Holy Spirit and His power?  It is clear to many that the techniques learned at Willow Creek are "marketing strategies"  it  seems that we are marketing (selling) the church to the current politically correctness of today's culture in order to build the church and increase our number.   Paul makes this powerful claim in 1st Cor. ch. 1:17  "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but the preach the gospel, not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.    Likewise, Paul says, "We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.  This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths  in spiritual words 1Cor. 2:12-13   In proverbs we learn,  "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Prov. 14:12.  God himself says in Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.  " As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  Paul says in 1st Cor. ch 2 "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive word, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." Jesus simply told us to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey every thing I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age." 

      I have heard it said that the church needs to change with the times, let me remind you, that God is everlasting to everlasting.  He is unchanging.  If Christ were a Pastor in these times, would He think He needed to change with the times?  It has been said that we   are trying to reach a certain kind of person with a new "kind of church,"  we are reaching out to the sect of population that is anti-establishment, who doesn't trust church because of past hurts or reputations.  Let me assure you, I was one of those persons  just few years ago.  I was as left-winged and liberal in my thinking as the people  they are trying to reach, even more so.  I am a product of the 70's culture.  No new fancy, changed version of church caught my attention.  God's Holy Spirit drew me, God's Holy Word fed me.  I am living proof, God still moves in  His own way.  He doesn't need to change, He didn't for me.  I am the one who changed.  I didn't need Him to change for me, He required me to change for Him.        

     I believe in the "idea" of  a service that speaks in more simpler terms of how we need a Savior, and I believe we should reach out to our neighbors in the city with the saving news of Christ, but not at the expense of covering the truth of God with "non-offensive" words and ways.  Jesus says in Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  Think on the properties of salt; salt stings, but after it stings it heals.  Just like the Word of God, it stings at first, but after it stings, it heals.   Apparently, from what I have observed, the purpose of Quest is not to sting at all.   The "gospel" preached at Quest has no salt.  Paul states in 2Cor. 7:9-10,  "Yet now I am happy not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.  For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in anyway by us.  Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.   Are we misleading people when we preach a "watered-down" version of the gospel, or when we spend more of that time preaching all the "warm-fuzzies" of God?  Why brothers are we not depending on the Holy Spirit to draw people into the Kingdom. When Jesus promised the disciples of the One to come, He said,  "When he comes he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgement:" Hebrews tells us, in verse 12 "For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Jesus also said "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him," John 6:44.  

     In Acts, the apostles were using their gifts from the Holy Spirit to share the good news of the Kingdom and to convict the people of their need to repent of their lifestyles and turn to Jesus.  They taught the people of their need of a Savior, Jesus and what does it say next?  "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."  Peter's message to the people stated simply  "Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."  I was told that out of 28 weeks at Quest, (only) three weeks were on "the idea of repentance."  Jesus never spoke about the "idea of repentance."  His very first words in Mark are "The kingdom of God is near, Repent and believe the good news!"  John came to prepare the way, and his message was of a baptism of repentance.  John called the people to repent.  The Spirit of God is suppose to do the work of drawing people to church not our fancy fun filled “themes.”  We are to be light in a dark world, we are not to add darkness to it to "fit in", but shine bright so people can see us and then let the Holy Spirit do what God intends for Him to do.  For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?  Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? .. . Then come out from them and be separate, says the Lord, Touch no unclean thing, 2Cor ch 6:14b,17.  We don't need to change the church,  or bring the culture into the church, or to  step up to this culture, the culture and people need to change for God.   

          The premise of the seeker-sensitive church is to reach out to the "seeker" and answer him yet the Bible is clear that there is no such thing as a seeker.  The Bible tells us in Rom 3:11, that no one seeks God.  In John chapter 3 Jesus says, "The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."  We are not in control of the Spirit's calling.   The purpose of worship is just that WORSHIP of the Lord.  We must be careful not to allow ourselves to share in God’s Glory.  Isaiah 42:3-5 states,  I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give (share) My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images. (Italics mine.)  We need to be careful not to fall into the trap of taking credit for the Lord’s work, or overstepping the Lord’s work.

      As I re-read this letter, I'm simply amazed at how in 1997 at the birth of this movement, how very right I was.  Look what we have now, mega-church pastors are falling like flies embroiled in scandals of sexual and spiritual abuse.  It seems that twenty-eight years ago when everyone was falling for this new movement, I was predicting their downfall. I'm glad to know that GOD is bringing into light the deeds of darkness that men fell into assuming they could do evangelism better than Yeshua, the Son of GOD Himself.  YHVH GOD has proven that it man's ways fall short, terribly short.  

    Like the title of my blog, Living Like Jeremiah in Job's World, I'm watching the "temple" burn and it makes me very sad. Christianity has not gotten better over the decades, it's gotten worse, enough for me to have to finally leave it and denounce it to a degree.  I don't know if this blog helped you at all, but if you are seeing this kind of apostasy at your healthy congregations, maybe these words will help you help your church elders find their way back to the old way, the ancient paths that YHVH GOD calls us back to.