On March 10th, 1998, the Reverend David Wilkerson preached a sermon before the Assemblies of God National Office Chapel in Springfield, Missouri entitled: The Dangers of the Gospel of Accommodation. Wilkerson’s sermon was not a chastisement but a prophetic warning to ministers about a different gospel creeping into churches all across the United States. This gospel that Wilkerson warned about isn’t the true gospel that confronts sin and calls sinners to repentance but a seeker friendly gospel motivated by human ambition to have the largest numbers. It’s difficult to imagine that this was a problem twenty three years ago but here we are in 2021 and it’s clear what Wilkerson predicted has not only come to pass but it’s worse than anyone could ever imagine.
I received my minister’s license a little over a year ago and if there’s one thing I have learned since receiving my credentials, it’s this – the western church is compromised. One of my greatest delights, attending church, has now become the very thing I weep over. Very rarely will I leave a church service feeling edified but rather entertained. Biblical illiteracy is at an all-time high. Topics such as repentance, holiness and the fear of the Lord have been shelved for contemporary feel-good messages. The church, that once had the authority and the power to make demons tremble, has been rendered as a safe haven for the unconverted and the demon possessed. The greatest tragedy however is the presence of the Lord has long departed many churches.
Despite sin and immorality being present in many churches today, many ignorantly believe God is still in their midst because of two verses grossly taken out of context (Matthew 18:20; Psalm 22:3). I have come to learn that most Christians cannot discern that the glory of the Lord has departed because they have never truly experienced the genuine presence of the Lord. And because the majority of Christians have not had an authentic encounter with the presence of the Lord, they also cannot discern that there is something terribly wrong with the church today. The anger of the Lord has been simmering over it for quite some time but make no mistake about it; the church today is in a pitiful state and there’s really only one person to blame. And it isn’t who you think it is.
“Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.” ‘For thus says the Lord GOD: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.” Ezekiel 34:10-12 NKJV
The most terrifying thing God could ever say to any person is “DEPART FROM ME FOR I NEVER KNEW YOU” but the most terrifying thing God could ever say to a minister of the gospel is “I’M NOT FOR YOU BUT AGAINST YOU.” Yet this is exactly the word God has spoken over every minister who has exploited the gospel for money and fame, over every minister who has entertained people straight into hell, over every minister who has watered down the gospel to attract numbers and over every minister who has allowed the flock to spiritually starve to death. The Lord will surely require His flock at your hands.
Surely there is coming a day when coffee shops, concerts, pizza parties, recreational activities and feel-good messages will no longer be effective methods to attract people to church. I truly believe people are so starved for something real, many are starting to realize the church has very little to offer in these trying times. God has spoken, “INDEED I MYSELF WILL SEARCH FOR MY SHEEP AND SEEK THEM OUT.” Church leaders who have become so dependent on formulas for church growth are going to have to either pack up and get out of God’s way or repent and get back to preaching the true gospel. But as for me, I am determined to preach Christ and Him crucified.
“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2 NKJV
Joshua Hawk 