Purpose Driven or Scripture Driven? - Way of Life Literature

e turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things,endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, makefull proof of thy ministry.Are you identified with a church that is led by faithfulundershepherds who are committed to obeying thesecommands? Are they willing to contend for the faith andwarn their people--from the pulpit? Or is it a “positive-only”message? We must stand only with those willing to obeythese essentials for faithful ministry.The Saddleback strategy is, again, to design the weekend“Seeker Service,” the programs and the support ministries ofthe church in order to attract the unsaved in the community.According to the strategy, the “seeker” must want to come tochurch; therefore, the services must be designed in such away that he will be comfortable, entertained and find theanswers to his problems as he perceives them. Warrenteaches that the ministry of the church must be stylized afterthose things to which the unsaved are accustomed--whetherthat style includes the language used, the music performed,the casual attire worn or even the message proclaimed fromthe pulpit. The character, the style and the contemporaryinterests of the unregenerate community are what determinethe makeup, the appearance and the content of the weekendservices.The following comments by Rick Warren revealSaddleback’s “Biblical” justification for making the church“user friendly” to the unsaved:Now Paul’s evangelism strategy was this: 1 Corinthians9--“To the Jew I became like a Jew to win the Jews. Inthe same way with the Gentiles, I became like a Gentilein order to win the Gentiles. I have become all things toall men that I may save some of them by any meanspossible.” He’s saying, “Adapt to the situation God putsyou in.” Today, he’d say, “When in Southern California,120