Rick Warren’s The Purpose Drive Church.

Seeker-Friendly

Worship1 Cor 14:20-25

Seeker-Friendly Worship

• Rick Warren’s The Purpose Drive Church.


• Rick Warren’s The Purpose Drive Church.• “Seeker-friendly worship” has become a buzz word in church

growth circles.


• Do whatever it takes to draw a crowd.


• Do whatever it takes to draw a crowd.• Find a dynamic speaker who can draw a crowd.


• Do whatever it takes to draw a crowd.• Find a dynamic speaker who can draw a crowd.• Find a talented band & chorus and let them perform at each

service.



service.• Don’t take up a collection.



service.• Don’t take up a collection.• Make sure you pass out coffee & doughnuts.



service.• Don’t take up a collection.• Make sure you pass out coffee & doughnuts.

• WHATEVER THAT IS, IT IS NOT WORSHIP!


• “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (Jn 12:32, ESV).


• “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (Jn 12:32, ESV).

• “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:23-24, ESV).


• That doesn’t mean that worship provides no opportunity for evangelism.


• That doesn’t mean that worship provides no opportunity for evangelism.

• In this morning’s text, Paul speaks of evangelism as a by-product of worship.


• Paul writes of three kinds of Christians.


• Paul writes of three kinds of Christians.• CHILDISH CHRISTIANS.• CRAZY CHRISTIANS.• CONVERTING CHRISTIANS.

Childish ChristiansV 20


• “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature” (v 20, ESV).


• “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature” (v 20, ESV).• The fighting the Corinthians were doing was quite childish.


• “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature” (v 20, ESV).• The fighting the Corinthians were doing was quite childish.• “I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as

people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?” (1 Cor 3:1-3, ESV).

Are we childish because we bicker & fight?


• The Corinthians needed to put away their childish thinking.


• The Corinthians needed to put away their childish thinking.• “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I

reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways” (13:11, ESV).




• “A child is someone who can wash his hands without getting the soap wet.”




• “A child is someone who can wash his hands without getting the soap wet.” But, you expect an adult to get the soap wet!


• To put away childish thinking, we must grow.


• To put away childish thinking, we must grow.• “Let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to

maturity” (Heb 6:1, ESV).


• To put away childish thinking, we must grow.• “Let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to

maturity” (Heb 6:1, ESV).• “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it

you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Pt 2:2-3, ESV).

Are we growing, or are we childish in thinking?


• But, we are to be childish Christians!


• But, we are to be childish Christians!• “Be infants in evil.”


• But, we are to be childish Christians!• “Be infants in evil.”• The idea is that we are to be as innocent as little children when it

comes to evil.

Are we innocent when it comes to evil?

Are we childish Christians?

Are we childish Christians?Childish because we bicker, or

childish because we’re innocent?

Crazy ChristiansVv 21-23


• “In the Law it is written, ‘By people of strange tongues and by lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.’ Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?” (vv 21-23, ESV).


• Paul quotes from Is 28:11-12.


• Paul quotes from Is 28:11-12.• Isaiah prophesies about the coming Babylonian Captivity.


• Paul quotes from Is 28:11-12.• Isaiah prophesies about the coming Babylonian Captivity; thus,

“foreign tongue” refers to the Chaldean language.


• Paul quotes from Is 28:11-12.• Isaiah prophesies about the coming Babylonian Captivity; thus,

“foreign tongue” refers to the Chaldean language.• God says, “I’m going to teach my people a lesson by sending

them into Babylon for 70 years.”


• “By people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the LORD will speak to this people, to whom he has said, ‘This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose’; yet they would not hear. And the word of the LORD will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken” (Is 28:11-13, ESV).


• Tongues are a sign to condemn, not increase the faith of, unbelievers.

How would tongues condemn & judge?


• Tongues were evidence that God was really with these people.


• Tongues were evidence that God was really with these people.• Pentecost: “All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one

another, ‘What does this mean?’” (Acts 2:12, ESV).


• Tongues were evidence that God was really with these people.• Pentecost: “All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one

another, ‘What does this mean?’” (Acts 2:12, ESV).• Cornelius: “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these

people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” (Acts 10:47, ESV).


• “If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?” (v 23, ESV).


• “If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?” (v 23, ESV).• “Out of your mind” (ESV) or “mad” (KJV) used 4 other times in

NT.



NT.• Jn 10:20: The Jews believe Jesus is insane.



NT.• Jn 10:20: The Jews believe Jesus is insane.• Acts 12:15: The church believes Rhoda is insane.



NT.• Jn 10:20: The Jews believe Jesus is insane.• Acts 12:15: The church believes Rhoda is insane.• Acts 26:24-25: Used twice in an exchange between Paul & Festus.




Festus believes Paul is crazy for believing in the Resurrection, a charge Paul denies.




Festus believes Paul is crazy for believing in the Resurrection, a charge Paul denies.

• The idea is that people will be driven away by tongue-speaking, for they will think Christians are insane.

Have you ever known someone you couldn’t trust because he/she didn’t have full mental capacities?

How was that judgment on unbelievers?


• It demonstrated to the believers that God was with them & he wasn’t with the unbelievers.



• For the unbelievers, tongue-speaking hardened their hearts.



• For the unbelievers, tongue-speaking hardened their hearts.• “Even then they will not listen to me.”



• For the unbelievers, tongue-speaking hardened their hearts.• “Even then they will not listen to me.”• If you went to a church and encountered a bunch of lunatics,

would you return?



• For the unbelievers, tongue-speaking hardened their hearts.• “Even then they will not listen to me.”• If you went to a church and encountered a bunch of lunatics,

would you return?• Paul’s point is: “Look, the gift you desire so much is going to

drive others away from the church. Don’t use your gift in such a way.”

Do we act in ways that cause people to believe we’re crazy?

Let us be faithful to Scripture!

Let us never needlessly offend someone!

Converting ChristiansVv 24-25


• “But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you” (vv 24-25, ESV).


• The idea of prophesy was never that one would predict the future.


• The idea of prophesy was never that one would predict the future.• The idea is simply speaking for God.



• “The LORD said to Moses, ‘See, I have you made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land” (Ex 7:1-2, ESV).




• “The LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth” (Jer 1:9, ESV).




• “The LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth” (Jer 1:9, ESV).

• Those who prophesied spoke for God.


• When an unbeliever or outsider heard prophesy, he would be convicted, be called to account, have the secrets of his heart disclosed, and he would fall on his face to worship.


• When an unbeliever or outsider heard prophesy, he would be convicted, be called to account, have the secrets of his heart disclosed, and he would fall on his face to worship.

• Paul speaks of the power of the Word of God.


• “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (Jn 16:7-11, ESV).


• “The people of Nineveh believed God. They called a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them” (Jon 3:5, ESV).


• “The people of Nineveh believed God. They called a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them” (Jon 3:5, ESV).

• After Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, the people there “were cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37, ESV).

Are many times have we been convicted by Scripture?


• “Called to account by all” (ESV) is a better translation than “judged of all” (KJV).


• “Called to account by all” (ESV) is a better translation than “judged of all” (KJV).• Gr means to examine carefully/to scrutinize.


• “Called to account by all” (ESV) is a better translation than “judged of all” (KJV).• Gr means to examine carefully/to scrutinize.• It is often used in a legal sense such as a “cross examination.”


• “Called to account by all” (ESV) is a better translation than “judged of all” (KJV).• Gr means to examine carefully/to scrutinize.• It is often used in a legal sense such as a “cross examination”:

“You brought me this man [Jesus] as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him” (Lk 23:14, ESV).


• “Called to account by all” (ESV) is a better translation than “judged of all” (KJV).• Gr means to examine carefully/to scrutinize.• It is often used in a legal sense such as a “cross examination”:

“You brought me this man [Jesus] as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him” (Lk 23:14, ESV).

• The idea is that one stands before God to give an account.

How many times have we been called to account by Scripture?


• “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb 4:12-3, ESV).

Are we not often naked & exposed in front of God?


• Adam was—he blamed Eve.


• Adam was—he blamed Eve; Eve was—she blamed the serpent.


• Adam was—he blamed Eve; Eve was—she blamed the serpent.• David was.


• Adam was—he blamed Eve; Eve was—she blamed the serpent.• David was. “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Sm 12:13,

ESV).


• When one gets to David’s position, he will fall on his face, worship God, & declare that God is in the church.


• When one gets to David’s position, he will fall on his face, worship God, & declare that God is in the church.• Falling for worship demonstrates humility.


• When one gets to David’s position, he will fall on his face, worship God, & declare that God is in the church.• Falling for worship demonstrates humility.• The unbeliever will come to worship God.


• Paul describes “Seeker-Friendly Worship.”


• Paul describes “Seeker-Friendly Worship.”• Not based on men’s desires.


• Paul describes “Seeker-Friendly Worship.”• Not based on men’s desires; based on the truth of God.


• Paul describes “Seeker-Friendly Worship.”• Not based on men’s desires; based on the truth of God.• Anytime honest people come face to face with God’s truth, they’ll

obey Jesus.

Are we sharing the truth of God?

Are we obeying the truth of God?

Rick Warren’s The Purpose Drive Church.

Documents

Transcript of Rick Warren’s The Purpose Drive Church.