September 21, 2009
KingsWay
Attn: Adam Metzger
1138 Heritage Ct.
Milford, Ohio 45150
Adam,
In God’s Word in the book of Jude we read, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
It is the duty of every born again believer to contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. That is the reason for my writing this letter. Recently, many in our church received your mailing asking us to “Rediscover church.” I too am saddened by the seemingly great amount of churches that are dead and reaching no one for the Lord Jesus Christ. I went to your website and watched your video and read your web page. While I believe your motivation is one that is good, your means are incorrect.
You stated in your video, “We have designed this church with you in mind.” The church is not ours for designing. The Lord started the church and the means of worship and evangelism and teaching and preaching have already been established by Him. I believe your focus is that church is ‘boring and irrelevant’ in most people’s eyes. So you are seeking to make church “exciting and a time of celebration…so that people can discover God at their own pace.” Your obvious use of the world’s music (with Christian words), your steady appetite of the world’s entertainment, and your flesh appealing worship will be your means of reaching people. The problem is this is unscriptural.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 read, “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” We cannot meet the lusts of the lost in order to reach the lost. Jesus never used the means of which you have ‘designed your church’ in order to reach the lost. Instead, he challenged them with the Truth.
Saints of God are to be new creatures, 2 Cor. 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” We don’t need the weak and beggarly elements of the world any longer.
I also believe you were mistaken in your recent mailing that read on the cover, “Church (expletive)!” I believe your mailing has done much more harm for the cause of Christ than help. One of our six year old daughters in our church got the mail from the box last week and came in and said, “Daddy what does ‘Church %%%% mean?” Sad she had to learn ‘filthy communication’ from you isn’t it?
You accuse churches of being ‘homophobic.’ I cannot speak for other churches, but I will speak for this one, “We are not homophobic, but rather love all folks.” Problem is, most churches and men like yourselves see preaching against the sin of sodomy as being homophobic. They are lost and need the truth of God’s Word, and we endeavor to share it to them and all the lost and dying world.
Our Lord loved the church and gave Himself for the church (Eph. 5:25). Ephesians 4 reads “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” This faith, our church, was relevant 2000 years ago and it is just as relevant today. You are attempting to use man’s wisdom to reach the lost. Man’s wisdom dictates that if we use their music, their entertainment, their lusts to reach them, they will come to church. But if church is designed with them in mind, if we adapt church to them, what do they need to be saved from? If we use the same vulgar language as them, why should they change? If our music has the same rock beat and dance as theirs, why should they consider conversion?
Adam, I pray you do not feel attacked, as that is not my spirit. Rather, I seek to help. I seek to help you from the error from Scripture you are ‘launching upon.’ I seek to help the people you will minister to, as I fear for their souls. I seek to contend for the faith that was once delivered and doesn’t need revamped, revised, or redesigned.
2 Peter reads, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.”
Titus 1 reads, “This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.”
I learned last evening, that an elderly lady received your mailings as well, and emailed you concerning your vulgar language. Your response to her email was “Is your church reaching the lost?” Her reply was “Yes” to which you simply responded in tiny letters “awesome.”
Just don’t miss that you can still preach against sin, still practice separation from the world, still sing songs that do not appeal to the flesh, and it all be relevant, powerful, and successful in reaching the lost. You seek to not offend people in order to reach them, but instead all you will do is condemn them, for we can never experience the grace of God until we first realize the truth of God-we are wicked sinners and our ways are filthy. We must be saved by grace through faith and that our conversion will indeed change our lives. We will become new creatures. The things we loved before being saved , we will hate; the things we hated before being saved, we now will love.
Please think on these things.
Delighting In His Will,
Pastor Travis Burke
Psalm 40:8
