Bait & Switch

BAIT AND SWITCH

If you have been in any type of sales position, or if you consider yourself an educated consumer, you have probably heard of a concept called, Bait and Switch. Bait and Switch is an illegal practice that companies use to deceive potential clients and customers. Often, companies will advertise a certain item, stock only one item in each store, and when the hordes of consumers come looking for the item it is not to be found. It becomes illegal when the companies intentionally mislead customers and try to "switch" the item, which always costs more than the advertised product.

It's like going to buy the 50" HDTV LCD at the advertised price of $400

Good deal.

But when you get to the store, you find that it is sold out. The one item they got was sold to an employee before the store ever opened. But they do have a 48" HDTV LCD for only $500. That is a switcheroo.

Did you know that this actually happens in Christianity-in the church even? In fact, it has been happening for the past decade or so.

The premise for this email originated after a recent visit to a local church to attend a special event. Upon entering the youth department, I immediately noticed several pool tables, bar stools, dim lights and a karaoke machine. They even had a real serving bar, which is where I suspect they serve non-alcoholic drinks and food. I wasn't sure if I was in a church or at a bar. And, this is certainly not the only church I have been in with this type of atmosphere. In actuality, I think this is probably the new norm, not the exception. Nevertheless, I began to wonder if this type of thing is really all that bad. Is it wrong to dress up certain parts of the church to look inviting to those saturated in the world? Why even fuss about this?

I began wondering what kids in these churches tell their peers when they invite them to a service. I wonder if they say something like this: "Wow, you really gotta come to my church. We have the most awesome moves of God. People get saved left and right". Somehow, I think it probably goes something more like this, "Hey, you've gotta try my church. They have all you can eat food, pool tables and everything. Why go to the club when this is free?"

Oh, but they are keeping the person from going to the secular clubs and other "bad" places.

Are they? That is what I am trying to figure out. I need some help here.

What would happen if someone got the wrong concept of church when they were a youth? Do we really know the effects of the seeker-friendly way of doing church? After all, it is a relatively new concept.

What would happen when someone graduates the youth group and starts attending church in the "main" sanctuary where the games and smoothie machines have turned into collection plates and 2-hour sermons?

What happens when they come to anticipate fun and games and they actually get something less than they expected? Could that be why Barna Research Group estimates that only 6% of this current generation will attend church?

So help me out with this burning question on my heart: Is there anything wrong with baiting the world into our churches and then switching to speak about the Gospel (assuming that this is what these churches are doing)? I mean, after all, Jesus said we were to be fishers of men. And fishermen use bait. Oh, wait, they used nets, not worms and minnows during those days; I forgot.

I have to admit, I really do not know.

I have no idea if I am looking at this through mere opinion or if I have the genuine concern of God's heart. Sometimes we can look at things religiously, void of God's desires, for whatever reason, and I definitely do not want to be religious about this. I know that an argument can be made on both sides.

So in the midst of all my turmoil, I asked some ministers my question. First, I asked if it is wrong to bait teens to a church with Clyde the clown, Mike the magician and free shuffleboard. Second, I asked what their definition is of the true intent and purpose of the church.

Most of those that I asked found nothing wrong with having games and facilities geared toward young people at church, PROVIDING THAT THEY PREACH THE GOSPEL AT SOME POINT.

Then I did what I should have done from the beginning. I asked God. Yeah, I prayed. Then I prayed some more. I wanted to know if God was pleased with us. Were we one of the several churches in the book of Revelation that had missed it?

This is what I deduced:

God is not pleased with the state and condition of the church. But you already knew that.

I heard God speak very clearly that people have the wrong concept about church. Even those who attend church have the wrong concept about church.

Do you know why people always rebel against us when we try to witness to people and admonish them that they should attend our church? Why do we always get that same ol' response, "I don't need to go to church. I can worship God at home"? It is because we are confused about the intent of the church and we are further confusing the confounded. We must stop witnessing our church and start witnessing for Christ.

The definition of church is not coming in week after week sitting on the pews only to be entertained.

It is not about a worship team that looks more like a worn-out, has been, rock band.

It is not a place to simply come hear a fancy dressed pulpit pirate disgorge a few insignificant one-liners and cute illustrations to better our world-imitating lives.

It is not a place to make new business contacts.

Assuredly, God has a righteous indignation that has culminated because of the lack of pastors preaching solid biblical truth and encouraging repentance.

God must be tired of seeing clergy who silently endorse late-term abortion doctors, who kill 60,000 unborn children in their practice, allowing them to attend and even serve in their local church-because, after all, 10% tithe from his practice is a big chunk of change. 

God is angered that the church has trained up the next generation to come to a place that only mimics the world, instead of drawing them to a place that imitates and promotes assimilation in Christ.

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides forever. I John 2:15-17

Did I mention that God is not pleased?

Before we answer my original question, I think we need to answer the succeeding question: What is the purpose of the church? What do you tell people who say that they don't need to attend a local church to serve God? What is your persuading reason for attending? Better yet, why do you attend?

In the search for this question, I was led to examine the beginnings of the early church in the book of Acts.

I am not sure, but I can't imagine the disciples and apostles of Christ in the upper room tweaking the fog machine, kicking on the strobe light and playing a little pool. I don't think they were having a party. I think they were in prayer.

But really, what is wrong with a little harmless fun in church-especially with the youth?

Nothing. Nothing at all.

But, I think church is much more than what we have made it out to be. It is more faceted than the entertainment and fellowship ideology that has come to define it.

What is wrong with drawing in the people to the church the biblical way? Why do we have to settle for status quo? Why do people consistently say that the church is what it is, and we must make do with what we have? I don't buy that. It's time for a real reformation-and not just one with words. It's happened before, it can happen again.  The Holy Spirit is enticing us to reform again. And, it is not going to come from the traditional messengers. It is going to come from the obscure prophets that people think are really crazy and radical. They will be the outcasts. They will be the remnant, not the majority.  They will be hated. They will be persecuted just as they were in the early church. They won't even be invited to the church "fun" groups.

A reformation of this magnitude will have a costly price.

It will be lonely and there will be isolation.

You will not get invitations to preach at large mega churches.

You won't be on TV.

People will drop out of your email list.

People will walk out of your church while you are preaching the best you have ever preached.

Staff members will grumble and complain.

People will stop giving to try and manipulate your mouth.

People will avoid you like the plague at church.

But it will be worth it to see the miracles of God actually take precedence over the Hollywood style mentality that is so pervasive in the church today. Then we will be able to draw the world in with the things of God, not the things of man. God will be honored in everyway in every service, not just the 30 second, slip up your hand and pray the same robotic prayer I tell you to pray, charades that go on week after week. (I know at what risk I write this, believe me.)

We won't need the hype and the pipe dreams that we try to serve the youth so they will buy into church.

It's time to draw the crowds the way the disciples did. They were anointed to heal the sick. They opened blind eyes right out in the street. And they DIDN"T CARE WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT OF THEM. That is the place we need to get to-where we could care less what people think.

"Oh, but Scott we have to engage the culture of the day and be relevant. You have to open your mind"

If one more person tells me this or if I hear one more message about ministry being relevant I am going to vomit.

The only relevance that the world needs is for us to not be relevant. We have to stop mimicking what the world already has. We must give the world what they don't have. They don't have the love of Christ. They don't have significance or purpose. They don't understand or have a relationship with Christ. They don't have fathers (mentors). They don't have someone who will just listen without constructing more rules. That is the relevance they need. There are many teachers in the church, but very, very, very few mentors. The youth are crying out for this inside their heart. It was the same when you were younger-and we still haven't gotten it right. We leave mentorship to MTV, BET and American Idol.

We need to get back to church where we are corporately concerned with giving God true worth-ship. We need to show Him that He alone is worthy of our praise, and we need to do this as one body.

We must make the church a valid training ground to send laborers out into the field. The goal should not be to make lifetime members; it should be to make life changing ambassadors.

We must come to associate church with the cell phone. What? Yes, you read that correctly. This time you can turn it on in the service. Think of yourself as a cell phone and the church as the phone charger. We must view the church as b type of battery charger for our spiritual life if we are to be successful in going out into the world and preaching the Gospel during the week. If you don't need to attend church then you probably are not witnessing like you should.

And finally, the church is a place where there can be designated fun and fellowship. We can achieve a healthy balance in all things. But we also do not need more special interest groups in the church that keep people from being bored. Preaching and loving on the streets, in ghettos, in prisons, nursing homes, hospitals, etc. is not boring. It is actually more like a rush...

Oh, sorry. I guess I got a little carried away. What was I thinking? I'm not a pastor. I'm not on staff at a local church. I'm just a know-it-all kid with a web site.

I'll crawl back inside my shell until next week.

I'll be quiet now. I'll assimilate with the masses. I'll take my appropriate place-

Please don't punish me.

Rev. 3:1-3

Written By: Scott Smith