?Who Are The Seekers To Whom Seeker Sensitive Churches Are Sensitve?

The church growth gurus tell us that there are millions of them who are looking for God and we should adapt our worship and market our churches to be attractive to them. If they feel “comfortable” and “unthreatened” in our services; if we design church around their “felt needs,” they say, the unchurched and the unregenerated might like us. Then we can get them “plugged in” so that they might eventually make a “decision” for God.

Are there any seekers out there? The Bible indicates that there are some people who are seeking. But what is it that they seek? A look at the following passages indicates that natural men do seek something; they seek signs and wonders, human wisdom, and favor from men. Natural men who do seek for a god, are not really interested in The God but seek after false gods of their own imaginations.

• For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; I Cor. 1:22-23


• Many seek the ruler’s favour, but every man’s judgment cometh from the LORD. Proverbs 29:26


• And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts. Isaiah 19:3-4

There are some incidents in Scripture where unregenerate men did seek after Jesus:

• And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. Matt. 2:3


• Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill? John 7:25

But here it is plainly evident that their real purpose was not to worship Him but to kill Him.

If there are any seekers out there who are really looking for God, shouldn’t we be friendly or sensitive to them? Shouldn’t we be concerned about them? Well, of course, we should. After all, God is concerned about them. In the book of the Psalms are two very similar verses that clearly indicate that God looks for those who seek after Him.

• The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. Psalm14:2


• God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Psalm 53:2

But guess what?

THERE ARE NONE!

THEY DON’T EXIST!

Now don’t get mad at me. That’s not my opinion; it’s God’s definitive declaration. Here are the verses that follow the two mentioned above in the Psalms. Here is the rest of the story:

• The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. Psalm 10:4


• They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Psalm 14:3

And in case that isn’t sufficient enough proof, here is more of God’s Word on the subject:

• Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Psalm 53:3


• An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him. Proverbs 17:11


• Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes. Psalm 119:155
  For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts. Isaiah 9:13


• Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD! Isaiah 3

And finally, the most definitive, absolute, unarguable and all-inclusive statement of all:

• There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. Romans 3:11

There IS another Seeker mentioned in Scripture and His name is Jehovah. He is the Good Shepherd and He is seeking His flock.

• For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment. Ezekiel 34:11-16

Either there are seekers out there who are looking for the true, living God or there are not. Who are you going to believe – Rick Warren and Bill Hybels or God?

The Church is the body of Christ. It is assembled together for “born again” believers to worship and to be instructed in doctrine and righteousness and to be equipped for the work of the ministry. It is NOT a club and there is no legitimate place for unbelievers in it.

If we were really sincere about being “seeker sensitive,” we would not be concerned about being sensitive to non-existent seekers. We would only be concerned about the real seeker and we would model our worship services according to His commands and not our preferences?

• But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. John 4