THE GOSPEL of ACCOMODATION

By David Wilkerson

Accommodate means to adapt, to make suitable and acceptable,
to make convenient. A gospel of accommodation is creeping into
the United States. It's an American cultural invention to appease
the lifestyle of luxury and pleasure. Primarily a Caucasian, suburban
gospel, it's also in our major cities and is sweeping the nation,
influencing ministers of every denomination, and giving birth to
megachurches with thousands who come to hear a nonconfronting
message. It's an adaptable gospel that is spoon-fed through
humorous skits, drama, and short, nonabrasive sermonettes on
how to cope-called a seeker-friendly or sinner-friendly gospel.

To begin with, those terms are unscriptural. The gospel of Jesus
Christ has always been confronting-there is no such thing as a
friendly gospel but a friendly grace.

This new gospel is being propagated by bright, young, talented
ministers. They have come upon a formula which states you can
go into any town or city; and if you have the right formula, within
a short time you can raise a megachurch.

If you are a young man and have certain skills, you find those
skills and a part of the city that would best suit you. You move
into that area, poll it, and find out what the nonchurchgoers want:

Then you go to your computer and design a gospel that will not
confront but will shoot out the desires and the needs of the people.
After you have gathered a handful of people, you keep interviewing
them to find out what they want; then you design your message
to help people cope with their needs. The program you design is
intended to make the church comfortable and friendly for all sinners
who wish to attend.

This gospel is fast becoming the most prosperous and flourishing
of all religious movements. Thousands attend these churches. The
pastor is the CEO, and it becomes a business. They make no
bones about it: They are following Madison Avenue tactics and
can make a success of it. Their formula for quick church growth
is cleverly packaged and is being sold especially to young ministers-
those who want to be a part of the big boys and what's happening
on a fast track. They want it to happen quickly.

Paul's Warning

Paul warned of the coming of another gospel and another Jesus
(2 Corinthians 11:4). He warned the church that it's really not
another gospel but a perversion of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
If you hear any other gospel, he said, let that preacher be accursed.
In other words, no matter how pleasant, how pious, or how sincere,
if the message is not the death of sin through the cross of Jesus
Christ, let it be accursed.

I tremble when I read in the Scriptures that in the last days Satan
is going to come right into the church posing as an angel of light.
He's going to take ministers who, at one time, had the touch of
God, and he's going to transform them into angels of light to
become his tool of deception. That's frightening. It causes me
to fall on my face before God for such false, deceitful workers
transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. No marvel,
for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore,
it's no great thing if ministers also are transformed as the ministers
of righteousness whose end shall be according to their works..."