Compromising God's Word for the Sake of More Revenue/Expensive Buildings
The megachurch model is an example of a spiritual harlot. The Bible makes it clear that true preaching should not be an idolatrous attempt to entice or "seduce" the sinner into salvation by way of compromise. A harlot will tell a man what he wants to hear in order to lure him in to bring her more cash.
True churches do not put more emphasis on the need for cash over the repentance of man. Harlots know how to entice/seduce men, since their survival depends on it. Today's megachurches seduce the naive when their hirelings seek to conform to the world instead of Jesus Christ. They want to offer an 'unoffensive' gospel which they think the world will like.
Many megachurch pastors will even go so far as to 'tweek' scriptures in a desperate attempt to please the unrepentant sinner. This kind of compromise happens too often since there is so much pressure to get the attendance numbers up. High attendance numbers generate more revenue, thus providing a temptation to shrink back into a 'worldly' mindset.
But as the narrow way gets rejected, 'worldly pastors will often fill their pews with a large number of false converts who fall prey to their own smooth flattery. The smooth speeches sound good, they are popular with the world, and the audience leaves feeling very comfortable...having no idea that someone has just flattered them all the way to hell. This kind of rampant flattery does not convict men of their sins. It is contrary to the Bible.
"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple" (Romans 16:17, 18).
In the book of Romans, Paul warns the church about men who would use a seducing spirit in order to have a large following. The ESV Bible uses the words 'flattery' and 'smooth talk.' 'Flatterers' and 'smooth talkers' will even attempt to offer gimmicks or gadgets to lure people in. This makes church 'attractive,' 'cool,' and even 'trendy' to the unsaved.
But what they don't realize, is that the attempt to make church relevant to the unsaved results in a compromise of good sound Biblical doctrine. The goal of someone who uses 'smooth talk' is to flatter the audience, hoping that their own man-centered spin on God's Word will make them comfortable right where they are, hoping that they will come back the next Sunday.
As I said before, these 'smooth speeches' do not convict men of sin. Their persistent flattery feeds men's flesh. This is a seducing spirit, which lures passersby in but it doesn't result in genuine repentance.
If the pastor is a 'smooth talker' who is bent on generating more cash, he will do whatever he thinks is necessary to get those revenues up even if it means that he must replace the correct teaching and preaching of God's word with some worldly entertainment, New Age formulas, mysticism, or worldly music.
Some churches have gone so far with this heresy, that they are playing songs from AC/DC and a Garth Brooks wannabe during their services (note: these links will take you to Youtube's site).
The apostate church appears cool to the world, but it only feeds the carnal appetite (carnal nature). Unfortunately, the hirelings who compromise God's Word are seducing unsaved men right into hell.
"For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life" (Proverbs 6:23-26).
In the following verses, the Bible uses a harlot (adulteress) as an example of the apostate church. A man who passes her by gets lured in by her smooth, seductive speech.
"With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. For she hast cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her" (Proverbs 7:21-26).
Her smooth words tickle the man's ears, but they only lead to death.
"For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them" (Proverbs 5:3-6).
