My apologies if you are of the opinion that such as I am about to write doesn’t belong on Facebook. Unfortunately, Facebook is my only forum to speak with urgency what I must speak. I am no longer welcome to minister in the American Institutional Church since my message is not conducive to such. Too harsh, too negative, too challenging to the status quo. I am consumed with that which God has called me to, and that unwillingly. Reminiscent of God’s call to the prophets of old; unwelcomed by the very people to be addressed. I complain to God, I wear frustration as a garment that the message burns and the opportunity to share has dried up. I, as Jerimiah, have determined to just stop trying, but, ultimately, I cannot. I have quit, but remain consumed inwardly. There is no escape and I am trying to accept that. That which we call church, today, has little basis in the Scriptures that we claim to believe. There is only one body, one church. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6) However, since the Reformation, there has been a new classification, the denomination. There was only one name for the church, “ecclesia,” with the only qualifier being the location. Now, the church is prefaced by a man made top billing by brand; Baptist, Wesleyan, Episcopal, Methodist, Pentecostal… Ad nauseam. By what authority do we do such things? So much for Jesus’ prayer that we may be one and Paul’s admonition to keep the unity through the bond of peace. Dedicated buildings, which consume the majority of the people’s resources, though empty most of the time in most cases. So much for stewardship. These same churches preach not to be conformed to the pattern of the world, while at the same time, doing exactly that. Sending men, and in some cases women away from the congregation to “school” to be educated in the ways of God. They hold in many cases honorific titles of Reverend, Most Reverend, and Dr. Etc. Collectively they are the “Clergy.” They become the CEO of the Church Corporation, the Holy man, the protestant Priest. Then there are Boards and Committees, Superintendents, Conferences etc. People choose their brand of church by their personal preferences, and that according to the flesh. Music, style of preaching, length of service, comfort of seating, personal beliefs etc. It has become popular for churches to have separate “traditional,” and contemporary,” services to appease different age groups. Just imagine, for a moment, if you can, the church depicted in the Bible functioning this way. Better yet, go to the Bible and look for the picture of today’s church there. You will find no such image. Instead, you will find no dedicated buildings, no Seminary bred preachers, no worship leader or worship teams, no Pastor overseeing said church, no clergy, no laity division, no programs, no denominations, nothing of that which defines today’s church. What do you find? Small gatherings of people, each one gifted to meaningfully contribute to the welfare of the whole, not a pew sitter. These groups overseen by a plurality of Elders drawn from the group itself, not brought in from afar with man-made credentials. The Priesthood of the believer not just given lip service, but actually made manifest. The manifestation of the Spirit for the common good, each ministering according to the gifts given by Christ Himself. “What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God. Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. (1 Corinthians 14:26-33) Did you catch that? “Each of you,” “everything must be done.” Here we have a picture of the functionality of the biblical church. Or how about this? “So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” 1 Corinthians 14:23-25) When is the last time you exclaimed, “God is really among you?” Many say it doesn’t matter how God’s church is organized, as long as we just come together and love the Lord and one another. Would we say the same about the family, as many today do? ” It doesn’t matter if it’s a man and a woman or two men or two women as long as they love each other. Would we say the same about the human body that Paul so often uses to compare to the spiritual body? “It doesn’t matter how the body is put together, or what part is where, as long as all the parts get along.” I think not. God has a design for the human family. Should we be surprised that He has a design for the spiritual family as well? No, we have a better idea. We like it the way it is. We proudly call ourselves a New Testament Church with no reality of such. “It works,” we say. But, that depends on how you define “works.” “Why does it matter,” you say? Well, first of all, there is the principle of being obedient to the Word, but the huge practical issue is the church can’t BE the church if it is structured wrong. The shocking truth is we have created a counterfeit church. Patterned after the world and not the Scriptures. The Clergy laity divide denies the people of their rightful place as Priests and puts “ministry” in the hands of the few. You just won’t find the concept of Clergy and laity in the New Testament. You just won’t find the church organized in rows facing a “stage” watching the professionals perform ministry with the main man behind a “pulpit.” The church is designed as a body, with each member doing its part to bring wholeness. “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.( Ephesians 4:11-16) Under the counterfeit system the body is not equipped for works of service, it is not built up,, not unified, not mature and does not attain to the fullness of Christ. Instead, the church is full of infants, who have been so for years and decades, the church is blown all over everywhere by the winds of doctrine because every supporting ligament must grow and build itself up as each part does its work. We are “Clergy dependent.” A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end? (Jerimiah 5:30, 31) How easy to sit, be entertained, unaccountable and free to pursue the things of the world and be a church member in good standing at the same time. This IS NOT the church. I implore the church to stop with business as usual for a minute, study the scriptures we claim to believe and base our practice on, seek God’s face and be willing to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. I will continue by God’s grace to be a voice in the wilderness, largely or wholly ignored, I can do nothing else.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 21:09:27 +0000