What has the world to do with the Bride of Christ the King? When did churches become businesses, tracking assets, fielding staff/employees and paid clergy as the hierarchy of mirrored worldly organizations? What does a church have to do with conducting business meetings, salary reviews and financial updates where church leaders establish themselves as the authorities for church pursuits? What is repentance and what is obedience? What is the practice of the Nicolaitans and why did the Lord Jesus say that He hates those practices in His Epistle of Revelation 2? If the Lord Jesus took time to speak directly into the lives of His Church, why aren’t Pastors concentrating on the message given us by Christ in this final Epistle of the Bible?
Could it be that they fear loss of authority, challenge to salary or worse yet a need for collective repentance? I am frustrated by the continual, often and repeated misuse and misunderstanding of 2 Chronicles 7:14 by the churches as a finger pointed externally to those who need repent. Revival begins in my heart, in my recognition and repentance of sin or disobedience to God, asking forgiveness and healing for my own propensity to wickedness. I believe that is why we do not see revival in this country, because we are collectively disobedient as the Bride of Christ. I believe that the Holy Spirit has been quenched in the churches by turning them into businesses, establishing paid clergy to take upon themselves the duty that was meant for all of us. By giving up the Power of Spirit given us so that we might go and be witnesses to Christ’s Glory in the reaches of the Earth. By abdicating the responsibility for discipleship to the staff or those obedient few. I believe that a church unwilling or disobediently refusing to fulfill God’s Commands does not love God and chooses to serve the worldly aspects of self through organized worship and self-designed donation of time, talent and treasure.
Why do churches all follow the same schedule of events each week, regardless of denomination? Opening music, opening prayer, announcements, prayer of benediction, pastoral welcome, pastoral preaching, invitation, music, dismissal, fellowship. Where is the Holy Spirit’s leading in the pulpits of today’s churches? How do programmed or ritualized/scheduled sermon’s serve the Spirit’s direction? Why aren’t pastor’s teaching all the men of the church to preach and preparing all parishioners for discipleship? Why do churches believe that it is necessary to enroll members or exclude Christians from certain “privileges” or church assets, treating believers as investors or club members? The established church is full of believers in Christ. Unfortunately it has also been infiltrated by unbelievers seeking spiritualism, fellowship and worldly social inclusion. Additionally, if we are not practicing, teaching and demanding Spirit filled service or fruitful evidence of salvation then aren’t we as disobedient as any one else? The time for my repentance is upon me. I pray that revival begins in my own heart and that small flame ignite the kindling nearby.
Father, teach me to pray, serve and seek you through obedience to my grace given position as a believer. Have me boldly speak out against ritualism and worldly worship so that people might, like myself see their own adulterated reflection and see the need for repentance and submission. Father, if my words be true let them strike the heart of believers such that they do not wish to simply silence the messengers but seek you in repentance, truth and service. Father let me after all leave the outcomes to You, knowing my position is simply to offer up Your Word as sufficient evidence, leaving the chips to fall wherever they may. Each believers decisions are theirs except where a teacher has withheld, concealed or disobediently not taught Your Truth in its entirety. Let shepherds beware and leave the 99 to go find the 1, just as their Lord Jesus emulated. If Pastors are not out spreading the Gospel on the streets then shouldn’t we be asking why? Are they perhaps better than Christ, outside His Will or just disobedient to His example/leading? In Jesus name
awrkhakhaya 