I just don't understand the question people ask.. "Oh, you're a believer! What church do you go to?" I am so over repsonding in ways that do not get people's attention. So the Holy Spirit told me to say this next time... "I keep the Sabbath and do what the word says, study the Bible in 3 languages every single day, and am reconciled back unto God- Jesus Christ is my LORD so I follow Him like the Bible says, I can't even find a truth speaking church. I don't want a concert. And I have a problem with a church having a sermon one day, then the next week hosting a pagan Halloween ritual for "kids". It's absurd. I do prison ministries and evangelism and online evangelism... I donate and tithe to lots of Israeli and Jewish groups for fatherless, widows, homeless, and orphans. That is pure and undefiled religion based on James 1:27."
Jesus didn’t go to church. Think about that for a minute.
Jesus grew up Jewish, so he would have gone to the synagogue with his family. He would have participated in all the Jewish rituals of his day because that was the way that they worshiped.
But he knew the sacrificial system wasn’t what was going to be our salvation. There had to be a deep change or there would be no hope for us - we would still be sacrificing animals in our quest for forgiveness.
As a preacher, he taught people about the Kingdom of God and showed them that there was a better way. That HE was the better way. In the beginning, this group of first Christians called themselves “The Way”. They were still Jewish, but they were considered a different sect of Judaism for many years. Shelley says, in the book “Church History in Plain English” -
The disciples called themselves “The Way,” emphasizing their belief that Jesus would lead his followers to the kingdom of God. Before long, however, the Jerusalem community came to speak of itself by an Old Testament term used to refer to the assembly of Israel. The Greek equivalent was ekklesia (or churchin English) and meant a gathering of people, God’s people.
Church. Ekklesia. A group of people belonging to God.
A group of people who are from Canada are Canadians.
A group of people who are from the United States are Americans.
A group of people who belong to God are the Church.
It’s time we start viewing ourselves as a set apart people group, rather than an institution. We are a colony of Heaven who live on Earth.
We are Ekklesia.
So, how do we act like Ekklesia in our daily lives? How does it affect our decision making? Our attitude towards our family? How we treat our neighbors? How we spend our money?
As a Christian living in the 21st century, what does it mean for me to be a part of Ekklesia?
If I were stripped of everything I have been conditioned to think over the course of my life and only]had the bible to teach me how to live my faith, what kind of person would I be? What would my faith look like?
These questions have plagued me through the years. There have been times when I was overwhelmed by with them.
When I look at the churches I’ve been a part of, the churches all around me, I can’t help but wonder if this is what church is supposed to be.
What kind of church would Jesus go to? Would it be traditional, liturgical, evangelical, charismatic, full gospel, Pentecostal, reformed, mega-sized or non-denominational?
Can the 21st century North American model of Christianity accomplish the mandate that Jesus set out for His Church?
Perhaps we need another reformation.
Please note that the "Church" and the "church system" are two different things entirely.
The Church: The Ecclesia, the Elect, the Bride of Christ, the true believers, the assembly of those believers, the 80 times in 79 verses that word is used in the King James version of the New Testament.
The church system: The organization of man meeting in defined buildings erroneously called "church". A system based on political motivations to prey on the peoples' wealth and control their minds for the selfish purposes of those who are in control and at the top of the system.
JESUS NEVER SAID TO BUILD CHURCH BUILDINGS. He said to "love God and others and put God's Kingdom first, and forsake all, go, preach the good news." (Matt. 6:33, 22:37-39; Luke 14:33; Mark 16:15)
The word "Church" itself comes from the Greek word "ecclesia" and literally means the "called out ones", or the "separate ones" the "set apart ones"--or the dropouts! "Wherefore come outfrom among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing (the System); and I will receive you." (2 Cor. 6:17)
THE TRUE CHURCH ARE THE GENUINE CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS in God who follow Jesus--the born again, saved Body of Christ--not a buildingor a denomination or a religion. God gave Jesus "to be the head over... the Church, which is His Body." (Eph. 1:22,23) So anyone who believes in Jesus is part of the Church! Anyone or anything else is not the Church!
WE DO NOT HATE THOSE WHO ARE NOT PART OF THE CHURCH, but we do hate the hypocrisy, self-righteousness, lies and deceitfulnessof those who claim to be the Church but are not; and we hate the spiritual system of the Devil which is behind them.
JESUS EVEN COMMENDED THE EPHESIAN CHURCH for this, saying, "this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans (false apostles), which I also hate." (Rev. 2:6; see also Ps. 97:10)
I WAS SITTING IN "ANAHEIM DELUSION CENTER" (a big church building in California) and the Lord spoke as clearly to me as He ever had: "This is strong delusion!" Deceiving His people!
CHURCHIANITY IS EQUATED WITH GOD and the building with His service. The delusion has become so strong that today the name "church" no longer means anything but a building! The name "Christian" no longer means anything either! It usually means just some kind of hypocritical, self-righteous church person who goes to that building on Sunday!
THE CHURCH TODAY BEARS NO MORE RESEMBLANCE TO JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES AND EARLY CHRISTIANS THAN CAPITALISM DOES TO COMMUNISM. Yet the church says, "If you aren't going to church and following our way, then you're wrong." How can they be so deceived? Because they rejected the Truth!
WHY DO THEY REJECT THE TRUTH? Because they're unwilling to pay the price! "Because they received not the love of the truth... for this cause Godshall send them strong delusion that they might believe a lie." (2 Thess. 2:10,11)
THE MAIN LYING DELUSION behind the church system and the way of all false religions is that they are all dependent upon self--righteousness and their own way. Paul said about the Jews, the church system of his day, "They have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness (through grace) and going about to establish their own righteousness (through religion) have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." (Ro. 10:2,3)
ALSO, THE CHURCHES HAVE NOT SHARED MUCH WITH THE POOR, but sucked and squeezed the last drop out of the poor to build their fancy cathedrals and idols and live in luxury.
THE COMMUNISTS ARE ONLY TOO RIGHT WHEN THEY SAY THAT RELIGION IS THE OPIATE OF THE PEOPLE. The kind of religion they have seen is exactly that--a horrible drug which puts them to sleep, makes them oblivious to the conditions around them, and lethargic and senseless to the needs of mankind.
BUT THE RELIGIOUS SYSTEM LIKES IT THIS WAY, since they can control their people better in this stupor. And the government prefers it this way, since they don't know any better anyhow, and the religious system keeps them in power.
BUT THE PITIFUL PART ABOUT IT IS THIS: That God says, "even My people love to have it so." The vast majority of Christians prefer it that way, pampered infants, spoiled children.
THE PROPHET JEREMIAH, IN A JUDGMENT UTTERED 2,500 YEARS AGO AGAINST WICKED ISRAEL, SEEMS TO PERFECTLY DESCRIBE THE CHURCH OF TODAY when God says through him: "Among My people are found wicked men... their houses (are)full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich, ... they judge not the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge...."
THE PROPHETS PROPHESY FALSELY and the priests bear rule by their means: and My people love to have it so.... Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" (Jer. 5:26,31)
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE CHURCH SYSTEM?
THE CHURCHIANITY SYSTEM IS ALREADY DEAD, but their corpse lies upon the ground, neither lamented nor buried! The Communists (or enemies of Christ) will bury the dead, even Khrushchev said so, adding, "God is with us!" They'll bury the dead as we go on with Jesus. It won't be longbefore those buildings are going to be closed and pastors liquidated, services banned and Bibles burned!
Scripturally the “Church” is first a community of ALL True Believers for all time. It is made up of all who are truly saved. Paul says in Eph. 5:25 “Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for Her.” Here the word Church is used to apply to all those whom Christ died to redeem, all those who are saved by the death of Christ.
Jesus Christ Himself builds the church by calling His people to Himself. He made a promise in Matthew 16:18: “I will build my church.” And Luke is careful to tell us that the growth of the church came not by human efforts alone, but that: “The LORD added to their numbers day by day who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). And Acts 2:44 says: “ALL THAT BELIEVED WERE TOGETHER.”
All throughout scripture God has always called His people to assemble and worship himself, it’s not just a New Testament concept.
The New Testament “Church” didn’t start happening until Jesus came to the earth, and after Jesus’ death and resurrection, there were technically no “churches” as in building yet. The disciples and others in the book of acts still periodically attended the “temples,” but they met together regularly. And after time and God building the numbers of His church, people began building places where they could assemble since the numbers were growing. This is why we see people meeting in their homes in the New Testament. The church had just begun, but as numbers grew, they began building places they could all gather together.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment