CHAPTER SEVEN
A Glance at the
Twentieth Century Church
A WORLDLY VIEW OF
THE MODER CHURCH
Let me share a parable about a young man who came
to the United States from a foreign country to attend a university. He had no religious background, but had a
sense that there is a divine power. He
wanted to do some research to find the one true religion. He went to the
university library and read through the current periodicals. His investigation revealed that all the
periodicals and books favorable to the Christian religion had been purposely
removed, including the Bible that God wrote.
He studied the current movies that have a religious twist and noticed
that the Christians were portrayed as thieves or mentally deranged. He read the newspapers and followed their
views about the Christian radical right.
He watched television to see if the programming would encourage him
morally and found it promoted licentiousness and promiscuity. He observed the general effort to remove God
from education, government and all public places, which left him with the
impression that God is dangerous and the public must be protected from
Him. He visited Mapplethorpe's art show
and took particular notice of his sacrilege of religious art, paid for with
public funds!
He wanted to attend a religious service, so he
turned to the yellow pages to find the local church. He found the listing of hundreds of churches with many different
names and activities. He was confused
and was tempted to quit his research, but he determined to finish it. He interviewed many pastors asking them the
question, "Why should I attend your church?" Upon reviewing the interviews with all the
pastors, he concluded that religion is hopelessly divided and it left him
totally confused. Each church believed
that their church was the right one for him.
"How can they all be the right one?" he thought. After his research was complete, he again
reviewed it all very carefully and determined that society's view on religion
is only for the weak-minded. He
concluded, “it is better to do what I feel is right. I have the internal ability to become my own God.” His search led him to a dead end and he
finished unchanged.
Now let’s take a look at society’s honest view of
the early church by reviewing this letter from antiquity:
For Christians are not distinguished from the rest of mankind by country, or by speech, or by dress. For they do not dwell in cities of their own, or use a different language, or practice a peculiar life. This knowledge of theirs has not been proclaimed by the thought and effort of restless men; they are not champions of a human doctrine, as some men are. But while they dwell in Greek or barbarian cities according as each man's lot has been cast, and follow the customs of the land in clothing and food, and other matters of daily life, yet the condition of citizenship which they exhibit is wonderful and admittedly strange. They live in countries of their own, but simply as sojourners. They share the life of citizens, they endure the lot of foreigners. Every foreign land is to them a fatherland, and every fatherland a foreign land. They marry like the rest of the world. They breed children, but they do not discard their children as some do. They offer a common table but not a common bed. They exist in the flesh, but they live not after the flesh. They spend their existence upon earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. They obey the established laws, and in their own lives they surpass the laws. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown, and they are condemned. They are put to death, and they gain new life. They are poor, and make many rich. They lack everything, and in everything they abound. They are dishonored, and their dishonor becomes their glory. They are reviled, and are justified. They are abused, and they bless. They are insulted, and repay insult with honor. They do good, and are punished as evildoers; and in their punishment they rejoice as gaining new life therein. The Jews war against them as aliens, and the Greeks persecute them; and they that hate them can state no ground for their enmity.
In a word, what the soul is in the
body, Christians are in the world. The
soul is spread through all the members of the body, and Christians through all
the cities of the world. The soul
dwells in the body, but it is not of the body.
Christians dwell in the world, but they are not of the world. (Letter to Diognetus, 5:1-17; 6:1-4).
Let me tell you another parable about a young man
who lived in early church times and went to Antioch to study at their
university. It is there that he did his
research to find the one true religion.
Of course there was a lot less research to do in those days, but he did
happen to come across the letter sent to Diognetus. This of course was society's view of the Christians who followed
Christ as their Lord and Savior, a most positive view. Next, he went to the yellow pages to
interview the local church, and he found only one, simply called the Church of
Antioch. After interviewing the elder,
he was shown the closest house church to where he lived. The elder told him the story of Christ, the
rewards, and the cross he would bear in serving Him. It became obvious to him that Christ was the only true and living
God, the one he was looking for and he accepted Him as Lord and Savior and
followed Him for the rest of his life.
The
above parables clearly show us the differences between the two churches. The journey between the two took seventeen
hundred years. It is not unrealistic
for us to have wandered off the path in that length of time. The early church was clearly
the plan of Jesus. The modern church is
clearly the plan of man. As hard as we have tried in the past, and as
well intentioned as our efforts may be, in general, the modern church is on a
downward spiral of influence. The
Sunday morning service has become a spectator’s event. The best show in town wins. Most Christians know this deep down, but
they don't know why or what to do about it.
When I ask Christians, do you think the modern church is in a place
where Jesus can come back for it, I haven't received an affirmative answer
yet. It breaks my heart and brings me
to tears to picture Christ standing on a mountain-top looking down over His
church weeping and saying, ”Stop, look back at the example, the plan I left
with you in My Word. Return to
it.” If the Lord had a compelling
interest in beautiful buildings, He would not have destroyed the temple in A.D.
72. I read recently that a man was
asked if he was going to church, and he said, “I am the church.”
Is it any
wonder God blesses activities when Christians come together in unity? When
we drop our labels and become one body with one purpose, it pleases God, and He
blesses the effort. The secular
establishment is confounded with our accomplishments and the power to influence
our culture. Like those of old who asked,
"What must we do to be saved?" Let us ask, “What must we do to return
to the original plan? Let us look at
some of the reasons for the poor image that Christianity has acquired
throughout the world.
A good estimate is that 99 percent of pastors are
not from the flock they shepherd. They
are recruited and hired like any corporation looking for a president. They stay as long as they are successful. Chuck Swindal recently noted that the
average stay of a Baptist minister is 18 months. The pain and emotion
involved in removing and hiring a pastor is wrenching. The process often splits churches down the
middle. How can we be evangelistic when
our local church is in such pain? It's
fair to say that the burden this system places on the hired pastor and his
family is horrible. After the honeymoon
is over, it's almost impossible for him to live up to all the expectations
placed on him. My heart goes out to all
the pastors who have been injured in this flawed system. This system can be so brutal that many have
left their church feeling hurt and guilty and are in need of healing.
The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the
sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming,
he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and
scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hireling and cares nothing for
the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I
know my sheep and my sheep know me--just
as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the
sheep. I have other sheep that are not
of this fold. I must bring them also.
They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd (John
10:12-16).
In contrast, the house church pastor, if they
have one, is never hired or fired. He
is always from the local community and is a gift of the Lord to the flock. We all have a measure of pastor in us, but
the house church pastor's main occupation is caring for people, not preaching. Isn't it strange we never hear a message on The Risks of a Hireling Pastor. Maybe this is the time that Jesus is
referring to in verse 16, for us to listen to His voice as He prophesies, "There shall be one flock and one
shepherd." We could say the
early church was in compliance with His prophesy because the only thing that
separated house churches was the distance between them and the names of the
cities in which they were located.
There is no indication in the New Testament that
there is to be spiritual governmental control of the local church beyond the
city in which it is located! This is where man has interfered,
maneuvered and manipulated control of the church away from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit resides on the sideline;
patiently waiting to play His part when called upon.
In the meantime the church pays dearly as she
funds all the corporate levels of administrative staff. Very little funding finds its way to meet
the needs of Christians and their neighbors or foreign missionary efforts. Recently, on Larry Burkett’s radio show they
quoted from a survey of Christian wealth.
Ninety per cent (90%) of
Christian wealth worldwide is generated in the United States of America. Ninety seven per cent (97%) of U.S. giving,
stays in the U.S.A. Only three per cent
(3%) goes to foreign mission needs.
When we look at the parable of the Good
Samaritan, we see the reason why the priest did not assist the robbed and
beaten man; he did not belong to the priest's parish. To the good Samaritan it was a divine appointment of opportunity,
because he was operating out of a pure and compassionate heart and not one
afflicted with religious bigotry and divisions, as the priest was.
Denominations
unite the body of Christ in a harmful way. They unite small blocks of
Christians in various locations, which in turn divides the local church into
many smaller churches. Jesus said, "If a house is divided against itself,
that house cannot stand" (Mark 3:25).
The Lord is right; divisions cause mistrust and suspicion. Our communities suffer because our light is
dimmed by divisions. We are then unable
to respond to the opportunity that is normally ours, to influence our
communities morally as the Lord expects.
This is a failed system and we should move away
from it. In contrast, the house church
government is very simple. Elders
oversee it, and they are usually the owners of the house. If there are ten house churches in the city,
then there are at least ten elders. It
is a blessing to have more than one elder in a house church. As the house churches continue to multiply,
one of the elders is selected as bishop or overseer, to assist the elders. This relieves the apostle and frees him to
plant churches in other areas. In
the New Testament we can not find hierarchy beyond the local bishop of a city. This compact church design within a city
allows the Holy Spirit to have optimum control as the Divine Spiritual Guide He
was sent to be. With the house church
there is now no need for manmade, inferior denominational control, which
further divides the body of Christ into weakness.
A name seems like a good idea, but it can also be
divisive to the local Christian community.
What could Paul have meant when he warned us not to name our churches
differently?
Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual
but as worldly--mere infants in Christ.
I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.
Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is
jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, "I belong to
Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos ," are you not mere
men? What, after all, is Apollos? And
what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has
assigned to each his task. I planted
the seed, Apollos watered it, but God
made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but
only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have
one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building (1
Corinthians. 3:1-9 emphasis added).
What the Corinthians were about to do was
establish two denominations called
Paul and Apollos. Paul rebuked them
sharply and called them mere infants and worldly. They were to take no pride in Paul or Apollos, for these two men
were only servants. Their pride and
praise should be reserved for God only.
Through Paul's long-range vision he could see the body of Christ being
divided and weakened, so he tried desperately to stop it. And he did. Proof of this is found in the New Testament as all the churches
were only called by the name of the city
in which they were located. For
example, in the Bible we recognize the names of churches as Church of Corinth,
Church of Ephesus, Church of Philadelphia and so forth.
Yet eventually, we seem to have found a way to
name ourselves differently. Divided we
have become and weakened, too. This is
a great principle of the Lord's that we have compromised and now we suffer from
broken fellowship between the brothers.
Although I never heard it said, as a young boy growing up I was under
the impression that we were the only church going to heaven. The Holy Spirit through Paul calls
divisions (denominations) worldly. Do
you agree? Look at the fruit of
division in your city and tell me if it is of the Lord?
If the church in your city were without division,
imagine what its power level would be against evil? I will tell you what your city would look like.
There would be less crime, fewer unwed mothers, less school dropouts,
fewer drug problems, less child abuse, less domestic violence and fewer people
on welfare. You could walk the
streets at night without fear. If you
forgot to take the keys out of your car, it would still be there when you
returned. Kindness would prevail and
helping your neighbor would not be the exception. Abortion mills could not stay in business without clients. The sanctity of human life would
prevail. Positive self-esteem would be
the norm.
We must look at the most compelling issue of the
day and review the church's general position on it. That issue without a doubt is abortion.
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16).
The U.S. church was divided on the position of slavery and it cost six hundred thousand lives to settle the issue. The pain and suffering of families torn apart by the Civil War is inexpressible. The church had the opportunity to be the salt and light, to lead the way and give direction to our country. The church could easily have negotiated a simple plan of transition, phasing out slavery.
The church cannot be passive on issues of life,
liberty, and justice and especially on the shedding of innocent blood. Activism is an element built into our
governmental process. It
is because of divine principles, which were woven into our Declaration of
Independence and Constitution that we have enjoyed the quality of life we have
known in the past.
He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me
scatters. Make a tree good and its
fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is
recognized by its fruit (Matthew 12:30 & 33). When the righteous are in
authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked rule, the people mourn (Proverbs 29:2).
These verses in the Bible dispel the notion that
the Church can be neutral and not be accountable for influencing society. The reason abortion continues is because the
church is divided on the subject and cannot speak with one voice. The act of taking the life of an unborn
child should never have become a legal procedure in a country that called
itself "Christian." However, this abomination could have been
over in a very short time had there been a united effort. But after 27 years, the voice of the church
is still divided and, for the most part, is silent. Forty million innocent lives have been taken, and the counter is
still ticking.
Every child of God must support life in an active
way when the opportunity presents itself, regardless of whether Caesar has made
it legal to kill unborn children. If
you have a problem with this issue it must be resolved in favor of the Lord's
heart.
I feel the declining
influence of the modern church in our society is directly linked to its
miserable lack of courage to stop the killing of innocent, unborn children.
In the Old Testament the Lord gave a stern warning to His people about
the heathen practice of the worship of the fire god Molech. This worship required human sacrifice, the
lives of children. Listen to the Lord's heart as He rebukes and promises death
to those who sacrifice children to Molech.
The Lord said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: Any Israelite or any
alien living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to
death. The people of the community are to stone him. I will set my face against that man and I will cut him off from
his people; for by giving his children to Molech, he has defiled my sanctuary
and profaned my holy name. If the people of the community close their
eyes when that man gives one of his children to Molech and they fail to put
him to death, I will set my face against that man and his family and will cut
off from their people both him and all who follow him in prostituting
themselves to Molech"
(Leviticus 20:1-5 emphasis added).
Many years later the prophet Jeremiah received
the word of the Lord concerning the city of Jerusalem, that it would be given
into the hands of the Chaldeans. And in
Jeremiah 32:35 the reason is made clear: they caused their sons and daughters
to pass through the fire in worship of Molech.
God says, “That it never came
into His mind or heart that they should do such a detestable thing.” But in the same chapter He ends with a
great hope that He will call them back to a reverence and fear in their hearts
for Him, for their own good and for the good of their children. And in verse 41 He declared, "I will rejoice over them to do them
good and I will plant them in this land and in truth with My whole heart and
with My whole being." Listen. Do you hear the
call back?