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(AUTHOR'S NOTE) It is a constant struggle NOT to sound bitter about the religious system / institutional church with some of the articles the Lord leads me to write. It is very hard to draw a distinction between the true "Church" (which is PEOPLE – Greek word: 'ekklesia'), and the false "church" which is the religious institution run by men that often oppresses the true "Church" (PEOPLE). It is SO hard to see my brothers and sisters who are starved for the Lord, prevented from receiving the fullness of Him by the very religious institutional church where they go to be fed. Sometimes, my heart breaks in weeping intercessory prayer for the Saints. Other times it brings out the fire of the Spirit of Prophecy. It is difficult to manage the extreme feelings that 'go with the territory' and to speak words of edification to the Saints in spite of how I feel.... In my writings, I try to abide by a convention. When I am referring to the PEOPLE, I write "Church" with a capital "C". When I am referring to the religious institution, I write "church" with a lower case "c". To be clear, I love the "Church" – the PEOPLE – the SAINT'S. I hate the religious institution of man that oppresses the Saints, and more often than not discourages, even prevents them from an intimate and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I believe it is the will of the Father to call the true "Church" - the PEOPLE - to complete freedom in Christ, and to call the false "church" - the religious institution of men - to REPENT. We are in the FINAL HOUR.. For 18 months I applied myself to various 'church' jobs, hoping to spark something, anything, that resembled revival. It almost seemed as if the harder I worked, the worse the situation became. Finally the Lord said to me: The Lord's words really messed with my understanding. I felt it was blasphemous to suggest that "THE CHURCH FAIL". But the Lord showed me the church was NOT a building, not the religious institution with it's programs most people think is the church, but simply the children of God coming together as family to live in community and worship God. The Lord went on to speak to me about building on sand, and that He's the same as always – sending wind, rain, waves to test our houses for whether or not we've built on the Rock. When God sends the wind/waves/rain to test the foundation, and we are laboring to prop it back up while it is falling apart, we are WORKING AGAINST GOD. And we are enabling the church to continue with it's vain works. One of the foundational principles of the faith is repentance from vain works (Hebrews 6:1). Elsewhere we are told that we are saved by faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9). And in Hebrews 4 we are told to enter into God's rest, for God's work has been complete since the creation of the world. From the Cross Jesus reminds us that the work is done by saying "it is finished" (John 19:30). Still, we persist in all of our 'church programs' which we undertake 'for' God, as if He needs us to do anything for Him. Time and again I have heard those I worked with lament the failure of a church program as the 'work of the devil'. But with God's words to me: GET OUT OF THE WAY AND LET IT FAIL, I no longer think it is the devils doing behind the failure of our vain works. I believe it is God who is still throwing down Towers of Babel. And really, what was the Tower of Babel if not a vain work? Babel was man's effort to reach God. Interestingly, the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 indicates God simply confused the speech of the peoples so they could no longer cooperate in such prideful endeavors as building a tower to reach the heavens, and he scattered the peoples over the face of the earth. I recall a few movies that depicted the tower itself being destroyed, but that is not supported by scripture. God did not destroy the tower – He only confused the language of the people, and scattered them so they could NOT work together to reach God. It could be said that God simply derailed the "Tower of Babel" PROGRAM! And so, of the programs in the religious institutional church, which often are the vain efforts of man to draw closer to God, or to build "a church for God" (which is ALREADY BUILT IN AND BY CHRIST), doesn't it stand to reason that God still frustrates our vain efforts (Romans 8:20, 1 Cor. 1:19)? There is only 1 way to God, and it is Christ. All who are in Christ are saved, and complete. Scripture tells us also that if we simply lift Christ up from the earth, HE will draw all men to Himself (John 12:32). In other words, if we simply yield to Christ, let Him live through us, love one another as family, He will finish the work He started. The ONLY thing we need to do for Christ is DIE TO SELF so He can live through us. The next time a 'church program' fails, don't credit the devil with it. Instead, repent from vain works, and praise God who finished the work of Salvation in Jesus who said "IT IS FINISHED". |