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"Would to God that all party names and unscriptural phrases and forms which have divided the Christian world were forgot; that we might all agree to sit down together as humble, loving disciples at the feet of a common Master, to hear his word, to imbibe his Spirit, and to transcribe his life into our own." (John Wesley - "Hardeman's Tabernacle Sermons," Volume V, page 60.) This particular page actually started out as an introductory paragraph explaining some of the intention and purpose behind this website. It has since evolved into a complete article (several pages long) regarding the desire to see the New Testament concept of real Christianity restored to the believer's understanding... as opposed to the distraction of denominationalism and mere "religious" living that plagues most Christians today because of many of the things we have been taught through religious tradition (and not necessarily from God's Word). I would like to spend a little time here talking about some traditional religious concepts that most Christians are familiar with and how they actually differ from what God's Word teaches and why this is important. In fact, some of these concepts do more than just differ, but I believe they can be real distractions from the truth and they can actually hamper true spiritual growth. Some of what you will read here may challenge your own traditional understanding of things, but please know I do not ask that anyone merely take my word for it. I encourage every person to be responsible, study these things out in the Scriptures and come to their own conclusions. My purpose is not to offend anyone but rather to encourage us to embrace fully the Word of God in all things and flee anything that does not stand in agreement with that Word. This is my own endeavor as well. Having said that, I will also tell you that while I am not a proponent of denominationalism, I do not have anything against my brothers and sisters in denominational churches. Of first importance is our connection because of Christ. Please keep this in mind when reading some of my more critical remarks about organized religion. My appeal is to the body of Christ (who are the very people of God), not a denomination or some other organization. I welcome any questions or comments you may have to share after reading this (or anything on this website) and, if you prefer not to contact me directly, please feel free to share your own comments in my guestbook if you like. I love hearing from people (yes, even the ones that flat out disagree with me). It helps me to grow in understanding, sensitivity, to remain sharp and accountable to the Word of God and I find it a source of encouragement as well. Thanks to the many of you who have already written over the past months and shared your insights, testimonies and encouraging words. I appreciate it more than you know! God bless you!!! My prayer is that you would be blessed, encouraged, and excited to discover (or re-discover) how wonderful and vital to our comprehension the Gospel of Jesus is and how blessed (and essential) is our freedom in Christ. God is good! His road leads to life and peace. IMPORTANT NOTE: Wherever possible I try to differentiate the Bible's concept of the word "Church" from today's traditional concept by using the term "institutional church" (which is a reference to the subject of organized, institutionalized religion; envisioned by religiously-dedicated buildings, a clergy system and their subsequent order of programs, services and denominational beliefs/rules/rituals/regulations/etc.). Most often I will simply use a lower case "c" to illustrate a reference to the traditional concept rather than the biblical one. When referring to the biblical concept, generally I will Capitalize the first letter of the word Church. As stated on the TruthForFree.com home page, this site seeks to encourage visitors by presenting resources that focus on the pursuit of intimate relationship with Christ and also biblical principles of New Testament restoration (of the Church - the body of Christ). Note that I do not say "reformation," for the true Church that the Lord Himself is building needs no "reforming." Likewise it is not my endeavor to suggest that Christians need to be about the business of reforming the institutional church. It is my opinion that God's concept of His Church is quite different than most of our concepts of church, which we typically define in terms of organized religion.
Therefore to "reformation" of organized religion and the institutional concept of church I say, "sorry, not interested..." I'm not interested in re-forming anything (especially anything that orginiated with man and not God). Man has formed, transformed, malformed and re-formed enough. It's time that we consume ourselves with God's intentions for His body the way He has envisioned it - the way He has formed it. The Church is the Lord's and the saved are His body. Christianity is about Christ in us, not mere conformity to a religious mindset. I will explain what I mean in this regard further as we continue with this discussion. When I speak of "New Testament Restoration" I am talking, really, about revival. I'm talking about an awakening to the kind of mindset that marked the first century Christian Church. It is a mindset that is wholly centered on Christ, not on the organization and maintenance of religion. It is a mindset that is about people assembling under the Lordship of Jesus, raising Him as their Leader and embracing His Gospel only. It is a mindset that is not wrapped up in hierarchy and rank-pulling, but one that seeks a relational approach to assembly life - where everyone in the assembly are recognized as intimate family; brothers and sisters submitted in love to one another and under the same Lord. In essence, it is the mindset of Jesus in manifestation. Because of so much religious tradition in force over the ages, Christians have all but lost sight of what the Christian life is really supposed to be all about. Many Christians aren't even able to discern truth from error because they either don't know the Word or they have learned so long to just swallow whatever they have been preached from a pulpit so that they regard the traditions of men as they are applied to the Scriptures rather than simply trusting the Scriptures themselves and gauging what they hear according to that strong foundation. 2 Timothy 4:3; The Message We are in desperate need of a restoration of first century style Christianity in our day. I'm not talking about trying to copy the customs or literally every cultural pattern of that time period. What I am talking about is embracing the simple and pure Gospel of Jesus and the steadfast teaching of the Apostles as are so clearly revealed in Scripture. These things do not require "re-forming" but they do need to be restored to our understanding and practice today. If the Word truly says it is the Lord Himself who is building His Church, then hadn't we better look deeply into what He has purposed to that end? I believe simply that the Christian Church (Original Greek Bible text: "Ekklesia" - Strong's #1577) is people, not programs, not buildings, not religious organizations, not a system of ethics, rules and guidelines for conduct. This is where I sometimes get into trouble with folks because they presume that I am saying that it is wrong for Christians to meet together in a building or that sin is ok and Christians don't have to hold themselves to any standard. I am not saying it is wrong for Christians to meet together in a building and neither am I suggesting that sin is ok. I am not saying that God's grace means we have a license to sin. What I am saying is, first of all, what the Bible calls "the Church" does not mean a "system" of religion or a "religious edifice." It means "people assembled" (that is, according to its literal translation, what it simply means) - more specifically though, the biblical concept of the Church refers to the global, spiritual assembly of those that God has called out from darkness into His light and who together comprise His very body - and so when I use the term "Church" (note the Capital C), in most cases, I am directly speaking about "God's people" and not religious governments, principles, buildings, programs, rituals, etc. But I need to elaborate on this point because the Lord's Church is not just "an assembly of people" but, really (biblically), the Church is Christ! That is not to say that people are Christ, but rather that Christ lives in His people and is manifested corporately through them as one body. This is God's purpose for the ekklesia. The apostle Paul said, "I became a minister according to the purpose of God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:25-27) So the Church is Christ's body; a living organism (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18, 24; etc.). This is why it can never be defined as a building or an organization because it is neither. The Church is to manifest the person of Christ. So the Church is more than simply people assembled (though it is people) - but it is, more pointedly, the body of Christ (and that body must be assembled under the Headship of Christ for He is the ONLY Head of that body - which is HIS body). For this reason the Church cannot be defined in any way as some religiously dedicated building or as some program or organization for it is none of that. It is a living organism, birthed by God Himself. It is not made by man or governed by man; only Christ! He is to be the all in all; the Head; the Leader. It still concerns some people though when they hear someone like myself say things like, "true Christianity is not about ethics, morals or organized religion." So if this describes your own initial reaction or if you know someone that has reacted this way to such terminology, please understand that what I am saying is NOT that morality and ethical behavior are bad things or that "religion" is entirely bad for society (for many wonderful, beneficial things are done in the name of religion to aid communities and to help people - and the people who themselves enact various deeds in the name of religion are often sincere, well-intentioned people and many of them do have a love for God), but simply I am saying that good deeds, morals and ethics are not the issue where relationship with God is concerned. Neither does religion (in the sense I am referring to) have ANYTHING to do with the Christian life! I know that is a strong statement that some will not agree with, but I must insist this point. You see, when I refer to religion, I am not talking merely about good works, which can entirely be wrought from love. I am talking about something far more sinister; a concept that teaches people that religion (i.e. following ritual, rules, regulations, and tradition) will give them right standing with God, make them holy, spiritual, etc. Furthermore, religion is deceptive because a person can be "religious" and yet never even know God or understand what it means to have His Spirit working in their hearts; effecting the Father's will. Religion does not require interaction with the Holy Spirit at all! It can run full speed ahead, legislating and motivating its brand of "spirituality" with no help from God at all! Yet some will still erroniously believe that God is the source and controller of this powerful force and they will falsely think themselves the better for submitting themselves to its every whim.
My reference of "religion" in this paper (and in places of this website) refers to what is typically regarded as "organized" or "institutionalized" religion. It involves a mindset that has derived its influence from more than 1,700 years of tradition; a clergy-dominated system that, most often, requires a specially-designed, formally dedicated building to exist and must be accompanied by a host of traditional elements; including pews/chairs lined up in rows facing a platform where the elite ministry caste presides over the ceremonies, services, prayer activities, and virtually all the affairs of the organization while the laity sit and observe (with virtually no interaction except where permitted as the clergy or some appointed leader allows or directs). It generally includes a static liturgy (whether written or unwritten - it is largely the same in composition all over the globe in every denomination) and it seldom, if ever, changes from week to week (not to mention that one day of the week, Sunday, has been regarded as the holy day on which all, or most all, of these religious activities must transpire). Other trademarks include pulpits, hymnals, Sunday school classrooms, worship teams/choirs, and a whole host of generally required observances, expected participation in programs, recital of creeds, required agreement with various church doctrinal opinions (often including tithing money - in some places this is a requisite to being considered for membership or advancement in ministry roles) and it requires submission to the directives of the church's leadership hierarchy and the dictates of the denomination or "mother church." Ministry is normally actuated through positional offices that a person must be formally ordained into by professional clergy members. The organization tends to fill a general position of "mediation" between the believer's relationship with God, so that the believer must filter everything (or most everything) in his life (or church activity) through what his/her church/pastor deems is appropriate or beneficial to both/either to God and/or the rest of the organization/congregation. Granted, some organizations are less domineering than others, but the concepts are generally similar. People involved in these systems of religion regard them as a most (if not the most) central aspect of their Christian life. "Church" (meaning the organization people attach themselves to) is thought to be every bit as much "the Christian life" as Jesus Christ is. I will say that, inherently, there is nothing evil about sitting in pews, attending a scheduled weekly service, listening to someone preach, and participating in various programs. The problem is that most often these things, the whole system in fact, is seen as one of the most integral parts of the Christian life and it is believed to be essential if a person expects to be considered a faithful Christian or even legitimate Christian (in other words, some people tie church-attendance right along with the Gospel – in that you are not truly saved unless you belong to a local church organization). Practically everyone in the world has been indoctrinated with the implication that says, "good people go to church, bad people go to hell." The reason why this is a problem is that the whole system itself and nearly everything attributed to it is largely the product of man and can not be substantiated effectively from Scripture. This is an astounding fact that few are willing to consider, let alone accept once they have been freed from ignorance. So Christianity ends up being defined by the practice and dictates of religion and not according to what the Bible alone teaches. In this way it becomes an obstruction to true Christianity and deceives masses and holds people in bondage. If one is going to honestly examine the New Testament story, they have to face the fact that NOT ONE TIME did Jesus or one of His disciples instruct a new Christian to find a good local church to attend! Remember when Jesus rescued the woman who was caught in the act of adultery and forgave her sins? What was His simple instruction to her (as well as to those who observed this action)? Was it not, "go and sin no more... I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (John 8:11-12). How about Acts chapter 8, where Philip shared the Gospel with a eunuch and baptised him in a stream... When they came up out of the water, God immediately translated Philip away, leaving the new convert ON HIS OWN! Look what the text says: Acts 8:39 - "When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of God suddenly took Philip off, and that was the last the eunuch saw of him. But he didn't mind. He had what he'd come for and went on down the road as happy as he could be." What about the jailer that was saved when God shook the prison where Paul and Silas were locked up? The jailer even asked what he should do to be saved. You would think this would be the opportune moment to preach the Gospel and then instruct him to join a fellowship as soon as possible. But what was he told by the apostles? Acts 16:30-31 - "He led them out of the jail and asked, 'Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved, to really live?' They said, 'Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you'll live as you were meant to live...'" How could Jesus and His apostles be so careless with new converts? How could they neglect to instruct these new followers of Christ to get plugged into a church and submit themselves to a spiritual father? Could it be because they actually trusted that if their conversion was real, God would lead them Himself by His Holy Spirit? That is, in fact, what the Scripture teaches! Of course (I am not denying) the apostles also taught believers about Christ (after their conversion as well as before), how to walk with Him, and how to interact with other believers in the community of faith. We are blessed to have the letters of Paul, John, Peter, James and Jude to encourage us in the way of truth. They are a valuable and vital resource which God has ordained to benefit every believer in Christ. But they were not written for the purpose of being used to structure some form of religious organization and institution where an elite few could rule over the others and control the "religion" they practiced while the elite make ministry a profession and mediate every facet possible in the lives of God's people. The letters of the New Testament were written to build up and to set at liberty! They were written to keep the believer focused on the Master (that Master, of course, being Christ Jesus)! They were written to keep us walking in grace and to NOT GET DISTRACTED with the wrong kind of religion! Time and time again, Jesus and the apostles warned the Church about false teachers who would spy out their liberty and seek to draw disciples after themselves and cause them to lose their central focus on Jesus. Too many "church leaders" today have misused the Word of God to bolster support for the kingdoms of religion they seek to build and maintain, the control they wish to establish, the noteriety and recognition they desire from men, the selfish quest for security in position and title, and the money they hope to make. Worse yet, they lead others into this error and cause many to stumble. Such do not rightly read or teach what is written in the pages of God's Word with its pure intent to liberate us in Christ and show us how to fall deeply in love with Him and become mature men and women of God, who stand in confidence, secure in the Lord, being led by His Spirit and serving one another from a sincere heart, purely motivated by the love of Jesus and the instruction of His Spirit. I hate to say that I believe you will scarce find a "pastor" today who trusts God enough to simply present Christ and then GET OUT OF THE WAY TO LET BELIEVERS EXPERIENCE THEIR GOD AND GROW IN HIM! Most pastors who are slaves to the modern church system have not yet figured out that the Scripture reveals there is no longer a need for human priests to mediate people's relationships with God. Truly ALL OF US who know Christ are made priests unto Him! It is time that we take back this birthright and not let ANYONE, no matter how pious they appear, to stand in this holy place that God has given to each of us; to come boldly before Him under the shadow of grace. It is only when we start walking in this truth that we will excercise PURE religion and expel the old manmade way that is little more than a foul stench of dead works and self-righteous refuse! Strong words, yes I know, but I sense this passion to say things bluntly in a way that causes us to awake from our religious slumber and open our eyes to what God purely intends for His people. I feel I need to, at least briefly, make this distinction between what the Bible regards as "pure religion" as opposed to what man presents as "religion" because some will try to argue that religion is also biblical (and therefore they justify their concepts of church). Indeed there is a kind of "religion" that one could argue is biblically approved of. The Bible references it ONCE. This is one of those passages where context is immensely important, because the passage is not a command to "be religious" or participate in organized religion and neither is this passage suggesting that organized religion is Christianity.
For the moment, let's leave aside the detail that even most institutional churches fail at the most basic encouragement to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and usually continue to compell them to give tithes, offerings, time and service to the institution regardless of the financial stress and the weight of anxiety and discouragement it places on them. The word "religion" here is the word "threskeia" (Strong's #2356), and James uses it in a discussion about what people regard as religion or religious behavior compared with what God regards as "PURE religion." James is saying that religion for the sake of appearing pious and holy before men (or God) is not what God desires. God desires our actions to flow from love and so if anyone thinks he is "religious" he should bear the fruit of one who is submitted to God. If we say we love God and do not show love to others, then our "religion" is vain and God considers it a lie (1 John 4:20-21). "PURE" religion seeks to imitate God the way a child wants to imitate his father. And God is regarded often in Scripture as a Father of the fatherless and one who cares for and seeks justice for widows and the poor (Psalm 68:5; Deuteronomy 10:18; Isaiah 1:17; etc.). If we are truly His, then we will have this "pure" religion at work in our lives. It will be action that is wrought from truth and is free from self-seeking, self-righteous attitudes.
It is clear that James deliberately uses terminology to actually help these believers (who were raised in the religion of Judaism) to understand that Christianity is not about "being religious" (as, say, the Pharisee regards religion), but that true Christianity will bear fruit that gives evidence of the love that exists in that person's life because of Christ. This kind of "pure religion", as the Bible refers to, is NOT what I am talking about in this paper. I am talking about a religion that is devised in the heart and wisdom of man, born of tradition (not Scripture) and that distracts him from true spirituality (and, hence, even from "pure religion"). The religion I am referencing (with negative connotation) is what James was attempting to make a distinction apart from. Jesus faced this same issue when confronted with the comments of the woman at the well. She had in mind a certain concept of "religion". She was sure that worship of God was actuated through religious performance in a dedicated place. We might just as well say that she was convinced that organized religion was God's plan for "worship". But Jesus corrected her theology. In fact, He completely removed every possible focus from a distraction with organized religion! Observe how the Message version tells this story:
Interestingly enough, the woman wasn't too sure about all this. But she was at least educated enough to know that WHEN THE MESSIAH CAME everything would fall into focus. Jesus immediately told her there was no longer reason to wait!!!
Yet today, men continue to look further. And still they don't see Him. They seek after revival and neglect to recognize that the Reviver lives in them and has made every provision and ALREADY opened EVERY window of heaven! They are as blind men who cannot or will not see. Christ stands plainly in view, but men still seek after His shadow. They are not content with only Him. They refuse to believe things are this simple. BUT IT IS ABSOLUTELY THIS SIMPLE!!! As we just observed, it is ABSOLUTELY CLEAR, according to Jesus Himself, that God isn't calculating our worship through the religious rituals we perform or the edifices we build, maintain and attend! He isn't looking down upon our religious organization and saying, "ah yes, this is the way it's done." THE MESSIAH IS HERE!!! That means the day of "organized religion" is over! Worship is not a song service or attendance of a weekly meeting. It is HOW WE LIVE before God! It's Christ in us and working through us as we yield to His Spirit in sincerity and truth - all of these things working through love. Friends, if we don't get this part right, quite simply we're not getting anything right! It's no wonder than one day, the Scripture says, that many will say unto Him "Lord, Lord..." and they will talk about all of the great "spiritual" and religious things they did in His name... Yet, sadly, He will say unto these church-attending do-gooders, "depart from Me YOU WHO PRACTICE EVIL, I never knew you!" (Matthew 7:23) Am I saying that all those who attend churches are practitioners of evil? No, absolutely not! But I am saying there are some (perhaps many) who have the wrong idea entirely about what constitutes worship before God and what pleases Him and what He requires of us. We had better take this matter very seriously because God isn't playing games here! The only "religion" He's interested in is that which flows from a sincere heart, submitted to His Lordship, and who walks in spirit and truth and whos deeds flow from faith and love. Anything less is dung! Unknown.
Organized religion is man's organized, inventive, structured attempt to please God on man's terms - and for this reason it will always remain utterly futile where true spirituality is concerned. Everything in religion is orchestrated according to what man believes will please God and/or make him righteous according to his own efforts. Religion is also engaged in because it brings a measure of personal gratification to man - it makes him feel "spiritual" or "godly." So religion is actually intended as much (maybe even more so) for man as it is intended to impress God and invoke His favor and blessings and salvation. But true godliness and true spirituality are not accurately gauged by religion and neither can religion truly produce these things in a life, but only the illusion of these things. Religion, therefore, is a masterful scheme of euphoric and mentally-intoxicating activity that so deceptively can convince a man he is righteous merely by his participation in its ritual. Religion has the great tendency to swell a man's head with pride and to plague his heart with stubbornness against the true will of the Holy Spirit. The subtle force behind religion is really anti-Gospel for it teaches that man has a role in his salvation and that his works can determine whether he is in right standing with God or not. The Bible, on the other hand, teaches that the only thing that pleases God is faith, not religion. And the only way to be made truly righteous is through Christ. The even more amazing part is that this faith also does not come from man; it comes from God. God actually gives man the faith to believe in Him (Romans 12:3). In other words, man's entire hope for salvation is completely dependent upon God and has nothing to do with man's inherent abilities. Nothing in man enables him to "achieve" redemption (as in "strive for it" or "do" something to attain it). God's acceptance and salvation of man is based solely upon His grace, not upon anything we do, anyway we act, or anything we say. Jesus cried out, "Father forgive them," from the cross as they laughed at Him, spit on Him and utterly rejected Him. So our being included into His family is something that is based upon His righteousness, His goodness and His work only and not our own (Romans 3:10-12; Romans 3:24-28; Romans 2:4). For this reason, good morals, ethics, organized meetings, religious rituals, and glorious temples built with human hands cannot impress Him, contain Him, entertain Him, or alter His perspective of us. He chose us because of His great love (a love that existed long before we ever loved Him or even had knowledge of Him) and He saved us because of His amazing grace. When we choose to accept His gift of salvation (which is based solely and completely upon His goodness and grace), we are grafted into the Vine (so to speak) and the "religion" we engage in (and I used that term without all of its negative connotation - if that's even possible) becomes an after effect; actions that are engaged because of a response of love and obedience to Him. Those actions do not cause Him to accept us more (for He has already accepted us completely). Neither do those actions elevate us on pedestals of apparent spirituality. Organized religion is a vile obstacle to intimate relationship with Jesus because it has the overwhelming potential to deceive the mind of the adherent by convincing him/her (to whatever slight or magnificent degree) that the observance of rituals and religious acts, as well as the building, support and maintenance of religious buildings, programs and submission to their governing hierarchies, has something to do with the maintenance of relationship with God; i.e. our righteous standing with Him or His acceptance, love and approval of us. It also tries to hold a place of mediation between the saint and his/her Maker - a clear violation of Scripture. Instead of a believer trusting completely in his Lord and pursuing a closer walk with the Father (on the Father's terms and the believer's response of love and submission to their Lord), the believer ends up wasting time on trying to appease the expectations and demands of the human-created organization and, henceforth, works hard to please human individuals. Christ is lost as the central focus, yet people are somehow led to believe that all these other distractions add up to Him being the center of it all. It is a vile deception indeed!
I believe that most of those who impose organized religion on others are ignorant and, generally, deceived. Some are so intoxicated with religion that they may unknowingly (and even sometimes knowingly) do great harm to the ones they impose their religion upon. A sort of "spiritual abuse" can transpire when religion is wielded in hand like a sharp sword. The evil of it is that, generally, the person wielding that "religious sword" believes they are doing God service (much the same way as Saul the Pharisee believed he was doing God service as he dragged Christians into prison and also had many of them killed). I feel great confidence in my sharing of the conclusions I have personally come to about the subject of organized religion as I have succumbed to religion's influence myself over the 30 years of my life that were spent in the "institutional church". Because of this, I do not share these things with any shred of malice towards those in traditional churches or those who ascribe to various religious traditional practices. My words are not intended to offend pastors or Christian ministries out there. I know that the intentions of so many are good and many are indeed wrought of love. That is why I say that the issue of organized religion is largely a matter of ignorance on the part of many of God's people. The good news is that ignorance can be corrected. We can move from the practice of religion to truly serving the Lord with love and obedience. God has truly been gracious and revived the joy of His salvation in my life and that excites me more than anything. And I know that God is not limited in His ability to intervene in the lives of His people whenever and wherever they may be (even if it is while absorbed in the ways of religious tradition and religious institutional mindsets). That is why I do not look down upon my friends and brothers and sisters in the Lord who are still part of institutional fellowships (I truly mean that - I do NOT regard myself more spiritual than them because I no longer am a part of an institutional church and I do NOT think they are stupid or going to hell or any such nonsense); because I know how faithful and good God is and how He, by His Spirit, completely involved Himself in my life and led me along and still leads me along despite all my failures and inadequacies. It is God's very grace and love and what He has done in my own life that makes me want to encourage people to not get distracted with merely religious living and imposing such mindsets on others, but become consumed with a pursuit of Christ. Yes, I am thoroughly exhausted with organized religion. I hate it completely. And, really, I think that except for a direct leading of the Lord to "plug-back--in" again to that environment for some purpose of His own choosing, I have no personal intention to ever concern myself again with mere church-attendance or formal religious practice. I am firmly convinced that the institutional church is a product of tradition, born out of Romanism, Paganism and human invention. Those are, in absolute fact, its historical roots.
I will tell you that I have found some really good teaching present in many different denominations. Generally, the points they are strong on are the points that were in contention when they first formed after leaving other denominations. Just as 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says to "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good," I endeavor to remain discerning but also teachable and glean knowledge from competent teachers of the Word, whatever their denominational affiliation. But it is the teacher, who is a fellow brother/sister in Christ that I learn from, not their organizational affiliation. I see no point in trying to gage religious performance or align myself with the requirements of organized religion or to allow its influence to sway me. I'm not concerned with offending its imposed religious concepts. I do not hold it in any esteem because I do not believe it was instituted by God (or that it has anything to do with God's kingdom) and therefore I believe that it is more important to encourage God's people to flee organized religion (and pursue Christ) than to "try and fix it or improve it."  Basically, I feel that if God didn't build it to begin with (but rather man did), why would we think He is interested in repairing it and maintaining it? God already has established His Gospel and He is the one building His Church - which is a Church not made with human hands; it is the body of Christ. To me it simply makes sense that we should (necessarily) come around to His way of thinking rather than praying earnestly that He will come around to ours, to fix our situation and crawl inside our box of religion so that it will look like everything our religious minds have imagined it to be.Some people say, "well though Dave, be that as it may, the institutional church is all we and the Lord have to work with now so we shouldn't be so bitter against it, but try to work with what we have and make it better." No my friends, the institutional church is not all the Lord and we have to work with. To the person who actually believes such a statement I guess I'd have to ask whether you think God's Word and His will is important at all and whether we should even bother concerning ourselves with His vision for His Church? God did not invent what we have today. And it is not all he has to work with. The Church is people, we are people, so God has PEOPLE to work with. HE HAS SOMETHING TO WORK WITH! To say that God has to forget about His purposes and fit into our programs is like a satanist who attends the satanic church and then gets saved, staying in the satanic church saying, "well, I'm just going to stay here and keep practicing these rituals and observing these concepts because it's all I and God have to work with..." Excuse my bluntness here but GIVE ME A BREAK!!! If God has other ideas for His assembly, then we better listen up and get with His program and have NO REGARD for anything else! My perspectives concerning Institutional Christianity are certainly strong and definitely non-traditional (I know, and I mean no offense by sharing them openly with you), but they are truly not the product of ignorance and emotionalism. They are founded wholly upon the teachings of God's Word (and the study of Church history) and that is why I have such strong convictions about them. I simply and uncompromisingly believe that what is popularly called "church" today is not akin to what the Bible calls Church by any stretch of the imagination. I believe the two concepts are entirely in opposition. I believe the reason why so many Christians still embrace the traditional concept rather than the biblical one is because of ignorance, misunderstanding and deception. That is my studied opinion. I realize that some may disagree with me at this point or misunderstand what I am suggesting so again I will just reiterate that my disgust is with "organized religion" and I have no odd against the true body of Christ, which is a temple not made of wood and stone or visualized by programs and religious ritual observances. The true body of Christ is PEOPLE! Simply and plainly. I do not say that it is wrong for Christians to meet together, pray together, sing together, and minister to one another. These things are good and biblical. Again, what I am talking about is a concept of religion that is foreign to real, biblical Christianity; A concept of religion that fights against the simple truth of Scripture; A concept of religion that clouds and distracts people from the true nature of God and HIS Church, which is built ONLY by Christ and not by the works of men.
I love the body of Christ and I pray for her. My testimony here is for the purpose of encouraging others to see that there is so much more to Christianity than what organized religion has attempted to ingrain in our brains since birth. I am not trying to destroy anyone's faith or lead them away from Christ; God forbid that anyone would ever get such an impression. Christ is everything I am talking about. He should be the continual subject of our conversation and speech. So please understand that for all of my disgust with organized, institutionalized religion, it has absolutely ZERO to do with my love for Jesus and for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I do not see the Saints of God as inside-church or outside-church or have a concept of "us versus them." I see them as "the Saints of God." Religion is not who they really are and I know that, so how I can regard them after that standard? They, just like me, belong to Christ and I know that Christ is jealous for His own! I believe He is calling all of us out of religion unto HIM ONLY! Religion has a brutal tendency to teach and persuade men to rely upon religion and to have a distorted view of God the Father. I think it is one of the main reasons why so many people in the world want nothing to do with God or Christianity. I surmise that they only think they want nothing to do with God because they have only encountered a distorted presentation of who He is. Part of that distortion is because of their sin nature, a nature that is dark and does not want to be exposed by the light and the truth. The other part of that distortion, I feel, is the result of the myths that organized religion has propagated about God and the Christian life over the centuries. If people truly understood who God was and how much He loves them, they would eagerly receive Him and never concern themselves with the erroneous distractions of religion again. I wholly believe that religion is, at its core, one of the most damaging things that men can encounter. Every major heresy in history was propagated and spread through organized religion. The very thing that is purposed by men to keep people free of deception has ushered them into it. Again, despite whatever little apparent good is wrought of religion, I still believe it is largely an offense to the Gospel of Jesus, for organized religion teaches people to see relationship with God as being something maintained and assured by deeds, moral and ethical behavior, and religious ritual. Morality is fine, so long as God is the one who is bringing about the change in a heart and that heart is manifesting a character born out of intimate love and union with Christ and the deep inner working of the Holy Spirit. Morality that is imposed by religion may look externally pleasant to man and it may even benefit society behaviorally, but it says absolutely nothing regarding true spirituality and it signifies nothing of true relationship with God. Morality of itself does not equal Christianity! Christianity is all about Christ and the work He does in the believer's life; effecting change, spiritual growth, motivation to acts of goodness which are by virtue of His own goodness and not our own. When Christians brow beat and evaluate one another, and even the lost, because of their deeds (e.g. smoking, drinking, swearing, church attendance or non-attendance, etc.), it merely shows their ignorance of the truth. God is not interested in man "making himself" presentable. He is interested in man bowing His knee to the Lordship of Christ who HIMSELF makes men presentable to the Father by virtue of His own power and choosing. By virtue of His own love and grace. For this reason, the Christian's life is only in the hands of Jesus; who Himself is the Head and Covering of every man. No institution or man can fill that position. No religious deed can replace the work of Christ. The more that Christians begin to realize what the Gospel is really all about, the more Christians will lose their taste for religion and they will begin to be truly led about by the leading of the Holy Spirit of Jesus. The change will be real and it will be apparent through a conduct that is actuated because of a truly changed heart and a true motivation of love. Christians need to stop judging one another based on religious things. Our call as believers is to preach the Gospel and to edify one another. The words "preach the Gospel" have been so thrown around and mixed up with all of our "Christian tradition" that we have all but lost the revelation of what the Gospel really is all about. If that revelation would return today, there would be a revival in explosion like the world has never seen. This is why I believe we must utterly discard religion! The Christian must despise it and put it away and stop calling His union with Christ a religion or a religious experience. There are plenty of religions in the world, but Jesus is not the Headmaster of a great religion; He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is GOD! He is complete reality! That's a mouthful I know, but it burns at the core of my being. I am so thankful for the Gospel of Jesus who saved me because of His own great love and grace. Who created me (and you) and chose me (and you) because it was in His heart to do so. What an amazing God that we too often misunderstand and too often misrepresent. To all my concerned church-attending friends, I am still largely "orthodox" if you prefer the term (meaning that I still boldly ascribe to the true and steadfast doctrines of Scripture as have been foundationally taught throughout the ages). Where I take exception to "traditional orthodoxy" is where it is boldly apparent that religious men have altered those doctrines to fit with their traditions. Such is not true orthodoxy for true orthodoxy has nothing to do with religious tradition, but true orthodoxy is that which Scripture alone defines and teaches. Scripture is absolutely important to me (and, as I have already stated, true orthodoxy is derived purely and entirely of Scripture just as Scripture presents it - Orthodoxy is, as defined in the dictionary, "consonance to genuine Scriptural doctrines." - Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.)... Religious Tradition, however, I have no regard for where the truth (as it is taught in the Scriptures) is concerned. Whether Pope or Pastor, it does not matter; God's Word is the final word! Anyone who tells you that you are to obey their word simply because they said so (and if they claim Scriptural authority), you must turn your eyes to the Word of God and embrace that only! It is that strong foundation of truth that will reveal error, expose lies, and keep us aligned on the right path and away from deception and ignorance. Too many people have made religion the focus of their lives and completely missed the point that it is Christ IN them that leads, guides, convicts of sin and righteousness. The truth is that NO ONE can live up to God's standards in their own strength! So if that's true (and it is), then why do we keep trying to convince everyone that being a Christian is about good deeds and standards? Being a Christian is about CHRIST! Too many neglect to understand that it is God's love and mercy that motivates us, engages us and stirs our hearts. And it is obedience to the directives of His Spirit within us, not rituals and religious laws of conduct. Any focus away from the centrality of Christ (who alone is the Head of every man) is NOT Christianity but only religion. I have no interest in the dictates and regulations set forth by organized religion, except that my heart is to encourage Christians to flee all such manner of legalism and separate themselves unto Christ and submit to His Lordship. We are a body because Jesus is our Head not because some institution exists and erroneously titles itself "the Church" and calls its hierarchy "the leadership." The Lord's way is not through the governmental structure types of this world (which have influenced "church" government for the last 1,700 years), but His way is a fellowship of brothers and sisters submitted to one another in love and under the Headship, Fathering, Covering, and Leadership of JESUS CHRIST! The Scripture clearly teaches that "the government" rests solely upon the shoulders of Jesus! When men stand and preach that "church government" is made up of men who "rule over" the body, I must declare, their word is a lie against Scripture! Are there ministers in the Lord's Assembly? Certainly! Are there rulers over her and mediators between her and Him? Certainly not! It would certainly take another complete article or book to delve too much deeper into this subject of alleged "church government" and "covering theology." There are some excellent resources already available, such as brother Frank Viola's book "Who Is Your Covering?" I will just make a few references here to some popular passages used by many in professional ministry to support the concept of men who have "rule" over the body and who demand unquestioned obedience and submission to their supposed rank and authority.
Never at all is one believer given a position of hierarchical rule and authority over another. Such would be in direct contrast to Jesus' directives in Matthew 23:8-12; Mark 10:42-45; etc. and the principle of lowly service one to another. All leadership and submission in the Lord's assembly is manifested in a horizontal flow NOT vertically! Those who lead do so by their example and through encouragement, not by imposing and enforcing rules and orders, not by coercion or manipulation, not because they have vested in them some organizational authority or bear an official title of "ministry" and think this grants them license to lord over the saints. All such "authority" and concepts of religion are fleshly, demonic and comes from traditional, man-made, non-biblical origin, but the believer is accountable to His Lord and all of his actions (whether in leading or of submission) are wrought through love and humility. So, if "have the rule over" (as used in Hebrews 13:7) does not refer to "ruling authority," then what is the author of the book talking about? Well, for starters, the word "rule" is the Greek word "hegeomai" and it means, in this context, "to lead." Vine's Expository Dictionary indicates that "to rule" in this passage means those that lead or have gone before as guides. Albert Barne's commentary on this passage states (my emphasis added): "The word used here means properly 'leaders, guides, directors.'... Here it means teachers - appointed to lead or guide them to eternal life. It does not refer to them so much as rulers or governors, as teachers, or guides... The duty here enjoined is that of remembering them; that is, remembering their counsel; their instructions; their example." The NASB Bible translation defines hegeomai this way: "Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you..." Adam Clarke's commentary clarifies this passage so simply and beautifully:
["Considering the end of their conversation"] "The issue of whose course of life most carefully consider." They lived to get good and do good; they were faithful to their God and his cause; they suffered persecution; and for the testimony of Jesus died a violent death. God never left them; no, he never forsook them; so that they were happy in their afflictions, and glorious in their death. Carefully consider this; act as they did; keep the faith, and God will keep you." So it is clearly seen that the book of Hebrews is not at all in contradiction with Jesus' directives to His disciples (not to lord authority over others as in hierarchical fashion, which is the model of secular government in the world's system). In Michael Clark and George Davis' excellent book, The Great Ecclesiastical Conspiracy, they point out the following about the previously mentioned passage in Hebrews for even greater clarity:
Hebrews chapters eleven and twelve are filled with accounts of those who have gone before us as examples, starting with Abel and ending with Jesus Himself, Godly examples of those who have walked by faith. The reader is exhorted to remember such, to reflect on their faith, calling to memory "the end of their conversation." Since I have bitten off quite a chunk with bringing up these verses in Hebrews, I suppose I will need to explain yet a bit further some of the other seemingly authoritative references used such as the word "obey" and also "submission", as used in Hebrews 13:17.
Obey - "To comply with the commands, orders or instructions of a superior, or with the requirements of law, moral, political or municipal; to do that which is commanded or required, or to forbear doing that which is prohibited." - Webster's 1828 Dictionary. The preceding definition of the word "obey" is generally what most folks likely have in mind when they read a passage like Hebrews 13:17 ("obey them that have the rule over you..."). The English use of the word strongly implies absolute obedience to another who stands in authority over. However, the word "obey" in this passage means "to be persuaded by." It does NOT mean to just do whatever you're told without question. So any Christian "leader" in an assembly of believers who tries to impose such a false concept of obedience is in total error! Either they are ignorant of the meaning of this word in the original text or they are deliberately misleading others... And either way, damage is actuated upon the conscience of the saint who is recipient of such teaching and believes it. Ministers of the Gospel have no right to set themselves up as ruling authorities over other believers and demand their obedience in this fashion. The Greek word for obey in Hebrews 13:17 is peitho and, get this, Strong's Bible Dictionary defines it CLEARLY as meaning "to convince (by argument, true or false)..." It also means "to rely (by inward certainty)." Other meanings of the word include: "persuade, trust, yield..."
Thayer and Smith's Greek Lexicon describe the word peitho (obey) this way: "To persuade, i.e. to induce one by words to believe. To make friends of, to win one's favour, gain one's good will, or to seek to win one, strive to please one. To tranquillise. To persuade unto i.e. move or induce one to persuasion to do something. Be persuaded. To be persuaded, to suffer one's self to be persuaded; to be induced to believe: to have faith: in a thing. To believe." Vine's Expository Dictionary says this about the Greek word peitho: "to persuade, to win over, in the Passive and Middle voices, to be persuaded, to listen to... The obedience suggested is not by submission to authority, but resulting from persuasion." The great Greek scholar and Bible commentator, Richard Lenski, said the following about "obey" in this passage: "One obeys when one agrees with what he is told to do, is persuaded of its correctness and profitableness..." Does any of this sound like "obey" the way you were taught it in church? Me neither! You can see how this entire thought is completely clouded by the way the KJV and a few of the other English versions (not to mention how many Christian leaders) present it. But in case you need more convincing, I recommend you take the time to examine some of the other passages in the New Testament where this same word "peitho" is used (and most commonly translated "persuaded" or "convinced": Matthew 28:14; Acts 13:43; Acts 14:19; Acts 18:4; Acts 19:26; Romans 8:38-39; etc. This is but a few of the many examples where this word is used in the New Testament. Interestingly enough, the other kind of obedience, that some church leaders want to secure for themselves, the Scriptures say only belongs to God and not men! Let's look briefly at this point and then we'll return to our discussion of Hebrews 13:17...
The word "obey" used in this verse is the Greek word "peitharcheo" and it means (according to Strongs): " to submit to authority." Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: "to obey (a ruler or a superior)..." The Word Study New Testament Dictionary (by Spiros Zodhiates) says that obey here generally means to obey as: "to obey a person in authority..." Vine's says: "to obey one in authority... to be obedient... to obey magistrates..." This kind of submission/obedience to authority, Peter and the apostles agreed belongs ONLY to God NOT men, especially in context of a leader ordering something that is contrary to the Word or the direction of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life! In such things we always ought to obey God rather than man! Virtually every other reference to obedience (as in following commands or orders) in the New Testament is either in the context of obeying secular authorities (i.e. employers, secular government, magistrates, etc.) or obeying God. But EVERY use of the word "obey" in context with Christian leaders is according to the concept we have just discussed, "by persuasion and having been convinced by argument." This kind of persuasion does not have in mind absolute, unquestioned submission to authority. Now, continuing on this thought and returning to our conversation of the Hebrews 13 passage, as we read earlier, "them that have the rule over," refer to those that go before, who lead, and whose lives are an example to follow. As brother Michael Clark and Greg Davis pointed out in their book dealing with this subject, the English word "over" in that phrase has nothing to represent it in the original text so it should be dismissed all together. To summarize this point, we are talking about being persuaded by ones who go before us, leading by example - in word and deed. Once we are inwardly convinced of their character, conduct and conversation then, this inward certainty, is followed by the biblical concept of submission, which does not look quite the way it has often been presented by those who wish to rule over the saints. Contrary to what many people have been led to believe in institutional churches (where the hierarchical form of leadership is employed), submission (biblically speaking) does not mean unquestioned subservience to authority. Keep in mind our discussion of the word "obey" and its proper meaning and the concept of "rulers" as being simply those who go before, as guides (not overlords), leading by virtue of their teaching and example (not by issuing commands). Submission then is a wilful yielding, but it transpires only when the "submissive" person is assured internally and convinced of the trustworthiness of the one he/she is yielding to and the message they are communicating (that it is in harmony with Scripture). Yielding implies giving deferance to another (perhaps because they are wise or more learned and mature in some matters than we). Submission may even mean yielding to a contrary opinion. This is possible in the context of a Christ centered relationship. To yield in this way, however, does not mean to ignore one's conscience or judgement. The believer's mutual submission to one another (i.e. brother to brother - again considering the horizontal, relational concept) is a wilful yielding based on love and with assurance that the one whose example is being considered is trustworthy, in line with the doctrines of the faith, clothed with humility and manifests the character of Christ. This is, in fact, the meaning of the word "submission" as it is used in reference to believers. It means to yield because you trust the one you are yielding to. It does not mean blind, unquestioned subservience to hierarchical rule. God does not call us to submit for the sake of authority in religious organizations which also demand such submission. That is the wrong concept of biblical submission entirely. Some Bible teachers have tried to suggest that where the Bible speaks of slaves and servants submitting to their masters, this is a picture of how leadership works in the Lord's assembly. The problem here is one of frequent proof-texting; where a teacher will remove a passage from its proper context and use it to define a passage in a different context. This is terribly misleading but, unfortunately, has proved to be an effective tool in convincing many believers to adhere to erronious concepts of authority and submission. For example, a well-known minister, in his book on the subject of covering theology (the concept of a believer needing to place himself/herself "under cover" of church authorities), added his notes to a Bible verse in Ephesians 6:5-8 (pay special attention to the words in brackets, which are the descriptions of the author):
Sure enough, someone is going to try and argue that, still, the preceding passage refers to "earthly" leaders and since church leaders are believed to be our authorities "on earth," we should therefore still make application of verses like this. Sigh... Aside from the fact that such reason is hermeneutically unsound, it should go without saying that, in order for one to presume that church guides are earthly rulers (or more correctly put - slavemasters, overlords, controllers - as Ephesians 6:5-8 describes), then it stands to reason this must be instituted and thoroughly defined somewhere in the New Testament. The fact is, the New Testament never ascribes this kind of authority to Christian guides so all such teaching of this nature runs completely contrary to Scripture! Unfortunately, in much the same way, some Bible teachers have tried to suggest that other passages in the Bible, which refer to obeying the laws of the land and secular employers, kings, or even God, are actually references of required submission to church leadership.
Philippians 1:27-28; MSG (emphasis added) - "Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ. Let nothing in your conduct hang on whether I come or not. Your conduct must be the same whether I show up to see things for myself or hear of it from a distance. Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people's trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they're up against: defeat for them, victory for you--and both because of God." Colossians 1:22-23; MSG - "But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message--just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message." Colossians 1:28; MSG (emphasis added) - "We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less." It is so obvious from Scripture, that the apostles did not spend their lives and all their efforts teaching believers to become enamoured with and subservient to religious leaders, to unquestioningly obey their commands, and to make themselves accountable under human covering! Rather the apostles taught the saints to rely on the Message; the very Word of God. They taught them to keep things simply and centrally focused on Christ and to stay away from would-be leaders who tried to usurp the Lord's covering, authority and sole mediation in their lives. Submitting to secular governments and employers (i.e. Romans 13:1-7; Colossians 3:22; etc.) is not the same as submission in the Lord's assembly. IT IS NOT THE SAME!!! Scripture makes this truth BOLDLY clear! Yet these are the very concepts imposed into passages like the one in Hebrews 13. Christians need to make themselves aware of these truths and flee all such false teaching as that which I have just briefly touched on. The apostles of Jesus knew that their only role was to encourage saints in their relationship with Christ, not to lord over, command and control them! 2 Corinthians 4:5; The Message
So, when considering Hebrews 13:17's instruction to "obey them that have the rule over you; and submit to them..." it becomes clear that we have here, apart from the traditional interpretation, the concept of someone (a godly leader, a guide) who is trying to convince you of some spiritual truth and, as you are persuaded by them (not only their word but the example of their life), you willingly yield (submit) to their teaching. This persuasion and convincing is expected to be met with yielding according to an "inward certainty." This completely engages the hearer in this action whereby he is being persuaded by another. It is expected that a believer relies on his conscience and knowledge of the truth to gage whether or not he yields to the instruction being given. All claims that obedience is required on the basis of hierarchical authority is false! UTTERLY FALSE!!! This teaching is consistent throughout the New Testament!
Matthew 23:2-12 "The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God's Law. You won't go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish veneer. Instead of giving you God's Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn't think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called 'Doctor' and 'Reverend.' Don't let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of 'Father'; you have only one Father, and he's in heaven. And don't let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them--Christ. Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty." 1 John 2:26-29 (CEV) - "I am writing to warn you about those people who are misleading you. But Christ has blessed you with the Holy Spirit. Now the Spirit stays in you, and you don't need any teachers. The Spirit is truthful and teaches you everything. So stay one in your heart with Christ, just as the Spirit has taught you to do. Children, stay one in your hearts with Christ. Then when he returns, we will have confidence and won't have to hide in shame. You know that Christ always does right and that everyone who does right is a child of God." 2 John 1:9-11 (NLT) - "For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you will not have fellowship with God. But if you continue in the teaching of Christ, you will have fellowship with both the Father and the Son. If someone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don't invite him into your house or encourage him in any way. Anyone who encourages him becomes a partner in his evil work." Romans 16:17-20 (MSG) - "One final word of counsel, friends. Keep a sharp eye out for those who take bits and pieces of the teaching that you learned and then use them to make trouble. Give these people a wide berth. They have no intention of living for our Master Christ. They're only in this for what they can get out of it, and aren't above using pious sweet talk to dupe unsuspecting innocents. And so while there has never been any question about your honesty in these matters--I couldn't be more proud of you!--I want you also to be smart, making sure every 'good' thing is the real thing. Don't be gullible in regard to smooth-talking evil. Stay alert like this, and before you know it the God of peace will come down on Satan with both feet, stomping him into the dirt. Enjoy the best of Jesus!" Galatians 1:8-9 (MSG) - "Let me be blunt: If one of us--even if an angel from heaven!--were to preach something other than what we preached originally, let him be cursed. I said it once; I'll say it again: If anyone, regardless of reputation or credentials, preaches something other than what you received originally, let him be cursed." There is absolutely no picture in the text we have been discussing (or anywhere in the New Testament) of a Christian leader just telling someone what to do (because he is supposed to be the master and has authority) and then that subject obeying without question (because he is supposed to be the servant, and submissive to that authority regardless of personal conviction or adherance to the Scriptures). That is not the thought at all conveyed here in the Greek language! How misguided we Christians have been because of the twisted teachings of authority-hungry men who wish to be lords over the body of Christ. God have mercy and save Your children from this damaging ignorance. I wholly recommend the article "Leadership or Lordship" by Benjamin Waters on this subject. It reveals the simple (though amazing fact for some to realize) that the Bible NEVER speaks of a Christian overseer's authority as having any "ruling over" definition; in other words - there is NO hierarchy in the Lord's design for His Assembly! There is one Lord and King; One Master; One Leader over His Assembly - it is the Lord Jesus Christ and no other!
Matthew 20:25-28 (emphasis added) - "But Jesus said to them, 'You see that the rulers of the Gentiles are lords over them, and their great ones have authority over them. Let it not be so among you: but if anyone has a desire to become great among you, let him be your servant; And whoever has a desire to be first among you, let him take the lowest place: Even as the Son of man did not come to have servants, but to be a servant, and to give his life for the salvation of men.'" Matthew 23:8-12 (emphasis added) – "But none of you should be called a teacher. You have only one Teacher, and all of you are like brothers and sisters. Don't call anyone on earth your father. All of you have the same Father in heaven. None of you should be called the leader. The Messiah is your only Leader. Whoever is the greatest should be the servant of the others. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored." I believe in real, biblical revival (the kind where people get saved because they see a true manifestation of the reality of God's love working in ordinary people's lives and because there is a deep revelation and conviction of the truth, power and liberty of the Gospel of Jesus), spiritual renewal (the kind that only God's Spirit can work in a person's life), and that it is God's will to manifest His loving presence and life-changing power to every person who reaches out to Him in faith. The Church (i.e. the body of Christ) is in desperate need of a re-emphasis on the deep, deep love of Jesus, the pure Word of God, the rich life of the Spirit and true fellowship with one another as we are caught up in so many fruitless tangents and unbiblical doctrines and just plain ol' "religious stuff." Christianity is not about ethics and living up to standards. It is about the Gospel of Jesus! The reality that Jesus saved us because He loved us, not because we did all the right things or even because we promised that we would try to be good people. It's not about works, good or bad! It's about relationship with the Father! It is that relationship with Jesus that sustains the Christian every day and moves us to action (action that is merely a response from love). If more Christians would awaken to the reality that God's acceptance is not based upon our deeds, then there would not be so much religious striving and we would learn to walk in the glory of realizing we are His children and His intimate friends. Being truly affected by His love, we would naturally reciprocate that love to others, rather than just imposing morality on each other. The Church needs to grasp the understanding that God is able to lead and effectively care for each child of His (without the help of religion). His stuff is the right stuff!!!
Religion (meaning all of man's methods, programs, activities, ideas, doctrines, rules and regulations by which he thinks make him more acceptable to God, more "spiritual" or proud of his level of Christian ministry achievement) is running rampant throughout the body of Christ. Christians so typically concern themselves with just about everything "spiritual" except learning how to walk out the normal Christian life in ordinary, daily circumstances (where true spirituality really counts). Believers seem to forget that Jesus did NOT say, "behold thou My servants: go, wait and pray and I will send you the plan of organized religion to govern your conduct and help you grow spiritually, to judge truth from error and learn to submit to authority as unto Me... And I will teach you how to build grand buildings of wood and stone, dedicated unto me, so that the Gospel can spread and so that My people will be safe under a covering..." No! A thousand times no! Jesus said, "after I go to the Father, then I will send to you the Holy Spirit, and He will convict the world of sin, of righteousness and judgment, and He will lead you into all truth and He will glorify me, for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you." I find it interesting that, in the Great Commission, there is no charge to go and build churches or establish organized religion (Mark 16:15-18; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 26:16-18 - look it up). Yet strangely today these directives seem to have been fused into this Commission of Jesus as so many Christians believe that this is what Christianity is all about (but the commission is to "go and make disciples of Jesus"). Today, many people think that what a Christian is expected to do is get more unsaved people to come to their church so they can get saved. This, apparently, is "evangelism" for the average Joe Believer. Likewise they believe that being a Christian means you must attend an institutional church faithfully (and if you don't then you are a backslider). Yet, once again, there is not one, NOT ONE, directive in the entire New Testament ANYWHERE that even suggests such a thing, but this is commonly taught today in Christian circles all over the world! A lot of Christians also believe that the role of an apostle is to go and "start" churches, yet there is no such directive anywhere in the Bible! I am amazed that almost no one stops to consider that even Paul, the Apostle, never "started" a church anywhere - and neither was He EVER commissioned by the Lord to do such (look again at Acts 26:16-18)! He led people to Jesus, fathered them in the faith, he encouraged and built up believers in Christ, he taught them, prophesied to them, admonished them, prayed for them, etc. Certainly Paul ministered to entire communities of believers and encouraged them with the understanding of what the body of Christ truly is and how believers should relate to one another to that end. I think it's fair to say that Paul had a heart to see entire communities of Christians come together, ministering the love of Christ to one another and to their towns and regions. In this sense he was very much about the "business" (if you will forgive the term) of "building up" the body of Christ wherever he went. Paul indeed preached Christ and he was wholly committed seeing the Lord's Assembly grow and mature and be "built up" as a spiritual house of living stones firmly established on the strong foundation of Jesus Christ. But you will not find one Scripture in the entire New Testament that says Paul built a church or started a church. This is a hard fact to accept for some and, generally, Scriptures like 1 Corinthians 3:6 & 10 are cited as proof texts to show that Paul was a "church planter" and did lay foundations for churches being established. But let's look closer at the text here briefly. First of all, while it is true that 1 Corinthians 3:6 does say that Paul "planted", it is NOT true that this means he "planted a church." The word "planted" in the Greek here means "to instill with doctrine," so in other words we could say, "he taught them doctrine." It is impossible to get from this passage that Paul established some kind of organized weekly meeting, a liturgy and a building program. The Scripture merely says that he planted and this meaning that he led them to and taught them about Christ (and, no doubt, how to minister to one another). The previous passage clearly demonstrates the context of Paul's words.
But what about 1 Corinthians 3:10? Doesn't Paul say he was a "masterbuilder" who "laid the foundation." Doesn't this imply that he laid the groundwork for a church program to be started? Well, again, I direct your attention to the context of the passage. We have already seen what Paul meant when he said, "I planted"; that it was in reference to the Gospel and teaching the saints the doctrines of the faith. So then, what does Paul mean when he says he is a masterbuilder? What is he building if not the church? The answer is simple when the context is understood. Paul is talking about "planting" something. He is talking about "laying a foundation." We are not wanting for knowing what Paul was planting or what foundation he was laying; it was ONLY CHRIST! Paul is using metaphors to describe something spiritual and alive - not something created by himself. And Paul gives God the credit for the entire process. Indeed Paul mentions a "temple" in this passage, but that temple is not something built by man. In fact, it is not something comprised of bricks and mortar at all! In case there could be any confusion that Paul might be talking about something natural (something built and maintained by man), Paul goes to great lengths to show contrast between the Lord's Temple and anything human ordained.
Paul continues in verses 12-15 to speak about how a man's "work" will eventually be tested to see how well he "built" on that foundation (the foundation being Christ). So, what kind of things does one build on Christ? Can a man build material things on Christ? Obviously Paul is continuing his building metaphor here. We learned that the "planting" Paul spoke of was CHRIST. We learned that the foundation Paul spoke of was CHRIST. We learned that those who followed him "building" were those who preached the same message; CHRIST. Are you seeing the picture now and the emphasis Paul is making about what is so important? Does anyone still have even the slightest notion that Paul is talking about building the machine called organized religion? So then what does the gold, silver and precious stones represent that are built upon this foundation? Is he talking about church buildings, programs, religious rituals, etc.? Or is it something else? The Scripture teaches that it is our faith and our actions that will be tried as gold as by fire (1 Peter 1:7; Revelations 3:18) so it seems consistent with the teaching of the rest of Scripture that by gold, silver and precious stones Paul is talking about the things done for Christ; things that completely and effectively point directly to Him just as wholly as Paul taught HIM. The final judgement will reveal their purity; whether they were true and whether Christ was central - as the absolute focus of those assembled in the work. The wood, hay and stubble obviously speak of things that are quickly and completely destroyed by fire. In other words, these would be works of the flesh. These would be works that were not centrally founded on Christ only; Works that involved self, carnality, works-righteousness, legalism, religiosity, and any distraction from Christ. These things will burn up in the fire. But I would even more so impress upon us to interpret these things in view of the context we have just examined. Everything Paul has been talking about is the message of Christ. If Paul regards himself a masterbuilder in that he fully preached Christ and if Paul regards those who will build upon the foundation he laid as being ones who preach the same message, then wouldn't we then (in light of this context) presume that the "work" that will be judged in the end is how effectively and consistently a person taught the message of Christ and remained completely steadfast in agreement with the apostle's doctrine? I submit to you that this is the heart of Paul's emphasis. Paul immediately moves from this statement about those who attempt to build on the foundation of Christ and whatever it is they attempt to build (whether it is wholly what Paul preached or whether it will be something else foreign to it) right into emphasizing that God's people ARE HIS TEMPLE and he warns not to defile this temple or (Verse 17) "if any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy." It is clear how serious God takes His temple and how evident it is that His temple is not made with hands! The Church is a SPIRITUAL house of living stones (in other words - PEOPLE - 1 Peter 2:5). It can NEVER be defined by a building or religious program. Paul NEVER established either! These are concepts that carnal men have imposed into the text and influenced others to believe it. The facts are, however, that God is not about the business of "building churches." He never has been and there is no biblical indication that he ever will be! If that's a total shock to you then you need to realize that God has NEVER identified His Church in terms of buildings made with hands. NEVER! Why in the world do we? How is it we can also condemn those who do not "attend" such buildings made with hands and even call them backsliders? There is NOT ONE Scripture ANYWHERE in the Bible that attributes faithfulness to God (or for that matter right standing with God or salvation) by attendance of organizational church meetings. I just cannot stress this point enough and I must stress it because too many Christians today continue to judge one another based on religious performance and their attendance of things that God never designed, never commanded, and never once even implied that we should concern ourselves with. Why is it so hard for us to recognize that the business of religion does NOT belong to the Lord's Church? It belongs to the ones the Bible calls hypocrites and Pharisees! Christ was not the least bit interested in their brand of religion. He utterly rebuked them for it and instructed the masses to steer clear of it. And when His disciples were distracted by marveling at the beauty of the building structures of religion (i.e. the Temple), He quickly pointed out to them not to give any concern for such things because it would all turn to rubble. I love how the Message translation describes some of these events:
Matthew 24:1-2 (MSG) - (Jesus to His disciples) "Jesus then left the Temple. As he walked away, his disciples pointed out how very impressive the Temple architecture was. Jesus said, "You're not impressed by all this sheer size, are you? The truth of the matter is that there's not a stone in that building that is not going to end up in a pile of rubble."
NOTE: The NASB translation uses the word "strengthened" instead of "established" to better portray the meaning of the word here. And "churches", plural, simply refers to "many groups or assemblies" of Christians. Nothing "institutional" is in view here. The passage is talking about groups of believers in a region who were coming to Christ and being encouraged and strengthened in the faith. It is easy to see however, how most Christians who have been raised in institutional churches today read their traditional concepts into the text without thinking about it. I did this for years and do it still sometimes. It's a hard habit to break. Generally, after a person like myself makes such bold, non-traditional statements about Christianity the questions (and sometimes contentions) begin to fly. I know because I asked all the same questions (and raised some of the same contentions as well). What about this Scripture? What about that Scripture? Doesn't the Bible say the five-fold ministry is for this? For that? It will be a process of time over which you must look again at the Word of God and ask these questions with sincerity and a heart to truly understand and embrace what God has given us to embrace. Instead of reading learned traditions into the text (which most all of us tend to do), try to put those things out of your mind and just draw out from the text what is written and ask the Lord to help you understand what He is saying. Perhaps start with the subject of "five-fold" ministry if you like... Can you even find that term in the Bible? Can you find one place that calls the ministries mentioned in Ephesians 4 "ruling offices" of authority over an institutional church body? Or does it call these ministries "GIFTS"? In Ephesians 4:11, are there five ministries or are there actually four? Look up some different Bible translations or get a good Bible dictionary to look up the original Greek terms or some commentaries and examine it further. Are there only five of these so-called "five-fold" gifts as mentioned in the famous Ephesians 4:11 passage? Or are there actually more (1 Corinthians 12:28)? Is the purpose of these gifts intended to subject men under "the gifted" or to encourage the Saints to find their sustenance and security in Christ alone? Is the "five-fold" (or "four-fold", or "eight fold") purposed to bring men under their submission, or is their purpose intended by God to help the Saints understand their whole submission is unto Christ Jesus? Maybe do some word study on the subject of "elders." Do you think that an "elder" is an "office" of ministry in the church organization? Would it shock you to discover that the word "elder" in the Scripture is NOT a noun, but an adjective? Would it amaze you to find out that the word would better be translated "elderly" speaking merely of those in the body of Christ who are older, more mature in the faith, but not in any sense of them being "over" or as "having authority" over the other brothers and sisters? Remember also, Church is not a term describing an organization or building, it means a gathering of saints who are part of the Lord's called out assembly - this fact alone, which I keep repeating, is so important because remembering this fact alone will shed a lot of light on the other questions that rise in our minds about things we have learned traditionally. Elder is not a title for some office of ministry in a religious organization, truth be known, but isn't it interesting how our traditions have led us away from what Scripture simply teaches? See, how when you begin to look at the body of Christ in terms of community and family, it changes everything! The more you begin to seriously study the Scriptures, the more confusing it may get for a while as your traditional teaching will keep distracting you. Tradition is not so easy to let go of and, at first, your mind will seek to find any way it can to make that tradition you have learned fit into what you are reading. This is why I say it will be a process, but it is a wonderful journey because you will discover a most intimate interaction with the Lord through your reading. Because, rather that just being the pew-warmer who swallows what he/she is fed by a man (i.e. the pastor), you will begin to discover the joy of your Heavenly Father feeding and teaching you by His Holy Spirit. It is wonderful!
John 17:17 - (Jesus said) "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth." Hebrews 4:12 - "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
Acts 7:48-51 - "However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: 'Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the LORD, Or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?' You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you." Acts 17:24-30 - "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, "For we are also His offspring." Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent..." The Scripture is abundantly clear that the Christian life is not about religion, but still we make it about that. We teach this and we impose it on others. We spend all of our religious effort to try and convince everyone, especially the lost, that they need to get plugged into "church" and structure their lives according to a religious standard. Oh, we preach the Gospel, but it isn't long before we also mix it with our traditions. We have not only caused damage by this to the Saints, but we have given the world a distorted picture of the Gospel and what the Christian life is really all about. We have mostly sold them religion not reality! When most of the un-saved look at Christianity they do not see something real, something tangible, something truly effective, powerful or pertinent to their daily struggle; They see religion at full speed and they remain uninterested and detached. Thankfully, I am seeing that there are increasing numbers of Christians out there that are starting to become just as dissatisfied with the whole religious ordeal and are starting to get really hungry for something more impacting, more fulfilling, more life-producing, and more liberating and joyous than what they have grown accustomed to. Many are beginning to have their eyes opened to see the slavery and bondage to religion that they have yielded themselves to. The desire for true and intimate relationship with Christ is stirring like never before! Oh that more and more Christians would become dissatisfied with mere programs and routines and all the "technicalities" of what religion would have us believe makes for spirituality, and get hungry for a deep, growing relationship with the Lord and a return to simple devotion to the ways of Jesus and what it really means to be led by the Spirit.
Hebrews 13:13-15 - "Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp and share his shame. For there is no permanent city for us here on earth; we are looking for the city which is to come. Let us, then, always offer praise to God as our sacrifice through Jesus, which is the offering presented by lips that confess him as Lord." |