Is the Organized Church as We Know It Really It?

I started this blog hoping that Christians and non Christians would join together for serious debate about Christians and Christianity. That really didn't happen and so from time to time I write some of the thoughts I have on Christianity and we Christians. Some people think that I am radical, anti authoritarian, a rogue Christian. It makes me laugh usually, sometimes not.

My views on what I call the organized church or the church organization are one of the reasons I am seen this way. More and more I am learning just to keep my opinions to myself, but for some reason, probably a conversation with someone the other day, I woke up in the mood to write briefly about this subject.

But first...let me clarify something. I am not anti church or anti establishment. The Bible speaks clearly and often about the church and the church structure, bishops, deacons and elders etc. I firmly believe in all this, just not what we have turned it into. Not only that, but there are many very good churches out there with really good people. SO KEEP IN MIND THAT AS I WRITE I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE, BUT RATHER THE ESTABLISHMENT.

So what have we turned church into? It is so hard for me to describe what it is that no longer rings true. None of what the church does is evil, well for the most part anyway, it's just that somehow we have turned something that should be "life" into something orchestrated, contrived and manipulated and programmed.

What we are producing instead, is this thing we call "church". But, it is not spiritual or supernatural, but instead it is normal and natural. We try to get people to come to church instead of coming to Jesus. We focus on buildings and programs instead of focusing on people. So much of what the church does revolves around money, either the collection of or questioning whether there is enough. It is functioning organizationally rather than organically.

We have somehow turned the position of pastor into the position of CEO. We have made worship music in to an orchestrated event, a performance. We have turned church into a spectator sport, where we come to listen to a professional band, listen to a professional speaker and leave thinking we have met with God.

Okay, now you see why people say the things they do about me.  You may ask me this, "What do you think should be happening, what is church?"

And I'll answer that in my next post...or you can answer it between now and then. As long as your comments are appropriate, this blog is an open blog with out censorship.

Our Weapons of Warfare

"For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds." 2 Cor. 10:4 (ESV)

As I wrote in my last two post, there is a Battle. Actually, there are two battles. As believers, we have been given weapons to use in these Battles. In this post I in no way claim to do the subject justice or for this to be an exhaustive commentary. I would encourage you to study the subject further on your own.

If you have ever watched a war movie, inevitability there comes a time when the troops take count of their weapons. There's the usual assortment of rifles, knives and grenades and there are the specialty weapons like mortars, machine guns and bazookas...ones that have required additional training. These are all offensive weaponry. Then there are radios, binoculars, maps and gps units. There is body armour and helmets, camouflage and night vision scopes. These are more defensive type weapons. As believers we have been given the same type of weapons, both offensive and defensive. Let's take a look at a well known passage of scripture. Almost so well known that it has in some ways lost it's impact.

Eph 6:10-18 list a pretty good arsenal of offensive and defensive weapons.The Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Shoes from the Readiness of the Gospel of Peace, Shield of Faith, Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit/Word of God. Then there are the weapons of Prayer, Alertness and Perseverance. Google any reference to the above list and you'll come up with any number of sermons or commentaries on this passage of Scripture.

But, I want to look at one weapon which I have never heard taught as such, but which is definitely a weapon. The Holy Spirit recently revealed this weapon to me and it's specific purpose at a time when this was the exact weapon I needed for the Fight. I want to share this with you.

Eph 6:13, 14a reads like this. (ESV) "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore..."  Stand is mentioned twice and withstand once. During the Civil War, at the first Battle of Bull Run, General Jackson earned the name "Stonewall Jackson" because his troops stood firm "like a stonewall" against the opposing army's advance. (There are those who say this was not a compliment, but the man who uttered the words was killed immediately after speaking them and he could not clarify) Needless to say, history has chosen to memorialise this phrase as something praiseworthy. Standing like a stonewall, standing firm, immovable. It doesn't at first seem like a weapon, but anything that keeps the Enemy from advancing, from gaining ground is a weapon.

So here are some ways we can use Standing as a weapon. You "stand" on the promises of God. Has God shown you or promised you something personally that has not yet come about? Then Stand on that. Do not waiver, do not give in to the Enemy's attacks when he tries to make you doubt. Stand firm! You can Stand against Evil, Poverty, Corruption and Complacency. In the Book of Ezekiel, God looks for a man to Stand in the gap between the corruption of the land and His wrath, but there is no one to be found. Ezk 22:23-31 Don't tell me that Standing isn't a weapon...and a powerful one at that.

As with all weapons we must learn to use them skillfully. It is the same with Standing. Practice it, you won't regret it. Stand firm, like a stonewall.