To Born Again Christians:

What is next for God’s Church?

“I have planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed. How then are thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?” (Jeremiah 2:21)

The Church of God has always been a church that has changed. This has been consistent from the time of Jesus’ life on earth, until the present. The church has, and will be, constantly changing. Sometimes it is of God, sometimes not. How often have we heard that God is doing a ‘new thing’ in His church? A revival? A “pouring out of His Spirit”? Then, soon, we see that this “new thing” has turned out to be a movement of man, not of God.

God does, though, stir His church, and often. Sometimes this has been every 100 years, and sometimes every 20 or 30 years. Sometimes, it is a drastic change from the recent past, maybe every 500 years. He does this because it continually slips into something other than what He wants it to be. He wants it to be is a church that learns about Him, and His Will, and then practices doing His Will. He wants it to be a church that worships Him in humility, not in pride and arrogance. He wants it to be a church that prays to Him in humility, not in greed. He wants it to be a church that is centered on Him and His mercy, and not on us. It cannot be about our need for attention. It isn’t about our abilities, but about His grace and love, for as we need attention from men we move away from God.

Early in a movement God calls a few people to start His new work. Those called usually do it to much disapproval from the existing ‘church’. It is usually not just a local thing, but happens in many places at the same time. It is something that is given to many people, separately, by God. As these “new” church people tell others about it, the new idea is ridiculed by the ‘old’ church. Soon, though, God leads others to join the ‘new’ church, or He calls for newly saved people to join the ‘new’ church. Sometimes the ‘new’ church is something that God has used in past generations. Other times it is a totally new to us.

Why does God need to constantly deal with the church in this manner? As man is depraved, and seeks to glorify himself, so are the people in the church. As people quit centering the church on the studying of the Word, and take up worldly activities, within the church, it becomes something other than what God desires. Some of those activities may be outright sinful, while others are a result of apathy, hypocrisy, or idolatry. Some things are done to make us feel good and welcomed, for as we stray from the Truth of the Word, we move towards emotionalism, and the desire to make people feel good. This is contrary to what church is. A church is fellowship around the Word of God-not around worldly activities. People soon come to forget repentance. People forget prayer, except for their selfish needs. People forget to pray that God would teach them how to live their lives, and how to stand for Him in a decaying society. They just pray for an easy life-mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and materially. They pray that God would do their work for them. People start to idolize that which is not God’s, as they move away from His Word, and the constant study of it. The church then becomes a man-made work, and God deems it non-fixable. He then does away with it, or turns it over to the world.

There are many examples of this in the Word of God, and in the history of the last 2,000 years. People become hardened to the truth, and believe that they can pay money (tithes) for “God’s work”, and then they are relieved of any responsibility to God, and His church. They send out missionaries, so they feel good. This is done instead of going forth themselves to preach to the unsaved. They no longer gather to pray, to learn, and to worship, or if they do, it is only a formality. The church becomes flesh driven, and routine, and “programs” of all sorts take hold. These churches need to make a broad appeal, so they can have large budgets and big buildings. This, of course, becomes self perpetuating. They want organization, and therefore politics becomes very important to the “running” of the church. A few people become “powerful”. Soon power and prestige rule the church, as it decays more and more. Of course, they all deny this. Some people are given great respect, others not. Cliques form. Individuals and groups clamor for attention from the ‘leaders’ and each other. Pastors become commanders of their church. The church often becomes informally known as the pastors’ church. They, of course, come to believe that it is their church. Although they will tell you that it is God’s, they act like it is theirs.

Today this is happening all around us. Churches want to grow. They fail to point out sin, so people don’t leave. They fail to teach others that the church is based on the study God’s Word, and they need to pray for wisdom. No one wants to examine their life, much less repent. Buildings are getting bigger and bigger. Tithes must be collected, and grow. Success and growth are by-words of the old fallen church. Pastors don’t know what it means to live on faith, as they are treated like corporate executives in prestige and pay. They have assumed titles without merit-i.e. Reverend, Doctor, Senior Pastor, Youth Pastor, and the like. It all seems so right, but does not match up with the Word of God. This church is full of Idolatry. Worship has become defined by songs and loud musical entertainment. In some churches people even clap and cheer for the singers. People no longer want to serve, but want to lead. The church grows away from its own beginnings. It is very little different from places that offer worldly entertainment. Churches that were full of born-again believers 10 years, ago now teach an easy gospel of ‘let’s all get along’ and that your salvation is nothing more than a “relationship” with Jesus. More often than not, the house of God has turned into a den of iniquity.

The old is done. It was just 30 years ago that the church was last ‘changed”. Now it also is passing away, and it is a new church that is coming from God. This church is from the early days of the New Testament times, and is reflected in the Book of Acts, as well as the rest of the Bible. Leaders will be servants again. People will be called to witness. The church will be made up of Believers, only. Tithes will be given to the poor, widows, and orphans. People that do God’s work will receive offerings from other believers, but no one will be “paid”. The old church will be there, but it will continue to fall to the standards of the world. It will appear to prosper and be successful, but it is no longer the Church of God. The new church, as it has in the past, will continue to grow in God’s Will, to do the work and will of the Savior. This is one of those drastic, once in 500 year changes-the ‘Home’ Church of God. Watch and see what God is doing, or better yet join in His new work.