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The Challenges of Church Planting and Management in the 21st Century Songs: 1.1 What is the Purpose of the Church? 1.2 The Church and Apostasy 2.1 Is Denomination Relevant? 2.2 Promoting a Healthy Relationship 3.1 Excessive Pride! Excessive Ambition! 3.2 False Impression of Your Status 3.3 Oath of Office 3.4 Exploitation of the Vulnerable 4.1 Misplaced Priority 4.2 Truth? What is it? 4.3 The Church and media 5.1 A Labourer Deserves his Wages 5.2 Church and Key Projects 6.1 The Church in a Developed Nation 6.2 The Church in a Developing Nation 6.3 How long can people be deceived? 7. Church and her Teachings/Doctrines 7.1 Are your doctrines/teachings still valid today? 7.2 Number of Activities Per Week 7.3 Simplified doctrine 8. Church a Sign of Hope to Our Lost World 8.1 From age to age you gather a people to yourself 8.2 Will ALL Members (& Leaders) of the Church Ever Be Holy?
Today we’ve seen the church probably in the worst credibility crisis since the Reformation of the 16th Century. More than ever before in our own time, the church has been a popular topic for discussion. Almost always, at the end of each discussion, there seem to be more questions than answers. To some, the church has simply let them down and they are deeply troubled. The Christian faith that once gave meaning to people’s lives has become for them today an enigma, the leftovers of a dead past. Some members of the church have lost respect for their leaders as a result of some despicable crimes these leaders have committed and still committing. Some of these members have decided to turn to God directly for some issues they would normally approach their church’s leaders for because they’re unsure if these leaders were even more of a sinner than they are. Probably many of the members of these churches are angry with themselves for turning up each week to pray up, pay up and shut up because they have no voice to be heard. Peace of mind has been taken away and the church is deeply shaken and shocked by all that happens today. The way I see it is that the church exists to bear witness to all: leaders and followers; that life is stronger than death and that love will triumph. It’s important that this message about who God is and who we are is kept alive – and the church has had a key role in doing that. So I’m concerned that the very important truth that the church exists to point to, to encourage and support people in – that God is love, that God is as close, that God is right here amongst us, in the every day details of our lives – that this might suffer because of the sins of the church (1 John 4:8; 1 Timothy 1:5). Obviously there are lots of genuine leaders in the church and also many good people too. We do not have the statistics of the number of church leaders involved in this abominable act but we know that: “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26). So I am not sure if number crunching is really relevant here and we cannot say: ‘It is not my problem, but theirs.’ All Christians are dependent one upon another; each is to expect and receive help from the rest. Let us then have more of the spirit of union in our religion. So we need a frank, decisive and of course humane action to stop these perpetrators from their evil ways with the ultimate goal of saving their souls from eternal damnation and several other short and medium terms benefits. Today we are living witnesses to the unimaginable developments of the 21st Century and who knows, just before you finish reading through my message, another key development may have been added to our world. With the advent of the internet, the world is becoming much smaller than we ever thought and information now travels at an unimaginable speed! Beyond the speed of light! Now information is no more for the privileged few. There are loads of virtual communities out there made possible by social networking sites actively sharing information about the church and even videos as exhibits of all that is happening in the church today. So there is no more any hiding place. We now live at a time where people can get drugs, buy weapons, meet predator, engage in virtual sex, and do it all under their own roof via computer. In its simplest term, the church is the community of believers. 1.1 What is the Purpose of the Church? The primary purpose of the church is the same as it was for God’s people from the beginning of time. Jesus clearly summed up all the commandments of the law and all the preaching of the prophets with a small but powerful word -- LOVE. Jesus’ first commandment in Matthew 22:37 reiterated what was already commanded to His people back in The first four of the Ten Commandments describe ways people could show their love to God by keeping Him first, by honouring Him, and by remembering Him. The remaining six commandments communicate love for people by doing them no harm but rather good. Love for God will spill over into love for people. If we do not love people, we should question our love for God. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. God’s purposes have not changed in the church age. “This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another” (1 J ohn 3:11). “And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother” It is said that those who are ignorant of history tend to repeat it. While I do not know if that is always true, I do know that it is important to have a knowledge of church history to an extent which of course can be debated depending who wrote it and the motives behind the person’s writing. So with a simple Google search you can get loads of information on the history of the church. But one fact that everyone seems to agree with is that the church was ONE from the beginning, it is no longer one now and will remain so until Jesus comes back again! The Church was not established during the personal ministry of Jesus (Matthew 6:9-10; 16:18). That day of Pentecost was the beginning of Christ Kingdom and the Church (Acts 2:1-4; 11:15). With the passing of the apostolic age, Christians gradually drifted into a state of apostasy. The Church was a united body for some time after its establishment, the passing of time found many of its members falling under the influence of false teachers and other factors resulting in general and widespread apostasy. Even in Apostolic days, the influence of Satan was at work trying to change the identity of the church. The Apostles saw this and foretold of its coming A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. It seems that the beginning of denominational affiliations can be traced to the Council of Ephesus (431) and Council of Chalcedon (451) and of course the major reformation of the 16th Century. Since then the church has never been the same again and will never be until the return of Jesus. Thankfully, the church was one from the very Early Christians; and we shall be one again when the Lord returns in his glory. The desire for power, political motives and several other human factors has further created wider barriers and more denominational splits. The church exists in several levels. At one level is the universal church, which includes everyone worldwide who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Local churches are a different level, including people who regularly meet together. Denominations are an intermediate level, containing groups of congregations hat work more closely together because of shared history and beliefs. The existence of different denominations has a side benefit, however: through diverse approaches, more people are reached with the message of Christ in a way they understand. At some point there must be membership and discipline for any church to fully function; obviously the names and terms will differ. Growth and longevity demands increasing degrees of church organisation and regulation; if only to combat the ever present danger of heresy. If the Lord tarries, whatever work you start, no matter how good it may be; will tend to outlive you. The reality is that humans seem to need labels. They appear to crave an "identity" and to feel safer in the certainty of "belonging somewhere". 2.2 Promoting a Healthy Relationship Instead of leveraging the many good things denominations offer, the Christian world is divided into denominations that sometimes squabble with one another. The church is not yet perfect, since none of its members is perfect. Nevertheless, Christ wants the church to be united (John 17:21). This does not require a merger of organisations, but it does suggest a common purpose. True unity can be found only as we draw closer to Christ, preach his gospel, and live as he would. The goal is to promote him, not ourselves. So do you teach your members to despise other denominations? Do we teach our leaders not to recognise the various offices of other churches? A few weeks ago the Lord said to me: ‘My son, my Kingdom is larger than any single denomination.’ God’s Kingdom is for all; otherwise it wouldn’t have worth it for Christ to come to the earth and die for just a single denomination. Of a truth, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this we should rejoice. (Philippians 1:15-18). So ultimately this returns us back to the principle of love and we must promote this love whenever we gather. I can only imagine the astonishment some of us would experience when we meet God face to face and see your brother/sister in God’s kingdom, the very person you thought was wrong! God have mercy on us and may He open the eyes of our hearts so that we may see him! (Ephesians 1:17-19). 3.1 Excessive Pride! Excessive Ambition! “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have (gifts or graces) that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). We have no reason to be proud; all we have, or are, or do, that is good, is owing to the free and rich grace of God. A sinner snatched from destruction by sovereign grace alone, must be very absurd and inconsistent, if proud of the free gifts of God. Church leaders by whatever title (Reverend, Pastor, Reverend Father, Bishop, Overseer, Apostle, Evangelist, Prophet, the list is unending, (Matthew 23:8-10, 1 Peter 2:5, 9 Revelation 1:5-6) have exalted themselves above other members of the church – and probably see them as inferior order. Needless to say that with such assumptions of authority came arrogance and tyranny in government of the church. Can the church leaders humbly acknowledge that the Holy Spirit is truly alive and at work in the lives and experience of the 'people' much more than in the musty, dusty corridors of the 'institutional dimension' of some churches? Some of these church leaders have made themselves unapproachable. To cut out the source of the corruption, the church would have to attack its own authoritarian culture. There exist ‘powerful’ career church leaders who don't want to give up their power and in many cases, the good life. 3.2 False Impression of Your Status Some church leaders believe that by virtue of their calling (office/ordination), their nature is fundamentally changed – he/she becomes a different sort of human being. As such, he/she firstly no longer has the normal human sexual needs; and secondly, he /she has a particular authority which deserves (and expects) unquestioning respect. Many of them have an extraordinarily inflated view of their position. The commitment to the prestige and authority of the institution has been paramount – and too often that has been at the cost of individual lives. “…since he himself is subject to weakness.” (Hebrews 5:1-3). He carries with him a nature subject to the same inconveniences and vices. “Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?” (Proverbs 6:28). What do you expect when you expose yourself to sin? What do you expect when you invite the opposite sex into your bedroom or any isolated place? What do you expect when you surround yourself by the very things that can pull you down? Our members are out there evangelising and living righteously but you a pastor, priest, bishop, evangelist etc is cuddling and caressing a lady in the choir or worst still a lady that came for genuine counselling and prayers. Do not be deceived, Sin, in any form, cannot be covered or kept secret, no matter how hard we may try to conceal it. We might fool our wife, our husband, our family, the preacher, the whole community, but remember: the wheels of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine. Time will uncover that which we do. God is no respecter of persons. He has no favourites or contracts or seniority. Sin is Sin, no matter who commits it--even a preacher--a person whose conduct and influence should be above reproach. If we deliberately disobey God's Word, we have sinned. It is not a "shortcoming" or a "fault" or a "character flaw": it is SIN! We cannot trifle with the Word of God and still have His approval upon our life. Any who might think they can are badly deceived! At one time, David loved and feared God above all else. God had used him in many ways. He was a man after God's own heart. Yet there came a time in his life when he set aside all righteous principles and let a spirit of lust took hold of him. That act caused his reputation, his influence and his character to become disgraced. The devil knows he cannot make a saint of God go into open sin, so he works slowly and cunningly to accomplish his purpose. He is always waiting to tempt us and draw us away from the things of God everyday that we must live. We need to keep in mind that he is ever on our trail, and he is not about to let up! Our God is merciful and as church leaders God wants us to be honest about our weaknesses and deal with them very quickly. But we must be sure that our sin will find us out. Sin will surely find out the sinner sooner or later. It concerns us now to find our sins out, that we may repent of them, and forsake them, lest they find us out to our ruin. Jesus is however there to cleanse us if we’re truly sorry and turn away. He will not condemn us. (John 8:11). He is very merciful, but does not excuse sin. Depending on your denomination, ordained ministers are made to take an oath (unconditional obedience to the head of that church, chastity, poverty etc). You know that unconditional obedience can never be paid to any human authority; it is due to God alone. For this reason, you should not feel impeded by your oath to speak the truth about the current crisis facing the church. Your model should be the apostle Paul, who dared to oppose Peter “to his face since he was manifestly in the wrong”! (Galatians 2:11). And for those who are truly keeping to these oaths (especially poverty), may I ask what provision has been made to secure their future at old age/retirement? For some reason (may be prestige, economic, power etc,) some of these ordained ministers cannot come out boldly and renounce their vows and to live a new life they’re happy with, but they rather chose to behave strangely and keep abusing victims, fathering children and abusing their children as well. Very strange isn’t? Little by little some clergy have discovered how difficult it was to keep the evangelical counsels, especially chastity. Some have learned that some of their seniors bought houses in the names of their relatives, some even in the names of their children. How could so many inconsistencies coexist in the church of God? Ironically, some are aware that their heads (superiors, founders, overseers, etc) are also not keeping their own vows; so it is a question of who’s fooling who? Jesus called these leaders as blind guides. They pretend to be spiritual guides of the people, while spiritually blind themselves. The blind are unsafe guides of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch-Striking expression of the ruinous effects of erroneous teaching! Here we see the height of hypocrisy What is your motive as a church leader when you lure married clergy from another church into your church by freeing them from the very rule of celibacy that has forced tens of thousands of your clergy out of office? 3.4 Exploitation of the Vulnerable Unfortunately, church leaders (clergy, pastors etc) seduce and abuse the very member other committed believers laboured to disciple through their various spiritual gatherings (prayer meetings, fellowships, bible study); ironically, these same church leaders will not want to associate with any form or Pentecostal/evangelical movements. These members come to these meetings and are taught foundational Christian values but the predator church leader confuses them and exploits their vulnerabilities. They abused vulnerable members of the church who are in need of help (spiritual or physical) by plying them with money, clothes and other gifts. Their trust has been betrayed and their dignity has been violated. What a shame! Those guilty of abuse must answer before God and properly constituted tribunals for the sinful and criminal actions they have committed. What’s strange is, a 20 year old female teacher has sex with a 16 year old male student and she goes to jail. A church leader has sex with a male youth and gets a new church and juicy posting for that matter. That’s strange, where is the justice? “Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning?” (1 Timothy 5:20). Those who hold position of trust must also be accountable. Can the barriers and aloof distancing of denials, excuses and blame-gaming come crashing down and the wondrous example of Jesus’ feet-washing take root? Good Shepherds touching the real, bending down, standing up, speaking and acting from the experiencing and bringing lives. But only if we are willing, to stand in the truth of what is happening. Only then will we be free to accomplish all this. Some churches have become a closed system of authority in which democracy is a dirty word, secrecy is a virtue and unaccountable individuals combine spiritual prestige and temporal power is a breeding ground for abuse and cover-up. We urgently need to bridge the gap between what we say and do. We need to do something symbolic – rend our garments, wear ashes, prostrate ourselves and beg forgiveness. So alongside our symbolic demonstration we need to act in the most practical of ways to right wrongs, to address the root causes of the problems we face. Forgiveness follows upon repentance and reparation. Reparation demands honesty, transparency and accountability. We need to be open and defence-less. If the church loses property, wealth, status – so be it. It’s not for that we exist. It might just be our liberation. It’s a time for frank and full admissions of guilt and responsibility; it’s a time for humble and contrite confessions; it’s a time for heartfelt and comprehensive apologies; it’s a time to put victims where they always should have been – first and foremost in our concerns; it’s a time to be truly and fully accountable for our actions; it’s a time to ensure that perpetrators are dealt with appropriately and in a timely fashion; it’s a time to open our doors, our books, our policies and practices to the scrutiny of the world - to examine our structures, our culture, our model of leadership, and to welcome others to do this with us; it’s time to shine the light of the gospel on who we are and what we do, bringing transparency and accountability to all aspects of our being and activity. We have to be prepared to repent, be converted and change. We need to start having a genuine interest in the spiritual wellbeing of our members. (Philippians 2:4-6, 20) What is increasingly clear is that the church's determination to preserve its institutional power and authority repeatedly involved suppressing the truth – even when that put members at further risk. In recent times, some church leaders in their anger and frustration at what has been uncovered and the reasons behind years of secrecy said: "the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the church, and the preservation of its assets". "a misplaced concern for the reputation of the Church and the avoidance of scandal". I praise their courage and I hope they do have this moral courage and can be sustained. "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." (John 18:36-38). Pilate carelessly says "What is truth?" and then turns his back on Truth personified. Pilate's inquiry was not answered in words, but Truth sat embodied and bound before him. Some have held that this question of Pilate's was asked in scorn. His conduct through the trial shows that he was deeply impressed, and it is probable that the question was asked from a deep curiosity to hear more from so marvellous a teacher. I believe the Truth to be the Word of God. I believe it to be a revelation from God, of His mind, of His thoughts, of His purposes, and of His counsels; that we have in the Scriptures the truth written, and that in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ we have truth incarnate. The result is, that the man who receives the truth of Scripture, in the power of the Holy Ghost, will invariably be brought into contact with Christ, who is the Truth. Again the church can go on and argue on what the truth is; but I know that our consciences constantly convict us even when we try to silence it. The suppression of truth is at the heart of the church. Old cultures of deference have succeeded in repressing the truth for longer, but now even they are disintegrating. When the church attacks victims' motives, it intimidates other victims and witnesses whose information might protect other members. 4.3 Th e Church and media Almost always in response to media publications, the church has tried to stifle scandal. The media has exposed decades of systematic abuse of thousands of children, vulnerable adults and reckless living of church leaders. But we can choose the path of game-blaming instead of acceptance and then change our ways. This is not a time for rationalising, explaining, defending, and contextualising. It’s not a time to say that someone is out to get us, to discredit us – no, the church must accept responsibility. Agreed the sexual abuse and all sorts of evil ways are not confined to the church but we do expect the church to be better at doing justice than the rest of society, to be the forerunners in protecting the weak. To be the light of the world and salt of the earth (Matthew 5:14). Unfortunately, we are not seeing this self-sacrificial approach from the church, rather quite the opposite. The church may call it 'petty gossip'. This was meant to defend the church leaders which imply that the highest value in the church structure is self-protection rather than self-sacrifice. Regrettably, since some churches chose to be more defensive, the media has got more aggressive. One of my University professors said: ‘money is a necessary evil. Should you want to cast out all evils, please leave out the evil of money?’ I think what he meant in a very plain language was that money was/is an indispensable tool in running the church. “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” (3 John 2). “A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.” (Ecclesiastes 10:19). Money answers the occasions of this present life, as what is to be had, may generally be had for money. Someone said that: ‘anointing without money becomes annoyance.’ You need to take care and pay your pastors and workers. You need money to maintain the church and pay the bills. The list is unending. I think the key question here is how do we go about raising money in our churches? Many churches have invented various ways of collecting money from their members and even the public. This again calls for honesty and a rethink. Are we really sincere as church leaders? Is it really correct biblically when a church leader tells his/her members that they would remain poor or that things would be difficult for them because they don't pay tithes or make contributions? Don’t you think contributions to any church should be guided or programmed? Unfortunately many church leaders go into projects God never asked of them and in the process make life difficult for their members. On top of this is a question of accountability. For your own good as a church leader you must maintain a transparent and clean statement of account. Remember the same world is watching! 5.1 A Labourer Deserves his Wages I mentioned above the need to provide for the needs of church leaders who have signed oath of poverty and some are living a community life. The bottom line is that it is the churches' duty to maintain their ministers. For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages." Care must be taken that ministers are maintained. And those who are laborious in this work are worthy of double honour and esteem. It is their just due, as much as the reward of the labourer. “In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:14). So I think church leaders deserve a decent accommodation, car, holiday and good things of life. I have used the word ‘decent’ with great caution and it can be quite relative. But I expect church leaders not to live a riotous and prodigal life. They should set an example for others. As Christians we should have control over our lifestyles and should never put ourselves into the power of any bodily appetite. (Philippians 3:18-21, 1 Corinthians 6:13). As a matter of fact, living a modest life will keep you out of many temptations and the sorrow of managing excessive wealth. Living a decent life will prevent you from the vulnerability to greed and manipulation because you know that money will buy you a bed but not sleep, books but not brains, food but not an appetite, a house but not a home, medicine but not health, luxuries but not happiness, image but not character, and religion but not salvation. It is quite positive to see how churches are contributing immensely to the development of the society through education, health and other social services. Some churches have created some projects so that they can raise money and hence be self-sustaining. This is wisdom. I think one of the reasons for Christian initiative in education is to raise the standard of education and create an environment that would not be permeated by occultism. My advice however here is that let us ensure that these projects have a human face to the extent that members and ministers enjoy some benefit and scholarship for their children. As we know, all fingers are not equal. The needy members of our churches should enjoy great discount and those who are rich financially should be happy to help. These projects would then be true missionary endeavours. Ironically even the poor in your congregation contribute to these projects through various means (offering, launching, tithes etc) so the purpose (missionary venture or business venture or a mixture of both) of embarking on these projects must be clearly spelt out so that no one is deceived. Increasingly many countries are becoming more democratic and many more will get there some day some time. He who has ears let him hear (Matthew 11:15). 6.1 The Church in a Developed Nation After decades, perhaps we should rather be referring to centuries of obfuscation; the church has to be called by government of these nations to account for what has happened. The church's loss of moral authority is only a part of a bigger picture. Financial ruin provoked by compensation claims is another. Our Christian people have learned to think for themselves and are not about to swallow whatever comes along. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the church in a democratic world to place itself above the law and get away with these evil acts. 6.2 The Church in a Developing Nation Countries in developing world will grow up one day. For now the apparent vitality of the church in these countries is deceptive. In all likelihood these new churches will sooner or later pass through the same crises if nothing urgent is done by the present church leaders. Probably for now, leaders of churches are not subject to the civil law in these nations. 6.3 How long can people be deceived? Victims in the past were made to sign oaths cementing their silence over allegations they were abused by church leaders. In the past the church had the authority, indeed the majesty, to compel victims and their families to collude in their own abuse and to keep hideous crimes secret for decades. Information then was only available to the privileged few. Evidence gathering was very difficult. But in our time and age, all these obstacles, deceits and the use of spiritual jargon to intimidate people are now a thing of the past. Falsehood remain falsehood no matter how long it is told. It can never turn to truth. And when the arrow of truth shoots, there will be no trace of falsehood. When people notice something wrong or dysfunctional in any commercial enterprise they immediately question what’s happening, call in the experts, make corrections, and mobilise all their forces to address the crisis. Why can’t the church do the same thing? Why not mobilise all her living forces for a radical change? Why? Could it be sluggishness, cowardice, pride, lack of imagination and creativity, culpable passivity – all in the hope that the Lord will take care of things and that the church well knows about such things, from its past? Christ warned us in the Gospel : “… For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. ” (Luke 16:8). Are we about to see another reformation as the angry faithful reject how they have been tricked? Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." (2 Timothy 2:19; 3:5). 7. Church and her Teachings/Doctrines Some churches today are too formalistic. One has the impression that the institution stifles charisma and what ultimately counts is external stability, superficial respectability - a kind of façade. Don’t we risk seeing ourselves one day treated as “whitened sepulchres” by Jesus? (1 Timothy 6:3-5). 7.1 Are your doctrines/teachings still valid today? The case today in some churches is a faith that no longer means anything, that does not give meaning to human existence, but simply an ornament. In some parts of the world, we’ve already seen how some of these churches are losing members in a geometric progression and these members are embracing a new way of worship where they now realise that their faith is active and alive. They want the church to be able to speak directly to their hearts and the teachings affect their day to day living. They want a guide on how they can manage the challenges of life when they come to the church. They want a church where they can come in and lay their burdens before the Lord. Frankly speaking, you know the history of the doctrines you may still be holding on to today; you may have read what necessitated such teachings and can we again with the same spirit of frankness ask ourselves: ‘are these doctrines valid today?’ If we do not ask ourselves, then we’ll be forced to act. 7.2 Number of Activities Per Week Another challenge is number of activities churches have in a week. If you run a church where on Sunday, the SAME people come for service; on Monday, they come for special meeting; on Tuesday, they come for another thing; on Wednesday, they have Bible study; on Friday, they have special prayer and on Saturday, they have house fellowship, where and when are they going to live the life you taught them? Everything is tied around the building. And what is your motive for doing this? So that they could make frequent offering? So that no other church snatch them away from your own congregation? It is not even ideal even if your aim was to make them grow spiritually. And what happens if any member does not turn up for these activities? You call them names – backslidden? I think we need to study the environment where we operate and more than that, who our members are and what they do for a living. We have seen denominations argue endlessly on some doctrinal issues and they do this rather very intelligently so much so that at the end of the day both sides appear to be correct and listeners are either left confused or left to their consciences. Probably, the fact that we even argue over some of these teachings might make them unnecessary for our salvation (Colossians 2:23, 1 Thessalonians 2:5-6). Can’t we go back to the very simple basics of the scriptures and avoid unnecessary emotions to influence our teachings/doctrines? The language of some churches are anachronistic (out of date), boring, repetitious, and totally unsuited to our age. It is not at all a matter of going with the flow or of accommodation, because the message of the Gospel ought to be presented uncooked and to the point. What is needed rather is to move to that new “evangelization.” This consists in innovating and inventing a new language that recasts the faith in a pertinent and meaningful way for men and women of today. The Council at Jerusalem advised that we should not make things difficult for those who are turning to God (Acts 15:19). Let God be true, and every man a liar (Romans 3:4). Paul admonishes us: “ All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” It seems today that people are tired of what they are seeing in the church because they can’t match them to the scriptures. All one needs to know in order to safely reach the eternal abode is the inspired word of God – its fact to be believed and its commands to be obeyed. Can we truly cast off denominational shackles and begin to speak where the Bible had spoken and be silent where it is silent? Is it possible for all denominations to cease one day and we go back to pure New Testament Christianity where all were known simply as “Christians.”? (Acts 11:26). We need to learn the languages with which the Bible was written, learn the cultures in which its episodes were narrated, and bring forth the interpretations, devoid of biases and appropriate for our and the future generations. 8. Church a Sign of Hope to Our Lost World Can the Church influence the world again? We all know that it is now against the law in some countries for the church to preach against some issues. The same world that kicked Christ out of public spheres is now in utter confusion. The church, taking her rightful position, is still very relevant to our world. The government of nations would ask the church to once again instruct its citizens in moral education. Prepare the youths for the challenges of life and how to make wise and smart choices that confront them today. The church can teach and encourage all to be good citizens of their nations. The church is strategically placed to reduce the rate of family breakdown by teaching husbands and wives on how to live together in harmony. The church can promote a healthy relationship between employers and employees. 8.1 From age to age you gather a people to yourself "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." (Luke 19:40). That is, God would raise up people from time to time to declare his praise. For the power of God will not return empty. Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Let us begin with ourselves and internal conversion, cling to the Law of Christ, revealed in His church, apply it to our own lives, and those who are outside our community and starved of love might with the grace of God say to themselves, "see how the Christians love each other" and want to join us. It will not be an easy battle, and it will certainly intensify as the end times draw near. But it's the only way to go, even here and now. 8.2 Will ALL Members (& Leaders) of the Church Ever Be Holy? Before the second coming of Christ? NO, as long as the Lord tarries. The more reason the scripture says "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." (Ephesians 4:8) The more a man finds himself drawn out to improve in his station, and according to his measure, all that he has received, to the spiritual good of others, he may the more certainly believe that he has the grace of sincere love and charity rooted in his heart. But eventually these gifts will cease. Jesus as a conqueror, returning in triumph, won’t come and distribute gifts, but coming for final harvest and putting all things in their proper perspective. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7). How do we become ready for this? It is a gift: "Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear" (Revelation 19:8). Christ cleanses us "by the washing with water through the word" (Ephesians 5:26). He presents the church to himself, having made her radiant, spotless, holy and righteous (Ephesians 5:27). He is working in us. The Lord Jesus will in that day appear from heaven. He will come in the glory and power of the upper world. His light will be piercing, and his power consuming, to all who in that day shall be found as chaff. This appearance will be terrible to those that know not God, especially to those who rebel against revelation, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. ( 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 10 ). 1. In conclusion, I would say that the Spirit today calls us to reflect, to invent and innovate: to come out of our preconceived notions and our set categories; to risk a new pastoral approach that responds to the needs of our day. No more timidity, no more caution, no more hesitation. “Fear not” say the Lord throughout the Bible. But if we choose to remain prisoners of the past forever, we will not know how to invent the future. 2. So I pray for those who are working tireless to bring about the necessary reforms in your various churches that the grace of God will sustain them. You may be threading a lonely path and often times branded with all sorts of untoward names. You will be misunderstood and misrepresented but you must draw some encouragement from ‘Gamaliel’s Principle’ As far as Jesus was concerned, each work had its precise time and place in His programme of instructions, so to speak; hence, that as His period for work had definite termination, so by letting any one service pass by its allotted time, the whole would be disarranged, marred, and driven beyond its destined period for completion; that He acted ever under the impulse of these considerations, as man-"the night cometh when no man (or no one) can work." What lessons are here for others, and what encouragement from such Example! Christ must work those works while the short day of life lasted. His night of death was near. Nor is ours far off. No man can do any thing toward working out his salvation after this life is ended. We must be busy and not waste day-time; it will be time to rest when our day is done, for it is but a day. The certainty of death should quicken us to improve all our opportunities of doing and getting good. What good we have an opportunity to do, we should do quickly. And he that will never do a good work till there is nothing to be objected against will leave many a good work for ever undone, Did I hear you say a tree cannot make a forest? Are you still pessimistic that nothing can change? Just start right away with something small and authentic, something with real authority, and helping it to grow and bear fruit in the fullness of time. The roots of the smallest plant can penetrate hard soil and explode rock. What you can do is to shine the light of Truth in every area that you have personal authority over.(1 Timothy 4:6). 3. How do you want to be remembered? If you have the opportunity to, can you repeat those beautiful words of Paul? I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:6, 2 John 8). Or do you want a jail door clanged behind you and unfortunately we have seen how some churches leaders died in jail for the crimes they committed against humanity (1 Timothy 1:20) . In order words they suffered for being criminals and not true disciples of the Lord. (1 Peter 4:12-17). The integrity of the upright will guide them. Put off falsehood and speak truthfully. Do not be anxious about anything. Live a life of love. It’s easier to maintain your integrity than to try and recover it. It may cost you to do the right thing, but it’ll cost you more when you abandon your principles and do the wrong thing. (Titus 2:7-8). 4. And as a member of a church, you must make up your mind to help your leader (pastors, priests, bishops, etc) to make heaven. Take decisive steps to help them out of trouble. Once you notice that they have the intention of seducing you, then avoid such environment that will lead to sin. Do not go with them to any secluded area. Let your motive of interacting with your church leader be genuine and pure. Can we all say that Jesus is the joy we know, the treasure we hold dear; we burn for Him our eternal love? Shalom Evangelist JB. Oseh |