From the Book of Acts, we read about the walk of the Church of Christ and her place in society. The gathering of born again believers, who were крещенный в воде and baptized with the Holy Spirit, were the Church. They were no longer the old carnal man in whom the flesh reigned, but they had become the new spiritual man, in whom the Word and the Holy Spirit reigned. The Christians walked after the Word and the Spirit in the authority of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit and discerned the spiritual realm and the spirits. Because not every spirit, they were dealing with, belonged to God and didn’t confess Jesus Christ; the Word as Lord, but belonged to the kingdom of darkness (a.o Tim 4:1, 1 Джо 4:1). The Church was a power of God. But is that still the case? Is the Church a power of God or is the Church a social institution?
The letters of the apostles to the local churches
In the many letters of the apostles to the local churches, we not only read about the things that went well in the churches, but we also read about the corrections, the chastenings, призыв к покаянию, Устранение греха, call to awakening and righteousness, the warnings for лжеучителя, ложные доктрины, misleading spirits, лжепророки и так далее.
Over and over again, the apostles were confronted with false teachers, ложные доктрины, грех, and other things that had entered the church and were revealed by the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit revealed and warned them about the things that occurred in the churches and they called them to repentance.
During the revelation of Jesus to John on the isle of Patmos, Jesus revealed the walk and true state of the seven churches in Asia.
Jesus revealed the things that went well and the things which the church had to repent from and remove from her midst. Это показывает нам, that Jesus doesn’t accept all behavior of the believers, as is thought and preached in many churches.
The church a social institution
На протяжении веков, many things have entered the Church and have caused many churches to deviate from the Word and the Holy Spirit. Many churches have left the narrow way of God and have entered the broad way of the world. They have compromised with the world, supposedly to win souls and to keep the souls in the church. Из-за этого, the church has lost her mighty position on the earth.
The church is no longer a victorious church in society, who is seated in Jesus Christ and walks in His authority and operates from the Spirit in the power of the Holy Spirit and fight against the devil and the kingdom of darkness to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth.
But the church has become a social institution, where people have become the center and the flesh (душа и тело) of the people is Развлекали and fed.
The church no longer lives for Jesus and doesn’t do what He (слово) говорит, but the church lives for herself and twist the words of the Bible and do what pleases her.
The believers don’t give their lives to Him, but rather live for themselves and use God to fulfill the lusts and desires of their flesh.
As long as the believers stay carnal and walk after the flesh, вместо Духа, the church shall be seated in darkness and shall be a slave of the world; the kingdom of darkness and shall not be victorious on this earth.
How do people see the church?
The majority of people consider the church as a social institution, where Christians gather together once or twice a week and sing, listen to a sermon, pray and fellowship after service.
Why do people visit a church?
Have you ever wondered why you visit a church? Do you visit a church out of obligation, because your family went to church and therefore you will also go to church? Do you visit a church to ease your conscious, because you think that by going to church you are сохранено? Do you visit a church for the socializing aspect; the contacts, fellowshipping and the events? Do you go to church for the music, the ambiance or for the motivational words of the preacher? Or….. (ты называешь это).
Fellowshipping is good for people
Мы живем в эпоху, in which people have become the center and socializing and fellowshipping have become an important part of life. When you don’t participate, the world says there’s something wrong and you will be labeled by психологи. Because you should have a rich social life with many friends and acquaintances. This is not only a trend in the world but also in many churches.
It doesn’t matter what kind of church or denomination you visit, fellowshipping plays an important role in the church. Maybe even the most important role in the church, besides the entertainment part.
People could deny this and say piously that God is the most important thing and that they go to church for Jesus. But when you look at the content of the church service, almost everything revolves around pleasing the flesh of the people.
This is mainly because the majority of churches want to attract and keep as many people as possible. Может быть, вы думаете “колодец, that’s a good thing! Because the more people are drawn to the church, the more souls are saved from death”. But that is usually not the true reason why churches want to attract many people.
Most churches are not focused on saving souls but on the number of members. Потому что, чем больше участников, the higher the income and the more publicity and fame.
Because if churches were really focused on saving souls, then they would confront the believers, who visit the church with their sins, instead of allowing the people to persevere in sin and allow sin in the church.
Every born again believer, who is seated in Jesus Christ and walks after the Spirit, knows that sin causes separation between God and people, and that sin leads to death. This still applies, despite the modernization of the world and despite the жертва Иисуса Христа.
Jesus didn’t die so that people could persevere in sin. Jesus has become the Заменять for man, so that man could be redeemed from the sinful nature, that abides and reigns in the flesh.
When you accept Jesus as your Saviour and make Him Lord over your lives, и Следуй за ним, it means that you have to lay down your flesh, в котором обитает греховное естество. До тех пор, пока люди упорствуют во грехе, it means that the flesh is still alive.
The Благодать Божья is the entrance, but God’s grace doesn’t give approval to the flesh to keep living in sin.
The use of natural means and methods for the carnal man, who is sense ruled
The world knows the importance of senses since people are led by their senses. The mood of people is often influenced and determined by the input of the senses. The church has adopted this knowledge of the world and uses natural means and methods to make the church service as attractive as possible for the carnal man, who is led by their senses.
The church has created the right ambiance by using pleasant music (уши) and festive lighting (eyes). Да, the normal lights have taken place for colorful lights in the church. Because not only music influences the mood of people, but color lights also affect the mood of people.
It won’t be long before there will be fragrance machines in the church (nose). Because fragrance also affects the mood of people.
By using these natural means the feelings and emotions of people are affected. The people feel good and experience pleasant feelings.
The church services contain a lot of entertainment, Нравится музыка, plays, performances, и т. д.. Because the entertainment of the flesh has a positive effect on the feelings and emotions of people. А (short) motivational sermon is preached, which is mainly focused upon the процветание of the natural man, whereby self-help methods are given to create a positive mindset and to encourage people in their daily lives.
Because many Christians don’t consider themselves victorious in Jesus Christ, but they consider themselves as victims; defeated sheep, who are constantly tired and habitually live in a valley.
In order to get them out of the valley, they apply психологические методы and technics and provide self-help methods and technics so that they are being equipped and motivated in their flesh. In order to sustain their philosophy, the spiritual words of God are taken out of context and applied to the natural man.
Organizing events for the carnal man
Because the church has allowed the spirit of the world to enter, many churches have become like the world and are focused on the entertainment of carnal people. They often spend more time organizing church services, деятельность, and events to please the carnal man, than spending time in молитва и пост and being focused on saving souls, освящение, growing up to spiritual maturity, исполнение воли Божьей, and establishing God’s Kingdom on earth.
They don’t spend a lot of time with God and don’t listen to what Jesus has to say to the believers of the church, but they listen to what people want and make use of natural means to please and strengthen the soul and body of the carnal man. Поэтому, many don’t preach what God has to say, but they preach what the people want to hear. Много раз, this is the same message that the world preaches.
И это еще не все, many churches offer all kinds of facilities in order to please and to strengthen the flesh of the carnal people.
Из-за этого, many churches are converted into music halls, театры, restaurants, hobby clubs, gyms, fitness centers, йога centers, dance centers, боевые искусства centers, meditation centers, и т. д..
The soul and the body are the center in the church
The church is more focused on feeding and strengthening the natural man, instead of the spiritual man. Из-за этого, the spiritual man is no longer fed, taught, and corrected (chastened) from the Word, и в результате, the spiritual babies remain babies and don’t grow up into adult sons of God (это касается как мужчин, так и женщин).
They remain carnal and murmur, жаловаться, and cry as soon as something doesn’t go according to their will or if someone offends and hurts them. They only want to drink milk, be cradled, pampered, receive pats on the head, and sleep.
When a baby doesn’t grow in the natural realm, the parents worry and take action and seek help. Since it’s not normal when a baby remains a baby.
But in the church, this phenomenon is very normal and church leaders are not worried at all.
The spiritual man remains a baby. (С)he stays inept and doesn’t speak, but sleeps, cries, seeks attention, and wants to be nurtured and wants attention. Из-за этого, the person remains a lost sheep, who is a slave of the powers of darkness.
Has Jesus died for this? Has Jesus given His life for this? Is this His will for His Church?
Иисус – Глава Церкви; Его тело
И все покорил под ноги Его, и поставил Его главою всего Церкви, Что такое Его тело, полнота Наполняющего все во всем (Ефесянам 1:22-23)
God made Jesus Head of a Body; храм. The Church would walk in the authority of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit after the will of God, to establish His Kingdom on this earth.
Jesus has commanded His Body; the Church to lay down her own life and Следуй за ним. As long as you don’t put off the old carnal man, ты не сможешь следовать за Иисусом (слово) and you shall not walk in His authority after the Spirit. Because the sinful nature dwells in the flesh of the old man and contradicts the things of the Spirit and doesn’t yield to the Spirit.
Каждый, who is born again should walk after the Word and the Spirit, speak in new tongues, preach the gospel to reconcile man back to God, remit and retain sin, изгонять демонов, heal the sick etc. (Мат 28:18, Мар 16:15-18, Джон 20:22-23).
Therefore the church should not be a social institution, where the believers gather together to have a good time and to please and feed the flesh by using natural means and methods. But the church should be the most powerful institution on this earth, that walks after the Spirit in the authority of Jesus Christ and reigns in Him.
Конечно, there are churches, who are seated in Jesus Christ and walk after God’s will. But the majority of churches are carnal and have become social institutions, where the flesh of the people are being fed and strengthen instead of the spirit of the people.
The natural man must die in order to become born again and that doesn’t always happen. The main reason for that is, that the majority of people cannot abandon the flesh and the things of the world. There are too many temptations in the world that hold on to people and restrain them from dying.
The gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church
И я говорю также тебе, Что ты Питер, и на этой скале Я построю Мою церковь; и врата ада не одолеют его. И дам тебе ключи от Царства Небесного: и что свяжешь на земле, то будет связано на небе: и что разрешишь на земле, то будет разрешено на небе (Мат 16:18-19)
Jesus said that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church and that He would give the Church the keys of the Kingdom of heaven.
Однако, many churches don’t walk in the authority of Jesus Christ and don’t reign over the kingdom of darkness, где царит смерть. Вместо, many churches are overtaken by the gates of hell (Читайте также: 'The gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church', '‘What did Jesus mean with the keys of the Kingdom of heaven?' и 'Что Иисус имел в виду, говоря «связывать и разрешать»?')
Церковь, сидящая во тьме
Я знаю твои дела, что у тебя есть имя, которым ты живешь, и искусство мертво. Будьте бдительны, и укрепляйте то, что осталось, которые готовы умереть: ибо я не нашел дел твоих совершенными пред Богом. Итак, вспомни, как ты принимал и слышал, и крепко держитесь, и покайтесь. Итак, если не будешь бодрствовать, Я приду на тебя, как вор, и ты не будешь знать, в который час Я приду к тебе (Преподобный 3:1-4).
This church did many works. Однако, Jesus didn’t find their works perfect before God. Although the church did many works and they had a name, the church was spiritually dead. The people maybe thought that the church was alive, but the truth was that the church was asleep and dead.
Jesus commanded the church to wake up and be watchful and to strengthen the things which remain, которые были готовы умереть. Иисус призвал их к покаянию. Because if they would not watch, Jesus would come as a thief and they would not know what hour Jesus would come upon the church (Читайте также: 'Церковь, сидящая во тьме')
A revival in the church
The words of Jesus still apply today. There must be a revival among those, who call themselves believers. That will result in a spiritual awakening, a resurrection from the dead, покаяние and the removal of sin in the church
Иисус, слово, must become the Head again of His Church and the Holy Spirit must be welcomed and active in the lives of believers, so that they will get to know God’s will and grow up after the image of Jesus Christ and walk as adult sons of God in the authority of Jesus Christ after the Word and the Spirit, after God’s will and establish God’s Kingdom on this earth.
The church is not meant to be a social institution to please and strengthen the flesh of the carnal believers. The old carnal man wants to be entertained, but the new spiritual man doesn’t. The new spiritual man is seated in Jesus Christ and is focused on the things of the Kingdom of God and shall not establish his/her own kingdom on earth, but shall establish the Kingdom of God on this earth.
«Будь солью земли’
