Ինչն է սխալ Եկեղեցու հետ? In order to find out what’s wrong with the Church, we should look first at the blueprint of the Church. What is the meaning of the Church? What does the Bible say about the Church of Jesus Christ? What is God’s will concerning the Church? What does Jesus say about the Church and what should the position of the Church be in this world?
What does the word church mean?
When you hear the word church or congregation, many people think about a building. But that is not what the word church means.
The word church derives from the Greek word ‘ekklesía’; ‘ek’ en ‘klēsis’ which means: ‘out of’ and ‘a calling’ (kaleõ, ‘to call’). The word ‘ekklesía’ was used by the Greeks to indicate a body of citizens, who were gathered to discuss public affairs (Գործք 19:39).
The Church of the Old Covenant
This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us (Գործք 7:38)
The first time in the Bible, we read about the Church or Assembly is in the Old Testament. When the people of God were gathered together in the wilderness after they were led out of Egypt by God.
God had redeemed His people from the oppression and slavery of Pharaoh. They were no longer slaves of Pharaoh, but they had become God’s people. The people of Israel were called and set apart by God. They were separated from the Gentiles. God wanted His people to walk after His commandments; after His will, and not after the commandments of the pagan cultures.
What does Jesus say about the church?
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Մեթյու 16:18-19)
Jesus spoke about His Church and said, after Peter’s confession, that Jesus would build His church upon this rock. This meant, that Jesus would build His church on the confession of Peter, and His apostles, that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God. This is the foundation of the Church (Կարդացեք նաև: On what foundation is the Church built?).
Jesus builds His Church and not the people.
The only thing that people have to do, is stay obedient and faithful to Jesus Christ; բառը, stay in the Word, confess His Word, keep His Word, and be a doer of the Word and not depart from the Word.
Jesus promises His Church, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. He also promises that He will give His church the keys of the kingdom of Heaven and that whatsoever the Church shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever the church shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven (Կարդացեք նաև: ‘Ի՞նչ նկատի ուներ Հիսուսը կապել և կորցնել ասելով?«).
The church is the body of Jesus Christ
The Church is a gathering of born again believers. As long as you are not born again (born of water and Spirit), you are not a part of the (universal) Church. You can visit a local church and attend church services and maybe even become a member of a local church, but these things will not give you access to the Body of Jesus Christ.
The only way to enter the Body of Christ is through regeneration. You can compare this with natural birth.
Through natural birth, you become part of a family. There are all kinds of artificial ways to become part of a family, but only through natural birth, you will carry the d.n.a. of the family.
It’s the same thing with the Body of Christ. When you become born again in the spirit, you will be born of the Spirit of God and you will carry His d.n.a.
The Church is, therefore, a gathering of born-again believers; sons of God, who have God’s nature and come together, to grow up in the Word.
It is the purpose of every son of God to spiritually mature and grow up in the image of Christ and walk as Jesus walked upon this earth. Այնպես, որ (ս)he will represent, preach, and bring the Kingdom of God upon this earth (Կարդացեք նաև: How can a person become born again?).
The power that Jesus gave to His Church
Jesus has given all power to the assembly of born again believers, to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt the born again believers (Ղուկաս 10:19). Jesus has given all authority to His Church, to bind and to lose. Which means to permit and not permit (Կարդացեք նաև: What did Jesus mean by the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven?).
Jesus has given the Comforter; the Holy Spirit to His Church, Who will lead them and teach them into all truth. And Jesus has given His Church; հավատացյալները, the commandment to go into the world and preach the gospel and to make nations His disciples, and the following signs would follow the believers, they will:
- be baptized in water,
- be filled with the Holy Spirit,
- speak in new tongues,
- cast out demons,
- lay hands on the sick and they shall recover,
- raise the dead,
- and if they would drink any deadly thing, it won’t harm them
The Church has all the power of God. Therefore the Church should be the most powerful and mightiest institution on this earth. The Church is seated in Jesus Christ, far above all principality, ուժ, might, and dominion and every name that is named. Հետեւաբար the Church should triumph over every power of the enemy and the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church (Կարդացեք նաև: Walk in the dominion that God has given to the new creation)
But what is happening with today’s Church? Does the Church have power? Do signs and wonders follow the believers? Is the Church able to give the life, that the Church has received in Jesus Christ? Is the Church able to help people and set them free of any oppression of the devil? Or does the Church refer people, after they have prayed, to the world, to worldly institutions, like doctors, (Քրիստոնյա) psychologists, psychiatrists, և այլն?
The Church has the power and the answer to every human being and to every social problem in this world. But the truth is that the Church has become carnal and spiritually weak and because of that the Church can’t solve the problems in the world, nor the problems of people. What has the Church got to offer?
Maybe it’s time to face the hard truth and note that the gates of hell already prevailed the Church and that the world is seated in the Church.
Ինչն է սխալ Եկեղեցու հետ?
The children of Judah have done evil in My sight, ասում է Տերը: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to pollute it (Երեմիա 7:30)
- The Church has set abominations in the house of the Lord and polluted the House of Lord (this includes the lives of Christians, because the Christians; the believers are the church)
- The Church holds fast to deceit and refuses to return. The Church spoke not aright; no one repented of his or her wickedness (sin and iniquity).
- The Church is not familiar with the judgment nor the will of the Lord
- The Church claims to be wise and thinks that the law of the Lord is with her. Certainly in vain made the Church it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.
- The Church boasts in its own wisdom and has rejected the Word of the Lord
- The Church says that there is peace, when there is no peace; the Church says it’s ok, while it’s not ok
- The Church is not ashamed when the believers commit abominations.
- The Church has become an adulteress, an assembly of treacherous men and women
- The Church bends her tongue like her bow for lies, but is not valiant for the truth upon the earth. Her tongue is like an arrow shot out, which speaks deceit.
- The Church walks in evil and proceeds from evil to evil
- The Church doesn’t know the Lord
- The Church is filled with brothers, who cannot trust each other because they deceive each other and do not speak the truth (they speak the wisdom of the world, which goes against the Word of God). They have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
- The Church walks in the midst of deceit; through deceit and refuses to know the Lord
- Եկեղեցին; հավատացյալները, speaks peaceably to their neighbor with their mouths, but in their hearts, they laid his wait.
- The Church has not obeyed the voice of the Lord, nor walked in His commandments. But the Church walks after the imagination of her own heart and after idols.
- The pastors destroy and scatter the sheep of the Lord’s pasture
- The prophets and the priests are profane. The Lord has found their wickedness in His house. They commit adultery, walk in lies, and strengthen the hands of evildoers. They prophesy out of their own heart
- The Church has left the spiritual inheritance, she received in Jesus Christ and is focused on idols
(Երեմիա 7:30, 8, 9, 23 Եզեկիել 13)
Why won’t the methods and strategies of the world help to restore the Church?
Many churches look at the world and rely on their carnal wisdom and knowledge and apply worldly doctrines, methods, and strategies in the church. They compromise with the world to attract more people, especially more youth. They adapt the sounds of secular music in their worship music and apply ‘new age’ techniques during worship to enter into some kind of trance. They’ll use all kinds of new technologies to make the gospel attractive and enjoyable to carnal people. The churches tolerate all kinds of behavior and preach short ‘feel good’ and motivational sermons that revolve around man.
Everything is done to please and satisfy the carnal people and to keep them happy so that they will return.
Many changes are being applied in the church, that are focused upon the will of man. Sadly, many congregations don’t live after the will of God anymore, but after the will of man.
Many churches twist the truth of God’s Word, into lies. Because that’s what people want to hear. They would rather hear lies, so that they can continue to live after the flesh, than the truth. Because the truth of God will cost them their lives on this earth and they are not willing to give up their lives.
The church is focused on carnal prosperity, wealth, փող, growth, profit, և այլն.
But which church has the guts to go back to the Word and live according to the will of God and remove all the sins out of the church with the consequences that many people will walk away? Who is willing to sacrifice his or her office for the truth of God?
Many churches keep compromising the Word with the world. They look at the doctrines, methods, and strategies of the world and apply them to the church. But the wisdom of the world shall not benefit, nor restore the church because the church is a spiritual institution. The church doesn’t belong to the world; խավարի թագավորությունը, but to the Kingdom of God.
The wisdom of the world (միս) is against the wisdom of God (Spirit), they cannot go together. There is only one way to restoration, and that is to ապաշխարել and return to Jesus; բառը.
How can the Church be restored?
The only way the church can be restored is when the church repents of the abominations she has committed and allowed in the congregation and returns to the Word of God and obeys and does the Word of God. Only then, there will be a change in the church.
It is about time to become serious with the things of the Kingdom of God and to walk after the Spirit, instead of walking after the flesh. It’s time to seek the things which are above, where Christ is seated, instead of seeking and longing after the things of this world. It is about time to put away the sins from the House of the Lord; out of the lives of the believers and start walking after the Աստծո կամքը in holiness and righteousness
It is about time that Jesus becomes the Head of His body; His Church, again. That the Church arises from the dead and fulfills the commandment that Jesus gave to His followers. It is seriously time to listen to the Holy Spirit, so that the Body of Jesus Christ; the Church, will be prepared for His return.
It is about time, the Bride will be ready for her Groom
Obey the voice of the Lord, and He will be your God, and you shall be His people: and walk in all the ways that He has commanded you, that it may be well unto you (Երեմիա 7:23)
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