About the Church…

I may offend a few people with what I’m about to say, and I do apologise as I have no wish to upset brothers and sisters in Christ or cause an argument. I just wanted to say a few things about the established church and perhaps think about it in the context of the early church and its purpose, as described in the bible.

I’ve been saved for 25 years and have spent all of that time (until recently) in the Anglican Church, though I’m not sure why as I’ve never really been an Anglican at heart. (I think I’m too much of a rebel!)

I believe that everything we need to know about the Christian life and how to live it is in the bible!

So, NOT Easter (as such, with all its traditions – it’s pagan) but death and resurrection to new life – a statement of what it is to be a Christian if ever there was one! And the Passover has huge relevance to Christians, though this is rarely taught.

NOT all the hype surrounding Christmas, but a simple remembrance of how and why the Christ child was born – whatever time of the year that actually was!

NOT a special ceremony of “the Eucharist” for the favoured few who are both water baptised AND confirmed into the Anglican Church (Really??! Sounds more like a club membership to me!) but a power filled act of remembrance for ALL who truly believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, was fully God and fully man, who came to pay the penalty for our sin, was crucified, died and was buried, was raised to life on the third day and is now seated at the right hand of the Father where he intercedes for us!

It was his blood sacrifice that made the new covenant with God the Father, paid the penalty for our sin once for all and left the veil permanently torn so we may forever be in the presence of God; and his body was broken so ours could be healthy, for by his stripes (the brutally torn flesh on his back) we ARE (perpetually) healed (and in health)! THAT is why so many believers are sick or have “fallen asleep”, because they do not understand the power that the communion bread and wine has in the fallen-ness of this world. Jesus reversed the curse!

[ 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 NIV
For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. [30] That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.]

So… a bit before Christmas 2018, I started to feel uncomfortable and that I needed to just leave the church, though I hung on for quite some time before I had to let go because there were many people there that I loved, so it was a painful parting. But all that kept going through my mind was “Come out of her, come out of her.” I was reminded of Revelation 18.

[Revelation 18:4-5 NIV
Then I heard another voice from heaven say: ‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; [5] for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.]

When you look at the two main Christian denominations, Catholics and Anglicans (who only broke away from Catholicism so a king could get a divorce!) and think about some of the awful things that have been done in the name of the church (though not in the name of Christ!) over many centuries, and how man made traditions have been allowed to overtake the simplicity of the gospel of grace and make it a lukewarm mixture of grace AND works, you have to wonder if, in this passage, Babylon could be referring to the established church!

I do feel that the Church of England as an organisation, has lost its way, focuses too much on tradition, rules and regulations (if you know what a faculty is, you’ll get my drift!) is becoming liberal and PC in many areas and not keeping its focus on sharing the gospel message of salvation in Christ alone.

The “Church” has a simple mission – to make disciples! It does not need to be politically correct, people pleasing, bogged down in red tape or spending all its energy designing “events to serve the local community”. By making disciples, each one can then serve where the Lord puts us, ” to do the works PREPARED IN ADVANCE for us to do”. The works prepared by God, not man, because he knows where we can be put to the best use!

[Ephesians 2:10 NIV For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.]

At prayer a couple of years ago, I had a vivid picture of a large banner suspended across the front of the building. It said,

DON’T COME TO CHURCH!
The Church is already amongst you.

And really, that’s what it’s about. It’s what it’s always been about. Not rules, not traditions of man, not pomp and circumstance, but simply believing in the Lord who sends us OUT, with his authority, to gather the harvest.

Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”