Here is the first section to a book or dissertation I began writing awhile ago!
There is a serious problem in the Church today. The objective observer of the Church—both global and local—will notice many extensive failures. The Church is dominated and monopolized by unbiblical, slothful men and women who have their own designs in mind rather than Christ’s. Churches brainstorm for hours, in numerous committee meetings, on how to reach the lost. Then, after hours of deliberation, the committee finally has a revelation of a sure-fire program (which a committee member probably heard about at a conference or in the latest book). This program will exponentially increase the number of people in the pews. Everyone gets excited. People volunteer, sincerely. But, inevitably, the program dies out and the sincere Christians are left drained and frustrated by the lack of commitment.
The Church is plagued by scandals such as adulteries, fornications, abuses of power, rebellious children, ungodly leaders, unscriptural teaching, and occultist tendencies. The Church is inundated with so called “wars” over so called “worship;” neither word is applicable, “Armageddon” and “fleshly desires” are more accurate. In one church the observer may find a tyranny of worldly, unbiblical traditions, and in another church the observer will find a dictatorship of undisciplined and irreverent behavior. The believers leave a service saying “Wasn’t the worship great today!” What they really mean is, “Man, that guitarist rocks, and he has a killer voice.” Or, “The organ prelude was a real tour de force!” Nay, worship is absent 50 Sundays out of the year.
The Church says “Worship” when it means “Music.” It says “Discipleship” when it means a “six-week class.” It says “Evangelism” when it means “Hand out tracts and hope they’re read!” It says “Fellowship” when it means a “social gathering centered around exotic casseroles and unique salads.” It says, “God says” when it means “I feel/want.” It says “We” when it means “Me.” It says “offensive” when it means “convicted.” It says “tolerate” when it means “we don’t have the backbone to resist.” It says, “love” when it means “warm and fuzzy feeling.” It says, “Stop judging” when it means “I’m in sin!” It says, “Grace” when it means “license to sin.” Wrath and judgment are harsh; tolerance, wavering, false love, secular ideals and sinful behaviors are common place.
“Holy” now means nothing. “Sacrifice” is meaningless. “Throwing off the sin that entangles” is bad news. The Old Testament is antiquated. The New Testament was written by deists. The signers of the Constitution were atheists. Science should be trusted above the Bible. Evolution is right, Creation is wrong. The early church was full of disgusting, immoral orgies. The founders of this nation were not Christians, they were—horror of horrors—white, heterosexual, property owners, who oppressed women and blacks. Christopher Columbus was a tyrant. Jefferson was a Deist. Benjamin Franklin was an agnostic. Lincoln was spineless. Paul was homosexual. Jesus and his disciples had love fests. Jesus didn’t know he was God. He wasn’t really dead when they buried Him. Moses was a dictator. Noah was crazy (after all, we now know the global flood was only a local flood). Isaiah was a Nazi! Martin Luther was a Beer drinking infidel. Christianity is a word spurned by Christians (see 1 Peter 4:16). The Christian faith is only the result of human traditions not a supernatural revolution in the early years of this era (oh and don’t dare use the connotations B.C. and A.D., use the politically correct B.C.E. and A.C.E.). The church’s theology
and heritage is a mess!
Furthermore, Sunday morning Bible studies are haunted by moralistic and remedial teaching, and the Name of Christ is ignored as offensive and out-dated. Christ is not recognized as the reason for the gathering together of believers, rather they gather to “have a good time,” or because “I’ve always gone to church.” The Church starts classes for divorce recovery, after a divorce has taken place. Marriage classes begin after marriage. Child rearing classes begin after foolish, young rebellion begins.
Addiction recovery groups try to help remove addictions after a stronghold has been rooted in an individual’s life rather than instilling a desire for Christ alone in that person’s life when he was a child. When a teenager rebels, the parents come to the Youth pastor and says, “Fix her!” Children who were at church the day after they were born (so their “super-Deacon” dad could unlock the doors) are leaving for college and never coming back to church. Some have said that 80% of “Churchy” high school students, leave the faith after their freshman year of college!
The church is motivated by anti-Christ like manners, rather than Holy Spirit manifested impulses. The Church looks to men and man-made devices (pastors, deacons, the rockin’ music, the organ, the old ladies Bible study leader, etc.), rather than looking to the Lamb who is worthy to take the scroll because He was slain on Calvary and by His blood made sanctification for our many sins, even the ones we deny. This Lamb is still at work redeeming, sanctifying and restoring this thing called the Church, which He boldly declares His Bride! There is a severe problem in the Church of this age. It is a slumbering, sleeping Giant, beautiful, and yet pacified to lazily shirk its duties of preparation for the Bridegroom. Church, WAKE UP!
Sad...Reformationaries arise!
BenZ
