As I continue to look around at this entity we call church these days it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Many who read this blog know what I'm talking about. Man has had his hand on things for so long that the way things are done today seem like the norm.
Obviously, nothing could be further from the truth. God intended His church to be free. The early church, while not without it's share of difficulties and issues to deal with, was a church that knew liberty in the Lord. The church today knows bondage because of man. How is that good for Christian growth?
This actually goes way back when you think about it. Back to the time when being led by God wasn't good enough for the Israelites in the Old Testament. Remember when they told the prophet Samuel that they wanted a king. After all, other nations had a king. We see that while God wanted to be all they needed (and He was all they needed) he did relent and let them have a king. God gave them what they wanted. The reason God didn't want them to have a king is because He didn't want to have an indirect relationship with them.
Christians today are the same way. They want that brick and mortar building. They think you cannot "have church" with out it. Why? Because it's been that way a long time. Again, it's a man-made thing. God desires to have this wonderful direct relationship with His people. He desires to speak to them directly, but they want a building, a man who holds a position of pastor and all the duties and obligations that go along with it. By the way, the "pastor", as we know it today, was foreign to the New Testament church. There was no "one man shows" then. It was never meant to be a position, rather a ministry gift given to the church by Jesus.
It seems today that without man's validation of church, no church exists. Just a reminder, God's church is not a legal entity or corporation. Rather, it's a living, breathing organism. Anything other than that misses the boat.
Just the ranting of a raving Christian.
Until next time...enjoy the journey!
Ray
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