Undefining the Redifined Church

There are numerous words that have been redefined in such a way that is contrary to their original meaning. There are also words that have been given meaning beyond their own capacity. Words that may have only one simple interpretation are compromised and complicated which I shall soon demonstrate. One such word, which I wish to discuss here is the word: church. Before we are to begin, please keep in mind that “Church” (uppercase “C”) means the entire body of believers while “church” (lowercase “c”) means a building or single body of believers.

           In this day and age, the Church is often defined as a building where believers get together to sing worship songs, sit in pews, take offerings, listen to the pastor, and fellowship with friends and family. Now this in and of itself is not necessarily bad, but when compared to the historical identity of the Early Church, we may, in fact, see many differences. It is true that in the past fellow believers congregated at specific places where they would praise the Lord, sometimes take love offerings, eat, and discuss portions of Scripture; and yet, there are at least four main differences between the churches back then and what we have now.

            The first difference we will see is how and where they would congregate. For the Early Church, there were no building specifically constructed and named “church.” Instead, they were more like what we might call “home-churches.” The communities were so tight-knit that fellow believers would even connect their homes to each other by tearing down sections of wall and creating somewhat of a compound of connected homes. These communities were so close. They loved and trusted each other, not because they all got along so well, but because they all worshiped the One True God.

            Unfortunately today, by moving out of these home churches and into dedicated church buildings, the Church has lost the intimacy she once had with other believers, and even, the Lord. In the Old Testament, the Lord resided in the Ark of the Covenant behind the veil. You had to go to the temple and do sacrifices to speak with God. Upon conquering sin, Christ has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to indwell us, thus tearing the veil in two and making it possible for us to have an intimate relationship with the Lord and other fellow partakers of the Holy Spirit. With this intimacy came: less gossip, fewer heresies, greater comradery, greater zeal, and a more vibrant Holy Spirit. No doubt the last part of that sentence raised a few eyebrows, but please hear me out.

            The Holy Spirit is what drove the early church. It was not silent, nor timid, nor cowardly, nor easily pushed around. The Holy Spirit was (and is) bold, passionate, courageous, and downright fierce. It was for this reason that so many of our brothers and sisters of the faith were hated and martyred. We see Stephen, the first Christian martyr, stoned to death for opposing and vigorously bringing condemnation upon the heads of the Jews. We see Paul thrown into jail and stoned for confronting false philosophies, calling out believers in their mistakes, being driven by the Holy Spirit wherever he went. There was nothing holding back the Holy Spirit, it was a fire in their hearts that could not be held in by time, place, age, or reason. The Holy Spirits transcends all that is natural, and it is not until the natural tries to dictate the actions of the supernatural that compromise and apathy take hold. The Church of those days was so close-knit that you could easily tell who was and was not a believer. Thousands were killed for pronouncing the faith. They didn't cave in to what the world or what their government wanted (silence). They didn't falter. Can you honestly say that the Church of America resembles, in this aspect, the Church of old? Nowadays, going to these buildings has become something akin to a chore. We have fallen into the same legalistic trap that the Jews were reprimanded for. Deny this if you will, but you are only fooling yourself. Just as the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, so the Church was not made a building, but the building was made for the Church. It is when Church is defined by this specific building, that its reality is stripped of its intimacy. And in this day and age, the Church has truly been defined by an address.

            Secondly, today’s Church differs from the Church of old in how worship is conducted. The Early Church refrained from using instruments because they lived in a culture of idol worshiping pagans (the Romans) who put a great amount of importance on the way idol worship was conducted: with a variety of instruments, a variety of songs, and in ways that were often unpleasing to the blossoming Church. Thus, they would sing with just their voices songs from the Psalms. Today, churches uses various instruments and sing various songs that may not have originated from the Scripture. This is not a bad thing. The Early Church’s choice to refrain from instruments was a personal and cultural choice, and could also be viewed as an example of not eating meat because it offends your brother (1 Corinthians 8:13). Still, there were positives to having such a low amount of importance placed on how worship was conducted. Today, worship leaders often place more importance on the presentation rather than on who they are actually worshiping, and they do this under the guise of trying to attract non-believers to come and hear the gospel. They want better equipment, more practice sessions, strict guidelines, and set schedules. I have heard countless stories of Worship Leaders making worship a full time job for the participants. It has become another form of legalism where it must be done THIS way or else it is not worship! This is partly due to the fact that today’s Church is defined as a building. If Church was merely fellowship at someone’s home, or a park, beach, bar, etc. there would be a lot less drama and stress put into worship. Fellow believers have refrained from going to specific “churches” because they disagree with how worship there is conducted. How have we become so shallow? The only reason one should not wish to fellowship with believers is because the Holy Spirit is not present and thriving there!

            Thirdly, tithing today when compared to that of the Early Church is completely different. Let me say this: tithing was not a requirement. You did not have to give money to your local church. This is not to say that giving money was prohibited; on the contrary, if you felt led by the Holy Spirit to give of money, land, clothing, etc. you were welcome to do so. The Church did not, however, pass around a basket or give sermons on tithing. And yet, what we see now is so much importance placed upon tithing. It is no longer a matter of one's heart, but another man-made law that resembles those which Christ criticized the Jews about. There are even some churches that pass around the tithing basket at the beginning and again at the end of the sermon! Tithing and giving offerings are not just meant for a specific church body/building. As a matter of fact, “tithing” could simply be helping any brother or sister in need, whether it be food, transportation, time, money, etc. Tithing/giving is something that should come from the heart. Again, one of the main reasons that tithing has become this way is due to the Church being viewed as a building. In America, you must pay for so many things in order to hold such an establishment, that churches are constantly shoving tithing down the throats of their members so they can pay for their building, supplies, and salary.

            Finally, I would like to discuss one of the most corrupted definitions in the Christian Church today: pastor. The title of pastor has been re-defined in so many ways that a true pastor can hardly be recognized any more. Today, a pastor is a particular individual (sex neutral) who has gone to seminary, received his/her pastoral degree, and who speaks in front of a congregation at what is called, by today’s standards, a church. My dear brothers and sisters, this is just not so. What the Devil has gained from this corrupt definition of pastor is a myriad of leaders indoctrinated by liberal and passive seminaries to stunt the fire of the Holy Spirit and preach only that which is accepted by the sheep and the world.

          No doubt many of you believe this claim to be quite bold and perhaps uncalled for.Yet it is a fact that we have homosexual pastors, women pastors, liberal pastors, etc. It is just as much a fact that these “pastors” have gone to a Christian college/seminary. It is a fact that the Church has become more corrupt and more complacent then ever before. If a student doesn't come out of seminary liberal, they will come out passive. If, by some divine miracle, a student comes out unscathed by the wiles of the Devil, he will soon fall prey to those that have been tainted with apathy and the abhorrence of zeal. The student becomes afraid of confrontation, he condemns anger, is soft spoken, and fragile. I have heard countless pastors speak of when they were bold and passionate, of a time when they spoke out with such fervor and courage. Along with these stories, they explain how they were taken aside by an elder (either someone greater in age or someone who actually held the Biblical title) and were reprimanded for being overzealous. You see, instances like these aren't few and far between. Passion and boldness have become demonized. And yet, if you read the Scriptures, that is precisely what the Holy Spirit is… a passion, a fire! Jeremiah explains how uncontainable the Lord is when he calls the Holy Spirit, “A burning fire within my bones that I cannot hold in.”

            Consider: one day, a youth pastor named Peter was at an elder meeting in the church he had been with for a few years. He was rather young, especially in comparison to those around him. One of the issues discussed in the meeting was upcoming topics of Peter’s sermons. Peter offered a couple of topics he wanted to speak on and each topic was shot down. Angered and annoyed, he raised his voice and exclaimed, “Why don’t you guys just tell me what I am allowed to say!?” Silence immediately fell upon those around him. The head pastor broke the silence and proceeded to a different topic as though nothing had happened. Later that night Peter received a phone call from the head pastor's assistant saying that the pastor wanted Peter to join him for a hike the next day. Peter knew the “hike” would, in fact, be a small meeting concerning what had happened, and so, he agreed to go. The next morning he met with the head pastor and they began their hike. While walking, the pastor told Peter that his passion was good, but needed to be somewhat bridled. His passion was misdirected and he should never speak that way towards his elders. Peter was reprimanded and was told there was a time and place for speaking out like that…and during an elder meeting was neither the time nor the place.

                        There are numerous stories similar to this one. Stories of beginner pastors fresh out of seminary who did not adhere to the pacifism and liberalism they were fed while there, only to be placed in a church run by elders that reprimand any form of passion or zeal. This is one of the greatest reasons that the Church of America looks as though she is on the brink of death. Brothers and sisters, if the Holy Spirit has put a fire within you and is pushing you to speak out, do not keep silent! If you feel your spirit stirred within you, you must act (Acts 17:16). This may happen whilst in a meeting, during a sermon, at work, in class, etc. And if you are told to keep silent, be it by an elder, a prophet, a pastor, a teacher, etc… you are still to speak! The problem with the Church of America today is that she has sacrificed her zeal for obedience to the reigning authorities. Pastors have become castrated by either seminary or the elders that have preceded them. The Church is not getting better; thus, we must examine ourselves and make changes.

                        Can you see just how far we have fallen away from the original Early Church? Church has never been a building. Worship was never defined by music. Tithing was never thrust upon Believers. And pastors acted as leaders, preaching on that which was relevant for the times without fear of offending their flock.

     And so, I challenge you dear reader. Examine the Church of America. Examine your “home church.” Is it preoccupied with what kind of worship should be conducted? Does it put so much importance on tithing that you feel judged/condemned by the elders if you are unable to participate in their form of giving? Does your pastor merely teach that which is safe and general (milk)? Or does he talk about that which may be sometimes seen as offensive and perhaps even illegal (501 C 3 Tax Exempt status)? Does he talk about what is going on in the world right now? ISIS? Homosexuality? The Cults? Liberalism? Drunkenness and Pornography? Does he condemn sin? Does he speak out on such relevant topics as Christ Himself did while here on earth?

            What tends to happen with this corrupt definition of Church is that we become more pre-occupied-more attached-to our “home church” and excluded from the rest of our brothers and sisters. We begin to define Truth through what our church believes, rather than studying the Word, praying, and being guided by the Holy Spirit towards a Truth that may not agree with our home church. There is no growth, and the Church of America will simply remain stagnant.

            And so, with all of this said, I ask that you leave your “home church”… not forever, just momentarily. The Church is not a building. Visit some of our other brothers and sisters. Let us stop letting trivial things like personal preferences divide us. Leave the church you call home and discover that it was merely a room in the mansion of our Lord.