What is the Right Church?

What is church?

Church = Ekklisia = "called out ones"

From and to what are Christians called?

1 Peter 2:9 

Matthew 7:13 

 1 John 2:15-17

John 3:19-21 

In fact, many churches are often filled with the worst aspects of the world and the flesh like greed, authoritarianism, self-indulgence, sanctimony, and ritualism that not only fail to help us become more like Jesus, but actually work to prevent us from even knowing that we are supposed to become like Jesus. For this reason it can be helpful to consider the purpose of the church.

The Purpose of the Church

Ephesians 4:11-15 

• With the Greek philosophies that included sophistry and rhetoric where the most persuasive speakers were able to advance their ideas, came the idea that man's reason was the best tool to understand truth.
• The presentation of the Bible was changed from the Gospel (good news) for everyman into a book of complicated mysteries that only the smartest men could understand.  
• Catechetical schools (like the Greek academy) institutionalized the idea that understanding God's word was a struggle that only the ablest minds could fully achieve. 
• While men of ability were seduced into thinking that they needed to administer Christianity for the less able, they also began to pontificate, declare, and publish their thoughts as if they were scripture. 

• When Christianity was run by those with ability, it started to become a mechanical system.
• The insertion of a third party becomes a barrier between the Christian and his Savior. 
• Families are weakened when wives and children look to the priest before the father.
• As an agent of a system, the priest insures compliance with organizational requirements (such as giving money and attending rituals) as opposed to helping Christians become more like Christ.

Many early church leaders thought the best way to fight error was to develop creeds and declare doctrinal positions. While maybe well intentioned, this had the effect of turning Christians away from being personally guided by the Holy Spirit of truth and feeding on the "living" word of God to being dependent on a human authority to declare what was "right" with doctrinal "bullet-points". 

At first one has trouble thinking that preventing error could be wrong. However the Bible instructs us to correct error rather than prevent it. Attempting to prevent error just leads to the use of force and control that robs people of knowing truth and substitutes agreement or at least compliance with doctrinal dictums. 

Error is corrected by exposure to truth. The use of force just elevates a mechanical religious system and in fact institutionalizes error.

• As shown with the Tower of Babel, much can be accomplished with collective effort.
• Collectives focus on a breadth of activity to distract from a lack of relationship.
• The social current of a collective sustains tradition and rewards compliance.
• Knowing truth is replaced by conformity.

A religion machine provides members with the feeling that this many people can't be wrong, 

The reformation only removed some of Catholicism's most egregious errors. Ironically most of the form of Catholicism was kept in the numerous "flavors" of Christianity that were becoming available. Christianity was becoming market responsive and the market was moving away from God.

Most church services consist of boring sermons because most seminary students sat through four years of boring lectures. The church auditorium is like a lecture hall. Even a gifted speaker using lots of entertaining anecdotes cannot help a person to grow to be like Jesus using just the power of a lecture. Paul said that if he preached according to the wisdom of men, he would make the cross of Christ of none effect.

Some have attempted to make church attractive by relying on the old entertainment standbys of song and dance. There is a reason the Bible says that if you are a friend of the world, you are an enemy of God.

It is not just the church bingo hall, but Christmas pageants, musical performances, and even pot luck dinners that substitute for time spent growing in the likeness of Christ. The selflessness of Christ is replaced with the self-elevating process of the consumption of diversion.

Often churches are measured by how well they help their members pursue selfishness. The abandonment of children in order to seek the riches of the world or the age segregation of classes so that children are even less likely to see their parents as a source of spiritual instruction are the often unintended consequences of such consumer oriented "services"

Sunday school was once described as three bullet points and a lot of bad coloring. Much church activity is busyness disguised as instruction.

The satisfaction of rule following success, the elevation of conservative political principles, and the self-affirmation of doing what is "right" make those attracted to conservative churches guilty of elevating the flesh over the spirit.

The satisfaction of contributing to social justice, ecumenicism,  liberal political principles, and the self-affirmation of doing what is "right" make those attracted to liberal churches guilty of elevating the flesh over the spirit.

Amusement, entertainment, and distraction are tactics Satan uses to keep captive the world. When he can get churches to follow this pattern, he wins an endorsement of his methods as well as more direct access to those he desires to ruin.

We can have a strong sentimental attachment to ritual and tradition. Sometimes churches incorporate this sentiment into their activities and people begin to see what makes them comfortable as being sacred.

Some churches declare a specific take on salvation and those who become members get the "inside track" to heaven. 

Some churches guarantee a "ticket to heaven" with the performance of some act such as baptism, saying a particular prayer, coming forward at an event, or other special act. 

Some churches compete with events such as rock concerts to draw people attracted to the spectacular. The problem with this approach is that, like a narcotic, the effects of wonder and awe fade quickly and are not so easily duplicated with the same dosage.

Many churches have an expectation that its members will at some point vocalize sounds, writhe uncontrollably, or even roll on the floor laughing as proof that they are touched by the divine.

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Matthew 24:44-46