Is modern day Christianity, in the USA, a reflection of what
we see in the New Testament? Jesus left behind the apostles to make sure His
message of the gospel of the Kingdom of God was passed on from one generation
to the next until His second coming.
God, from the very beginning has established His
relationship with humanity in the form of contracts or covenants. This is the
reason we refer to the Old Covenant (Old Testament) and the New Covenant (New Testament).
It is in these frame-works that defines and spells out His requirements for
people and Him to enter into a relationship or covenant.
Essential to these covenant structure is that God is Master,
King, Lord, Suzerain or Ultimate Leader or whatever supreme title of leader
there is. And the people He makes this covenant with are His servants, vassals,
or whatever subservient title there is. Without exception God called these
people out of their surroundings to himself and away from the kingdoms of man
and the world. “Therefore come out from them and be
separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” “I
will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord
Almighty.”2 Corinthians 6:17-18 (NIV)”
Why? So that He could reach out to all of humanity through
those He called to Himself. These people where to reflect the purposes and
character of God. It was when these people began to enter into covenantal
relationships with people without God and His Son, we find God’s message
clouded, diminished and institutionalized religion takes hold.
The bible testifies to the fact that God has never broken
these covenants He made with humanity however, people have never faithfully
kept their side of the covenants. Adam and Eve violated their side. Noah and
his descendants violated theirs. Abraham failed to trust God and His promises.
The nation of Israel violated their covenant with God over and over again.
However, God always kept His end of the deal and continues to do so. “if we
are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. 2 Timothy
2:13 (NIV)” Even though people broke their covenant obligations to God, God
still reaches out to people and invites them back. However, He never forces
them to change and return to Him.
These violations took the form of rejecting God’s leadership
and entering into covenants with themselves and the governments or nations that
were not a part of God’s kingdom. We see this in the Old Testament and the New.
Since those that call on Jesus are in the New Covenant we are therefore
citizens of His Kingdom here on earth. This kingdom is not of this world. It’s
from another place. It is structured in a completely different way from the Old
Covenant nations and the nations of this world. As a matter of fact, Jesus told
his disciples He didn’t want them to adopt any of the worlds way or the Old Covenant
ways of living as citizens of His kingdom. To do so would allow yeast into the
batch of dough. [28] He replied,
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” - Luke 11:28
(NIV)
James states, “You
adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred
toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
- James 4:4 (NIV)” Paul had a companion named Demas. If Paul was a senior
Pastor, Demas would have been an assistant Pastor. Paul mentions Demas in three
of his letters to the church. Two of those references were positive. Where we
would surmise that Demas was in good standing in the New Covenant. In the third
reference, Demas is excoriated. Even though Demas didn’t sin against Paul
directly, Paul called him out to the Christian community. [10] for
Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to
Thessalonica…- 2 Timothy 4:10 (NIV)” If being a friend with the world is
hatred towards God, what is loving this world? At the least it is making God
your enemy and hating God. John states it this way, “[15] Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone
loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. - 1 John 2:15 (NIV)” Do
we see this taking place in churches today that claim Jesus as their Lord?
Jesus stated very specific terms in the New Covenant for
those that wish to enter into this New Covenant God has made with humanity
through His Son, Jesus Christ.
One of those terms was to not be unequally yoked with
unbelievers. (2 Cor 6) What does this look like? It is when we enter into a
contract with the kingdoms of man, local governments, worldly institutions, as
a body of believers (church), we promise to meet their demands even if it
violates God’s word.
The most blatant violation of this New Covenant that God has
made with those that call on Jesus as Lord and Savior is when the church makes
a covenant with the kingdoms of man and invites worldly governing bodies to
dictate to the local church how it will organize itself and demand who can and
cannot vote on church issues. This contract, that churches enter into, is
501C3. The state mandates a constitution, a board of people and specific positions
on that board. It also dictates who can vote even if a person shouldn’t be
allowed to vote on church issues because they are too young. This covenant is entered into for the purpose
of money. “He (Jesus) said to them, “You
are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your
hearts. What is highly valued (money) among men is detestable in God's sight. -
Luke 16:15 (NIV)” Jesus also tells His disciples to pay the taxes the
kingdoms of man want from them however give God’s what is His and don’t
surrender it to the world. i.e. His church and how He wants it to live.
One of the results of this partnership is we give the devil
a foot-hold into the body of Christ. The devil is still the god of the kingdoms
of man.
[6] And he said
to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been
given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. - Luke 4:6 (NIV)
[19] We know
that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of
the evil one. - 1 John 5:19 (NIV)
[4] The god of
this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the
light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. - 2
Corinthians 4:4 (NIV)
Jesus warned us about what the pursuit of money could do to
His people. The devil knows that through money he could get a foothold into the
people of God and influence the message of the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
[24] “No one can
serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will
be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and
Money. - Matthew 6:24 (NIV)
That is why after this statement Jesus reassures us by
saying, “But seek first his kingdom and
his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew
6:33 (NIV)”
Jesus told us His kingdom was not of this world. (John
18:36) We are to be citizens of that kingdom and aliens within the kingdoms of
man. That kingdom for Christians today is the body of Christ throughout the
entire world. (1 Pet 2:9) Jesus wants the citizens of His kingdom (which is not
of this world) to be content with their basic needs being met. (Matt. 6:19-21,
25-32) We see this same sentiment expressed by Paul to Timothy. [8] But if we have food and clothing,
we will be content with that. - 1 Timothy 6:8 (NIV) The context of this
verse is Paul speaking to Timothy as to how they could lead a life that doesn’t
cloud the message of the gospel of the Kingdom of God by money. When he states “we”
we know specifically Paul is referring to himself and Timothy for sure. Can we
expand this verse to include all believers? I would say yes. Because as a citizen
of God’s kingdom we are all on the same level playing field. Every part of the
body of Christ is as valuable as the next. No one has any privilege that
another doesn’t have. The writer of Hebrews reflects this same sentiment.
[5] Keep your lives free from the love
of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I
leave you; never will I forsake you.” - Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)
[2] Be shepherds
of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you
must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for
money, but eager to serve; - 1 Peter 5:2 (NIV)
[10] For the
love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money,
have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. - 1
Timothy 6:10 (NIV)
Early in church history, the enemy of the church, has used
the kingdoms of man and its wealth to entice the church to enter into an unequally
yoked relationship. This resulted in the message of the gospel of the kingdom
of God to become clouded and the church that Jesus wanted to leave behind has
become an institutionalize religion. Where communities of believers adopted the
Old Testament hierarchical system. Which in turn instituted the practice of
tithing. In the New Testament tithing is not required of the saints. It was
part of the Levitical OT. However, because the institutionalized church has adopted
the ways of the world to govern itself, it needs the same thing that the world
needs to maintain its ways of doing things, money. Therefore, by necessity the institutionalized
church leaders needed to convince and justify the demand of the tithe from the
saints.
When we survey the NT the collecting of money from
the saints was to meet the needs of the saints in the body of Christ only. Jesus
and Paul spelled out what “needs” look like. These needs were not six figure
salaries. It wasn’t to profit off the message of eternal life which was given
to humanity for free. It wasn’t to start Christian banking institutions so that
they could charge interest to fellow saints. It wasn’t to build large buildings
and all the accessories that go to maintain them. It wasn’t to put on elaborate
stage shows or massive holiday displays. The collection of money from the
saints in the NT was to meet the needs of the saints. Do we see this in the
church today? Yes but it is a minuscule part of the giving.
[13] Our desire
is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there
might be equality. [14] At the present time your plenty will supply what
they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there
will be equality, [15] as it is written: “He who gathered much did not
have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.” – 2 Cor.
8:13-15
Today we have this hierarchical system in the local churches
where the senior pastor tells the congregants whether poor or rich to tithe,
because it’s God’s will. Without exception every church I’ve been in on a
Sunday service, there was a call coming from the stage to prepare for the
giving of our tithe and offerings. In
the meantime, that pastor stands in line for the next iPhone and people in his
church stand in line for food stamps. But
they still need to tithe because God has commanded it and to be a really
obedient Christian you will do this so that your communication line to God won’t
be clogged and you become an ineffective Christian. Remember the widow’s mite,
they preach it to justify their non-new testament expectation of those that
follow Jesus and the writings of the New Testament to tithe.
The story of the widows
two copper coins was not about tithing. As a matter of fact, the word ‘tithe’
isn’t even used in the story. It was an illustration Jesus was using to teach
us that a citizen in the kingdom of God should put their very existence in God’s
hands. It’s easy to give God our thought life. You know that thing we call “correct
doctrinal understanding”. We convince ourselves that if we understand what God
wants and declare I believe that in my heart, it somehow gives us a pass so we
really don’t have to go and sell everything we have and give it to the poor and
really follow Jesus. Could you imagine if every follower of Jesus really did
this. We would have to get along if not just to survive. Sin would be less of
an issue in the church because we would suffer. We really would know what
effective prayer is. You know how we sometimes make that event in our life about
money or possessions a total God thing when it really was a flesh thing,
however, we label it a God thing so we can feel better about ourselves and fit
in with the other Christians. They in turn encourage you in this delusion. I’ve
been there and done that.
What would it be like if we were in this sermon on the mount
environment? We would see God feeding us like he does the birds. Would that be
enough for us? Must we have more?
We would see our sandals never wearing out. Would that be
enough for us? Or must we have more?
We would always have water to drink. Would that be enough
for us? Must we have more?
I can imagine it but the world has gotten a tremendous
foothold in the churches across the USA today. My concern is the echo of Jesus
words about when He return. “Will he find faith on the earth?” When I’m confronted with the truth of Jesus
statement, I immediately go to “Thank God for His grace!” Now Do I say this as
an escape hatch to justify not changing? If I get enough people to think this way,
I’ll feel even more justified in not changing. Is this a way the devil gets a
foothold into the body of Christ? However, if I was sincere change would be a
part of my life style. Would it look like what we see in the NT? It’s hard to
do alone.
Now that we have these churches amassing great wealth we began
to justify killing people to protect this thing that God finds detestable, especially
when it diminishes Jesus and the message of the gospel of the kingdom of God. What causes fights and quarrels among you?
Don't they come from your desires that battle* within you? [2] You want
something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you
want. You quarrel and fight. – James
4:1-2 When Jesus says give even more to the person that wants to rob you. He
means it. However, Since the nation I live in says I can, the church leaders like
their wealth so they play mental gymnastics with God’s word, now I know that’s not
what Jesus really meant because in the first century they did things different.
Therefore, I can take up arms and kill that intruder and be justified.
People still stole back then as they do now. Killing others
in self-defense was justify in the nations of that time. Remember Jesus said that He wanted your very life. [28] He replied, “Blessed rather are
those who hear the word of God and obey it.” - Luke 11:28 (NIV) It’s a
requirement to be a citizen of His Kingdom, which is not of this earth. If your
death meant the salvation of your robber or killer, would their eternal life be
less valuable then your material possessions, your loved one’s or even your
physical life? Will he find faith on the earth?
[26] “If anyone
comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his
brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. - Luke
14:26 (NIV)
[37] “Anyone who
loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves
his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; - Matthew 10:37 (NIV)
[30] “He who is
not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. - Matthew
12:30 (NIV)
It just seems like a numbers game with the way evangelism is
done in order to get more bodies in the church seats. People are invited to a “Billy Graham” type of event. The altar call is given. People respond. People are asked
to give a sinners’ prayer and mean it and then they’re saved. They go home
saved, supposedly. I can’t remember ever witnessing someone (me included) being
lead to the Lord and not once did I here that part of the gospel of the kingdom
of God were someone spelled out the cost. I volunteered at a Graham crusade. My
job was to lead respondents in the sinner prayer. In my preparation for this
event no one told me to make sure the individuals praying understood the cost of
becoming a citizen of His Kingdom, as Jesus spelled it out.
[28] “Suppose
one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the
cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? - Luke 14:28 (NIV)
The gospel of the kingdom of God, that Jesus preached from
the beginning and the apostle carried on, has become the gospel of the
individual plan of salvation. There is a plan of salvation however it’s just
one part of the gospel of the kingdom of God. What is left out is the cost. The
institutionalized religion that is done in the name of Jesus has failed to show
people the whole contract. People are signing on without really knowing what it
will cost them. The individual plan of salvation is the beginning. It’s the
entry point into becoming a citizen of the kingdom of God. But the individual
plan of salvation without the cost is no plan of salvation at all. Since Jesus
didn’t leave it out why do we think we can? It’s probably the reason for the
sin that’s so rampant in the church today. Just ask a pastor. It’s probably the
reason for the false doctrines we see today, that have invaded the body of
Christ. No one is telling the truth about the cost therefore people are just at
the doorway for most of their walk before they fall away or they just put on a
facade. There are a tremendous amount of unfinished building dotting the
landscape in the evangelical world of the USA.
This is the result of people being seen as a source, which in
turn dehumanizes them, therefore their eternal well-being becomes secondary.
When we dehumanize fellow brothers and sisters in Christ it becomes easier to adopt
the ways of the world. Which tells us it’s ok to kill them in order to protect
your possession, family, country and your life. All for the things of this
world. Jesus said, “I am not of this
world.”
The institutionalized religion done in Jesus name has taken
the New Covenant has adopted the Old Covenants ways. The New Covenant has become the individuals plan of salvation instead of the gospel of the Kingdom of God and all that it entails. We reflect a clouded
gospel message. We’ve adopted the ways of the world. Will he find faith on the
earth?
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