CHAPTER 1
THE CHURCH ON PURPOSE
"But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).
The principles and purpose of the church has remained the same since Christ founded it 2000 years ago, but the methodology for achieving that purpose has changed throughout the generations. A church is effective so long as it single-mindedly pursues the purpose God has ordained for it. That is, proclaiming the gospel audibly, and living Christ-like lives together in local congregations making the gospel visible (see John 13:34-35). However, methodology [the how-to] must change and adept to the relevancy of the times and environment without compromise.
While a very noticeable cloud of despair has settled over the non-Christian world, due to the failure of mankind's idol-gods, a vacuum is left ready for the gospel of Christ to fill. It is a time of great opportunity for the Church of the Living God; whenever and wherever foundations are shaken doors open unexpectedly. Depending on who is talking; today is perhaps the greatest opportunity since its founding, for the church to shine not inside the four walls – but outside in the streets and marketplace where it was birthed.
The authority of Christ compels Christians individually and corporately to study the Bible's teaching on the church. So many congregations act as if the Bible comprises only the four gospels and the Book of Revelation and therefore they reject the Old Testament, the Book of Acts and the General and Pauline Epistles as irrelevant Church History.
ITS TIME TO WAKE UP
The church in America has been compared to a rich sleeping giant with great and powerful potential. This conclusion has been reached in view of church history. However, the church around the world has proven to be resilient and tough throughout the centuries. Notice the stand made by the Coptic Christians in Egypt, and other parts of the Middle East. God is still the Pilot! Due to the present crisis of decline many Christian communities have produced through prayerful innovation, some new models, while remaining spiritual and doctrinally pure.
Remember, the church is to make Jesus visible to the world, and particularly individual Christians in their areas of influence to include family, community and the marketplace. How? The same way Jesus made God the Father visible by being full of grace and truth. Therefore the Church is called and empowered to make the ascended Christ visible in the world today by being absolutely full of grace and truth. The apostle Paul says,
"God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages now and forever He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:6-9).
That is, God has poured out His grace on us in order that we might, in turn, be demonstrators of His grace to others. In other words, when people see God's grace in us, they will see Jesus in us [Christlikeness], just like people saw God in the fullness of Jesus' grace. As the body of Christ, the universal recipients of God's grace, we visibly represent the work and person of Jesus to the world. The glory of God is seen both in the person of the Son and in the collective witness of the church! This is the authentic Christian Church, the body of Christ. I say again, Christlikeness is the ultimate goal of God's redemptive plan for every born again Christian – and nothing less. Emphasis added.
The expectations of Christ for the local churches and individuals who have bowed to the new pseudo-progressive religious Christianity by compromise are impossible to complete. Such churches on many moral issues have assimilated the culture's secular worldview. People are getting sick and tired of deceptive sugar substitutes. They are looking for the real thing!
Church leadership must be ever mindful that wrong ecclesiastical teaching and practices result in:
• the loss of the fear of God
• the Bible is no longer center
• they no longer discern the will of God
• unless revival comes – soon they lose the gospel
• they are standing on the wrong foundation
As the tides are changing more and more people are seeking an authentic Biblical and Christ-centered spiritual life. As the numbers grow daily, millions of people are not finding the kind of spiritual vitality in the local churches today that Jesus described. People want the simple, powerful, transformation evidently found in the New Testament.
The higher echelons of the various denominations' causes are loosing support at the local grassroots levels because too many of their causes are just plain materially and secularly oriented. The local churches and more specifically individual Christians are the focal point of the kingdom of God – what happens at their level is ultimately important. Certainly God's will, should spearhead all thoughts and actions concerning any process of change, but we must keep in mind the fact that God has made human beings active agents in these spiritual matters.
As for conditions of change under human control – the outcomes vary. The influence of God or Satan on the matter is dependent upon the variableness of human spirituality and interaction. Without revival of the Christ-centered authority and worship all efforts are our own and fruitless. Today many local churches are drifting into currents of pragmatism, assuming that the immediate response of non-Christians is the key indicator of success. Blindly they can't see that:
• Christianity is being very rapidly disowned in the culture at large.
• Evangelism is characterized as intolerant.
• Portions of biblical doctrine are classified as "hate speech."
• More and more congregations are conforming to the culture, which if not...
