No Real Church Yet

This is going to hurt a lot of church people. But it's not intended that way. I just want to make people see that we are too far from hitting God's goal for the church. As thus, there's no "church" yet, in the real sense of the term, the way God presents church in the bible. [Image above from 123RF].

What we have for years now (no, for centuries now) are mere ministry organizations or corporations. Church denominations at best. Denominations are certain bible-wielding groups of people who decided to bind themselves together because they do not believe everything in the bible. They believe only portions, and they decided to take these portions and make a doctrine out of them. Those who join them agree with the doctrine they created and make up the organization.

That's not a church. It's a religious organization.

Church is God's family that wholeheartedly believes everything in the bible. They do not choose what to believe and then form a separate doctrine and denomination out of that. They take seriously all the teachings in the bible, Old and New Testaments. So far, there hasn't been any church like that after the Acts church. Since religious groups started forming their own denominations, true church ceased to exist after Acts. Of course, many smart theologians and church historians will contest this, but it's the truth. And you'd acknowledge it if you're honest and in the present move of God..

But don't worry, what godly men achieved in the past are all counted in the Kingdom, not as a denominational but individual effort. Specifically, ministries they did wholeheartedly and sincerely for God and not for their denominations are all counted in the Kingdom. God sees our hearts. But things people did which God found to have been done for the sake of their denominations alone, are disregarded. They did it for their idol.

Wholeheartedly for God or for their denomination, the good thing is that the Gospel was preached.

15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. [Philippians 1]

But this does not mean God is happy with those who do it out of "envy and rivalry." They will answer for it. And Jesus said "Every plant my Father has not planted will be pulled out by the roots. Leave them, they are blind guides." Ministries purely for the sake of denominationalism (preaching Christ "out of selfish ambition") do not count because they will be pulled out by the roots.

And yet, God often uses his Word released from denominational preaching and teaching to fulfill his will (because the Word he releases will not return to Him void) and reach souls for salvation. After all, it is His Word. It's something like how he used King Cyrus for rebuilding his temple or King Xerxes for protecting the Jews in Persia. But this did not mean that Cyrus and Xerxes pleased God and were rewarded. They were simply tools and means God used.

And God wanted the Israelites out of Persia and back to Jerusalem, not stay in Persia forever. The same with souls who received Jesus through denominational ministries. If they stay in the denomination they risk getting rotten and useless. Remember, Ishmael, though also Abraham's son, didn't have any part in the inheritance. Only Isaac who was born of the promise.

Sadly, a lot of ministers work hard out of loyalty and devotion to their denominations to the extent that they hate anything done for the Kingdom without knowing it. If you tell them you do things for the body of Christ and not for their denomination they sneer at you. I was once questioned about my loyalty to the denomination I used to belong to when I exposed myself to the body of Christ. Doing things for God that are outside the bounds of the denomination is not betrayal. But to them it was. You shouldn't do anything that does not benefit their denomination. They care nothing about the body of Christ. To them it doesn't exist. Or rather, they are the only body of Christ.

If you are like that, anything you do---your ministry hard work and achievements---all go down the drain as far as God is concerned. You and your ilk will be pulled out by the roots. Why should he reward you for what you do for your god?

Jesus' warning cannot be simply disregarded or taken lightly:

“Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” [Matt.15.13]

Some versions (Berean Study Bible) says "disregard them." To Jesus, they are disregarded. No church denomination should expect to be recognized or rewarded in heaven. But by God's grace, individuals who did ministry while being aware they were doing it to further God's glory, Kingdom and the Jesus glorious church will be amply rewarded, even if they belonged to a denomination. My basis? Simply this...

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. [1 Cor. 15.58]

Nothing moves them except "fully" giving themselves to the genuine work of the Lord. What's the genuine work? Building God's Kingdom on earth alone. Their labor is not in vain.

Denomination stands against everything that the one glorious church of Jesus Christ is. Jesus prayed for complete unity, denominations totally separate believers. Jesus said all believers worldwide should love one another (the same love the Father has for the Son). Denominations love only the members of their denomination. The bible says there's a perfect church---the glorious church of Jesus Christ which is without spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Denominations say there is no perfect church, so don't look for one.

Jesus said he is the only Savior and there's no way to the Father except through him. Denominations feel (and sometimes declare) that joining them makes salvation surer and better than when joining other church denominations. In fact, a lot of them do not consider you saved or Christian if you do not belong to their denomination, born-again or otherwise. So, in effect, they teach that their denomination (and Jesus) is the way to the Father.

Worst of all, denominational people worship their denominations as gods. They offer sacrifices to it, to make it proliferate and become known, in the guise of spreading the Gospel. I've seen how they work hard and sacrifice a lot to have their church buildings built and denominational membership increase. They pour huge money to make their buildings attractive and comfortable. Their church buildings are actually idols they bow down to, though they don't have statues or images inside.

Thus, if you're going to be honest about it, there's no real church yet. The "churches" we see around us are men's church organizations, a mere figment of their imagination. Their invention. Their little projects. They want it to grow and spread using God's Word. But someday soon, God will pull them by the roots. In fact, we see that beginning to happen these end times. Many mainstream churches are failing. Many of them are desperate to save themselves and would do anything just to regain their former glory.

It's their own glory they work for, not God's glory.

When the Jerusalem temple became idolatrous, God destroyed it. Then he showed Ezekiel a new temple from where living water flowed from and gave life to everything dead. It would happen to both the Jerusalem temple and the church in these last days, because God's temple is the church (the church is the body of Christ and we are the temple of the Holy Spirit).

All men's churches today will fail because God will destroy them as he destroyed the Babel tower by confusing its builders. Once builders reject the stone that has become the Capstone, everything collapses. These "builders" will see God's strange work in these last days (their human theology and doctrines will blind them and cause them to misunderstand God's strange work) and be utterly confounded. They will see it but not partake of it.

When everything is destroyed, God will start rebuilding from what Jesus started, continuing his glorious church where he left off in the Acts of the Holy Spirit. Denominational churches took out a lot from God's Word and sought to establish churches on their own. For centuries, they've been telling believers what worked and didn't work anymore in the bible. They declared certain portions of the bible null and void and replaced them with their own teachings.

For instance, they say apostles and prophets are not applicable anymore. They replaced them instead with missionaries and mission directors and what-have-you, religious leaders who do not operate in signs and wonders but in mans' ways and systems. In some churches they claim to have apostles and prophets, but what they do today is merely form their own "affiliations" which is just another word for denominations. 

They're also not completely united. They form their own affiliations and see other affiliations as that---"other affiliations"---if not counterfeits or their competition. Unless you join them, you're not considered as one of them. They see you as separate. Sometimes, they also discriminate, just like denominations do. This is NOT Jesus' glorious church. This is another form of churches invented by men.

In God's WORD, we are all one body. All over the world, all churches and believers are one flesh in Christ. We should start acting like it because this one body (one flesh) in Christ is a major part of the Great Church Revival the Holy Spirit will fulfill in these end times. Jesus said the Elijahic spirit (the power that the Holy Spirit manifested in Elijah's life) will restore all things [Matt. 17.11]

Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things."

John the baptizer already came in that spirit, but Jesus speaks of another future event when the Elijahic move of the Holy Spirit "will restore all things." The word "will" is in the future tense. The Book of Acts confirms this:

Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. [Acts 3.21]

Continued here...

Present MOVE: Seeing the UNSEEN in real time.