I have asked myself the question, and now I ask you, what will the Church look like twenty years from now? The Church is full of wonderful people. Many are full of love for the Lord and full of good intentions. But many are also misguided by leadership pushing their own agendas. Many of these leaders are totally convinced they are on the right track.
When the Church hits the headlines nowadays, it is not to report some great revival or miraculous healing. It is to point out the next case of pedophilia, or empire building, or the next instance of money grabbing under the guise of philanthropy. The foundation of the Gospel - the very reason why we need salvation - has been compromised by so many of our leaders, who are afraid of looking ‘silly’ in the eyes of the world, afraid of confessing they believe the Bible when God says He created the universe in six days, six thousand years ago. Now many aren’t afraid anymore. Because they don’t believe it anymore. As a result, the Gospel message is foundering, reduced to a philosophical crutch for the weak minded.
So do I go to a church where the Spirit has been banished by unbelief? Or do I go to the one where I must have my Visa card ready?
What will happen if this trend is allowed to continue? In twenty years we could have massive ‘churches’, paid for on our credit cards. Where the only ‘miracles’ of healing are also paid for on our credit cards and converts are made by the promise of easy wealth. Where the power of money has replaced the power of the Holy Spirit. And all the members of the congregation will be paying off a minimum of three investment properties each. The other churches will be so short of takers, they won’t be able to finance the upkeep and overheads, and could be forced to sell up.
So what do we do to stop the rot?
I’ll repeat my Mission Statement here, because it says it all very succinctly:
This is a call to all Christians to come back to the plain Gospel as proclaimed by Jesus Himself, so we can work together and in real-time relationship with the Holy Spirit, to prepare a Bride worthy of Him, ready, without spot or wrinkle, when He comes.
They say 10% of people are leaders. The rest are sheep. I believe Jesus, when He says we should call only one person leader and teacher (Matt.23:9-10), and that is He Himself. That doesn’t mean there is no place for ‘leaders’. But it does mean that we all have the ability and responsibility to seek the Lord’s will, individually. We all must start thinking for ourselves, instead of willy nilly following some guru.That’s why the Lord gave us a brain. It is not a bad thing to have differences of opinion. It is healthy and keeps us from straying too far off the beaten track.
I am greatly encouraged, finding many Christians on the net who are crying out that the state of the Church just isn’t good enough anymore. More and more are refusing to compromise. Many don’t attend an official church anymore, meeting their need for fellowship in family homes. You know, the Gospel message really isn’t all that difficult to understand. All you have to do is believe what Jesus said, and not corrupt it with your own likes and dislikes.
Watershed
I see a Church in twenty years time, where all Christians have entered into a spiritual reality so overwhelming, that personal agendas will no longer be a temptation. The presence of God will be so evident, we wouldn’t dream of doing anything other than His will. It has been assigned to us to conform to His will. May His will be done!
I believe the Church is reaching a watershed moment in history, where sitting on the fence is no longer an option. We cannot continue in the gray zone. As it says in Revelation, the Spirit inside all of us is calling: ‘Come out of her my people!’ and ‘Come Lord Jesus, Come!’.
The body of Christ here on earth is ready for revival. In fact, it desperately needsrevival, but revival so intense and powerful, that His voice will no longer be muffled in a wilderness of noise. Revival, where oneness of mind and purpose is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, not the fruit of brainwashing or mind manipulation by some preacher. Revival, where, in total freedom, we choose to enslave ourselves to the Holy Spirit, thereby allowing Jesus to live through us.
God has expressed Himself as the Father . He has expressed Himself as Jesus Christ the Son and Creator. He now seeks to express Himself through the most challenging of mediums: the multi-membered body of Christ here on earth. This is something He refuses to do by force. It requires our full and willing cooperation. It requires us to take up our cross daily.
So what comes in between now and then?
That is the most incredible adventure!! This web site is all about starting a new journey, with only a vague idea of the destination. But we all need each other to make it there. I’m throwing out this challenge:
Come on, all of you. Let’s DO it. Let’s seek the Lord together. Let’s throw off the shackles of heresy and false doctrine and of selfish motivations. And let’s get ready for His return!
And just because I have this web site, doesn’t mean I have ambitions to be your leader. In fact, as I said earlier, that goes against everything I want to get across. This move doesn’t need any leader, other than Jesus Himself.
I am just one voice.
I want to hear all of us shout out together!