The end of the church as we know it
The end of the church as we know it: The church as envisioned by the first century apostles is long gone, signalling the end of this dispensation
As I look back on my life as a Christian believer, with 32 years completed since my rebirth and joining the body of Christ, the church, I am stunned by the demise I am seeing every day. What was meant to be the bride (the church), waiting for the revelation of the bridegroom (Jesus Christ at His Coming for the church), has for the most part turned into a public spectacle filled with scandal, self-enrichment, and not at all what it should be. Let me explain by starting with Jesus’ vision of the church:
18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. – Matthew 16:18
With these words, Jesus told Peter that he would be the starting point of the church, and that He, Jesus, would build His church on this foundation. He also stressed that it would not succumb to the attacks of the devil. After His ascension, the Holy Spirit was poured out during Pentecost, and the church started operating:
1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. – Acts 2:1-4
Empowered with the Holy Spirit, Peter, the one who once denied Jesus and could not stand up against a simple servant (Mark 14:66-72), boldly preached the gospel:
14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; – Acts 2:14-16
His preaching had an immediate effect:
37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? 38And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him. 40And with many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation. 41They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls. 42And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers. – Acts 2:37-42
This was the start of the true church, but it required the power of the Holy Spirit to make it effective. From here on, we read about how the church was formed, organised, and spread, driven by the persecution that followed. It was clear that the devil would do everything to stamp out the spreading of the name of Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection. Where did things start to go wrong then?
However, it did not take long for false doctrine to infiltrate the church, and opposition to try and eliminate this new movement. Here are some examples: the first open resistance (Acts 4:1-21); the first instance of money and the misuse thereof (Acts 5:1-10); imprisonment (Acts 5:18); false accusations (Acts 6:11-14); the first martyr (Acts 7:1-60); mass persecution (Acts 8:1; Acts 9:1-2); and murdering key figures in the church (Acts 12:1-2). Yet, when we read all these accounts as one narrative, we see how Jesus Himself ensured that the church remained, and grew, despite the opposition. Every time there was persecution, the power of the Holy Spirit lifted men to do even greater things.
What about the modern church?
You may be wondering how this ties up with the demise of the church of today, which in many cases is a fake church with preaching from hell mentioned in the heading. Paul emphasises this in the two letters to his protégé, Timothy. In his first letter to Timothy, we read:
1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; – 1 Timothy 4:1
He was writing about a time when Timothy would be a pastor, when these things would start to happen, and that it would continue and become worse. We see this in our day. “Some”, especially leaders of massive churches (megachurches), no longer teach a gospel of the sin of man and the need for repentance, which is the central theme of the Bible. Instead, the focus is on themselves and the massive amounts of money they make. The preaching of the true gospel has given way to delivering speeches that elevate the speaker, backed up by laser shows and performers who are no different, and probably even worse, than anything a drug-laced rock concert can produce. Megachurches are not interested in seeing you saved; they want your money. Money makes their business model work. We see them being run as companies and corporate entities, backed by secular financing, with “pastors” earning millions. They do not even hide their wealth, but instead flaunt it. They have become victims of the seducing spirits and doctrines of demons.
Paul follows this up in his second letter to Timothy. He warns him again:
1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. – 2 Timothy 3:1-5
If Paul tells Timothy to turn away from such people, then it applies to us as well. The sad thing is that many ordinary Christians have been ensnared by false teachers who have a form of godliness, but there is no life changing power in their teaching. Thus, those who were meant to hear the gospel of salvation, and come to a new life in Jesus Christ, remain unchanged, and are lost. The modern church is neatly summarised by Jesus Himself in Revelation:
15I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. – Revelation 3:15-17
He instructs John to write to the church in Laodicea that they are lukewarm and as such fit no purpose – too warm to drink, too cold to bath in. They also boast that they are rich, have accumulated wealth, and need nothing. Just watch online material about how things operate in our megachurches, and you will see the quoted text in action. Modern day people, even “church goers”, are so focused on the accumulation of wealth, that they are oblivious to the deception, and are spiritually miserable (the Word of God is not taught, so they are fed poison); poor (for a lack of spiritual gifts); blind (they do not see the false teaching and deception); and naked (they are without wedding robes – Matthew 22:12).
Does the Head of the church, Jesus, leave us alone in this situation? Fortunately for us, He warns us to get out of this situation, through the instruction of an angel:
4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 5For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. – Revelation 18:4
Babylon mentioned in Revelation 18 represents the world we live in today, including the church, and the warning is to get out of it. If you are caught up in the snare of a megachurch, where the emphasis is on the preacher, not Jesus; on getting money, not on giving the true gospel of repentance; and on a show, not the holy presence of God, then get out. The instruction is clear: if you stay, you become like them and are guilty of their sins, and you will reap the reward – the plagues. God is aware of their sins. Word of it spread quickly and it has reached heaven, God’s domain, where He remembers their sins. Confessed sin is forgiven, and cast away (Psalm 103:12) but unconfessed sin remains in God’s thoughts.
Conclusion
Maybe you need to sit down and look at your spiritual budget. Where have you spent effort (and money) with no reward whatsoever? Are you in a “megachurch” where the focus is on the person in the spotlight; the one who wears the fancy clothes and expensive watch; drives an equally fancy car; or even worse, is chauffeured to the church and whisked away afterwards? Does your pastor own a multimillion-dollar home, and has his own private jet? Does his riches come at the expense of your soul? What did you take from the last sermon, with dazzling laser shows and extravagant performing artists, except sore eyes and deaf ears? Get out. Now. Go and find a church where the pastor upholds the qualities Paul gives to Timothy (1 Timothy 3:2-7), and the church leaders follow suit (1 Timothy 3:8-13).
The church you find may not be the one where the local traffic department regulates the traffic to allow attendees to find parking. In fact, you may find lots of available parking slots. The church you find may not have a wealthy pastor who appears on national television every week, promoting his latest best-selling book. Yet he may be the one who is controlled by the Holy Spirit and preaches repentance of sin, and righteous living. This is God’s purpose for the church, that we repent of our sins, be in good standing with Him, and live holy lives. How should it be? I believe the the house church represents it very well.
We are close to the end of the church age and as the various writers, and Jesus Himself, have warned us, the church has been infiltrated by sin. You must be ready. When He appears to take us away, then you will be clothed with a permanent, new robe, that is as pure as His. The church will not be overcome by darkness but the Light of the world, Jesus, will triumph.