Where is the REAL church?

Maybe that sounds like a strange question, but to many of us it is not.

To those who run off to the conferences of the famous 'televangelists' or the 'big-name' spiritual leaders of today, such a question seems utterly pointless. They are convinced that they are the real 'church' and all who disagree with them or their spiritual 'heroes', are outside and completely unsaved.

To others, who are just not into the charismania and extremities of the prosperity and personal achievement  'gospel', anyone who does not conform to their particular creeds and dogmatic doctrines are also outside of true faith. Their bigotry and insistence of ritual and liturgies excludes anyone who does not fit neatly into their dogmas and boring sanitized forms of 'worship', so-called.

Then there are other congregations who spend most of their time in 'social' activities and entertainment programmes to attract a larger crowd and keep its members happy and all-inclusive. Numbers are more important than godliness or forsaking the world.
You can go to noisy churches where people are expected to keep repeating phrases and responding with, 'Amen!', and ''Praise the Lord!' just out of habit and the insistence of the screaming 'prophetess' or 'bishop' on the platform. Clothes, money, and the car you drive are more important than truth. Residency visas and better jobs top the list for success, long, long before loving and reaching out to the unconverted.

So, throughout all of the differing denominations and sects of 'Christianity', which one is the real one, or even the right one? 

Somebody asked for prayer today for a spinal problem which requires an urgent operation. They were invited to come to church. Their response was so telling. They said, "No thank you! Church people are too judgmental. I just need some prayer, if you don't mind."

The answer they gave revealed a lot about how non-church-goers see the church at large; and they are quite right. Hundreds of thousands of individuals in this country once attended church, but left after being treated quite awfully through criticism, gossip, accusation, slander and downright hatred. The response of the minister or others in the church was, "Well, they were not really saved."

Actually, it was probably the pastor or the congregation that were not truly converted. 

Many a minister in this country is completely outside of Christ, even though they know all the doctrines and sit on committees, and even chair religious organizations and 'ministries'. They claim to be 'men of God' and get admired by those who cannot discern between a potato and a carrot! They prance around in their arrogance and pride, looking down on anyone who threatens their position or who knows the truth about their true nature. They seem to think that God is just like them, and that they are righteous and untouchable. 

Let them be, for one of these days they will encounter the righteous judgement of God: and shame and shock shall grip their soul as God pronounces that He never knew them.

Where then is the real church? It is not in the ritual or the creed. It is not in the performers or music band prancing and dancing across the stage. It is not in the television idolised prophets of increase and 'name-it-claim it' sweaty preachers. It is not in the, 'We are doctrinally right' churches who actually believe that they somehow have superior interpretations than anyone else.

The real church is out there in the real world, fighting the powers of darkness, loving those who need help and encouragement, supporting the lonely and struggling, and talking of their greatest friend in all the world, Jesus. The 'religious' lot despise them and mock them. They hurl accusation and slander at them out of jealous and nasty spirits. They talk of them as heretics and deceivers, but the only heresies are in the pulpit and in the blind who know not God. Oh, these critics know a lot about God and the Bible; they know the hymns and the prayers, the liturgy and the statements of faith, but they never ever walked with Jesus in personal friendship and intimacy of worship. They have a 'form of godliness', but know nothing about the reality and power of it. They are walking statues with no life, no love, no Spirit of the living God within.

The real church is not what you see when you go to the local assembly or meeting place on Sunday mornings. That is a net of mixed up fish, some nice-looking and attractive, and others downright poisonous.
The real church is like the wind. It cannot be contained in a pew or a cathedral. It is never static or frozen in habit or practise, but is a living movement of sold-out believers who have forsaken all to follow Christ. They have new hearts and ready minds to do what the Lord has called them to do in preaching the gospel to the poor, and loving one another just as Christ loves them. The Bible says that they are like the wind: you cannot tell where they come from, nor where they will go next. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.  John 3:8

The real church is a radical and militant group of disciples of Jesus who are utterly committed to Him and his cause. They have forsaken the world and its side-attractions, and have made a choice to live for him only. Their voice belongs to him, as do their talents and giftings. They have surrendered their will to Him and seek to do his bidding. They are not 'perfect' or sinless, but God is first in their lives and He is the reason for their living. They are different to everyone else and live uncompromising lives because of their love to God. They are committed with all of their souls to spreading the truth of the gospel wherever and however they can. The unspiritual cannot figure them out, neither discern the motives and driving-force in their thinking and purpose.

And there are not so many of them as you might think, for 'strait (restricted) is the gate, and narrow (thwart with difficulties) is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it.' Matthew 7:14
The seed is scattered across the field, and some falls upon stony ground where it shoots up quickly, but then withers away as the sun gets too warm and it cannot stand up to the challenges of total commitment, especially when trials, troubles, and oppositions arise. 

Other seed falls into ground where weeds grow up with it and strangle the growth, and it begins to be overtaken with the cares of this life and the attractions of an ungodly world. The appeal of carnal desires and worldly acceptance outweighs the call of Christ to a kingdom that is invisible and that offers no fame or fortune in this world. They would sooner play in the dance-bands with the unrighteous music of this age, than seek the face of God.

Yet more seed falls onto the well-trodden path of the social 'church-goer' and half-hearted professor of faith. The devil's agents soon swoop down and steal any aspiring passion and love of new-found trust and belief. The crows of sarcasm and pretence steal away the heart before Christ can reign completely. Such are lost, seemingly before they are found.

Oh, they may still go to church and look very pious, and they may still do good things, but they do not know Christ, for they do not forsake all to follow him. 

They may play in the music group and even be worship leader, but they have not the intimate knowledge of the Holy One. 
Churches of all denominations and persuasions are filled with all sorts of 'followers', but this does not make them the real church, i.e. the true followers of God and his kingdom.

They may claim to be members and dedicated supporters, but they have never entered into the kingdom of God through a real supernatural encounter with the Lord that transformed them out of the kingdom of darkness and brought them into the knowledge of God. They may know a whole lot about him, but they do not know where he is or how to reach him. They live their lives the same as everyone else in the world, but they call themselves 'Christians'. 

Multitudes flocked around Jesus and followed his miraculous trail; but very few actually knew him or endured to the end.

The real church is often outside of the walls of the fancy buildings claiming to be 'God's house' or 'The Revival Centre'. Most of them are not wanted, or rejected as being too intense, or 'out of touch'.

Nothing has changed in thousands of years in this respect.

To find the real church, look for someone who loves God more than they do themselves; who has forsaken the world and is living a life utterly sold out to Christ Jesus, looking for His kingdom to rule in this world and for his return in power to this planet. Football and non-Christian music is not what inspires them or occupies their daily thinking. They know God, and all of their energies and perspective is to see his kingdom come and his will to be done on earth.

JGM 2019         Telling it like it is

JGM 2019     Telling it like it is