Churchianity Or Christianity : Which Do You Practice? : Part 2

CHURCHIANITY OR CHRISTIANITY : WHICH DO YOU PRACTICE? : PART 2

Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Net

Last Updated : July 23, 2006

Lack Of Fellowship And Condemnation, Persecution Of God's
Servants, Threat Of Home Fellowships, Stamping Out The
Opposition, God Will Empower You, God Not Impressed With
Numbers, Use The Tools We Have Provided, Rivers Of Living
Water, Look To The Word And Divine Inspiration, Spiritual
And Physical Unity, Women Are To Submit To Their Husbands,
United Prayer Is The Answer, Test Of Love, Faith, Patience
Respect And Humility, Trust The Lord For The Outcome, The
Alternatives, Essence Of Being A True Christian, Fruitful
Branches And Bride Of Christ, Concluding Remarks

Returning to the couple which inspired this article, as I
stated earlier, if they are not happy in their church, then
perhaps they should consider establishing their own home
fellowship with people with whom they feel a kindred spirit.
Who knows; they might be pleasantly surprised to discover
that some of the others who also left their church, might be
interested in coming to their home, or wherever it might be
convenient, in order to have some real fellowship in the
Spirit, where they can share the Word together, have prayer
and counsel, perhaps share a potluck dinner, or whatever the
Lord leads them to do.

Now, suppose that rather than deciding to start their own
fellowship, this couple chooses to look for another church
where they feel comfortable, but it takes a while for them
to find a good quality church where the true Word of God is
preached; so that they are left out of fellowship for a
while? Or suppose that they do decide to start their own
home fellowship, but it takes a while to find other people
who are interested, and who share their same vision? Should
they feel condemned due to this lack of fellowship?

Well, if we accept the words of certain church pastors and
preachers, yes, they would feel very condemned. In fact,
they might even be led to believe that God is going to
strike them dead if they don't get back in church real
quick! Now, I realize that I am being overly dramatic, but
it is to emphasize a certain point; and that is that some
spiritual leaders are experts when it comes to exerting
control over their flocks, and making them feel like they
are totally backslidden if they fail to attend church
services for a week or two. They simply don't like their
members gaining spiritual freedom, and escaping from their
grasp. Not only does it make them look bad when folks start
leaving their church in droves, as seems to be the case in
this couple's church where three quarters of the original
congregation has already left, but it hurts them financially
as well; and that is probably what raises their ire the
most. The smaller their flock, the less they have to fleece.

As some of you already know, I have not been a regular
church member in about thirty years. Based upon what is
taught by some of these church leaders, I must be totally
backslidden from the faith, and an absolute sinner of the
worst kind. Oddly enough, I do not feel this way at all. In
fact, while I live a very simple life, with only my basic
necessities being met, plus the tools I need to carry on
this ministry, in a spiritual sense, I feel that I have been
greatly blessed by the Lord. Not only has He been faithful
to provide our daily needs, but He has also provided me with
a knowledge and understanding of His Word which I honestly
don't believe I could have acquired, had I remained a part
of organized religion; because their entire objective, is to
teach the Word of God from a perspective which will justify
everything that they do; while at the same time condemning
those who do not go along with their program of control and
indoctrination.

If we study the Bible closely, we discover that many of the
Prophets and servants of the Lord were in fact loners who
were rejected by the religious order of their day. They were
social outcasts who were ridiculed, verbally warned, accused
of committing treason, said to be liars, described as being
crazy or demon-possessed, thrown into prison, tortured in a
variety of ways, thrown out of town, and quite often killed,
by the very ones who claimed to be the religion established
by God. Didn't Jesus and the Apostle Paul even say the
following concerning the future of the true church:

"They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time
cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth
God service." John 16:2, KJV

"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall
suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12, KJV

As in the classic example of the Apostle Paul, Jesus is
clearly stating that the very ones who claim to be members
of the religion of God, would persecute and kill the true
followers of the Lord; thinking all the while that they were
obeying the Lord by committing such heinous acts! That being
the case, if you are one who decides that you have the faith
to start your own home fellowship, and if you are successful
at it, don't be surprised if you are suddenly faced with
some opposition from your local church leaders, who are
afraid you might draw away members from their flocks. The
false Jewish leadership of old was concerned with the very
same thing; and thus it was that they not only eventually
succeeded in killing Jesus, but they also repeatedly warned
the First Apostles to stop their preaching as well. This
they did verbally, and physically, by beating them, and
throwing them into prison on a number of occasions, as we
see by these example verses:

"Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a
council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many
miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on
him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place
and nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high
priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at
all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man
should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish
not." John 11:47-50, KJV

"But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the
council, they conferred among themselves, Saying, What shall
we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath
been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in
Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no
further among the people, let us straitly threaten them,
that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they
called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor
teach in the name of Jesus." Acts 4:15-18, KJV

"Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with
him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled
with indignation, And laid their hands on the apostles, and
put them in the common prison." Acts 5:17-18, KJV

"Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them
without violence: for they feared the people, lest they
should have been stoned. And when they had brought them,
they set them before the council: and the high priest asked
them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should
not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled
Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's
blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered
and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."
Acts 5:26-29, KJV

It may interest you to know that just the other day, I read
or heard a report, I can't remember which it was, where a
certain couple in the United States, was actually prohibited
from organizing a Christian fellowship in their home. As I
recall, it was only perhaps six people getting together, but
the local authorities demanded that they desist in their
activities. I am sorry that I cannot provide more details,
but I honestly don't remember the source of the information.
It may have been in one of the private newsletters I often
receive, or perhaps I heard it on an Internet radio station.
This did not occur in Communist Russia, or in Communist
China, or in some Muslim country where Christianity is
prohibited by law; this occurred in the so-called Christian
United States of America!

The point is, you may face some resistance if you try to
establish any kind of home fellowship which is not blessed
and sanctioned by the local religious and government
authorities. In this day and age where everyone has been
thoroughly conditioned against anything which gives the
slightest hint of appearing to be a cult, this becomes even
more of a reality. The powers that be have effectively used
the mass media to publish stories occasionally, which will
shock the general public into submission, and cause them to
accept their way of thinking, so that they are even willing
to surrender some of their personal freedoms, all supposedly
for the sake of peace and personal security.

As I have explained in other articles, organized religion is
tightly controlled by the government through tax deductions
and their non-profit status; so most church preachers are
very careful about what they preach, so that they don't lose
their prized status. In short, they have compromised the
radical nature of the Gospel message, in order to receive
the blessings of the corrupt system with which they love to
fornicate. As a private, Christian fellowship, they have no
such control over you; and thus, they prefer to simply stamp
you out, before you even get started. So much for religious
freedom in America!

Now, I realize that for many of my readers, I am presenting
a rather large challenge by even proposing the idea of
forming a home fellowship. Undoubtedly, some of you are
probably thinking to yourselves, 'Well, I would really like
to try something like this, but I have no experience at it.
I have no formal theological training. Where would I start?
What would we do?'. Believe it or not, the very fact that
you feel so helpless, is actually in your favor; because it
will force you to depend entirely on the Lord for guidance;
but to give you some help, allow me to once against suggest
that you read such articles as 'Where Are The First Century
Churches?', 'The Only Credentials You Need!', and 'The
Wisdom Of God vs The Philosophy Of Men'. Believe me, with
the Spirit of God, and a love for His Word, you are just as
prepared as the ignorant fishermen and hated tax collectors
that Jesus chose almost two thousand years ago. God will
empower you, just as He empowered them. Remember again the
verse I have shared a number of times before:

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and
perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they
marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had
been with Jesus." Acts 4:13, KJV

If you possess the Spirit of God, that is all you need. As I
also point out in other articles, after Paul came to Christ,
he came to view his former life, which apparently included
his theological head stuffing at the feet of the Pharisee
Gamaliel, as nothing but dung. It became worthless in his
sight. In fact, he basically tells us that he had to unlearn
much of it, and learn anew during his quiet time of personal
revelation with the Lord:

"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was
preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it
of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of
Jesus Christ." Galatians 1:11-12, KJV

"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count
them but dung, that I may win Christ,"
Philippians 3:8, KJV

So the point is, just trust in the Lord. Just go in the
direction in which you believe He wants you to go, and He
will take care of the rest. Simply start out small, and
start out simple. Perhaps in the beginning, it will just be
you and a friend or two talking about the Bible together in
the privacy of your home. Maybe they will mention your
weekend get-togethers to a friend, and a few more will be
added to your fellowship; and thus it will grow as the Lord
leads. As we read in the Book of Acts:

"...And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be
saved." Acts 2:47b, KJV

All I can tell you is that when a few people get together to
honour the Lord and His Word, Jesus told us that He would be
in the midst of them, right? That is your fellowship, and it
is as blessed of God as one of those large churches. Who is
to say otherwise? What makes your small fellowship any less
legitimate than one of those large, overstuffed churches? I
have said it before, and I will say it again: God is not
impressed by large numbers; He is interested in quality; and
He is touched by a heart which is sincere, and dedicated to
Him; and that most certainly leaves out some of those big
fancy churches which are filled with worldly Spiritless
people who honour Him with their lips, but who have very
little interest in obeying Him in their lives, by being
faithful witnesses of His Word.

Now, if you need a little extra help, I have already made a
great deal of information available to you through the over
one hundred and thirty customized topical verse groups found
at our web site; not to mention our many articles which
contain a wealth of Scriptural and historical information.
Maybe someone will bring up a certain topic during one of
your fellowships, and you won't quite know how to respond;
but then the Lord will remind you of something I wrote on
the subject. You could say something like, 'Well, I don't
really know how to answer your question properly, but I have
a friend who wrote a very interesting article on this very
topic. Would you like to read it together?'. You don't have
to do that of course; and I hope that it doesn't appear as
if I am trying to promote myself; but I just know that there
is a lot of good material in the articles which will feed
and inspire God's sheep; because most of it is centered
around His Word. The choice is really up to you.

I am simply convinced that if you get together with one or
more people, and begin to uplift the Lord and His Word, He
will take it from there. He will inspire you; and you will
have a wonderful time together! Believe me; it is so much
better than going to church every Sunday, and sitting
through the same, boring, monotonous, mechanical routine. I
know that in my personal life, when I start discussing the
Bible with someone, it is hard to shut me up! I just love
discussing His Word; and you will too! As you inspire others
with the truth of His Word, it will inspire you in return.
Sharing the Word has a reciprocal effect on those sharing
it. As you begin to pour out to others, the Lord will fill
you up in return. That is just the way it works; which is
why Jesus clearly said:

"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of
his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
John 7:38, KJV

My daughter can certainly testify to this fact. She is one
smart little girl. She knows that once she gets me going,
she just might be in for a real spiritual treat. She will
ask me a certain question about the Bible, and I will begin
to answer her; and then I will grab my Bible; and then a
verse will come to me; and then another; and before you know
it, we are flipping the pages all over the place connecting
things together. She goes 'Wow!', and I go 'Wow!', and we
just have a grand old time together! It's wonderful!

Before concluding this article, there is one more important
detail which we need to cover; and I have purposely left it
until last, because for the woman involved, it may prove to
be the most difficult part of my answer for her to receive.
As some of you will have undoubtedly noticed, I approached
this issue as if this couple is in agreement. Sadly, the
truth of the matter is that they are not. The woman is not
at all happy with their current church, while the husband
seems to be quite content; so much so that he appears to be
telling her to look for another church, while he remains in
the same one; at least that is how I have understood her
email message. So how should they proceed? What does the
Lord expect of them in such a situation?

As I stressed earlier in this article, when I am confronted
with such difficult questions, the only thing I know how to
do, in order to avoid doctrinal error, is to look directly
to the Word, in order to see what it has to say regarding a
certain topic. I just pray, open up my mind and heart to the
Spirit, and start typing, and expect the Lord to give me
whatever I am supposed to share; and that is the way it
normally happens. I simply accept by faith that what I am
receiving is of Him; and the Lord knows that due to my
cautious nature, He has to speak to me with the Word. That
is the basic mechanics of how I write my articles. There is
never an outline. They are simply a moment by moment work of
inspiration; at least so I believe.

To begin with, while the husband involved may disagree with
me, I do not believe that this woman going to one church,
while he attends another, is by any means the solution which
would be most pleasing to the Lord. This kind of situation
could prove to be extremely detrimental to their marriage
relationship, and could cause some serious repercussions in
the future. In fact, such an arrangement could easily end up
ripping their marriage apart, because once spiritual unity
is lost, physical unity soon follows on its heels. I am sure
that there are some of you reading this who can testify to
this very fact.

In all honesty, I believe that the Lord has already spoken
to this woman regarding what He expects of her; and it is
for this reason that she mentioned about them being one in
spirit in her message to me. This is obviously of concern to
her. In essence then, all I can really do is build upon what
it seems the Lord has already shown her. While the remainder
of my answer will not be very popular with some modern-day
feminists, and while I will undoubtedly be accused by some
women of being just another male chauvinist, in looking to
the Holy Scriptures, and what they say concerning marriage
relationships, the answer becomes very clear; and I can only
stand upon the authority of the Word. Consider the following
verses:

"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow
and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth
children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he
shall rule over thee." Genesis 3:16, KJV

"And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of
divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and
said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you
this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God
made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they
twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain,
but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let
not man put asunder." Mark 10:4-9, KJV

"Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the
Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as
Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of
the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so
let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and
cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he
might present it to himself a glorious church, not having
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be
holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives
as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and
cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are
members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For
this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and
shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one
flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning
Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in
particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife
see that she reverence her husband."
Ephesians 5:21-33, KJV

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is
fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not
bitter against them." Colossians 3:17-19, KJV

"In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest
apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided
hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which
becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let
the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer
not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man,
but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was
in the transgression." 1 Timothy 2:9-14, KJV

"Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands;
that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the
word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they
behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose
adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the
hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is
not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet
spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For
after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who
trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto
their own husbands:" 1 Peter 3:1-5, KJV

As hard as it may be on a woman's pride, God made her to be
a helpmeet to her husband. He made her to be in subjection
to her husband. As the previous verses make clear, this does
not mean that God made men to be tyrants over their wives.
They are to love and respect their wives, just as Christ
loves His Church; but in matters of decision-making, the man
is to have the final word, whether the woman agrees with his
decision or not. This is particularly true when the husband
is one who knows and fears the Lord. If the husband in this
case were a reprobate, and one who did not know the Lord, or
who even fought against the Lord, or who was an abusive
tyrant, then perhaps the situation would be different; but
we are discussing a Christian couple who has known the Lord
for many years. Because of this fact, this woman is bound by
the Word to respect and obey her husband.

So what are this woman's alternatives? First of all, let me
state that I am not saying that she has to agree with her
husband's belief that the leader of their church is one fine
pastor. If three quarters of the original congregation has
indeed left since this man became the church's elder, then I
would have to agree with her that something is seriously
wrong somewhere. Exactly what that might be I honestly do
not know, because I am not in their situation; nevertheless,
while she may not agree with her husband's perspective, she
must submit to him as long as she remains with him. Now, if
she is that convinced in her heart that this pastor is not
worthy of his position, then my suggestion to her is that
she pray earnestly to the Lord, that He will open the eyes
of her husband, so that he too will see the truth of the
matter, and make the appropriate decision.

I believe that united prayer, and finding God's Will, is
really the key to this couple's situation. Instead of firing
answers at each other which may be hurtful, and which may
even be filled with pride and frustration, this man and
woman each need to forsake their pride, forsake what they
each want to do, and find out what the Lord wants them both
to do together, and not apart. They need to seek to find out
not what is pleasing in their own eyes, but rather what is
pleasing in the Lord's eyes. They need to seek His Highest
Will, and not their own. They need to earnestly seek to
strengthen the spiritual unity in their relationship, lest
things really begin to fall apart.

While this is occurring, this woman still needs to submit. I
realize that this is by no means an easy thing to do. To
submit to someone when you really disagree with them in your
heart can really test one's love, faith and patience; and in
the case of a husband-wife relationship such as this, it can
severely test mutual respect as well. It is simply hard to
respect someone when you disagree with something they are
doing. To take this a step further, such a situation can
also be a real test of humility, and dying to oneself. It is
at times like these that we must throw ourselves utterly on
the Lord, and trust that He knows what He is doing; even if
we don't. As I have quoted many times before:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9, KJV

"And we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose." Romans 8:28, KJV

"Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee:
he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."
Psalms 55:22, KJV

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto
thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6, KJV

In this particular case, we can hope and pray that either
this husband will come to understand the truth regarding
this pastor, and thus decide that it is time to leave this
particular church, or else that the Lord will find a way to
simply remove this man from his position of spiritual
authority, and provide the congregation with a more worthy
shepherd.

At the same time, I believe that this dear woman needs to
seriously consider the challenge I have presented in this
article, and challenge her dear husband with the same. As I
clearly state in 'Are You Just A Baby Huey?', in the United
States of America, and perhaps in other countries as well,
it seems that many people have the erroneous idea that the
end-all of being a Christian, is simply to accept Jesus
Christ as Lord and Saviour, and then spend the rest of one's
life faithfully and obediently attending church services on
weekends, and perhaps on a few other holy days as well.

My friends, this is not what the Bible teaches by any means.
The aforementioned idea is similar to a grapevine producing
luscious grapes, and then having those grapes slowly rot on
the vine without producing any additional fruit. Being as I
amply discuss this topic in other articles, such as in 'The
Parable Of The Sower: Salvation And Service', I will not go
into great detail here. Allow me to simply state that during
the First Century, becoming a true Disciple of Jesus Christ
meant adopting the life of an evangelist, and going out on
the road in order to win other souls to the Kingdom of God.
It was a hard life filled with danger, but it was also a
very rewarding life; particularly in the eternal sense.
Christianity was a live, growing faith. It was not the dead,
rotten, self-satisfied, lethargic faith we see today in many
modern churches, where people are so stuffed with the Word
of God, that they are either sick of hearing it, or else
they have totally hardened themselves to its truth, and have
become completely immune to its effects on their lives.

God is in a constant war against Satan, to win as many souls
to His Kingdom as He possibly can; and He is using us, His
weak, human vehicles, to accomplish this task. As I discuss
in 'Once Upon A Time: A True Story', He expects us His Bride
to bear spiritual fruit for His Kingdom. It is for this very
reason that both Jesus and Paul spoke in the following
allegorical manner:

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit
of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye,
except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches:
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth
much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing...Herein is my
Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my
disciples...Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,
and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit,
and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall
ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."
John 15:4-5, 8, 16, KJV

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law
by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another,
even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should
bring forth fruit unto God." Romans 7:4, KJV

If we are not in some way producing spiritual fruit in our
lives, by winning others to Christ, or by helping to feed
and nurture those who have already come to Christ, then we
are simply dead fruit rotting on the vine; and Jesus said
that such unfruitful branches will be cast into the fire:

"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:
and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it
may bring forth more fruit...If a man abide not in me, he is
cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather
them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."
John 15:2, 6, KJV

Just as a man and a woman cannot bear physical fruit, that
is, children in their lives, unless there is physical union,
neither can we bear spiritual fruit in our lives if we are
not in unity with the Spirit of Jesus Christ and obeying His
Will. As shocking as that may seem to some conservative
Christians, that is the plain truth of the Scriptures, as is
clearly exemplified by the previous verses.

So as in other articles, this is my challenge to you today.
If you are not happy in the church in which you currently
find yourself; if you feel that your spiritual life has
become stagnated; if you feel that your current situation is
holding you back from being more productive for the Lord,
then why don't you do something about it? Either join a
church which is more active and productive for the Lord, or
better yet, if you have the faith, the vision and the
motivation, start a local fellowship in your own home. Get
back on fire for the Lord! Be a burning ember for Jesus
Christ! Don't be an overgrown, spiritually-retarded Baby
Huey! Bear fruit for the Kingdom of God! What do you say?