Steve’s Blog

For over a year now I have been preaching, not only the need for a second reformation of the church, but the reality of it happening all across America.  During the discussions with various people in various venues the question usually arises, “Just what do you think needs to be reformed?”  The next few blog articles will discuss some things in the modern church that need a serious make over.

The concept of reformation is to take what exists and remold it - much like you would take modeling clay and change its shape - but not its substance. It remains clay regardless of the shape you mold it into.  We will never change the spiritual nature of the church or the truth of the gospel message.  The spiritual reality of the true Church does not change and does not need to change.  Indeed it will never change. However the structure; the form; the outward appearance of how we DO church has changed dramatically over the last 2000 years. Those changes - some good and some bad - impacted the eternal message and the effectiveness of the church to fulfill its purpose in God’s plan. For an interesting look at how we try to control the Holy Spirit in our services today see my E-Book The Domestication of the Spirit.

The goal of reformation is not to change the essential essence of the Church, but the man-made additions that have slowly come  to the point of being on the same level as Biblical instruction.  (For a more detailed look at the the need for a second reformation see my E-Book The Second Reformation. Today many things happen in church that are simply not Biblical, nor spiritual.  Decades (and in some cases centuries) of tradition have brought the church to the place of idolatry where good people have substituted some cherished tradition for spiritual reality.  While tradition has its place in church, Jesus told the Jews in no uncertain terms, “You have made the Word of God of no effect by your tradition.” It is this dilemma that I believe with all my heart is the fulcrum of the second reformation now taking place in lives all across America.

True reformation involves people.  The Bible always defines the church as the people, not a building, organization, denomination or other entity.  To reform the Church is to reform the people as they gather together.  As people’s hearts are changed the way they come together to experience church will also change.

With these foundational thoughts in mind I would like to list a few things that need to be reformed in the modern American church.  I will briefly mention some issues here and expound on them one by one in coming blog articles.

The general concept that reduces church to a religious organization to which we belong
Unfortunately for many church goers church is not much more that a religious social club, like the Optimists, Lions, Rotary or host of others.  Look at the similarities:  The meet weekly for “fellowship” and organizational business. Most offer a prayer over the meal. Some, like rotary sing a few songs.  There are announcements, committees and the ever present “Sargent at arms” (Deacon/usher/etc.)  They pay dues (tithes and offerings) and there is generally some type of informational or motivational message.  And it is usually done in an hour. (Church gets out at 12 right?  Isn’t that in the Bible somewhere?)

Even given the fact that in most churches the Bible is preached and prayer offered, the whole concept is not about actually doing much more than “being a good member of the club.”

Christianity has become a “spectator sport.”
A critical area of reformation has to be the concept that people “go to church” as spectators.  In too many places the service becomes a presentation complete with lights, music, entertainment and motivational messages.  The “chosen few” (pastor worship leader, praise band, etc) do all the stuff and the most that is expected from the members is to be faithful to show up, support the programs and bring their offering.  Church was never meant to be something we attended as a spectator, but as a participant.  Congregational participation must return to the church - no matter what external form the services take, be it a traditional setting or a house church.

Church government needs to be reformed
The concept of the pastor as head of the church and CEO of the organization is not Biblical.  In fact, a single pastor church structure is not found anywhere in the Bible.  It came from the early Roman Catholic tradition.  Everywhere the Bible speaks of church leadership it speaks in a plural form: Elders, deacons, etc.  In fact the word “pastor” is only used twice in the New Testament and always as a descriptive term, never as a position - and certainly not the “head of the church.”  The Bible only ever speaks of Jesus as the “head of the church.”  The church needs to return to a plurality of servant leadership as opposed to the professional CEO/pastor /celebrity concept we have today.

The Evangelical message has drifted off course
Two very serious problems are occurring with the evangelical message today. The first is what might be termed an “easy believism.”  The Gospel message has been reduced to a tract and a prayer, or a “walk to the altar” in some churches.  The message is reduced to simply having one’s sins forgiven and obtaining a ticket to heaven.  Little is said about God’s eternal purposes, Lordship, holiness and personal service to the Master.  Jesus is presented as the “fix-it guy”.  He’ll fix your sin problem, He’ll fix your money problems and your marriage problems, etc.  And, when something is not “fixed” forthright, the “converts” to easy believism, having no depth of root, whither and die according to Jesus’ parable of the seed and the sower.

The second crucial problem is the “gospel of comfort.”  We have created an Americanized form of the gospel, which really isn’t the gospel at all.  Because of the unparalleled prosperity of America and the “entitlement” attitude of the last couple of generations, Americans have become obsessed with instant gratification and comfort.  It is no surprise that the message is tailored to meet that mindset.  However, our carnal comfort - physical or even emotional - was never God’s ultimate purpose.  The early Christians (and many of those who are really living for Christ today) struggled intensely to live for Jesus, swimming upstream in a world opposed to God.  God still calls his people to be counter-cultural and to sacrificial living.  That does not preach well in comfy churches.  A friend once said, “John 3:16 is the scariest verse in the Bible.  If God did not hesitate to spare His own Son to reach the world, what makes me think He would willing to spare me?”

Heresy - Dividing the Body of Christ with schisms and individuality
The word “heretic” in the Bible is actually means ”Schismatic” or one who causes schisms or divisions.”  We’ve come look at heresy as some unbiblical doctrine.  However good doctrine, used to the point of dividing the organic unity of the Body of Christ is also heresy; not the doctrine, but the attitude. I can’t tell you the number of people who are more interested in WHAT you believe, than they are in WHO you believe in.  Doctrine is important, but not to the exclusion of true believers.  Then there are the people who love your church until you say ONE thing they don’t agree with, then they become schismatics, claiming some Biblical ground for seperating themselves.  Doctrinal agreement is NOT the basis of Christian fellowship - Jesus Christ as Lord and the Spirit of God as the indweller is.  Along these lines, the need of control causes more and more Christians to seperate into smaller and smaller groups so they can have everything just the way they want. 

While the Protestant reformation was born of God and a necessary thing in the history of the Church, the one thing it did was allow for hundreds of denominational schisms to inflict the Body of Christ with heretical divisions.  This individualism must be dealt with, for there really is only “one Lord, One faith, one baptism.”  Paul states palinly in Ephesians 4 that Church will exist until we “all come to the unity of the faith” and unto the perfect expression of Jesus Christ in the corporate Body.

 While there are more issues we can put done.  These key issues will carry us forward for a few articles.

May you wrestle with God over these issues as Jacob wrestled with God and walked away changed: limping, but blessed, with a new name and a new destiny in God’s kingdom purposes.

Steve