The Exposition Of A Failed Church., Part #1

The Exposition of a Failed Church.

Revelation 3:14-22

In this letter to the church, the seventh church that is representative of the seventh and final church age, Jesus issued a stinging indictment against this mutant form of a church and threatens to take punitive action.  This church had entered its final state of apostasy and Jesus was threatening to, ‘spew it out of his mouth’, the same judgment that God rained down upon the children of Israel.  This type of indictment does not set well within the modern church structure who says it is rich in God’s favors and God is providing it needs.   A careful reading of Revelation 3:14-22 seems to indicate that Jesus is addressing the issues of a failed church.  

Revelation 3:14-22: And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Because 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: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me.

Whenever there is a conversation about the state of affairs within the household of faith, namely the church, there are those who are well versed in the scriptural will use Matthew 16:18, out of context of course, to stifle any complaint level against the church.  Jesus said to Peter, “And 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.”  A common and simple interpretation of that verse is that it does not matter what the Devil bring against the church, the church will always stand.  This verse is used by churches of all classes, creeds and denominations, from the storefronts to the fancy edifice.  Yet, the truth of this statement cannot be found in the modern day English translation of the word church.  Many different doctrines are formulated to promote the establishment of different churches, thus presenting the picture of a kingdom divided against itself.  The Devil has played havoc with organized religion, he has infiltrated the organized church, he has weakened some, some he has taken over and some he has even destroyed.

Now there are those who will be quick to condemn me for making such bold statements, in view of the Words of Jesus, that said, “the gates of hell could not stand against the church.”  As we seek to understand the condemnation of the church as issued by Jesus, Revelation 3:20-22  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man (he is not speaking to a group now) hears my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him (come in to HIM), and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.  The key phrase here is, to him that overcometh.  

To further explore the truth, we need to understand the meaning of the word church and be able to differentiate when a church is not a church.  The use of the word church in the English language is misnomer, in that it fails to express the true meaning of the original Greek word.   Based upon the original language of the Bible, a church is best defined as an assembly or group, but never as a building.  The existence of the church was and is a condition of the heart, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, not some glitzy glass cathedrals. Therefore, when Jesus spoke of the church he was referencing the true gospel within the heart of man.  This was not some made up gospel that caters to the desires and wants of humanity, but a gospel that catered to the coming of the kingdom, the return of Jesus Christ.

In the New Testament era this group or assembly did not meet in the temple on the Sabbath day, rather they met in homes or other private locations.  There was no high priest or offering of the sacrifice, they met and edified each other through the words of their testimony.    The church was a new thing based upon the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The assemblies of the church expressed a love for each other that attracted the attention of those outside of the assemblies.  The focus of this new thing was not wealth building, but its focus was on being prepared to meet the bridegroom when he comes.  New assemblies were formed as the need required to accommodate the ease of assembly.  In essence groups were formed in cities and outlying communities.  Full-time pastors did not exist, as the group or assembly was governed from within and traveling preachers or ministers was always welcome.  They often stopped by to expound the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This was a weakness that the Devil sought to exploit.  It became a tool of the ‘church busters’.   In many instances there  did not appear to be any special or set day for the assembly to meet, the church was always available.  When there was death, sickness or even hungry the church was there to help. 

Paul traveled extensively and wrote letters admonishing the churches to stand fast in the Gospel.  When the assemblies came together they often read the letters that Paul or others had written to them.  The church flourished, not as an organizational body, but as a body of believers.  There was a type of love that drew men and women together, a type of concern that they showed for each other.  

Under the Roman rule, after the persecution had ceased,  the Christians joined hands with the government, and with their access to newly found wealth and status, they then became known as the builder of the glitzy glass cathedrals.  Leaders emerged and under government sanction established themselves as rulers or leaders of the Church that Jesus founded.  In the letters to the churches in the Book of Revelation, Jesus spoke of his hatred for these groups.  The evolution of the church continued as men of dubious honor and causes sought to hew out positions for themselves by dividing the church into denominations, creeds, cultures and doctrines.  Each brand of Christianity became a religious entity within itself, thus the confusion of Christianity began to spread worldwide.  The Devil through the creation of the church as an organizational body was able to present the body of Christ as a divided body.  The English speaking nations that once claimed to be the defenders of the true faith, played the harlot with it Christian values and what emerged was a polluted mess.  Jeremiah 3:8  And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; (scattered her among the nations) yet her treacherous sister Judah (The western world) feared not, but went and played the harlot also.  The once so-called Christian nations are guilty of committing the same grievous errors that once was attributed to the children of Israel.

In the Garden of Eden, using the knowledge of good and evil the Devil introduced a form of  interpretation of the scripture that is still being used today.   This interpretation is based upon a suppressed knowledge of God and it is empowered by the worldly knowledge of good and evil, it sows seeds of doubt wherever it is spread.  If members of the assemblies (church) were challenged to step out from behind their indoctrinated beliefs in search of a true experience with God and his Word the confusion and division of Christianity would cease to exist.  The knowledge of God requires us to ask God questions, the same as Job, David and other great men of the Bible.  Once the question is posed, knowing that the Devil will be the first to answer, we should wait for God to open up our understanding.   How do we know when the Devil is speaking when he has transformed himself into an angel of light?  1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Much of the confusion that exists within the household of faith is caused by the dubious claims made as pertaining to what God is doing or what God can do.  God can do anything but fail is a common cliché that is supposed to remove doubt and foster a strong belief in God, yet it is these type of clichés that cause the seed of doubt to grow. Sitting through a church service where the speaker informed the congregation  that while they sleep God would be preparing a blessing for them.  The crowd responded with an emotional outburst that was equivalent to a crowd watching their home team score a touchdown.   In the Book of Revelation John saw an angry God sitting on his throne waiting to pour out his wrath.  

The Exposition Of A Failed Church., Part #2