Christ and Instutional Churches

This may seem like a no-brainer-- churches exist to bring people to Christ. However, what really was Christ's intention when He chose individuals to spread His word?

If we go back to Christ Himself, He chose certain individuals whose full-time job it was to follow Him through the 3 years of His ministry on earth. He then suffered and died for our sins, conquered death and hell, and rose again. He then sent the Holy Spirit and gave gifts to certain individuals to bring more and more people to Him. After this, these individuals were greatly successful and brought hundreds, then thousands, then millions to Him. After this first generation of believers, an institution began to take shape. This institution of human beings which began to make laws, rules and regulations throughout the centuries. At certain times, people would break away from the man-made institutions to serve Christ in a different way after seeing problems which developed. Then, many of these themselves fell into the same trap over time.

We must ask, then, what is faith and the Church (in the universal sense) really about? The answer is Jesus Christ. The fact of the matter is that the institutions-- more specifically the people who run them-- many times fall into the trap of thinking that if one is outside of the institution then salvation is impossible. Some have even said that whatever the leader says carries the same weight as the words of Christ Himself. This is simply not the case. If the institution states otherwise, it has broken the 1st Commandment that we looked at in the last entry on this site. It has made itself a false god. If the institution is about giving each and every individual what he or she needs to come to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ-- including the freedom to make mistakes and repent and still be there as a community of supportive believers-- then that is what is needed. THAT is a true Church.

So, if you are a member of a church you may want to take a look at what exactly that church is teaching and practicing. If it is anything other than a community of believers (perhaps with a leader of prayer) that is supportive of giving each and every individual (member or not) whatever is needed to find and love Christ, then it may be time for a change. If it is one where human beings have made themselves or the institution a false God, then a change is completely necessary.

Until next time...