A Hammer, a nail and a church door...

What can be said, perhaps, other than, “What have we done?”

Afforded the right and possible chance to rip the faith from the hands of tyranny, it once again finds itself held again in a new form of modern tyranny – entitled Christian Unity. A farce when used to justify great sums of wealth, power, pulpit snobbery and the contrived theology predicated on the current era, rather than on the timeless truth.

Certainly the Apostle Paul sought to see the church grow and prosper under unity where each member of the church has a place and a purpose for contribution to the glory and kingdom of God. No doubt! Consider though the word unity elicited for the express purpose of hushing disagreement and natural wonder by the congregation. Dare not question the policy of the church! “It is there for reason – please, promote unity and do not contribute to gossip and division.”

Unfortunately the masses are not contributors to the modern church, they are observers; ‘Pew Warmers’ as they are affectionately and so sympathetically referred to. They are the many half-hearted worshipers filled with agitation over the worship style or the wording of the Pastor. They prefer it be kept light and airy, and dare any sermon evoke repentance, then that pastor is not one to promote unity but a crackpot of sorts.

Worshippers come to recharge with encouragement and stories of life gone well under the guidance of Christian rule, not the falling from grace of a pastor suffering the most heinous attacks by the utmost of evil. They prefer not hear of divorce in a deacon’s marriage, nor do they want to know that every husband seeks immoral sexual gratification from every source other than their own spouse. This is true, of course, except in conversation behind closed doors and under the darkness of secrecy and gossip.

The house is to be kept clean and tidy, and none shall look behind the drapes, in the closet or under the bed. Nastiness is not of today’s believer, or so they would have you believe, but all wear their Sunday best and smile with that all too cunning façade hiding the stench of dying and rotting flesh.

Stick to drapes, carpeting and issues of cracks in the parking lot!

The modern believer may not believe, and the destiny of these souls rests squarely on the shoulders of the shepherds charged with their well-being. Do they believe because they have sought to know, or do they believe with a false sense of ‘faith’ that is; to not question but only to accept. Accepting without question is not faith – it is weakness harbored in a heart that is neither contrite nor repentant.

Give a defense! Give a strong defense as to what is staged within that belief! Search for the answers and the faith of the Lord will be revealed to you. The gift of the Spirit is not for few, but for ALL who believe and it grants access to the deepest and richest secrets harbored in God’s love for all. Confessions of doubt are honored by God if we seek to prove the Truth; if we seek to know God.

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” 1 Peter 3:15-16

Where are the ashamed?

As well, dare this be written in the text of the NIV? The nobility of KJV remains for those seeking a more romantic text, but to insist on it is no better than early Catholicism keeping the Holy Bible exclusively in Latin so as to not allow the common man, woman or child to have access to its truths short of a human mediator.

The slope the human mediator stands upon is steep and fraught with slime. For one who stands as mediator between the true Mediator and an eager soul is able to fall with no end into an abyss of fire and torment. Jonathan Edwards paints for us this image of the slope so constructed by our own ignorance, as the sword of justice waivers above our head, restrained by only the will and forbearance of a gracious God.

Martin Luther spoke boldly against the indulgences where anyone might purchase forgiveness, granted by the Pope – a mediator. Shuddering is the soul not in pursuit of absolute confession and repentance. More so shudders the soul of he who offers forgiveness on behalf of his Creator.

The masses, the shepherds and the conniving committees drive home purposeless resolutions as a means to adapt to Satan’s own constructions against the spread of the church. A church cannot be a church without the tax burdening meddling of the government requiring the establishment of human council and committee so as to evoke a sense of giving with greater purpose by the congregation; known simply as the deduction.

Without these committees and formalized constructions of the human institution, the tithe, so ordered by Christ our Lord, becomes devalued in the eyes of the giver. Beyond this the giver joins committees to give instruction on how to spend the gifts of the congregation thus never truly giving anything. If the urge is so great as to control the gifts’ final designation then it was never given at all. What if a church spent all it received on widows, orphans, the poor and charity? Blasphemy! A church must have in reserve operating costs and pensions and all these treasures wanton only for rust and decay lest treasures in heaven lack in their luster.

Churches fail to plant and grow and multiply as ordered, but instead look inward to enhance, construct and dominate. Bible study classes become social clubs and committees ordain behavior not evoking the slightest hint of shame from the outside non believing observer.

Finally, the rampant pulpit snobbery created by those men claiming to be so enveloped with divine interpretation so as to present to the flock God’s purest word (or as pure as the lips of any human can purvey) each and every week. To imagine that one man at the helm of any pulpit is so steeped in the Spirit that on a weekly basis he is capable of delivering all God has to say to His children is preposterous!

Unfortunately the church has built these egos, forcing favoritism for some who deliver God’s words by the whim of the worshippers and not the will of the all knowing God. Uneducated delivery of God’s Word would be considered foolishness and careless and might degrade the vision of the pastor’s life work (fueled by admiring fans within the pews).

This is exacerbated by the administrative demand on the shepherds when deacon’s fail to serve, but instead elevate their own status.

So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

Seminaries churn fallen men and women each year and at the rate of graduation new churches should be springing up like crops seeded deep in rich and organic soil. Instead these graduates arrive broken and can’t even answer the riddle, “How many of each animal did Moses bring on the ark?”

Unity is a mask for conformity in the modern church. It need only be examined against the Word and quickly it shows that none are destined to be cancerous or dead fatty cells in the body of believers. We are arms, legs, eyes, noses, mouths, ears, brains, fingers and all sorts of useful organs and contributors. When a church finds itself more fattened and slovenly, causing the basic organs to wear out in exhaustion, perhaps it is time to go on a diet and be candid with ourselves and the mission God has called us to: Spreading the Gospel.

Perhaps a preacher wakes up and growls with reckless abandon the Word of God to those seated before him? Perhaps they wake up and become angry with him – but they realize how far from the truth they really are? Perhaps a young man speaks carefully and delicately one Sunday because God has shared with the ‘lowest of these’ a powerful and needed message.

Perhaps a congregation wakes up and decides social activities are important for today, but for tomorrow – steps of faith are a much a greater investment. Perhaps we remember for what this all is about.

Remember Christ. Remember the cross. Remember that moment where all the weight of all our sin bore down upon him and with each breath He heaved against agony to gasp for air; His skin torn open, festering in the sun and drawing from Him the very life He took to know and bear and suffer for the weakness of our very beings. He cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani!”

My Father, my Father – why have you forsaken me?

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deut 31:6); because He has already forsaken one on our behalf, the one He most loved.

Perhaps, just perhaps, a man wakes up from his slumber of basking in sin and realizes that something is just not right and wants to know more. Perhaps he looks inside at many broken believers and realizes there are no masks. There are no Sunday bests. There are no social clubs – only the ugly, sordid and unashamed agonizing sinners who are no better than he. Perhaps he’ll realize he doesn’t need to get it together to take that first step, but he can believe that he can get it together along with everyone who shares with him a gentle and strong defense for the hope they have.

Many may not believe that Christ is the true Son of God. Their condition is exactly that, theirs. However we are called to present to them the truth in a way that is as pure and as right as we can so they have at least the option of knowing and accepting. Instead we deliver an institution riddled with chaos and pretend.

Look back at the ugliness of the cross and remember how Christ did not pretend anything. His suffering was for all to see and those who mocked him were ashamed.

Who is ashamed of mocking us? We give them no reason.