As Christians we often get deceived by other Christians. It is not the extrinsic evils: the devils, demonized masses, and devious desires that threaten our faith most. No the real threat comes in sheep's clothing and has many steeples. The Church unfortunately has become the worst place to find God these days (there are exceptions, but they are few). It is as if Jesus is no longer in his house. What remains is people who have their systems and methods of spirituality, but there is no Savior there. The statistics are staggering, people are leaving the Church in unprecedented numbers. More interestingly, those who are apart of this mass exodus are not leaving Jesus.
Wait.. Christians are leaving Church, but not Christ? Yep. Actually the two are not mutually exclusive. One does not need a Church to follow Jesus. In fact the very structure of today's churches is exactly what Jesus Christ rebuked when he confronted The Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 15). Christ seldom visited the Temple (the Church of the day), and when He did he confronted the hypocrites. The Source of our faith spent most of his days in the countryside, particularly in Galilee. He reached out to ordinary people and showed the love of God to the lowly.
Jesus was a radical and the reason we cannot contain him in our boxes: our thinking, church systems, doctrines, and rituals is because He is God. He defies our attempts to dominate/make denominations of Him. To know Jesus Christ is to know a personal God. The Church has done a good job of resurrecting the dead laws of old theologians and spiritual men. In fact, the first thing one notices in Church is how its all about men and what they think. Wither it is saint veneration or listening to a puffed up pastor, the focus falls on men. Wait, I thought we were suppose to be following Jesus? Why are we spending all our time following these disciples and listening to their thoughts?
Do not mistake my words for anarchy, but I am sick and tired of being told to go to men of this earth when I am suppose to go to God my Savior! What was the point then of Jesus' Death if I spend all my time trying to obey some man that may not even know Him?! The Church has become irrelevant because it doesn't point people to Jesus, it points them to other men who think they know Him. Now some of them may know Jesus, but it is no substitute for you knowing Jesus yourself! The time for mediums is over! You have a Messiah you can meet with in prayer, music, writing, reading or whatever way God connects to you best. Stop acting like pastors and priests are prophets! You don't need a prophet to know Jesus! Now listen carefully, I am not putting down any of the offices of priest, pastor, or prophet. But if you go to them instead of God haven't you made them a god?
It's time for a Jesus movement. It's time to stop just remembering and start really following the Lord; it is time to start following Jesus and stop following his followers! Again, do not misinterpret. I am not trying to create a cult where you need no one or hate all prophets and priests. No, St. Paul makes it clear in 1 and 2 Corinthians that these gifts and offices are from the Holy Spirit. But there are things that transcend structures and offices and that is Jesus Christ! The Church is collapsing because its taken its eye off its first love who is Jesus Christ! (Revelation 2:4). We have become so enraptured by the Disciples and other Church Fathers that we have forgotten our faith is not about them, but about who they confessed as their Savior and Lord! The Disciples and Deacons pointed to Christ and so that is where we are suppose to be focusing on following!
I want to be clear that I am not advocated neglecting the gathering of saints or avoiding your brothers and sisters in the Lord. No, that is spiritual suicide! We need each other! As St. Paul said, "We must be rightly jointed, part of the body working together." (Ephesians 4:16). But while we are trying to be jointed rightly and work as one body, our eyes and focus should be Jesus Christ! For without Him we cannot be rightly jointed. The point is that we are followers of Jesus, not some saint or system. While saints may have spectacular insights and understandings from God, they are not God! No man, no matter how close he is to Christ can substitute for Christ! It is time to know the Lord four yourself! Stop trusting one man or woman to be that spiritual person for you. Jesus wants to know you, He died for you! That's how far He went to connect and be with you!
There is a film called "Beware of Christians," that highlights this message. If we look to other Christians to see what it means to know, follow, and be like Jesus then we will be disappointed and even disillusioned. God allows this because we are suppose to be looking to Jesus Christ! We can read about what He is like in The Gospels and through personally encounters ranging from feeling his presence, hearing His voice, getting words, and even seeing Him. Now, as Christians we are suppose to be modeling Jesus to other people, but in order to do that we have to fixated on Christ! If you keep trying to be like your Pastor or some great theologian then you will never be the Light of Christ to the lost! That is why the Church has failed. To even be a light we must be following Jesus and connecting with Him. Then by knowing Jesus we shall be different and draw people. We should not seek to draw people to the Lord by doing what some preacher said or because some book told us to. We need to be seeking and knowing Jesus. The more we plug into Him the more his presence will be upon us and we as Christians will truly be living like Christ.
There is no way to save if we are not plugged into the Source who is Jesus Christ. So stop following the rituals, traditions, and ideas of men and follow Jesus! If we truly want to be the Church again, we must plug into Christ and start following Him again!
Addendum:
I know that Jesus does speak to us through others, even through Pastors, Priests, Prophets, Personal friends and etc. I am not saying reject these people or the words given to them by the Holy Spirit. What I am saying is to stop making living idols out of people and follow Jesus! I am saying stop settling for systems and structures invented by men and start serving the One True God who is The Father, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit! Jesus is God incarnate and when we see Him and follow him we see and follow The Father and Holy Spirit: "When you have seen Me, you have seen the Father," (John 14:9), "The Father and I are one," (John 10:30), and "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name will come and will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26)
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