The Medieval Church has returned in the Modern Church. People are spectators again. Once they sat and listen to the mass and watched the priest preform the Eucharist, not participating, now Modern Churches have people barely participating, with them sitting as spectators and watching the pastors preach on a screen or in person. The Church is suppose to be active, all Christians who attend the meetings are suppose to participate, not idly watch and listen. A church service was suppose to look like this, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer," (Acts 2:42), and "What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace." (1 Corinthians 14:26-32). There is nothing here about one man monopolizing the time, preaching, and everyone being spectators! The prayer isn't suppose to be a short benediction, or closing prayer, the saints met together to pray in spirit and for the needs of brothers and sisters. Being at church meeting was active, with each member and person sharing a word, hymn, prayer, prophecy, and etc. It was not one man or woman monopolizing the floor, standing on a stage, and making everyone else spectators. In contrast, there was no altar or stage, merely a room to gathering, where they often sat in circle (this is how they at in those times).
The Church was suppose to be house of prayer, "He said to them, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves." (Mark 11:17). And yet prayer is often an afterthought, used in closing, briefly during a worship song, or as benediction, "May Lord bless you and keep you." Prayer was suppose to be one of chief elements of meetings, where everyone made supplications to the Lord together, and shared with one another. It was never suppose to be one man sharing, and everyone else being spectators, it was meant to be a family of faith who share together God's Spirit and the teaching of the Apostles (Holy Bible). It is time for another reformation, to end this Medieval Church in Modern guise that pretends to be something more. The Modern Church has scripture, but twists it, I witnessed butchery of the Scriptures last Sunday service I attended, "I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.." (Acts 2:17) and yet the real verse says, "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." (Acts 2:17). You see people are doing what they did for 1200yrs, trusting the Church ecclesia, leaders, and clergy to get it right. Just as Medieval Church trusted clergy to interpret Scripture, now modern people are trusting the church leaders like T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Pat Roberson, and many more in the same way! Its as if weve gone backward! We, all Christians are suppose to read the Scriptures ourselves and hold to what they say in their context, not according to commentaries, "Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another," (1 Corinthians 4:6), and "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Martin Luther and other reformers wanted us to have access to Scriptures, to interpret them by Scripture, not man made commentaries that often contradict themselves!
What was point of Protestant Reformation in 1511-1648 A.D. to free Scriptures from Roman tyranny, and allow all people to finally read them if we just hand them back to modern popes, clergy, and scholars? What was point of Jan Hus and William Tyndale's sacrifices, and all Protestants being sacrificed in Thirty Year's War, the Wars of Religion, and more to protect the Scriptures?. All the blood of Protestants, to get us the Scriptures, and people go straight back to letting Ecclesia to take over again and tell us what the Scriptures say?! Ugh! Martin Luther is rolling in Heaven in frustrating, he knew we shouldn't just read the commentators as Roman Catholic clergy did, but to read the Scriptures ourselves. For Luther discovered, Latin Vulgate said, "do penance" but Erasmus' Greek Testament said, "repent of yours sins." If we let these modern scholars and pastors out of seminary take over interpreting the Scriptures for us, we are back to 1200yrs where Medieval clergy interpreted it and errored, creating indulgences, purgatory, and other lies that shroud The Gospel in shadow. Luther and other reformers set free the Gospel, but now modern pastors and leaders are shrouded the Gospel again in their commentaries and those of their peers! Beware! Do not take on face value as Pastor's words, I just saw how a pastor (major pastor of Mega church) removed a line from Scriptures, he said, "Spirit will pour out on all flesh," (Acts 2:17) to back his point, but the actual verse says, "In the Last days the Spirit will pour out on all flesh" (Acts 2:17). This is disingenuous and misleading! The context is the Last Days, and to use that Scripture to support people getting Spirit Filled now, is not honest unless the said pastor believes this is the last days, and he made no mention of the last days, and was trying to drum up another teaching.
The Medieval Church of darkness remains, it is becoming stronger in Modern Churches of Evangelicalism, Baptist, and even Pentecostalism. O Jesus please, come quickly! (Revelation 22:20). Before the dark ages begin again! Even Bible translations are being altered to appease the scholars. This is like creating the erroneous Latin Vulgate again, when Jerome mistranslated Repent to Do Penance. Jerome also mistranslated that Moses had two horns on his head instead of a veil of light over his face! O Lord Jesus, please help us! The Modern Church is becoming Medieval Church, only worse, at least the Medieval Church related to people, the priests and parish pastors tended to their people, but the new pastors want distance, to talk to no new members, but they created the auspices of being a Bishop, untouchable, like the Pope, and expect a TV, and programs to be your warm blanket and care! O Lord how horrid! Pastors are becoming narcissists, they are worse than Medieval clergy of old! In my opinion, the end of Church as a Institution, and system is coming, because now Pastors don't even have hearts, just bottom lines, bank accounts, egos ( pride of life, 1 John 2:16), and their own precious ministries. Rather than loving Christ with all they are, tending to flock as Peter did (John 21), and making disicples, by way disicples graduate and get to do things, "As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!," (Matthew 10:7-8), "And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits," (Mark 6:7), and "After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place He was about to visit," (Luke 10:1). Jesus immediately sent those who were trained out to be His representatives, He did not marginalize them and tell them to bring everyone to Him for message or healing, but that they could do it in His name! I watched pastor who has been to seminary, not able to share sermon, but has to turn on big screen TV for Senior pastor two towns away, and that senior pastor got to preach on the big screen but the qualified pastor among us in the congregation didn't get to give the sermon himself, he gave only a short but powerful homily! Many modern church senior pastors don't even trust other pastors in their own ministry to teach, this is hyper control! Its the Medieval control returned, but even worse, because the Medieval and horrible church of those days at leasted trusted the parish priests and so forth to do their duty without a Bishop and so forth doing everything!
The Modern Church has simply replaced stain glass with screens. Nothing much has changed, because the advantages of Scripture being in our hands and Spirit upon us is stifled by a church system where men prize money and their brand of church (like Nikki or Apple) over what Christ and Holy Spirit want to do. Churches today want to sell their product (programs) and their brand (an example is Elevation Church). I am not saying that these pastors do no good, but they are selling the Gospel short with prosperity promises and doctrines, and they are cliff noting the Bible to fit their agenda, message, sermons, and ministry.
O woe! Woe! The Modern Day Church is sinking into sands of Medievalism, only it is worse than before, because we know better! We know history, and we have access to the Scriptures (Holy Bible). And yet people are content to let these leaders take over and write another Talmud, Canon Law, and Catechism to confuse everyone, and control everyone again. Its time my brothers to be Solae Scriptura (Scripture Alone defines you beliefs, views, faith practice, doctrine, theology, and etc.; it is the source you go to know what it means to follow Christ, be a Christian, and all the details), Solus Christus (to love and trust Christ alone for salvation), and to be Spirit Filled and move in gifts of the Spirit. It is time to take back out churches, and not let the Medieval resurgence go on. Find some brothers and sisters in Christ who are sick of being spectators, and start a house church (meeting). It is time to prepare for our Lord's Return, and to stop reinventing the same model of Constantine's Church in a new Apple product design!
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