So when the astronomer Galileo began to spread the idea of the earth and everything else revolving around a stationary sun, he attracted the ire of the Roman Catholic Church. Galileo provided a solid scientific basis for his ideas, and tried to show that his theories did not contradict Scripture at all. Nevertheless, Galileo was branded a heretic, forced to recant, and obliged to live the rest of his life as a prisoner in his own home. Today we know that the Roman Catholic Church was wrong, and Galileo was correct.
In a similar way, the Christian Religion has, for over 1700 years, successfully convinced millions of people to adopt a Church-Centered Faith. Scriptures are used to justify a view of the spiritual universe that is erroneous. It is a line of thinking in which everyone and everything connected with God is supposed to revolve around the Church: build it, support it, attend it, and invite people to join it. Christ, mistakenly credited with having founded this Church, is in their eyes obliged to protect, defend, love, honor, cherish, bless, and provide for it. Those who challenge this view are likewise seen as rebellious heretics.
The truth is that God never called us to a Church-Centered Faith. From the beginning, God has called followers of Jesus to a Christ-Centered Faith: a way of living that revolves around Christ having the central, preeminent, and most important place in a person’s heart. The Assembly of Called-Out Persons (the Ekklesia) was to be both a spiritual and a practical community of Christ-followers who had entered into a new covenant with God and with one another: to value, believe, teach, practice, and experience a Christ-Centered Faith.
That is simply another way of saying that the belief and practice of the New Testament was based upon, and centered around, a relationship with a Person. The focus was not on the systematic theology of a new religious group, nor was it the particular nuance of doctrine from a breakaway splinter group within Judaism. New Testament belief and practice was unique in that it was centered upon a Man Who lived, died, came back to life again, and would now rule in the hearts of men and women until He returned. You could say that in the New Testament universe, God clearly established that everything was to revolve around the SON.
If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? I believe the answer, as it pertains to the Ekklesia, is to go back to the One Foundation that cannot be destroyed: Christ Jesus the Lord. “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11). This Foundation is strong and secure.
We must tear down the flimsy structures we have built and rebuild upon the firm foundation of Christ. I offer the following Four Pillars as a basis upon which the Ekklesia can re-establish itself in the current age and ensure the continuity of an authentic, Biblical, Christ-Centered Faith for this generation and for however many will follow.
- The Testimony of Jesus. The preeminence of Christ must be the cornerstone of all our belief and practice. Remember, this Testimony declares that “all are saved in Him, none are saved apart from Him.” This Testimony inspires all prophetic utterance. This Testimony is our lamp, and if the lamp is extinguished, the Ekklesia ceases to exist (Rev. 2:5). We cannot dilute, distort, or disfigure this Testimony for any reason. If we fail to discern and declare the truth concerning Jesus to the world around us, then we have utterly failed.
- Scriptural Integrity. Before we seek new, exciting revelation we must master what has already been revealed. The Scriptures are necessary for the spiritual growth and spiritual discernment of the Ekklesia. The Written Word reveals the Living Word, and the Living Word reveals the Written Word: “Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Lk. 24:27, NLT). Since Jesus thought Scriptural teaching was important for His disciples, we cannot afford to lightly dismiss it. We must know the Scriptures, obey them, and teach them to others.
- Intentional Fellowship. The post-church landscape is a lot like the Dark Ages after the Roman Empire collapsed; with no institution to keep them in check, people ran wild. In the absence of the Institutional Church, the Ekklesia must provide safe places where people can learn about Jesus in a non-religious, non-traditional setting. Intentional Fellowship means that we gather together for a purpose: to reach up to God, to reach in to one another, and to reach out to the world around us. We must transcend the “meeting” mentality we inherited from the Institutional Church and begin to think in terms of an extended Family that nurtures long-term relationships and meets both spiritual and practical needs.
- Passing the Torch. To successfully hand down a Christ-Centered Faith to the next generation, three things are needed. First, we must master the core teachings that constitute basic discipleship; those essential elements of the Faith that need to be passed down. Next, we must find and equip faithful people who know these essentials and will teach them to others. Finally, we must create opportunities for real discipleship to take place within the faith community of the Ekklesia – a nurturing, safe place to be born-again, to be healed, to learn, to grow, and to go forth; a place where spiritual wisdom can be imparted.
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I don’t know what it will take or how it will happen, but I look forward to the day when we have a clean slate, and the world will be rid of these grotesque dishonouring and damaging institutions.They come in various forms ,we have circus church,theatre church, rock concert church, modern psychology church etcetera, etcetera. Truth is non believers are not impressed, and believers are stuck between a rock and a hard place, getting in a worse state than before they set foot in the place! No assembly of believers is ever going to get it all perfect, but surely anyone seeking to move forward will see the wisdom in being Christ centred for a start.Who knows when we might be called to build pillars, to be pillars also, one thing I believe is we must do our bit in the here and now, but not look only to the present day, or just to our own lives ,to do this would be simply wrong and self centred,for now I thank Chip for his obedience in seeking God for the vision given to him, and for the light it gives those of us who are endeavouring to move forward. Many thanks Chip, the Lord bless you.
One thing I have found in the last few years is the comfort and encouragement we obtain when, having seen how disfigured the modern “church” has become, we find others, and build relationships with them who likewise have separated themselves from this distortion of the early church. It was a very unsettling thing for me when I withdrew, almost fearful that perhaps I MYSELF was deceived when I did so…..with only a few friends who also had done likewise, and a memory of so many years ago when I had been “kicked out” of one of these churches for wanting to find the love of God that my Bible told me was a reality – but their religion refused to show. I have absolute confidence now that I am led by the Holy Spirit, and fear of walking alone, if needs be, is no longer an issue. I praise and thank God for Chip and Karla who are willing to encourage and help those who likewise would seek and walk in the truth….and be a part of the spiritual family of Christ, the Ekklesia.
Thank you Clare, good to know there are others of like mind.I am encouraged by your confidence in the Holy Spirit to continue to lead you, good to hear from you, the Lord bless you and thank you again.
good article and im enjoying the book–not to leave out I like your hat
Thanks to this blog I am finally starting to feel that God is Blessing us in having left the churches we were member of. I felt like an outcast, sinner and betrayed by many friends ….we did not go to church for a whole year afraid of getting caught up again in something that was not from God.
Still the feeling to ‘belong’ somewhere persisted. I read now that that is ok….we have found a congregation that leaves us free in expressing our faith without the constrains of man made rules and regulations. Really more Christ centered.
Because of reading your article I feel like God is confirming that the choices we have made are good.
Have not felt that since we left the church in januari 2012!
What a terrible lie that I would be scared of trying to find Gods will for my life on my own.
Though the bondage to religion has been broken and forgiven I see more clearly now, that my tendencies are still very strongly related to the religion I grew up with, and broke with in my 50th year of life.
Our children barely attend church anymore and I am actually glad they don’t….Prayer for them to be born again, baptised in water and the Spirit are my daily occupation.
Thank you Chip and your wife for your clear teachings. May God bless you for it.
I Agree with you Chip.
I propose 3 steps to make :
1. Praise God and pray about this
2. Composing courses on basics like (embrace the cross) and prepare Leader-Trainers
3. Send them in the word to make disciples and Leader-Trainers by using the same process (the 3 steps)
Chip:
It was your books and teachings that brought me out of traditional “church”. Its been 3 years now. Now I wonder if its such a good thing, that we left!
It’s as though I found a treasure, while rummaging around in the lost bible closet, in the back of the church. Having found this treasure of incredible value, that being the Truth, I put it under my coat and ran out the back door of the place, never to return OR SHARE IT with my church family! I’m starting to think that true “evangelization” needs to happen in the traditional church, which is sick and near death, from lack of proper sustenance. That being; these truths you teach here.
What better person could there be than the long standing, and trusted, church member? A person who is already in relationship with the church body!
A true missionary today would find many souls to save, right in his own church! I would hate to meet up with some of these folks later in the Spiritual realm, and have them ask me; Why didn’t you tell me?
By leaving the church body, we effectively abandon the very people our Lord Jesus longs to save.
Charlie
Well, there’s your problem. If it was *my* books and teachings that brought you out of traditional church, and not the revelation of Christ and His Ekklesia, then you would be better off to go back to church. Because it sounds to me like you are just hankering for something you never really came out of.
If you’re concerned for souls, I wonder why you wouldn’t go where the harvest is most plentiful – outside the church walls. But “souls” isn’t really the issue, it’s just that you feel more comfortable with church folk and being “concerned for their souls” sounds more spiritual than “concerned for getting my own spiritual and social needs met.” And I’m sure they will love to have you back, so long as you don’t tell them the truth. But that’s the paradox of the situation, isn’t it? Compromise and conform and you will be quite comfortable.
The reason the Institutional Church is sick and near death is not because its needs you and me to evangelize it, but because God has judged it. Jesus said let the dead bury their own dead. You hang around what God has judged, you will be judged right along with it. But you will do what you feel you must, as everyone ends up doing in the end.
I realized today after “providentially” reading this article that; you can’t change the minds and hearts of those who are entrenched in thinking that “doing Church” is the way of worshipping God in Spirit and Truth! Our hearts may ache that those people are so out of touch with their present circumstances that they stumble in their own blindness. But as it says in John 12: 39-40, : “Therefore (they could not believe,) because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they SHOULD NOT SEE with their eyes, nor UNDERSTAND with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.” Jesus Himself tells us at Matthew 15: 14: “LET THEM ALONE: they be blind leaders of the blind. AND if the blind lead the blind, BOTH shall fall into the ditch.” Or, I say rather “the pit”. Now that we have “come out”, only a self-induced blindness will convince us that we can likewise call others out of that same ditch. Let us pray diligently for them to be converted, but beware, least we like pigs only return to our own vomit!
An interesting and thoughtful article. On a visit into the Weeping Wall tunnels in Jerusalem you can see the biggest stone in the Western Wall often called the Western Stone. It ranks as one of the heaviest objects ever lifted by human beings without powered machinery. The stone has a length of 13.6 meters and an estimated width of between 3.5 and 4.5 meters; estimates place its weight at 570 short tons. It reminded me when I saw it, that Jesus was the chief cornerstone, who holds up the whole building so to speak. He also became the stone that the builders rejected (rejected Messiah) and we see this today within the religious systems of the world, including Christianity. In Psalm 118:22 it says “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone”. I have been lucky to travel the world extensively the last 30 years, some 190 nations. In my money belt I carried a piece of paper which had these words on it ” Security is the presence of Jesus”. It reminded me that no matter what perils were encountered on the journeys, Jesus was in whom I resided. Our faith resides on only Him. He is our chief cornerstone.