A Treatise on the 21st Century Church

I love the church. It is what Jesus proclaimed would prevail over the gates of Hell and control the spiritual realm. The church is growing rapidly and overcoming in many places throughout the earth. Jesus only speaks the truth, so why is this not happening in many other places around the globe. The purpose of this article is to give answers and cause some ponderance to those questions. 

When Jesus took His disciples to Caesarea in Northern Israel to a place literally known as the “Gates of Hades.” It was a place where emperor worship, worship of the god Pan, and the place where demons supposedly came up out of the underworld was located. He proclaimed Himself as the Messiah to them and made a declaration about the “Ekklesia” He was establishing. Ekklesia is defined the assembly of the ruling ones. He revealed to them that they would soon have delegated authority to rule the spiritual realm and effect His kingdom in the natural realm. They would rule over the spirit realm and radically change the natural realm. 

This did progressively take place for about 200 years after Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and Pentecost. Then, they lost sight of the ascension apostles and prophets who were to lay the foundations and govern the church. Church primarily met in homes and the workplace. They met in large public groups on occasion and in places like the School of Tyrannus. Their primary focus of “church” was not a large assembly on Sunday mornings. It was Jesus living in and through His people by the power of the Holy Spirit in homes and the marketplace.

The church went through a not so good transformation in the 200’s AD. It splintered into regional groups overseen by “popes” or fathers. They tended to keep to themselves and not associate with other leaders. The church began to slide into error in doctrine and practice. A major blow came in 313 AD when Constantine, the Roman emperor supposedly converted to Christianity. He declared Christianity the empire’s worldwide religion. Empty pagan temples began to be church meeting places with a different twist on them. Each church had an appointed leader, a pulpit, and people who came to learn and leave. The church was quickly becoming an institution, not an organic living organism. The people became passive for the most part. Rome, not the apostolic/prophetic functions, became the ruler through appointed church hierarchy. Then, in 800 AD, Leo III was installed as pope of the Roman Church and quickly ordained Charlemagne, King of Frank as the new Roman emperor. Soon, corruption in government and church followed. The church entered the “Dark Ages.” Through courageous men like Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Huss, and Tyndale, the church began to slowly recover truth and doctrine. We entered the “Middle Ages” and saw some improvement. Still, the church model stayed the same. People were learning truth, but not moving from passive to active as the church for the most part. The reformers were vitally important, but did not restore the church to Jesus’ original intention.

The 1700’s magnified another challenge in the church’s journey. It is known as the “Age of Enlightenment.” Life was interpreted as physical and intellectual. The idea of a spiritual realm existing was considered uneducated, passé, and mystical. The result was an emerging church that preached a measure of truth without power and understanding of how the spiritual realm influences the natural. A few pastors were preaching The Bible, but most are not comprehensively. We have today the preaching of Scripture out of context, psychology, and humanism flowing out of numerous churches. The lack of fruit and the church joining existing culture is the result. We are called by Jesus to be salt and light. We are called to shape the present culture into the Kingdom of God here on earth. What does the future hold? What is the Holy Spirit currently doing?

My assessment of the present-day church is threefold. 

1.) Many DEAD CHURCHES exist in the United States and Europe. The Holy Spirit is not welcome or manifesting. They do not preach the Bible as absolute truth, and they have a non-biblical view of origin, sexuality and marriage. 

2.) There are some HYBRID CHURCHES. These are people awakening to the fact that there is something more than the status quo organized church. They are leaving these churches not because they are rebellious. They are hungry for the authentic move of God and the church they see in the Scriptures. The challenge is simply this. These churches are often so entrenched in generations of tradition, person-made practices, and denominational control, they are like trying to turn a battleship around in a swimming pool! 

3.) There is an EMERGING CHURCH being birthed by those with apostolic and prophetic functions. These churches are truly led by the Holy Spirit, leaders who are servant-hearted, and who seek Him regularly. They want to see the five-fold ministry team raised up and the body restored as the functional church. These church expressions are varied. Some meet in homes, workplaces, and coffee shops. They tend to have people who are excited about Jesus and making a difference in people’s lives. They may meet periodically in a larger group, but the most important aspects of “church” take place in their small groups.

Change, even good change, can be difficult and painful. We must ask a few questions at this time. Does what we are doing have a biblical model and Scriptural examples? Are we establishing five-fold leaders who are humbly surrendered leaders wanting to see others become successful in their God-given gifts and callings? Are we seeing the fruit of the kingdom? Are we experiencing push back from people and the enemy? 

Pondering and hungering with you for all God has for us, 

Pastor Tony