What IS the church system I keep referring to in my writing? I’ve been asking the LORD that question myself and receiving new understanding over the last month or so. The “Church System” is a stronghold in the mind created by a pattern of mindsets or beliefs that result in observable actions. It is not an attack against people nor the physical building itself (or I would be attacking myself and my family in many areas still needing renewing!). It is participation with those ungodly beliefs that open the door for the Kingdom of Darkness to bring bondage and torment, all the while deceiving people into thinking the current status quo is “normal” and “good” because that’s how it has always been, much like the Hebrew slaves thought being given leeks and onions while having to serve as slaves was better than freedom with God as their provider. These ungodly beliefs end up creating invisible man-made barriers that keep us from intimacy with God and the best that He offers in His Kingdom. We can chose to get offended or to repent when light exposes what the darkness hides in plain sight. Beliefs of bondage will rouse the wrath of God if they continue to take precedence over a pure relationship with Him founded upon truth.
I can’t put a chart in a FB post but below are just a few of the Man-made church-system observable actions vs. God’s Kingdom. Not everyone in bondage to the Church System has every single one of following and will likely have other ones not listed here that are more congregation specific but it’s a start to help see things from a different perspective and get you to start challenging everything, holding fast to what is grounded upon the Rock and tossing the rest as you renew your mind on God’s standard for that particular area.
1) Children are sent off to Sunday School with Sunday School teachers, who themselves are rarely trained in God’s ways. Fathers abdicate their responsibility to train their children in the LORD to Sunday School teachers as they are sub-consciously informed they are not “qualified” to teach their own children.
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The fathers nurture and admonish their children in the ways of the LORD, like Abraham commanded his children and his household to keep the way of the LORD. (Eph 6:1; Gen 18:19)
2) Observe man-made holidays like Easter & Christmas and call them “Christian”. They were created by Constantine by meshing Jewish holiday themes with pagan practices (e.i. painting eggs with sacrificed children’s blood…now mimicked by Easter egg paint; bringing favours under green trees aka Christmas presents and decking the tree with silver and gold – Jer 3:13, Jer 10, Lev 18:3)
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Observe God’s set Biblical holidays – His feasts and times as per God’s set dates, like Passover, Feast of Trumpets, Feast of Tabernacles, Day of Atonement, etc. (Ex 12, Is 58, Lev 23) in their prophetic fullness. (1 Cor 5:7-8)
3) The Law is not for today. We have Jesus now! We are not under the law, we’re under grace! (Jer 26:4-6; Heb 10:28-30). But make sure you abide by the congregational membership laws!
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God’s commandments are taught as commanded so that people will learn the Fear of the LORD (Deut 10:12-13); New Testament era did so in a yearly cycle, therefore gentiles will be caught up within 12 months and the Jews are continuously reminded of them. (Acts 15:21)
4) Pastor preaches from an elevated platform to a group of silent parishioners (Rev 2:15) a frequently pre-written sermon lecture style, often tied to a catchy preset sermon series to attract attention, preaching on socially acceptable topics that tickle the ears. Everything is done to predictable form with a strict time limit so the pot roast doesn’t burn – a certain # of worship songs, offering, dismiss the children (if they’re even allowed in the main service), sermon, then closing or a similar variation, under the guise of “respecting the congregation’s time” and “doing everything decently & in order”. (2 Tim 4:3-4)
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When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. (1 Cor 14:26, 1 Pet 4:11)
5) Repentance of sin as defined by the Bible in its entirety is rarely acceptable to address publicly from the pulpit (unless you want to be voted out or lose your salary). (Jer 5:3)
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Repentance is commanded, welcomed, expected, and ongoing. (Matt 3) The Mosaic Law provides the standard of what is and isn’t sin.
6) Pastors teach for hire. (Micah 3:11) Pressure to give to the church business, with the promise of a charitable tax receipt and twisting scriptures of conditional blessings for personal gain without teaching the required obedience to gain those blessings.
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If you receive spiritual seed, you freely provide for their material reward. (1 Cor 9:11) A worker is worthy of his hire. Do not muzzle an ox who treads out the grain (which is breaking the chaff from the wheat) (1 Tim 5:18) those who labour in the word are worthy of double honor. (1 Tim 5:17)
7) Congregation is separated by age and gender (Prov 13:20); the “ordained” ones and the common folk. (Is 65:5)
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Families worship & fellowship together, the immature learning from the natural, transparent lives of the mature. All believers are in full-time ministry the moment they are born again. There is no hierarchy of importance, merely different function of giftings and callings. Everyone has value and the opportunity to contribute.
8) Church building is the main venue, with 8 – 12 week courses sometimes held in homes for icing on the cake.
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Homes and nature are the main venue, with the occasional 4-7000 men + families in outdoor gatherings & 30,000+ amphitheatre gatherings.
9) The head of the church – Government via charity-status businesses and Denominations are the head of a bunch of amputated and disjointed body parts.
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Jesus Christ is the head, we are one as the body.
10) False prophets divine “for an offering” as per the doctrine of Balaam, (Micah 3:11), can still be accurate and release power but lead people away from God’s commandments & into idolatry. (Deut 13)
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True prophets obey God’s commandments, warn people to repent, cannot be bribed, not accepted in their own home town, do unusual things that don’t make sense or are offensive to the spiritually blind. More supernaturally powerful than false prophets.
11) Worship is subconsciously taught to be the few songs we listen to the worship band play and occasionally sing along with on a Sunday morning. Results in a loss of discernment and wisdom. (Is 29:13-14) True full congregational participatory singing has become a rarity and replaced with being entertained by the Sunday morning ministry teams.
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Worship is a lifestyle, birthed out of the heart.
12) Salvation is too often relegated to a repeat-after-me prayer in Sunday school or at the altar as a get-out-of-hell-free card. “Saving souls” from hell is projected as the main goal, not the first step.
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Salvation is through repenting of your sins and receiving the free gift of Jesus’ blood as payment for the penalty of the curse of the law, bringing freedom to spirit, soul, AND body and initiates a person into the relationship with Abba Father and into the journey of discipleship.
13) Pray to/at Jesus (usually “another Jesus, another spirit”). Often taught & quote rote prayers. Charismatic witchcraft abounds in prayer meetings, largely out of ignorance of the scriptures. Say a traditional “grace” before our meals. Prayer meetings more gossip circles than true intercessory warfare.
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Pray with our Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. A 2 way conversation birthed out of love & friendship as we do what we see the Father doing and say what we hear Him saying. Blessing the LORD our God for the good land he has given us after we have eaten (although a consistent attitude of thanksgiving should permeate our atmosphere). Declaring that the LORD is our God and that we shall love him with all our heart, mind, and soul when we wake up and when we lay down. Prayer is without ceasing, a normal part of our lifestyle continually being aware of and interacting with the presence of God, naturally flowing during any fellowship situation be it a stranger on the street asking for prayer or praying on the phone when someone calls to say hi or spontaneously storming the gates of hell as the need arises.
14) OUR ministry is your covering (so tithe to us!). (Is 30:1)
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Holy Spirit is our covering (Is 30:1)
15) Go to the temple/tabernacle/church building on Sunday morning.
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We are the temple of God.
16) Calls oneself a Christian because of Sunday church attendance, membership (even without regular attendance), family background, or simply because you don’t fit in the other mainstream religions like muslim or atheist.
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Christ-like, walking epistle lifestyle identifies them as disciples of Jesus Christ .
God’s Kingdom Man-made Church System
17) Pharaoh’s storehouse, often kahoots with Mammon
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God’s storehouse
18) Attend an 8 wk discipleship course and receive your certificate of attendance.
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Disciple the nations, not just people, to walk according to God’s ways.
19) Can’t wait for Jesus to rapture you out of this wicked world, go hide in a cave mentality.
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Transform earth as it is in heaven, transforming the cultural around you.
20) Adults and parents, literal and spiritual, make excuses for rebellious children, youth, and other adults. (2 Tim 3)
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Children, literal and spiritual, obey and honor their parents. (Eph 6:1)
21) Blind servants and deaf messengers. (Is 42:19) Spiritually ignorant and fearful attitude results in abdicating their authority and getting their butt kicked by the Kingdom of Darkness (Acts 19:16)
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Operating in the spirit-realm with wise discernment is mandatory. Have eyes to see and ears to hear with the LORD and the spirit realm are up to, actively using their power and authority to trample on the Kingdom of Darkness (Lk 10:19)
22) Controlling others through policies & procedures, forms and structures.
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Exemplifying and discipling others in self-control.
23) Fruit of the flesh under the mask is the norm
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Fruit of the Spirit in plain sight is the norm.
24) Tolerate sin in the name of “loving our neighbor”
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Rebuke sin, cutting off fellowship with those who refuse to repent and hand them over to satan.
25) Sons of the devil, Pharisees / religious folk with a stony, uncircumcised heart.
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Sons of God that carry his distinct, identifiable character/nature, born again in the spirit.
26) Hear parables but do not understand. Trample what the Kingdom values in their ignorance.
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Receive and understand the mysteries of the Kingdom. Receive the pearls and warned not to cast them before unclean people so as to ensure they are not trampled underfoot.
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