Are We A Carnal Church

Are We  A Carnal Church?

Hello Faithful in Christ, I hope and trust that you are in the midst of a wonderful and Godly Day! This post is a little out of the ordinary for me. I had a delightful conversation with my wife while driving this morning – and she offered some insight to my teaching subject of late on “The Church – What is the Church”?

So, I am going to try and take the underlying message in several conversations and apply it to us, the people that make up the Body of Christ, the Church… I have had relative conversations with friends, a couple Pastors and now my wife; they have each provided different unique perspectives that now solidify my resolve in concrete. I truly believe that the Body of Christ in this nation, as well as the local Church is in crisis. Many churches today are guilty of idolatry, putting God in a box, making him in their own image. Many Church services are nothing more than routine – “dressed up religiosity”; we are well on our way to becoming the Church of Laodicea; Dr. Scofield called this the Church in its final stages of apostasy.

The Webster Dictionary defines the word “apostasy” as a “total desertion of or departure from one’s religion, principles, or an abandonment of one’s faith”. In Revelation 3 verses 15, 16 & 17 Christ told John to write of the Church of Laodicea that “15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:”. My Goodness People – are we blind? Can’t we see this in our Churches today?

We are so caught up in doing “things” the way they have always been done that we are totally missing the mark??!!! We are to BE THE EMBODIMENT OF CHRIST people, we are to reflect the very Spirit that he sent to us – and that supposedly lives within us!!! I use the word supposedly, because we as a corporate congregation do not reflect the Righteous Godly Souls of days gone by. We resemble those that regularly attend the local bridge club, 4-H meeting or Grange meeting.

Our Talk is of the world, our walk reflects that of the world, once again I must ask my favorite question in times of debate and disdain in Christian circles – “where is Christ in all of this”? Where is He? Do we attempt to bring Him into the middle of our profane conversations, in the middle of our self-centered acts of service? Then attempt to convince ourselves and all those around us – your service is to and for Christ? Please! Spare me the Spiritual heart-ache, and the social embarrassment of witnessing such heinous – hypocritical behavior.

I looked at my wife today, and she said, “you know, I told a friend what our Church needs is a good old fashion revival – but then I thought about it, and realized NO-ONE would come”!!!! This wasn’t me the Bible Teacher – this was my wife, my quiet – loving – tenderhearted wife sees the despair of the situation in our local Church. What does this tell us of the corporate Church in this country? Folks, I want you to understand and believe that GOD – WILL NOT BLESS A CHURCH WITH OPEN APOSTASY AND SIN within its members. He will still work within the individual hearts of men and women that seek His face and strive and reach for Holiness, Righteousness and Godliness. However; He cannot work in the heart of those that do not know Him as Abba Father / Rabboni – which is to say, “MASTER”!

Alistair Begg taught a wonderful series on the Church, in which he smartly proclaims that if Christ is not the ultimate authority in the Church – then there is NO Church!!! You might as well be some sort of social club!!! Well folks, let me embellish that point just a bit further… If you “truly” know Christ as your personal Savior and Master, and are not on your face before Him every day, wanting and pleading with Him to become more like Him – something is wrong… As Paul so eloquently reminded us numerous times in his books – we must “walk in the Spirit”, not in the flesh… We must surrender and submit to His authority and Righteousness for and in our lives.

Pastor Burn used to tell us, you can’t wake up some day, decide you ought to be a Christian! So you reach up and grab God and take Him on your merry little way – still doing all the things that you used to do! That is building an idol in your own image, and has nothing to do with True Christianity! God is not this Big, Soft, Lovey - Dovey Guy up in the Sky – That Just Understands the Way You Are…. He knows that are hearts on our own are desperately wicked, and apart from accepting His Son, we are doomed to hell. That’s as close to understanding you the way you are as we are going to get for this debate.

God knows the heart of man… Adam proved that we choose our way over His way. Man, has not changed in nearly 10,000 years, we are still selfish, self-centered and lustful for the things that bring pleasure to the flesh. It is only when, we recognize our true – sinful nature, and all that we are capable of in “un-righteousness” that we can then turn our “hearts” to Jesus, with true repentance and a contrite heart. Upon accepting that perfect gift of His Blood Sacrifice, Death on that Cross and the first Resurrection of the New Covenant – we can be washed from that sin nature, and have the Holy Spirit take up residence in our hearts!!

Did you get that, His “HOLY” Spirit takes up residence in our hearts. Holiness does not lend itself to profane language, perverse lusts and desires, habitual activates that are dangerous to one’s self and those that we love. We who have Christ living within our heart, approach Him as little Children, wanting to please Him, Loving Him with everything that we are. That through that Loving submission to His authority and yielding to His will, we begin to resemble Him, quite literally, we take on His characteristics. Our demeanor changes, our personality softens, as we grow in His spirit we begin to love others more than we love ourselves.

The transition is the process of sanctification… This is a word and a process that seems somewhat foreign in some Churches today. See folks, as we Love and grow in Christ, we should be letting the old desires of the heart fall off by the way side! We should care more for the people in the world, while caring less for the things of the world. Through His Spirit, we learn contentment in the physical realm, things are less important, and people become more important. Shallow relationships are no longer desirable, we want to know people, love them and serve them in one form or another.

Our Church, The Church – needs Revival!! Those that belong to Him will seek revival for their hearts and desire renewal and change. They will crave to spend more and more time with Christ in Prayer, Reading His Word, and Meditating on the things we learn academically, to allow Him to minister to us. Through that process of devotion and meditation, he takes the academics of the scriptures and cultivates it into heart knowledge and Spiritual discernment and eventually wisdom. He desires the communion with us, He wants the closeness with us, and He wants to show Himself to us. We need only yield to His will, seek His face and Love Him regardless of current circumstances and situations.

Pray with me that God will allow a REVIVAL in the Church today… That if it starts in the hearts of a few that it will become contagious, and we will depart from our carnal ways. Let us be content with Him, and that which He has given us. Then allow us to be charitable with the excess that He blesses us with, and serve our fellow man, where ever Christ would lead us. Sharing both the Gospel Message and the wealth He has blessed us with – no matter how big, or how small. God Loves and Blesses the cheerful giver.

Father – Please start revival in my heart first, and then let it be contagious to all those that You place on my path and in my life. In all things, may I always give You the Honor, the Glory and the Praise, in Christ’s name I pray….. Amen.