What's
the 'church'? And why is there a decline in US attendance?
Hello brothers and sisters in Christ,
and friends,
Here in central Florida when I'm out
working to pay bills, I get asked one question very, very often. That question is
- where is a good church? It's asked in a number of different ways. And it is
typically spurred by the Biblical and history conversations that we were having
and enjoying. It seems many people love history and current events subjects
because they are trying to figure out what's going on and like comparing notes
with others who are paying attention and aren't settling with the lies of the
'official story'. Many people we talk to are trying to find what's going on in
the real world and are getting tired of the corporate-controlled 'mainstream
news' because they cannot figure out what's going on. And many we talk to are
also getting tired of their dead 501c3 corporation and don't know where to go.
Over the past number of years, I have
been typically able to tell them where my family was attending and/or several
church-gatherings that were spiritually alive. Now in the last year or so,
being aware of most of those same church-gatherings that I once recommended and
having seen their spiritual decline... my list continues to grow smaller and
smaller. So, seeing that dilemma, I started to study into other ideas and
converse with my brethren (and sisteren) locally (and across the US) on
churches that teach all of the Word of God, and not just the parts that tickle
itching ears. Sadly, here in central Florida, I'm finding it *very* hard to
recommend all but a few, because the leaven of worldliness and popularity has
crept in and washed out their salt. Many so-called 'pastors' in this area can
quote the favorite footbaal team (or other idol/sports), scores & players,
and the latest perverse movies or TV shows, but cannot even explain clearly
what the gospel is or the narrow road and cost of discipleship that Jesus
taught. Many here have become apostate - which God warns of some severe
judgment on them in Matthew 18, Hebrews 6:4-6, and many other similar
passages). Now I expect that some (if not many) of you who are reading this are
probably thinking 'hey Steven, that sounds like this area around here too.' I
understand. Many people tell me this, so I'm not surprised. So, yes I see and
hear this pattern all across the US - which is why I'm writing this
article/Bible study. =)
These details I just mentioned show
why attendance has dwindled - the whole of God's Word is not taught most places
anymore, and many teachers either lean toward legalism or lawlessness, rather
than the balanced and health fear of the Lord that continually teaches us to
depart from sin and walk more in His ways, which grows into a richer deeper fellowship
with Him and those who follow Him. [There's a good solution/conclusion here -
hope you'll stick with me =) ].
So, as the title suggests, there are 2
reasons for this article and I hope to cover both of them well (though briefly)
-
1> What the 'church' is according
to the Bible, and
2> Why (I believe) main-stream
'church' attendance is dropping dramatically.
So, let's start with question 1: 'What
is the church, according to the Bible?' To understand this subject, we need to
first start by looking at the Biblical definition of the word 'church'. The
subject of translations from the original Bible languages to modern culture is
a continual study for me, and I think many would be surprised what all is not
translated well. And, the more I study, the more I find we have okay
translations, but not ones that are clear and accurate to the original complex
and mathematical texts (Hebrew and Greek). So... sorry for the little
side-trail, back to the word 'church'... The English word we find in our
translations for the gathering of believers is called the: 'church'. And it is
translated from the Greek word: 'ecclesia' (also written 'ekklesia'), meaning:
'called out ones' or a/the gathering of believers, and sometimes it's used to
talk about a little gathering in one area, and sometimes the whole body of
Christ. And from what I see in studying the Word, the subject of 'church' or
'gathering of believers' first showed up in Jesus' teachings when He said
"...
and upon this Rock, I will build My
church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."
(Matthew 16:18, my emphasis added)
That's a pretty clear and very good promise right there! ~ Around the world we
see that this 'gathering of believers' takes different forms, has different
sizes, and is organized differently according to their culture. Some of the
worldwide gatherings of believers are strong in one area and not strong in
others. Yet, as is often the case - sadly wolves like Rick Warren, Joel Osteen,
Joel Hunter, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyers, etc. are also mass-exporting their lies,
including 'Purpose-driven Life' etc. So, we are seeing a growth of repeats of
the old lies. But aside from that - there are also real home-churches (also
called 'house-churches') world-wide, and some are turning to One True Messiah
and Savior (despite satan's many attempts to stop or distract from that).
Another way to see this... you know it
when you see it. That sparkle in the eyes of the church members as they're
discussing the Word that they studied this week, and comparing notes on how
they can follow God. And they are excited to hear another seed of God's Word
planted in the heart of a family member or stranger who God sent across the
path of another believer... it's something so sweet yet so different from many
other places. You know - the kind of places where people just sit around taking
up time talking about things that will not matter in 100 years... chitchatting
about what the world calls important. The richness and encouragement gained in
genuine Biblical fellowship is totally different from the fakeness of this
world. It can't be faked... and neither can a genuine gathering of believers.
That genuine gathering of believers who desire to fellowship, understand and
share more of God's Word - THAT is a 'church'.
Now let's look back to the US, when you think of 'church-gatherings' here in
the US - what's the first thing that comes to mind? Probably the
mega-'churches', right? And then the next thing you probably think of (if
you're like me) is the not-very-big 'common churches', the places that have a
bit of friendliness, the essence of Scripture, but no real spiritual life,
Biblical fellowship, or content. You probably have noticed that the ones that
you can remember seem to operate like businesses too - putting tremendous
pressure on people to promise how much they will give that year, and list of
little rules including - arrive on time (or else), listen and laugh along, and
stay involved in their light and frivolous activities, etc. It's busy-ness, but
not much real spiritual life.
Why does what we see around us and
what the world calls 'churches' look so far different from a gathering of
believers to fellowship and grow together in the Word? Well, that's because the
majority of the places called churches, are not called 'churches' by God - just
men.
A Biblical church doesn't need a
building or a budget. A Biblical church doesn't need an entertainment program.
A Biblical church doesn't need a visitations committee, or most other
committees. A Biblical church doesn't need a age-divided setup either. In the
book of Acts, they all gathered together - as a family... A Biblical church
just needs the Bible, and at least one leader who is an active growing follower
of Christ and diligent Bible student (who is also hopefully training up others
to do the same). The gathering of believes may also want to include a hymnal or
book of Scriptural-based lyrics for songs - but even that isn't required. You
may remember that the early church was started house to house, with the conversations
and fellowship being breaking bread and discussing how to change and leave sins
behind and how to follow Christ in a culture that hated truth. Look around -
doesn't that sound like today? Let's look at Acts for a minute. "Then those (new believers) who gladly
received his word (Peter's teachings) were baptized; and that day about three
thousand souls were added to them (on Pentecost). And they continued steadfastly in the
apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then
fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the
apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and
sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had
need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread
from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the
church daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:42-47) ~
All of the details you see right there in that last passage *are
necessary* in any Biblical 'church'. Now, with that said, let's
also remember 2 other very important passages: 1st Corinthians 12:28 and
Ephesians 4:11.
"And God
appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers,
after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, variety of
tongues..." (1st Corinthians 12:28)
"And
He Himself (Christ) gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for
the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
(Ephesians 4:11-12)
>> When you pull those two passages together, you have the
Biblical structure of the church: 1) apostles, 2) prophets, 3) evangelists, 4)
pastors-teachers, and then the rest from there. Now, the apostles
referenced here were 12+ (Judas replaced by Matthias and the later addition by
God of Saul/Paul as an apostle) - Jesus' closest companions. No modern day
'apostles' exist today. Church-planters:
yes. Modern-day apostles: no. Prophets
have existed from the beginning. Jesus even noted that Abel (the brother Cain
murdered) was a prophet. This next passage shows Jesus strongly and loudly
rebuking the hypocritical religious leaders of His day. "Therefore the
wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of
them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which
was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation (hypocritical
scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees), from the blood of Abel to the blood of
Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes I say to you, it
shall be required of this generation." (Luke 11:49-51) And in
Scripture there are many other real God-appointed prophets mentioned, including
in the book of Acts. - Evangelists, according to
God's Word, have more authority than pastors, which means they can also appoint
or reject pastors with God's authority, when they are actively growing in the
Word. The role of evangelist is pretty much just to share the gospel with those
around us. All of us who are genuinely saved need to be sprinkling the seeds of
God's Word and being active in training up disciples for Christ - so whether
you feel like you fit in this category or not, we still are supposed to be
active in calling and drawing men to Christ. The pastor-teacher
have a clear role to accurately teach and explain the Word of God, and that
does not include them trying to dominate the 3 categories above them - apostles
prophets or evangelists, or control them. Sadly many who claim to be 'pastors'
today very often do try to dominate those who are genuine evangelists with a
Biblical gospel, but that's because many who claim the title of 'pastor' aren't
obeying God's Word, otherwise there would be harmony. Pastors have no right to
tell an evangelist that he cannot share the gospel at/with the church, or must
do it the way the 'pastor' says is right. As for the Biblical qualifications of
a pastor/teacher, the qualifications from God are specific and have to do with
their life-patterns, heart-motivations (fruit), and these are clearly explained
in 1st Timothy 3 and Titus 1 and 2. You will notice that a degree or
commendation from an 'accredited school' are not included in these Biblical
requirements. Pastors/teachers do need to be making sure they are actively
keeping themselves as under-shepherds under Christ, shepherding the flock in
God's Word, not man's traditions or the 'norms' of the culture. And from the
pattern of Scripture, you will also noticed that most of the effective
pastors/teachers came from their own hometown and continued to maintain that
good testimony - not imported from somewhere else (or hiding from other
scandals in other places).
~ If the gathering of believers just has those passages, and those very
simple understandings from Scripture, and if they are working together to follow
that Biblical pattern, then they are doing what God teaches that a 'church'
should do. Teach the whole of God's Word, do not compromise with the world,
guard against idols, rebuke when necessary (according to the situation),
together grow in becoming graciously accountable, growing together in following
the footsteps of their Master and Savior, and actively share God's Word and the
gospel with those around them. If they are doing those, God recognizes them as
a gathering of believers or 'church'.
Secondary passages to study:
1st Timothy 3 and 4
Titus 1 and 2
Acts 15
Romans 14
Matthew 18
>>>
So, with that reminder of what a
Biblical church is, let's next look at some reasons why the 'mainstream'
'church' attendance is declining.
The top people with money that are
pushing for the one-world gov't (Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Bill Gates, the
Bush family, the Clintons, Brzezinskis, etc...) are also making it impossible
to run any medium to large church and teach *all* of the Bible. You add onto
that fact, that through our 'seminaries' since the 1950s, the majority (if not
all) of the new trainees are all freemasonry-compliant and many of them are
masons themselves. I know of three to a dozen prominent 'pastors' here in
central Florida that are masons - which is the 'ecumenical' gospel and not the
gospel of Jesus Christ. You add onto that fact this - when a religious
gathering wants the approval and permission from the gov't/European mafia's
'approval' (from the illegal corporations: Federal Reserve and IRS), they sign
papers that say that they will not teach the most important parts of the Bible,
and they get regular updates (last we heard every month) of what they can and
cannot teach. This means that they are in clear violation of God's Word, but
they also become clouds without rain - preferring their sins and idols and
man's approval rather than God's approval. "Preach the Word! Be ready in
season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all
longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have
itching ears, they will heap up [pile, gather] for
themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the
truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure
afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."
(2nd Timothy 4:2-5) ~ And, that then sets these rebellious men behind the
pulpits to chase their foolish rebellions and favorite sins, which then makes
them: 'clouds without rain' (2nd
Peter 2:17). " These are wells without
water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the
blackness of darkness forever." (2nd Peter 2:17) ~ and there are
many more verses that describe teachers who present themselves as Bible
teachers, but lie, twist God's Word, comfort the rebellious in their rebellion,
and turn many from the narrow road through the narrow gate - the only way to
Christ (Matthew 7:13-14; John 14:6).
Have you heard of an ecumenical
religion called 'freemasonry'? If you are not aware of that or are only vaguely
aware of that, then you probably are also not aware that 90%-95% of recognized
clergy are involved in masonry, or have made agreements with the Jesuits
(Vatican, 'church' of Rome) or Yale's Skull and Bones. From my studies and
conversations with a wide variety of people, most of those behind pulpits that
are corrupted or compromised seem to be often a mason, or secondarily a Jesuit-trained
clergy. If you know anything about the secret oaths that are taken by the
followers of Ignatius Loyola ('founder' of the Jesuits), and/or the secret
oaths and pledges made inside masonic lodges, then you also know that these
types of men cannot be trusted because their loyalty is to something else much
more than the Scriptures. They either hold to the Scriptures and run from those
past agreements (usually with loud apologies for their allegiances to these
satanic groups) or they are still tied to them by past secret oaths and
pledges. [Many who attend seminary start
in freemasonry then, because we have many professors at these 'seminaries' who
are masons too. How does one find out which ones are involved in freemasonry?
Prayer and asking good questions till the truth comes out.] Masons acting
as clergy cannot be trusted in any leadership position in the gathering of
believers because they are going to lead many away from obedience to the Bible
and toward the lies and sin-traps of satan. Their private life is not
consecrated to following Jesus Christ. Paul talked about this type: "For all seek
their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 2:21) If you see the masonic square and compass or other symbols
on the building or logo or decorations or on the leaders' vehicle(s), or
pictures of strange crosses, etc - then you need to ask God to help you to find
out if there are masons in leading your church,
and how to chase them off, or to lead the genuine believers away from
these liars. ~ If you'd like to know more details about the masons and see a
gospel tract written for them, here's a link that you can read and share:
http://www.incpu.org/ms-tr-darker.pdf
Another key problem: Have you heard
that there are FEMA-clergy? What does that mean? Simply put - there are
pastors, rabbis and imams who are on the gov't payroll, and who are leaders in
helping the people be okay with martial law and getting them ready for the next
false flag attack and the push of the New World Order and the
one-world-government. A few years back it came out publicly that at least
80,000 of the clergy had gone through classes to work with this martial law and
the lies of false gospels and false religions. I have seen confirmation that
there have been many more trained, but I don't know how many. I do know that
33rd degree mason Billy Graham's 'The Cove' is involved in these trainings, and
the 'Emergency Relief' is a cover for gov't training (really elite training to
pacify the public in time of 'martial law'). Ask God to help you see this
subject deeper - He'll give you what you can handle in a way that will draw you
closer to Him.
The last subject to be aware of on the
subject of fake 'pastors' who have gone apostate - is when they become CEOs of
a 501c3 corporation. All of us have heard of 501c3 corporations - it's a
business with tax-exempt status, meaning they can bring in money and not pay
the so-called taxes. But, what's the big deal about this type of religious
organization? That's a good question that needs a good answer. Let's start back
at seminary. In most (if not almost all) seminaries in the US, the students are
prepped to worked with the government controls on religious speakers (they just
don't realize that). They are geared to get a certificate of accreditation from
the gov't or a school that can give that. They are also taught in these classes
the importance of setting up a 501c3 organization so that they can receive
donations and grant their donors a tax benefit... but what's wrong with that
system? Below I have 3 vids you need to see
concerning the 501c3 organizations. But, I can explain a bit more to help this
really make sense first. How many of you have ever made a contract that
involved you paying someone back a loan until you paid it off? Many of us
probably have - and that is something like the legal cloud that hangs over
every pastor and so-called pastor who is the head guy at a 501c3. You see, they
may start out well-meaning to teach God's Word fully and whole-heartedly... but
you know those school loans never go away... and attendance seems to drop every
time the pastor talks about growing in obedience and taking up our cross and
following Christ and sharing the gospel with others... so, to keep money
flowing in and stay in business, he either has to make and hold his agreement
with God, not caring about the snare of men... or he slowly but surely falls
and crumbles under the weight of the 501c3 rules, corporation agreements, and
bylaws and says less and less, till he has nothing important to say anymore.
Just nursery rhymes and fairy tales. That my friends is what has happened to
many pastors... including some ones that I know personally, and whom I love
dearly. If you get under the extreme burden of the 501c3 corporation status,
you will find God's Word especially true: "A righteous man
regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."
(Proverbs 12:10) And again: "The fear of man brings a snare, but
whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe."
(Proverbs 29:25) And Jesus' rebuke to the religious hypocrites of His day:
"And Jesus said to them, 'You are those who
justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly
esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.'"
(Luke 16:15) And back to the church in the book of Acts - model: "So continuing daily with one accord in the
temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with
gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the
people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."
(Acts 2:46-47) - God created the church to be a body of believers, not an
organization to care about money.
Churches
are Illegal if 501c3 Non Profit Tax Exempt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tEVNABNT40
501(c)(3) Government
Takeover of the Church Pt 1 of 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MF4FgXpS3o
501(c)(3) Government
Takeover of the Church Pt 1 of 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSdiH2W_h2A
Pastors, I plead with you - if you have
gotten the accreditation of a school or some gov't recognized organization or
website, I urge you - don't go further to an official organization. You don't
need man's approval to meet in homes and study the Word of God. And you need to
make sure that money is *not* any subject or as little a subject in the
gathering of believers. Just keep it a Bible study - please. You'll save
yourself and your gathering of brethren much pain and heartache that way.
Thankyou for at least letting me mention it to you.
Now, to the rest of us - If you want
to see if your 'pastor' is genuinely following Christ and have found that he's
in one of the above evil agreements, consider talking to him to plead with him
to completely break his evil agreements with those that are pulling him from
Christ. If he becomes hostile instead, or never quite repents, you know he has
not right to be your pastor. If he stays with the evil agreements he's made
rather than breaking them and just following Christ, you know he cannot be
trusted - he's a hireling and a wolf. And, if he's a hireling and a wolf, you
need to find somewhere else to go... which leads to my next point =)
This was the newest article I could
find on the subject, so I'm using it to highlight a significant issue - regular
church attendance is declining. In 2006, George Barna's
poll showed that 9% of US adults attended a house church (home church) rather
than the traditional 501c3 corporation. Here's a clip from that article:
"Briefly stated, we're right about
halfway between the
Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention (which is the
second-largest denomination in the U.S.)..."
http://www.incpu.org/statistic-on-home-churches.htm
So, what are the numbers today? You
know, I cannot tell. I've looked - I've studied, I've asked others... The
numbers could look really low, but that's not been the trend. So, what's up?
Well, this next trend starts to give a good clue:
Pastor Arrested for Holding Bible
Study
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/pastor-arrested-bible-study/2012/07/15/id/445419/
Attention Christians! Texas Pastors Ordered to Turn Sermons over to Gov-and You Won’t Believe Their Stunning Response…
My personal guess is that the growth
of home-churches (also called house churches) has increased exponentially in
the last number or years since 2006. My very few clues include being personally
aware of more than a half-dozen house church gatherings in the US and having
been asked the question over a dozen times concerning house churches or what
the Bible says on them, etc. Not much to go on as far as clear data. But, I have
another good clue on this - why are mainstream 501c3 'church' attendance and
'giving' (really donations to a 501c3 registered corporation) dropping so fast?
I believe the answer is simple. And why are some abusers in power attacking
pastors (especially home-churches and Bible studies) so hard if there really
isn't a movement that they are trying to stop? Why are they doing this? To
probably use religion as a tool for something soon? It's a good question...
that needs a good answer and lots of prayers. But, it's a question I can't
answer... yet. If you have info and want to share it - please email me or
message me or call me. ~ Steven.H3@gmail.com. Thankyou.
>>> last tips:
So, try to completely avoid collecting
money, just sharing as there is need and asking God for wisdom. Do not let a
person of high influence or lots of money into your leadership, or it will hurt
you later on. Let them serve humbly - and watch out for all medium to large
gifts (sometimes even small gifts) with strings attached. If the gift comes
with a promise of a return favor, it'll be a noose on the person's neck who
accepts it. -- Learn Biblical evangelism
- practice it. The only way to get good at teaching people how to follow Jesus
and helping others get to Heaven through Christ is practice.
>>> One final request that is very
important to my family:
If you anyone reading this has access
to the regular mandates from the 'govt' of what
pastors can and cannot say, would you please contact us? We would like to see
even one (or some) of those first-hand so we can better educate believers and
stand in prayer with Biblical pastors/teachers.
Thankyou to each of you who read this.
I think we are just about to see a harvest of many getting genuinely saved, and
it's going to be important that we are doing what we know to be doing, praying,
and getting ready for it. I pray it's been a blessing and is some sort of a
tool to help the growing number of little home-gatherings so they can avoid the
pitfalls of those who have fallen before us. ~ May God bless you as you study
His Word and teach others to do the same. ~ praying for you - please pray for
me and my family ~ a growing brother and fellow laborer, SH