Why Denominations?

Have you ever asked yourself, why you do certain things in church? Or, why they do this or that? We often take a lot for granted or assume that it's just the way it is because somebody else knows better than us.

How did you get started in going to church? For me, like many others, we were raised in church from the day we were born. Others were invited by a friend or came out of curiosity. Still others were drawn by a need or conviction. Today is a little different, not as many are raised in church, some just don't like organized church but still love God, and others are just rebellious. Why?

Like all children, we learn by hearing and observation. Some of us moved a lot and whenever we moved our parents took us to the church that fit their liking. When we got married we did the same with our kids. When we went to church, we were taught many things, some what to do's and lots of what not to do's and we believed them, because we didn't know any different. We also believed them for the most part, because we thought they, ministers and teachers, knew God and the Bible better or longer than we did. We were basically all taught to believe and worship the same way, regardless of age. After all, most ministers have gone to Bible college and/or seminary where they where taught about God. Then they would teach us, because they had more experience. Right?

Today it's not much different, we're still usually taught by someone. There are televangelist on 24/7 on several TV channels and churches of all sizes on every other block it seems. So many different religions and denominations around the world today, each claiming that what they believe and teach is true. The book you believe in, determined your 'faith' or religious affiliation. For the Christian, that book is the Bible, and there are thousands of books that have been written in support of the Bible. From our personal conviction or belief, we believe the Bible is the Word of God and the teachings of Jesus Christ. Our convictions are based on what we call a,"born again" experience. Yet, even within our own 'camp' there is division; each choosing a different doctrine they support more strongly than others. Why?

Do you realize that there are over 9,000 different Christian affiliated denominations and each was started by a man with a different opinion. (That's crazy, have Christians gone nuts? What happened to unity?) Each denomination became an organization, controlled by men who loved God. Each grew because of people's preferences, and even within each denomination there are people who don't agree on certain issues. So now we have basically built churches that separate us from our brothers and sisters in Christ because of our different tastes in theology and doctrine. Why?

All of these church organizations within Christianity claim to be Bible based. They all believe Jesus died for our sins, that we should love God and others. But after that, what they say and do seems to get a little blurry. God's Word says , "if you love me, you will keep My commandments." (John 14:15). Jesus taught us, that we were to be one and we were to love our neighbor as our self. But somewhere along the way man thought he could improve on the Truth by separation, organization and building structures to contain people and those beliefs. Christianity is a man-made religion, the 'mother' of all denominations. Do we really understand that? Jesus taught that we are in the world, but not to be part of it (world systems, including organized religion are Babylon). The apostle Paul rebuked the early church and Peter for trying to do this very thing (I Cor. 1:10-13, 3:1-11) and (Gal.2: 11-14). We are not to go along with the flow, the broad road that leads to destruction. Yet most Christians and ministers seem to have chosen to overlook those verses because the denominational leaders have.

Denominations are an offense to God, they are not a reflection of His heart, in any form. There are also other verses that people seem to disregard, preferring their own beliefs and what they feel more comfortable with rather than doing what the Bible says. I have also learned not take everything that is said and done from the pulpit or in organized church, as truth. Many ministers should be repenting and pointing their flocks back to Jesus Christ and how He live his life. They should be freeing their flocks from the bondage of religious thinking and encouraging them to worship God and be led, every moment of every day, by the Holy Spirit that is within us. Unfortunately, what many preach and administrate in organized churches reflects a lot of creative thinking, of which I have a hard time finding in my Bible. I love all of God's people and I know the pastors mean well, many are simply following blindly down a well rutted path they have been taught.

Today, more than ever we need to be praying for our pastors, ministers, leaders and ourselves that we all should be spending more time waiting on, listening to and obeying God's heart. We need to be asking Him to open our eyes to the truth and the deception that we have yielded to. I want to believe that all people want to know the truth, so I encourage you to ask yourself, is what you see in yourself, your home, and your church truly reflecting what Jesus and His Apostles taught and did? I realize that most of us got caught in this system of religion out of ignorance but we still need to repent, as I did, from Christianity. We need to ask God what to do, then do it; even if it cost us our pride or money. It took over 1600 years for the religion of Christianity to become what it is, and it is not about to change over night, if ever. Many Christian ministers and laymen within the organization will be reluctant to give up their religious pay check or admit their business, concepts and practices are wrong. Obedience does have a price. But, God is forgiving and patient with willing and seeking hearts.

The Kingdom of God will be established, and things are going to change soon, one heart at a time by the love, power and authority of the Father. And in His Kingdom there is no division, just one Body and Jesus is the Head. We can come up with all kinds of excuses for hanging on to the past and not change. But, do we really want to miss out on seeing God's dreams and plans for us fulfilled. If we seek Him with all our heart, we will learn and know the truth, and we will be happier. Plus, God will also be pleased and say, "well done my good and servant". I for one, do not think the Gospel of Jesus Christ should be changed after 2000 years. After all, "Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever." Don't you agree?

Note: The fact that there are over 9,000 denominations is no surprise to God. He has allow it, so that organized religion would remain weak; (each has some truth, some more that others.) Then, His church, which is set apart unto Him, will rise up in the last days, to its rightful position, in His power and authority. The love of the Heavenly Father will be revealed through His sons and daughters, the Bride of Christ, to establish His kingdom on earth. Just as the tower of Babel was brought down and the people were dispersed because of different languages. So all man-made religions and denominations, have been dispersed so that their towers of organization will fall.

The Birth of Christianity

Many Christians today believe, that their faith in Christianity and church activity is the outgrowth from the teachings of Jesus Christ and the early Apostles. However, if we take a true and honest look at history, we will see a different story, and why the church is the way it is today. Unfortunately, we will also see that many assumptions have been made that are based on traditions, laws and the doctrine of men. Christianity is a man-made religious organization, just like all the other religions of the world. Christianity has good, but there is also a lot of mixture. Many believe it is the best religion and do not see the mixture that has seeped in and there in lies the problem. God is not looking for the best, He is looking for a pure, separate, and holy nation that is set apart to Himself. This holy nation is the 'disciples of Jesus', who have denied themselves, taken up their crosses and are following Him alone. S0 let's take a little look at how Christianity (the religion vs. the disciples of Jesus Christ) got started. The following history lesson is from a section in John Crowder's book, The New Mystics.

It is believed that the "... Emperor Constantine began leading his army to war under the symbol of a type of cross, the chi rob. In A.D.313 he issued the Edict of Milan, which officially tolerated the church and ended the Christian persecution in the Roman Empire."

"Suddenly, church leaders from local bishops to popes were given governmental power It seemed a good idea at the time. But as church leadership gradually move into power trips and politics, church office became associated with money and control."

"Constantine began a massive program of church building projects in A.D. 323. ... prior to that the church had never even considered buildings - the church was a living network that met in homes, and really had nothing to do with physical structures. Church buildings became more elaborate with high vaulted ceilings. On one hand they spoke of vast beauty and glory of God, but on the other hand they hand the mesmerizing architecture made God seem distant and out of reach."

"Previously, Christians had always gathered for love feasts, but with crowds swelling in these massive new church buildings the community focus dissipated. Mere crowd control merited that only one or two people could speak or share, out of the hundreds in attendance. Christianity became a spectator sport. The layman lost his voice. Where once you may have been a participant, suddenly all eyes were focused on a centralized pulpit. Services became ordered. Professional speakers replaced the spontaneous sermons given by the believers."

"Understand that these must of been exciting times for the believers. You could be a Christian for free, without it costing your head! But the celebratory love feast were soon banned. The priesthood of every believer was handed over to a select few, who approached God for you. The Roman system of hierarchical government was transposed into the church leadership model with bishops, archbishops, etc. Scriptures would eventually leave the hands of ordinary believers, and theological baggage would be piled on top of them for centuries, until the Reformation."

"During this time of Constantine, Christians jumped from about 4 percent of the population to about 80 percent, but it is doubtful that most of these were real conversions. Pagans flooded into the church. Clergy -- a term that originally described pagan priests -- suddenly began wearing costumes that would set them apart from average believers. Church buildings were named after saints, like the pagan temples were named after their gods. Pulpits and choirs were originated in pagan practice. Sunday, the " day of the sun," or dies solis, was the state institution holiday that gave preference to the Sun worship--" Christian" Constantine even built a number of pagan temples as well to cover all his bases with other religions. He even did this in Constantinople--the great city he built in dedication to Christianity."

"I believe the Lord longs to redeem practices and cultural trends we see in the world around us., but it is clear that in Constantine's day, the church jumped to quick, false maturity based on institutional religion and half-converted pagan practices. Why do we dress up on Sunday? It is because your forefathers tried to look good to impress Constantine's friends. Why has the operation of the five fold office gifts been lost from the church? It is because Constantine's hierarchy established a one-man, priest-like hierarchy."

"Pagan rhetoric practices would soon bring polished snappy oratory into the church. Professional sermonizing would replaced prophetic utterance and the "simple speech" used by the apostles. Eventually, every practice of faith would become established (suppressed) and taken out of the hands of the average believers. By the time of Pope Gregory, around a.d. 500, even singing was relegated to the clergy! And even then, they were only allowed to chant in one special scale."

"But it was the twisted unity between civil government and the church authority that still gives us the most problems today. Constantine promoted church leaders that agreed with him and quietly dismissed those who spoke up against state interference in the church. At that time, no one knew how to handle a government that was friendly toward the church. It was not easy to resist the tempting siren of the state, after the church had been persecuted for so long by it."

John Crowder, The New Mystic

Unfortunately, this is just the tip of the iceberg, until you hear the rest of the story. I do realize that there are many Christians and godly men and women within Christianity. I believe, there are also very many anointed ministers and leaders, but most are still operating within a man-made system. Sooner or later they will all have to come out of Babylon. This may seem harsh but it is still true. I still love them and most of all God does too, but what has been acceptable in the past, is not now. God is calling all His sons and daughters back home to the Father's House, away from all forms of carnality. Desiring them to be led by the Holy Spirit, to establish His Kingdom on earth; not to build an organization.

Religion

"Religion is the opium of the people."

Karl Marx

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

Mahatma Gandhi

"Organized religion is a sham, a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers."

Jesse Ventura

"We must cry out when we see evil being done."

Charles deFoucauld

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Edmund Burke

Christianity Today

"I hope that you are as profoundly disturbed as I am by this new definition of 'successful' Christianity. Do you get the uncomfortable feeling that God is being used? The self-centeredness of our culture spawns a self-centered religion. The most common question in evangelism today is 'What can Jesus do for me?' Potential converts are told that Jesus can make them happier, better adjusted, and more prosperous. Jesus quickly becomes supreme product, attractive packaged and aggressively sold to the consuming public. Everywhere you turn there are billboards, and buttons and bumper stickers—'Honk if you love Jesus.' He's being advertised in a competitive market with every ingenious Madison Avenue sales technique. Even more than Coca-Cola, Jesus is 'the real thing.'" [My note: "Jesus is the Reason for the Season"]

"As Jim Wallis notes in his book, The call to Conversion, 'The gospel message is being molded to suit an increasingly narcissistic culture. Conversion is proclaimed as the road to self-realization... religion... as a way to help us uncover our human potential—our potential for personal, social, and business success, that is. Modern conversion brings Jesus into our lives rather than bringing us into his. We are told that Jesus is here to help us do better what we are already doing. Jesus doesn't change our lives, he improves them.'" [My note: A classic example along these teachings, is the popular book "The Purpose-Driven Life."]

"What a tragic distortion of the Gospel! Christianity is made compatible with the worship of other gods. Christ is used to serve the interests of wealth and power."

"In entering human history God shattered all previous conceptions of who God is and what man is meant to be. In the New Testament we are presented with a God who suffers crucifixion, a Supreme Being with spit on his face. What He went through in His passion and death is meant for me too; the invitation He issues is, 'Don't weep for Me! Join Me!'"

"American spirituality still seems to start with self, not with God. Personal responsibility replaces personal response. We seem engrossed in our own effort to grow in holiness. We talk about acquiring virtue, as if it were some kind of skill that can be acquired through personal effort, like good handwriting or a well-grooved golf swing. [My note: like reading "How To" books or going to seminars.] In seasons of penance, we focus on getting rid of our hangups and sweating through various spiritual exercises, as if they were a religious muscle-building program designed to produce that Christian Charles Atlas."

"The emphasis is always on what I do rather than on what God is doing in my life. In this macho approach God is reduced to a benign old spectator on the sidelines. The American mystique orients us to attribute any growth in the spiritual life to our own sturdy efforts and vigorous resolutions. We become convinced that we can do a pretty good job of following Jesus if we just once and for all, make up our minds and really buckle down to it. Well, if that is all there is to Christian discipleship, then in the words of singer Peggy Lee, 'Let's break out the booze.'"

Brennan Manning, Lion and Lamb

The Problem

"What causes most trouble for most Christians of all ages is not legalism or lack of faith or theological controversies; it is Jesus Himself, who bestows freedom so evenhandedly and dangerously on those who do not know what to do with it. The church always gets panic stricken for fear of the turmoil that Christ creates when he comes on the scene; and so it takes His freedom under it own management for the protection of the souls entrusted to it, in order to dispense it in homeopathic doses when it seems necessary. The church claims to represent Jesus on earth, but in fact it often supplants Him. It must tremble in all its joints when confronted with His portrait. Ecclesiastical traditions and laws have domesticated Jesus, and today all the churches are living off the success of the attempt." Ernst Kasemann