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The Ever-Decreasing Power of the Local Church
The Ever-Decreasing Power of the Local Church
The local church is under attack.
Heavy-handed attempts to assimilate the local church into a homogenized, centralized, corporately-franchised structure grow stonger each year.
It is my opinion that this present, and future, structure is contrary to the plan God has for his body. I do not believe God ever intended his church to be uniform. I believe God intends to use our individual personalities to further His work. This is true of individual persons, as well as churches.
In my opinion, Revelation, chapters one through three is the greatest example of God's emphasis that church is meant to be local. In these chapters, God spoke to the pastors (angels) as individuals. He addressed these pastors in order to commend and correct situations in each local assembly. Each assembly had its own strengths and weaknesses. Only one assembly was considered perfect. All of the other six had serious problems.
God did not speak to the pastor in Smyrna the same way he spoke to the pastor in Philadelphia or Thyatira. In a display of specialized providence, He addressed each particular situation in great detail.
You see, the truth is, God speaks to the church through the five-fold ministry - and, specifically, through his pastors, in order to gather the church closer to Himself. I do not believe God is in the business of speaking to the General Superintendent of any organization about the business of specific local assemblies. That is not to say that the GS could not or is not used in some instances, but God speaks through pastors, not man-made politicos. *disclaimer* The preceding statement was not meant to be a personal slam against our current Superintendent. He is an awesome man of God.
There is a danger in expecting every church to look the same, act the same, worship the same, dress the same and talk the same. Friends, this is not Wal-Mart! Pentecostal culture differs from one geographical locale to another. It has always been this way, and every attempt to destroy that culture is damaging.
So, I am increasingly alarmed at some of the language I hear flow out of the mouth of ministers and officials within the United Pentecostal Church International. Words like "our people." Words like "admonish."
While this language may not be new, its usage is.
It seems that the organization, which was meant to be a fellowship of ministers, is becoming much more. The question is, "is this good?"
My answer is no.
Jesus, in the letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor, repeatedly states "except ye repent, I will remove your candlestick (church)." This is a stern admonition to local pastors.
It seems to me that we want to replace commendation, and condemnation, of Jesus with our own discipline. We are always out to pare off the latest crab that tries to climb out of our bucket. We are out to eliminate every shed of individuality and originality that exists in pastors and churches. It seems that, each General Conference season, we look for the next victims in our never-ending quest to be completely, undeniably identical.
I pray I am wrong about all of this. I pray that a new emphasis is placed upon the autonomy of the local assembly. But I am concerned.
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