Power Structers Within The church
Posted by appolus on November 21, 2013
Control seems to be a great part of the system of churches. I know that in very many Pentecostal circles that unless the testimony is in some way connected to the Pastor then it will rarely be heard from the platform because it does not lift him up. This only exemplifies kingdoms and fiefdoms of men. The notion of Jesus truly being preeminent is something that is lost to almost all of Christendom. What a beautiful thing it is when your chief role amongst the bretheren is to come along side them and support them in what The Lord has them do. Oh it is so beautiful when a man can say from the bottom of his heart that he must decrease that The Lord may increase.
The pyramid system of authority in the churches, rather than a plurality of leadership is truly erosive amongst the Body. He has His parts and He has apportioned gifts and leadership. That is why I believe The Lord is raising up a remnant generation, hungry for His presence, hungry for His preeminence and hungry for the organic church we read of in Scriptures.
A Call To The Remnant 
W.E. Smith said
I would like to comment on this concept of “reform” and the eternal principles of our God. There are many, I know you are not one of them my brother, who think that somehow they or the Lord will reform (to bring back to an acceptable state) the fallen testimony of Christ. It would seem, from the testimony of the written Word, that our Lord never really reforms anything. Rather, he lets the corruption run its full course, then he purges His threshing floor. This is what happened with Lucifer and the 1/3 who joined him in open rebellion, the corruption of earth between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 and throughout His dealings with men. Then our Lord even says let they grow up together, regarding the tares and wheat, and let the leaven corrupt the whole loaf.
The ramifications of this principles are enormous as you can imagine.
Many feel they will change the church form the inside, by remaining part of it, inside the walls.
Ok, good luck with that, Please tell me how it goes. I was one of you once.
No, there is a time, and the spirit will tell you, a time to depart, to go be with the Lord on t he hillside, or beyond the Jordan.
He will let you know.
Please pray about this in this dark, leavened hour, when the birds have made a home in the branches of the mustard tree.
Love you my brother. You are a light in a dark time, one of only few it would seem
appolus said
Indeed brother, I do not believe in reformation in the classical sense of the word. The system is fundamentally flawed in its inception, which is why I wrote the Constantine piece. It was an effort to show people that the model that took shape would render it really impossible for the healthy participation of God’s children to participate in gatherings……….bro Frank
steffiedotorg said
Amen.
W.E. Smith said
Yes systems (churches, denominations, groups, philosophies, etc) never change because they are essentially strongholds (having a singular foundation, either in the Lord or in something else), and the enemy has, over time, using subtlety and craft, secured a place in them. When the Lord ultimately sends His prophets, it is individual hearts that are being addressed. They are invariably sent to call out and secure a remnant. Judgment looms over these entrenched things. In fact for those who do not respond to His prophets, He hardens them further, as a sign of His displeasure. Then, once they are sealed in their rebellion, the end for them is near. Desolation follows.
Anything or anyone that keeps the little ones (searching and sincere hearts) from coming to Him directly and personally are children of hell (Matthew 23 should make every leader shiver and question whether they are truly His or not) and their fate is abominable to consider.
appolus said
Amen bro Wayne, people have a very hard time seeing these systems as strongholds where the enemy has secured a place in. Of course he does not mind all the religious activity and charitable works in the world as long as he can separate believers from their only source of power and vitality……………bro Frank
martin joseph7 said
This is one of the most powerful quotes that has spoken to me in recent years. So much for me fell into context when I read this;
This is a day of “fast” things: fast foods, fast trains, fast cars, fast planes, fast pleasures, fast communications. But God’s way into the life of the Spirit is still the long way around. Many do not think so, and there are many in the Church who deride the thought of exercising “patience” in order to win the race that is set before us. “Let us run WITH PATIENCE…” may sound a little contradictory to a man in a race; but it remains God’s way of winning “the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1). God’s direct route to Canaan life is the long-way-around. There may seem to be a shorter way, a more direct way, and many continue to explore that route, only to end up rolling in the dust. “God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near…” Now the word “Philistine” comes from a word meaning “to roll in the dust, to wallow.” And though it is a well-beaten pathway, as it was in the days of Israel, and though it would seem to lead in a more direct route to the land of our inheritance, it will leave the one who travels this road wallowing in the dust. And why? Because there is nothing in common with the way of the Philistines and the way of God. The Philistine spirit is that spirit of the world, of the natural man, that knows nothing of the Spirit of God. But because it is a well-worn pathway, and because it seems to be leading in the general direction of our pursuit for God, it is enticing to the natural mind. It is the logical approach to the things of God. It is the positive, the most direct approach to things spiritual. But it leaves you wallowing in the dust of the old Adamic life, rather than soaring into the heights of the Spirit of God.
“You do not have to take that long, uncharted, entangled way into the things of God… We can show you a simpler way… We can point you to a shortcut… You can know the joy of Canaan living without all the distress of becoming entangled in the wilderness.” This is the reasoning and counsel of the natural mind.
But the fact remains, we did not choose the wilderness way. We simply chose to go God’s way. It is He who goes before–by day in a pillar of cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire–to give direction and light for the journey. It is by the Light of His Glory that we find ourselves entangled in the wilderness. He leads us this way that He might have all the glory, and that our enemies might be consumed in the very midst of our own perplexity and dismay. For it is only when we find ourselves “hemmed in,” with no place to go, that we are inclined to go to God for help. This is why He hems us in… that we might flee into His arms. God knows the Enemy will say, “They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in” (Ex. 14:3). And so God deliberately sets a trap for the Enemy by bringing us into that place where we have no other recourse, but in God alone. As long as there is room for the heart and mind of man to calculate and plan his own deliverance, God is left out of the picture. We don’t really need Him, or so we think. But if we are followers of the Cloud, God will lead us into areas of utter hopelessness and despair, that we might prove Him to be the God who makes a way where there is no way, and a path in the mighty waters…
“Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known” (Ps. 77:19).
“The LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters” (Isa. 43:16).
People of God, beware of the shortcuts. There are many that are offered in this day and age, shortcuts to true spiritual life and progress, but they will not bring you there. You may try to find an easy way into spiritual gift and blessing. You may learn how to get, and how to operate spiritual gifts the easy way, without total commitment, without waiting upon God, but sooner or later they will fade away. You may think you have discovered a secure and safe covering in some church structure or institution, assuring yourself that you are being spared the pangs of finding your own way in the entangled wildernesses of life. You feel that if you trust in certain leaders, in certain apostles and prophets, in a certain “New Testament Church Order,” that it is a much safer, much easier pathway. But sooner or later you are going to discover that the rest and comfort you sought in sheltered areas of this nature, are nothing less than the bondage of Babylonish systems; and you will discover that this is far more distressing and more captivating than the way of the Lord from which you sought to escape. When you see the “wars of the Philistines”–the striving for lordship, the striving for power and authority and for a place of preeminence–your hearts will become discouraged, and you will wonder why you ever chose to walk in that kind of a pathway. If we would examine our hearts, we might discover that what we are really looking for is some kind of a religious system that will make it easy for us or for our children. We want to shrug off the heavy burden that is associated with finding God for ourselves by way of total commitment to Him. So when someone offers us a place of rest in some kind of a structure that promises clear direction, we are quick to grasp it. God does want us to have fellowship with one another in Christ; but there is no true fellowship except as “we walk in the Light.” And in our searching after God, there is no such thing as immunity to the trials and struggles and heart-searchings and perplexities that have always been the appointed lot of any man or woman who seeks to come into a living, vital relationship with the Lord.
George H Warnock
appolus said
HI Martin, excellent selection. I have read the same book and was deeply blessed by it……..bro Frank
martin joseph said
It highlights the issue of structures and man-made systems in the churches.
KMH said
Wow! This is powerful! I must have missed this entry in November. What WE Smith says in the comment is powerful too. If God lets the corruption run its full course and then purges the threshing floor… Wow! I do not think the establishment (baal) I was a “member” of will be able to make payroll within a year or two. Very sad for the women involved (mostly divorced and sole providers). I pray God will take care of them… they wish they could leave but they work there (it is a Christian school and slush fund for the pastors)… so sad. They are literally all stuck in their positions.
God is really shaking us all to remind us He is our Jehovah Jireh. He is doing this in churches and outside of churches.
The church has become the provider for many… just get a Christian school degree and a Christian job….God will not tolerate this baal any more! He is allowing everything to be shaken economically and then as is said in the comments above… maybe we will turn to HIm.
I told my “pastor” that the school was becoming the ministry to the church and we needed to repent and get back to serving the school (I did this very carefully with much prayer and tact). He glared at me and never talked to me again… yet I had been on every committee and board in the past! WE Smith says:In fact for those who do not respond to His prophets, He hardens them further, as a sign of His displeasure. Then, once they are sealed in their rebellion, the end for them is near. Desolation follows.
Wow! I am no prophet, but God had shown me His displeasure with the school and the money. His little ones are not for tuition. But my heart aches for the ladies that work there….
It is clear desolation is coming… but it is sure painful….