Christ Has No Vicar on Earth

The tragedy of our generation is not that the world has become worldly. The world has always been worldly. The tragedy is that multitudes of Christians have become dependent upon religious institutions to mediate to them what Christ Himself died to give them directly. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐧, 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.

The Lord Jesus Christ did not shed His blood in order to create another priestly class standing between Himself and His people. He died that every believer might enter boldly into the Holiest. Every saint has access to the throne. Every believer may eat of the hidden manna. Every child of God may hear the voice of the Shepherd. Yet modern Christianity has largely produced spectators rather than priests.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄

In many places, the simplicity of Christ has been exchanged for religious machinery. The gathering of the saints has become a production. Participation has become observation.𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐰. The Headship of Christ has often been replaced by the practical headship of men.

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲. One man ministers while the rest observe. One man hears from God while the rest wait for instructions. This was never the pattern of the New Testament. When every member supplies, the Body grows. When only a few function, the Body becomes crippled. The greatest enemy of the royal priesthood is not persecution. It is passivity.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋

Many sacred cows have been protected for so long that men assume they must be biblical. They are not. The clergy and laity system is one of the greatest tragedies in church history. A professional class of ministers has arisen, and the t𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.The average Christian has been taught that ministry belongs to the experts. The New Testament knows nothing of this.

The early believers gathered under the direct government of the Holy Spirit. Every brother and sister had access to Christ. “Whenever you come together, each of you has…” (1 Cor. 14:26). Not one. Each. The gathering belonged to Christ and to His Body.

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐔𝐏𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐍

This is not a call to isolation. It is not a call to bitterness. It is not a call to division. It is a call to liberty.

There comes a moment when every believer must decide whether Christ Himself is enough. Can He teach you? Can He lead you? Can He speak to you? Can He sustain you outside of religious systems? The remnant throughout history has always answered, “Yes.”

There are always the few. The few who leave the camp in order to find His presence. The few who would rather meet in a home, a field, a forest, or a prison cell than remain where Christ no longer has the preeminence. They leave, not because they despise the Church, but because they love her too much to watch her remain in bondage.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐒

God has often called His people into the wilderness. Israel. David. Elijah. John the Baptist. The early believers. Again and again, God separates His people from dependence upon men in order that they might learn dependence upon Himself.

The remnant are often misunderstood. They are accused of rebellion, pride, and division. Yet history bears witness that renewal almost always begins outside the camp.

The Lord still says, “Come to Me.” Not to a movement. Not to a denomination. Not to a personality. To Me.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝐘𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄

I believe with all of my heart that a people are being prepared in these last days. A people who know their God. A people who have learned to hear His voice. A people who function under His direct Headship. A people among whom every gift can flourish.

A people who understand that the Church is not a building, an institution, or a denomination. The Church is Christ in His people.

The coming days may strip away many things. Buildings may be lost. Organizations may fail. Institutions may crumble. Yet the true Church cannot be destroyed. She can meet anywhere. She needs no cathedral. She needs no machinery. She needs only Christ.

𝐀 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃

The question before every believer is this: Has Christ truly set us free? Or have we merely exchanged one religious system for another?

The remnant must recover what has been lost: the priesthood of all believers, the direct Headship of Christ, the liberty of the Spirit, the functioning of every member, and the simplicity that is in Christ.

The hour is late. The systems of men are shaking. The Lord is calling His people back to their spiritual roots. And there are always the few who hear His voice.

“Let us go forth therefore unto Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” (Hebrews 13:13)

The call of this hour is not to another movement, another celebrity, another denomination, or another institution. It is a call back to Christ Himself. The remnant must once again become a kingdom of priests and a habitation of God in the Spirit.