Is the church functioning like it's walking on eggshells, trying not to offend or anger this world's polio-socio-economic-militia-religious system? Are the teachings and preaching of the Church, and things allowed or not allowed in the Church, guided by, restrained by, dictated, or censored by this world system? Because of fear of losing their 501c3 or non-profit status? Which serve some good, but the Church must not be guided by, driven by, endorsed by, moved by, nor under control of these statuses but by God's Spirit.
The psalmist said, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." ~ Psalm 20: Horses and chariots represent any polio-socio-economic-militia-religious system. And though that system may not be oppressive or may at times seem like a democracy, the Church should not put its trust in nor be dictated by that system. The Church must operate almost autonomously of any system. I say almost because the Church is in the world but not of it.
The Church should be Holy Chost approved, not approved by man's system. It should be Christ-like, which often means it won't be liked by the system. Jesus said:
If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Remember the word that I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me.~John 15:18-21
The dilemma and answer to those questions asked earlier can be found in the words of Jesus when he said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord]." ~ (Matthew 6:19-26). Nor can the Church serve or worship the provider of those things, which dangle those things like a carrot over the Church's head like the Church is some rabbit.
One day, the Church won't have the latitude to be compromising, evasive, vague, and purposefully unclear about who controls it, who they trust, and who really is pulling the strings. The Church must make a decisive, unequivocal, unambiguous choice about what master it serves. The ironic thing about these masters is that both masters' name title begins with the letter 'C.' Both their entity starts with the letter' G.' The sign of the time is not so much about the unfortunate situation of what's happening in the Gaza Strip but about the unfortunate state of churches and what's going on in God's Sanctuary, and the unfortunate judgment that will follow because of what's going on (Jude 1:3, Jude 1:11-13). Church leaders must pursue the decolonization of the Church from the world's system. To expose the actions of cowardly, selfish hired hands (Matthew 23) and be leaders who will put themselves and those who follow them into the hands of the Good Shepherd (John 10:10-12). To become a leader like that, a leader may lose some things, lose some status, lose some friends, and lose some connections, and yes, lose some members, but will gain peace of mind and freedom in body and spirit knowing that they are in God's will and are God approved because they sought His will not their own (John 6:37-40, Matthew 6, Matthew 6:9-10, Luke 23:46). The beauty, the splendidness, and the power of the Church lies in the identity of He who built it. In conclusion, I leave you with the words of an iconic hymn:
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee. Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
O the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend!
There are depths of love that I yet may know
Ere Thee face to face I see;
There are heights of joy that I yet may reach
Ere I rest in peace with Thee.
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