Greetings, dear siblings in Christ. I come as a concerned sister with love and patient, gentle correction, hoping to offer truth and shed light on a big problem in the church today—that is, “church” itself.
I’ve touched on this subject before, but I felt called to dig in a little deeper from a different perspective.
What do you picture when you hear the word “church.” A little white building with a steeple in the countryside? People sitting on benches watching a man speaking? People raising their hands, eyes closed, while emotional music fills the room from concert-style performers? People serving food at a homeless shelter?
That word can invoke a variety of images today.
What if the word “church” invoked the image of a group of people meeting together in a shed-like home under the threat of death by those outside for simply mentioning the name Jesus? What if the word “church” invoked the image of people selling all they have to the benefit of one another’s daily living? What if the word “church” invoked images of a group of people gathered, each sharing a hymn, a prayer, the reading of Scripture, all under appropriate roles, and focused on the breaking of bread in communion of the Lord’s Supper? What if the word “church” invoked the image of a group of people encouraging, rebuking, and correcting one another with truth in love? What if the word “church” invoked the image of genuine Christians going out into the community to directly tell others the Gospel of Jesus Christ, like found in 1 Corinthians 15, regardless of the threat of death or punishment?
Today’s “church” setting seems to fit the former description, while the original, first-century church fits the latter.
Shouldn’t we be striving to restore the church to its original intent?
With this in mind, I got curious. I looked up another word—”Club.”
Specifically, a country club.
What I found was startling.
This is from a country club’s1 website description:
What Is a Country Club? A private country club is a membership organization for golf, recreation and social activities. Clubs often boast expansive facilities with top-rate golf courses, dining options, pro shops and more. Dining Facilities: Country clubs often have a restaurant on-site. This can be a great place to grab a drink after a round of golf or bring the family for dinner. Personal Service There's nothing that can make you feel quite so good about yourself as clubhouse attendants who greet you with a smile and golf pros who know your name. Clubhouse Use Members may be able to rent the club facilities for private events, such as birthday parties or wedding receptions. Clubhouses also make excellent meeting locations What Are the Costs? Because a country club is a private organization, you must pay for the privilege of membership. The fees cover the costs of maintenance, upgrades and staffing for the facilities and allow the club to offer activities and amenities to the members.
Disregarding golf, does any of the rest look familiar?
Are we attending church or a country club today? Let’s compare.
There are so many seeker-sensitive megachurches today trying to appeal to “church shoppers”—those who bounce from church to church, trying to find a “perfect” fit or simply never settling and putting down roots. *The key understanding here is that planted things need to be firmly rooted in order to grow. In doing so, these megachurches begin to focus more on quantity over quality. They function with a business mentality, catering to its consumers with top-of-the-line entertainment, feel-good messages equivalent to Ted Talks and Motivational Speeches (not actually expounding Scripture, exegeting it properly, but twisting it to fit an eisegetical narrative in order to gratify the emotion, enticing its customers), and all the amenities we see offered at other businesses, like a country club.
In these “churches” we see:
•Expansive facilities with top-rate amenities (like stages, lighting/media/sound systems, game rooms, etc.) •Dining facilities, like coffee shops and cafes, selling food for a fee (sometimes gift shops too) •Attendants (Ushers) to greet you with a smile and offer a welcome •Facility rental, often renting out the building for business to make money •Childcare—where you can drop the kids off so they can have “fun” while you take a break •High requests for donations, pushing/emphasizing donation by offering various options, such as digital, online donations.
*Photos from churches
Boy, these “churches” look more like country clubs to me, and NOTHING like how the church is originally intended to function.
This is super concerning, dear family, and if you don’t find it concerning, you need to dive head-first (critical thinking) into Scripture and pull out its truth.
Let us understand that the church is the body and bride of Christ—those who are baptized, genuine Christians—built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (that Jesus directly appointed during the first-century church) with Jesus Christ as the Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20), set to share life together, encouraging and exhorting one another daily (Acts 2:38-47/ Hebrews 3:13/ Hebrews 10:25) and meeting at the first day of each week in order to share in the remembrance of the sacrifice made in the redemptive work on the cross and victory over death at the resurrection, all in Jesus Christ (through the Lord’s Supper—Acts 20:7/ 1 Corinthians 11:17-34/Matthew 26:20–30/ Mark 14:17–26/ Luke 22:14–23). Let us understand that the church meets in orderly worship, each with a gift and functional role to share in order to build up the church (1 Corinthians 14:26), and that this is, in fact, orderly worship, as God is not a God of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). Let us understand that the church is meant to grow together in unity and maturity in the faith and in truth, and the truth of the Scriptures is expounded appropriately, marking and avoiding false teachings and false teachers, judging those who proclaim the name of Christ to the point of purging the evil from among the church, which means that biblically-appropriate church discipline is necessary (1 Corinthians 5/ Romans 16:17-18/ Ephesians 5:11/ Matthew 7:15/ Galatians 1:8-9/2 Thessalonians 3/ 1 Timothy 6:3-5). Let us understand that the church is not and should not be influenced by the culture, paganistic practices, politics or any other outside source, since the church is holy and set apart from the world (read this to learn more). Let us understand that the church is not a place we go (when we say “go to” church, we have the wrong idea), and it is not a place to which we invite the unsaved. The church is meant to go out and make disciples, then the saved are added to the church, in which then they can meet with the church. Let us understand the church is meant to evangelize, to make disciples by sharing the Gospel of Christ (here), by baptizing and by teaching all that is commanded (Matthew 28:19-20).
I want to leave with this thought:
We are to love God, the first and greatest command, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). What do these mean?
*First, we have to understand this is repeated throughout the Old Testament. The Israelites, time and again, turned their backs on God to serve other false gods and live in wickedness. God’s command to love Him was to trust (have faith in) Him and obey Him (His commands), serving Him and acknowledging and submitting to His Lordship, His Kingship alone. Today that’s the same message—in John 14:15, Jesus, God in the flesh, says “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Also reiterated in 2 John 1:6. Trust and obey.
To love with all the heart is to love with sincerity. It’s kardia in Greek, which is the very center, the seat, of man’s physical and spiritual life. “The heart, as lying deep within, contains ‘the hidden man,’ 1 Peter 3:4, the real man.” It is also “cordially or sincerely, truly (without simulation or pretence).” (Blue Letter Bible).
To love with all the soul is to love with your entire being, entirety (every aspect) of your life. It’s psyche in Greek, meaning “life… the life which is lived on earth… that in which there is life; a living being: a living soul… the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions… a moral being designed for everlasting life… not dissolved by death…”(Blue Letter Bible).
To love with all the mind is to love with understanding (knowing truth) and with right thoughts and intentions. It’s dianoia in Greek, meaning “the mind as the faculty of understanding, feeling, desiring… way of thinking…evil thoughts” (Blue Letter Bible).
To love with all the strength is to love with the full extent of your power, your ability. It’s ischys in Greek, meaning “ability, force, strength, might…power afforded by strength” (Blue Letter Bible).
This love for God is the ultimate, first command. It is a higher-than-anything love. A first-place love. A primary love. Yes, there is hierarchy in love. Only when we submit to this love can we submit to the second command—a secondary love—to love others as we love ourselves. We do not love God by loving others. But we do know how to love others by loving God first and foremost. This love for others is a self-sacrificial love. This love is one which speaks truth with patience and gentleness, but truth nonetheless (never sacrificing truth on any altar). This love desires to see the lost saved. This love is a brotherly love (loving someone like you’d love your closest family member, even if they are your enemy). This love cares for others’ wellbeing: physical wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, mental wellbeing, and, above all, spiritual wellbeing (salvation and growth with maturity in discipleship). This love carries out each aspect of 1 Corinthians 13, which is broken down here. This love for others can be found explained a little more here.
God can and does reject worship when it is not done appropriately.
I think when we get these in order, get our priorities straight, and we get back to the pattern of the first-century church, we can rightly worship God as the church. God can and does reject worship when it is not done appropriately, with the right priorities and a sincere heart in truth and sound teaching (just look to Cain and Abel—Genesis 4/ Malachi 1/ Amos 5/ James 4, and all the Scriptures referring to false teachers/prophets and false teachings).
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
To worship in spirit and truth—
With these words Jesus described the basis for true worship: it is not found in places and trappings, but in spirit and in truth.
i. To worship in spirit means you are concerned with spiritual realities, not so much with places or outward sacrifices, cleansings, and trappings.
ii. To worship in truth means you worship according to the whole counsel of God’s word, especially in light of the New Testament revelation. It also means that you come to God in truth, not in pretense or a mere display of spirituality. (David Guzik)
It is not divisive to call out bad theology. It is divisive to teach bad theology
Melissa Dougherty
References:
1Curtin, Brian. 2018. St. George’s Golf and Country Club. How Country Clubs Work: What You Should Know Before Joining One. Retrieved from https://www.stgeorgesgolf.com/Blog/April_2018/how-country-clubs-work.aspx
Guzik, D. (6/2022). Study Guide for John 4 by David Guzik. Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/john/john-4.cfm
Ruslan KD. March 10, 2022. How New Age Infiltrated Mega Church Culture, @MelissaDougherty Ruslan KD. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/iWy5n1Vf4BA
G2588 – kardia – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (esv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2588/esv/mgnt/0-1/
G5590 – psychē – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (esv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5590/esv/mgnt/0-1/
G1271 – dianoia – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (esv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1271/esv/mgnt/0-1/
G2479 – ischys – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (esv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2479/esv/mgnt/0-1/