Seek Ye First: The State of the Church

For centuries, the Church has been in an “upside down” condition in regard to growth for the believer. Weeks, and even at times, years are spent drilling into the “new convert” the set of man-ordered rules and regulations we know as “Church doctrine.” The sad part is that every denomination, no matter how big or how small, has its own particular set of rules, and unfortunately, seldom do any of them agree with one another, so the poor “child of God” is forced to sort through these many contradictions until one of two things happens. Either they will conclude that there has to be something more to the Gospel and search on their own, or they will give up on “Church” altogether. Sadly, this second state is the most common, but it does not have to be.

The focus of the first century Church was on seeking the kingdom of God, first and foremost. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else counted. Because of this, the power of these believers was paramount to that of Jesus, Himself. This was to be expected, as He had told them just before His death that it would be so.[1] Due to this, there was little chance that these converts would “fall away” as the Spirit was there constantly to move within their midst. But, the enemy found a way to grind the Church to a screeching halt. With the advent of the Roman Emperor Constantine, and the subsequent favor of the Church where once was a death sentence, the enemy put into the minds of men that they needed to be in charge, rather than God. With this position, mostly to avoid incurring the wrath of the various pagan religions throughout the Empire, came the sordid insertion of different and various “things” necessary to maintain our continued state of “salvation.”

This was paramount to telling God that HIS plan of salvation wasn’t enough. It was simply too hard to accept grace and mercy in its pure form. Man was too accustomed to “punishment fit for the crime,” so they begin to add to God’s plan certain additions that made them feel more penitent and “worthy” of salvation. Unfortunately, these things were usually the product of one persons “guilt trip,” and if this one was a person of some influence, it was foisted on many as a “requirement” to be met. Soon, it was, “Do as God says, AND...” until the “ands” became the focus, rather than the grace.

Influence led to pride and pride led to arrogance. Each group had the only “right path” to salvation. Pastors became dictators as Bishops became soft. Before long, there was a Pope who was “infallible” to the point of bordering on divinity. As men came into more and more power, the Spirit fell into disrepute to the point that “speaking in tongues” and the operation of the “gifts” within the body was thought to be “of the devil,” as few in power were close enough to God in the Spirit to avail themselves of them. Different factions fought great and long verbal battles for the “cause” in one after another Church “councils” that gained nothing but more hard feelings and greater separation, until this day, where we’ve arrived at the place where seeking the kingdom of God has been forgotten, and is seldom even mentioned in it’s true concept in modern theology.

The people of God spent countless years under the thumb of a “Mother Church” that refused to allow the Bible to be distributed in the common languages of the lands, until The Christianity resembled anything but what Jesus exhibited in His teachings. This stemmed from two centuries of constant upheaval within the leadership of the Catholic Church and battles with secular leaders. In the 1300's and 1400's, the Church suffered several serious setbacks.

In 1309, a French Pope, Clement V, moved the papacy from Rome to Avignon, a city on the border of France, where it remained for about 70 years. This period is remembered as the Babylonian Captivity , in remembrance of the 70 years that the prophet Jeremiah predicted the Jews would spend as captives in ancient Babylon. In 1378, after Pope Gregory XI moved the Papal residence back to Rome, a small group of French Cardinals, in protest to the move and Gregory’s ascendancy, elected another Pope, called an antipope . For nearly 30 years, there were two Popes. After 1409, there was a third Pope, who resided in Pisa, Italy. This split caused great confusion in the Church. Some Catholic leaders believed that the Church should be ruled by Church councils rather than by a Pope, questioning the long held doctrine of “Papal Infallibility.” Such councils met in Constance, Germany, from 1414 to 1418 and in Basel, Switzerland, from 1431 to 1449. The councils called for a "reform in head and members."

Serious abuses also had appeared in the Church. The large administrative structure of the Church required a great deal of money to finance it. To obtain this money, the Church used many devices that hurt its spiritual nature. These devices included selling important positions in the Church, and the selling of “indulgences.” In Italy, the popes and higher clergy lived like secular princes. They built lavish palaces and indulged in corrupt financial practices. The religious life of the Church suffered. The sacraments were often celebrated mechanically, and the Church's spiritual message about God's mercy was weakened by an emphasis on a person's good works.[2]

The selling of an “indulgence” is a bit complicated to explain, as the logic behind it is hard for modern The Christians to understand. When one comes to the altar of repentance, the spiritual penalties for sin are forgiven, but the temporal or earthly penalties remain. Catholic doctrine allows for an “after death” but “before heaven” state of existence known as Purgatory, where these earthly penalties are satisfied before entry into eternity. This doctrine, invented in the late twelfth century, fit hand in hand with the practice of indulgences.

Sin was expiated, in Purgatory, by the completion of penance, or “good works.” The worse the sins, the more good works required, hence a longer stay in Purgatory. Enter the indulgence. According to the authors of this practice; now follow this logic, if you will; the Catholic clergy were so pious and holy, that they had an over abundance of good works credited to their accounts, so much so that they could never sin as much as to exhaust their stores. What could be done with this awful waste of perfectly sound, “Good works?” Why not “sell” them to some poor, sin sick soul who was destined to spend years of time in Purgatory, atoning for his/her sins? So, for the right amount of money, one could “buy” a piece of paper from a Catholic Clergyman, good on redemption in Purgatory, for a certain amount of the fine Clergyman’s “good works” to be paid on the account of the poor sinner.

Finally, conscientious clergy could no longer stand by and allow the people to be kept in bondage to the excesses of greedy men, which led to what was to be known as the “Protestant Reformation.” From it’s beginning in the 16th century, when, in 1517, Martin Luther, a German monk, protested these practices of the Church, it gained steadily in momentum, with renowned men such as John Calvin (1509-1564) and John Knox (1514-1572), until becoming well established in half of Europe in a span of about forty years.[3] Sadly, this “awakening” became just as corrupted, if not more, than that from which it gained its liberty. The enemy, again with the help of influential “Church Leaders, has created a denominational juggernaut that has placed The Christianity in a powerless, other than political, pitiful state that mocks the word of God.

Another reason for the decay of power, that we find fully developed in the Church of today, is the expectation of a future kingdom, rather than a present one, and one somewhere in “heaven,” rather than on the earth. The enemy fully desires this misconception, as it keeps the believer focused on “when we all get to heaven,” instead of having power over the forces of darkness now. This concept, although, could not be further from the truth.

When interrogated concerning His status of a King, Jesus answered with, “My kingdom is not of this world....” [4] Note, though, that Jesus never suggested that His kingdom was not in this world. Rather, all evidence points to just the opposite. First, consider His statement to the twelve that they would see Him coming in His kingdom before they died.[5] That would point to a kingdom in this world. So, also, would His prayers in the Garden the night of His betrayal, in which He eluded to being “in the world, but not of the world.” [6] Paul spoke of this very same thing to the CorinthianChurch when he reminded them that separation from evil doers meant separating from those that called themselves The Christians, while exhibiting just the opposite, rather than the sinners of the world, for the express purpose of an effectual evangelism.[7]

One has only to look to Daniel for further proof of the kingdom being presently in the world. Note, in interpreting the vision of King Nebuchadnezzar, after describing the four major empires, Daniel stated, “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed...” [8] Two thousand years ago, in the days of the final empire, Rome, Jesus rose from the dead to establish that kingdom. Jesus was born of woman, a man, and arose still a man, but glorified. He stated at His ascension that, “All power is given Me, in heaven and in the earth .” [9] Simply put, He has authority over all things physical, and all things that are spiritual. He is Sovereign over a real, tangible kingdom on this earth, and the kingdom not seen, the kingdom of the Spirit. We are heirs to both.

It is a sorry day for the Church when seeking the true kingdom of God comes as a final act of despair, rather than the first order of Salvation. What has happened to “seek ye first?” What was taken from the Church to be lost ... until now? The Spirit is saying, “Wake up, oh ye the Bride, for soon the Bridegroom comes! Make ready for Him and find your way into His kingdom!” The remnant is being called out again, as it has been many times before, to rise up in God and take the rightful place of the “sons of God.”

It is my purpose in this work to “blow the trumpet,” so to speak, and draw the attention of the Church back to the ways of our apostolic fathers. We must truly “seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness” if we expect to see the glory of God restored to His Church. If I awaken even a few, then this endeavor will have been worth the time, and the effort.

[1] John 14:12 All Bible quotations are taken from the Authorized Version unless otherwise specified.

[2] Ozment, S., “Reformation." World Book Online Reference Center . 2004. World Book, Inc. 10 Dec. 2004. http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar463180.

[3] ibid.

[4] John 18:36 emphasis mine

[5] Matthew 16:28, Luke 9:27

[6] cf: John 17:1-23

[7] 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

[8] Daniel 2:44

[9] Matthew 28:18