Chapter 9. DemonNations ..er ..er DenomiNations ..er ..er DeoNations

[Juanita]

If you are going to do anything, you need to get organized.  The more complex the task or project, the more important it is to get organizing.  Now, we have organized ‘the church’ as non-profit, 501c-3 institutions.  That isn’t TERRIBLE, most churches don’t have a charter of being the ecclesia – providing Kingdom governance for the spiritual city-state in their town.  Think on this:  the Ecclesia of Ephesus, the Ecclesia of Corinth, the Ecclesia of Philadelphia.   Ok, this is where we are at right now.  We have churches.  We gather; we worship.  We have a starting place; we can take some next steps.

Or can we?  Organizing to do things better is ALWAYS good.  Organizing BECAUSE we ARE better, or because we THINK we are better, is well, let’s be honest, not so good.   The enemy is so repetitive.  Divide and conquer is a favorite past time.  Look around at churches in YOUR community.  If they are fragmented, competitive and proud, you have one option:  Repent.  The early believers got sick and died because they didn’t recognize the Lord’s body in the Lord’s Supper.  How do you think WE will fare if we don’t recognize the LORD in his body across our community?

 

While I am on the topic of not recognizing the body, I would like to make a personal, definitive call to cease a dividing practice we have.

You know there are ‘real’ lawyers and people who do legal things, we call them para-legals.

There are ‘real’ medical people and people who do medical things, we call them para-medics.

There are ‘real’ churches and then there are people who do ministry things, we call them para-churches.

If you remember anything tomorrow when you wake up after reading this, this is it.   It is ILLEGAL for the 501-c3 non-profit organization to be ALL that the ecclesia is called to be.  So, the next time you or someone around you is tempted to tell you that a ministry is not the church, just remind them that the local church is not the ecclesia, either.  Even, I’d say.  Let’s quit with the ‘name calling’.  Let’s quit with the divisions.  Let’s quit ‘playing church’ and get down to being the ecclesia.

 

For the complete Minibook, Church is NOT in the New Testament:  http://bit.ly/dlOkBZ

 

For tweeting

Why DemonNations ..er ..er DenomiNations? They should be DeoNations

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