The True Church - You Can't Stop It!

Journal Entry - August 15, 2008

Read Acts 4:14
The church grew in spite of the strong objections of those men (religious leaders) who had by then both organized and controlled the religious experiences of most people. - And is that what we are witnessing in many places today in 2008? .... yet the True Church still somehow finding a way to grow in spite of being organized and controlled by today's Chrisitan leaders with complex bureaucratic processes, restrictions and policies.

It's ugly to watch denominational leaders "secretly" stand in the shadows watching their competitors wrestle to gain more market share of a cluster of devoted followers getting passed around. Who's got the lastest fashion? Which church or denomination has the slickest ads to be hip, cool and progressive. Essentially it's all window coverings, because beneath it all they're all just the same. - Who can be first to build the latest mega-church empire?

The people, the "flock" are not being as much shepherded as much as they are being controlled. Wow! What an ugly thougth that is! And here in Brasil, especially amidst a rapidly growing middle-class, holiness, purity and service don't get nearly the attention as do prosperity and a message that proclaims "It's all about me!" - This isn's good at all! The focus isn't on those people who are living and dying without hearing the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ. The focus in something entirely different. It's a "Pleasure" gospel; a message with a focus that puts center stage each person's comfort and personal security. It says, it will wrap its followers in a spiritual safety net, a cacoon of sorts that is free from the harsh realities of life. The only requiremens are membership attendance and dues, otherwise there are no other requirements or expectations. You're safely tucked into the cacoon, guarded and protected by the leader's proclamation and encantations of blessings and prosperity.

This will not work for me! This will not work for my family! And with all humility and due respect...... this will not work because we just can't do this. Would I be wrong to say this stuff we are witnessing in the name of Christianity is teetering on becoming a cult?

Looking to the God of creation, I am inviting the Holy Spirit to lead, guide and direct our path. I don't need to know what He's going to do next, nor do I have a need to control it.