I must confess to you that I haven’t been to any “western” church since 2019. The last church I was a part of disbanded due to a change in beliefs with the orthodoxy required by the denominational group overseeing the people. The entire ordeal (perfectly orchestrated by the Father) left a few of us who had eyes to see and ears to hear with a passion for truth which the remainder felt too hard to follow.
Since the day of our dissolution, we few have continued to meet weekly in the same building we occupied all the previous years (a story in itself) determined to walk out our spiritual journey together. To try to describe all the insights and changes which have followed each of us on this journey would take far too long to tell you. You can probably fathom many of those changes in myself simply by reading my posts from that year up to now.
Some organizations might recognize us merely as a home group, while others would claim that our actions are simply a book club. Frankly, it matters not what others think or feel. We know that we are the same church which Jesus spoke of to Simon Peter.
Mat 16:18
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
I recognize how there will be push back on this posting from those who believe that their church is the true definition of what a church is. I, however, would ask them to tell me how “their” church is exactly like the church which Jesus said he would build.
The Looming Question
Before I explain my position on what a church should look like, allow me to describe the model of the western church which is prevalent today. I have had a lot of time to reflect on this because the looming thought I have been wrestling with is, “If I had a church, what would it look like?” This question had to address who would be attending; what they would be a part of; what would be its purpose in their lives and its impact within their community; what would be the structure of the gathering, and many other functions which define a church setting.
Consider this as the demographic issue of today’s church consumer. There is a wide population base of churched people who have left the confines of the church. Young families, who often remain, do so until their last child reaches the final year of high school. They then begin the transition of moving away from the formal environment of the church seeking a less stringent atmosphere to practice their faith.
Then there are the more mature adherents found within the church who will begin transitioning away from the church simply due to their age. Many who have spent decades in the pews are finding the message and the priorities more tailored for the young families than those who have been the die-hards of the organization.
Notice this demographic doesn’t address the rest of the community who never has entered a church or whose regular church attendance is only at Easter and/or Christmas. Church leaders recognize that there are not enough resources (people and finances) to entertain this great group of the “unbelieving.” Rarely do these leaders even consider how their model of the church message doesn’t draw people into their establishment and actually is what repels most.
The Western Model
I recognize that many, if not most, who are reading this are “churched” people. So, you have a particular bias as to what the church is like. But for a moment, try to suspend your perceptions and look at this from the perspective of the who are the unchurched, those who Jesus refers to as those from the highways and byways. What follows are their perceptions of the nature of how church appears to be.
The prevalent depiction across all denominations is that mankind is a wretch wallowing in sin seeking to hide from a divine being who is intent on eternally punishing them. There is the slightest chance of favor allowed to mankind only if they accept how the son of this divine being came to earth and endured all the trials and tribulations of being human while attempting to preach a message of peace and forgiveness to a people who beat him and subsequently crucified him.
The favor hinges on the mechanism of the spilt blood of the son being the ransom payment to the wrathful divine being for all the sins of humanity across all time and the acknowledgment that this son is now the Lord of the life of only those who confess their sins have been redeemed by the son’s actions. Only this sincere confession, and living a moral and just lifestyle, changes a wrathful God into a loving God who will still judge humanity, living and the dead, at the end of times and select those who will spend eternity in heaven or hell.
It is possible that I might have missed certain elements in this description which being a “churched” person you may have noticed or even taken an exception to. However, this is their perception of what you belong to, and since you belong, it also means you believe – maybe not all of it – but enough to stay committed to the whole of it. As shocking as it might seem, the unchurched don’t believe this is a healthy way to have a relationship with God. Do you?
The Church of Jesus
Jesus said he would build his church. But just what is he building it on that the western church seems to have missed? Let me provide the context behind the verse from Matthew using the Message translation.
Mat 16:13-20 MSG
(13) When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?”
(14) They replied, “Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
(15) He pressed them, “And how about you? Who do you say I am?”
(16) Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
(17) Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am.
(18) And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.
(19) “And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”
(20) He swore the disciples to secrecy. He made them promise they would tell no one that he was the Messiah.
So let me explain to you just how I would explain this passage to an unchurched person. Understand, this is rather novel for churched people to see how Jesus doesn’t have anything near the requirements which the religious people of the western church think need to be accomplished for a church to exist.
Jesus and his gang of twelve are traveling through the countryside. Jesus has performed many amazing fetes and people are talking about him wherever he goes. Jesus asks his disciples who do these people say they think he is. Because of the works he has performed the people think that Jesus must be one of the prophets of old, or even his outspoken cousin.
Jesus directs his attention to who the disciples think he is by asking Simon the same question. What Simon blurts out has up until this point in the entirety of Jesus’ ministry never been spoken. The people haven’t even gone as far as what Peter will announce. “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
The response which Jesus then gives is the secret to the church which Jesus will build. “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am.”
Jesus didn’t say how Simon had to say a prayer of repentance or attend a series of beginner’s classes to belong to a church. He did not mention anything about acknowledging Jesus as Lord and savior of mankind or about his blood being the ransom price for the deliverance of all humanity from their sins. No, what Jesus declares breaks away from every tradition known to mankind then, and still these days. God, the Father, revealed something to a human without an intermediary there to interpret it!
This fact that God can reveal himself to every person regardless of the time of day or day of the week was as shocking then as it seems to be today. Yet this is what Jesus claims to be the only entry point to his church; and it is so important that it is foundational to recognizing why his church is so powerful.
I have already written about the explanation to the phrase “gates of hell” here, so I’m not going to go down that road today. It is the final claim which Jesus offers which is indicative of a powerful church: Unhindered access to the kingdom of God where heaven and earth are one and the same. With this as the yardstick to what a church should look like, the question which begs to be asked is, “Does this sound like your church?” I’m fairly certain that you lack a response favorable to the model of Jesus.
My Church
I recall some time ago when my wife kept asking our son to come to church with us, he would refuse saying that his church was better. When she asked him where his church was, he said that his church was in the great outdoors. How were we to deny, “Creation declares the glory of the Lord,” from a son who grew up in the church?
I offer that insight as a means to advance what my church would be like. The primary thing which must be stressed is how everyone can hear from the Father on their own no matter when or where they are. This is the one thing which the western church seems to intentionally ignore simply because to proclaim it and welcome it into a congregation means the control the leadership possess must be forfeited to any claim made by anyone that, “God said to me…” is valid. This attitude, however founded, misses the greater understanding of the grace of an omni-God which I have written about extensively.
When I state, as Jesus did, that the Father and I are one, I am declaring truth just as you are when you do the same thing. If we stand beside each other and testify of the same truth, we are required to deny the illusion of separation between each other as well as between us and the Father. This is difficult! You and I clearly are not one. We are…
Therein lies the strength of the western model church: Difference. The simple fact of the multitude of denominations across the globe is testimony to this situation. If two denominations can’t declare they are one with each other as they are to the Father, then how can either expect to see the promise Jesus offered to the church? If any denomination cannot see and defend the oneness of all creation with themselves as with the Father, how can heaven and earth be the same?
Lastly, and this is a big one, this church model I am offering needs to stress that there will be no believers allowed to express their projections of how people should believe. Beliefs, rather than truth, have been the greatest downfall to the western church. Beliefs are man-made. Truth is eternal. Beliefs by their very existence create division. Truth is always one. Beliefs create an “other” out of thin air. There is no “other” but God.
I recognize how this might appear as some lofty pipe dream to many of you. Yet, what if it is doable and aligns with the church Jesus says he will build? I’m not going to ask if you believe it can be done simply because of what I just said about beliefs. I am asking you to consider the possibility. Jesus declared that with God all things are possible. IF you want to see something different, you can’t go through the same motions of the past expecting to get a different result. That is the mentality of a gambler. Albert Einstein said, “God does not play dice with the universe.” Why should you?
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