Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life
Bible Reading Plans
- Plan One: New Testament Only
- Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
- Plan Three: New Testament + History
- Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3
Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.
Extras
Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute
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The One True Church
Chapter 7 – The Solution to the Problem
In the context of my self-examination as well as biblical revelation, these words from God through Moses to Pharaoh came to my mind:
Exodus 5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”
Jesus was telling me to “let His people go,” not try to hold on to them. He was revealing the kingdom of God to be the “feast to Me.” It made perfect sense! Why should church be the only school from which graduation is not allowed?
I was willing to give up the pursuit of church for the sake of pursuing the kingdom of God. Who wouldn’t?
Let me emphasize that I had not been looking for a way to give up on church. I was not burnt out. I was not reacting out of hurt. Sure, many pastors and members have been hurt – sometimes deeply hurt – by their church experiences. And I was no exception.
During my almost 15 years of professional ministry, I had many difficult and painful experiences in seeking the good of church. But I also had many moments of great joy and peace. Frequently, people have such difficult and painful experiences with church that they just walk away from it to escape the emotional torment. But I was not one of them. Until this time of revelation and self-examination, it had never entered my mind that church might not be necessary.
The same One who said, “I will build My church” was now saying “Let My people go.” And I saw clearly how these two statements fit together. I was seating myself in the chair of the apostles just as the scribes and Pharisees had seated themselves in the chair of Moses.
Matthew 23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples,
Matthew 23:2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;
I was not an apostle, but I had been attempting what the apostles had been tasked to do. But how could I ever succeed at doing the apostles’ work if 1) I was not an apostle, and 2) did not have the equipping (including the power to perform miracles) that the apostles had?
Was I trying to hold on to God’s people? Yes. But it was because I thought it was something I was supposed to do. Once I realized that Jesus was leading His kingdom (the whole world) the same way He had been leading the church (a subset of the world), I was happy to “let His people go.”
I dropped the name “church” and began referring to my preaching and teaching as a “ministry.” Gradually, almost all the congregation left – not wanting to hear my teaching if it wasn’t in the context of church.
When I shared my thoughts with my minister friends, they wanted no part of it.
This forced me to make a decision I did not want to make.
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