Where The Church Missed it by Jospeh Akinrinola

Where the church did miss it?

Without mincing words, the church remains an institution to reckon with in most parts of the world. The church wedges a great power in the political and economic landscape of most nations.

You can see this visibly in the currency of America. The inscription on the dollar note reads, “In God we trust.” The same goes for the House of Commons of the British Parliament where the Bible is one of the objects of the legislative proceedings. Also, going through the Bible, especially the New Testament, the church will be the only institution when God will be done with the world at the rapture.

But does the current situation show the church is anywhere near God’s agenda for her? This is the crux of my discussion today. Without much ado, let me answer the question of where did the church miss it.

Understanding what church is:

An average Christian understands the church is not the building, but the individuals that gather to worship God as saved souls. It is with this understanding I will address anyone who claims to be a Christian. This will include me. So interpreting the Greek word ecclesia (ekklesia), meaning the called out, it means those who are saved from the world, whose lives are patterned after Christ, and different from the standard of the world.

How was the church then? (Acts 2:42-47)

You will be treating the symptoms without addressing the sickness if you fail to carry out a diagnosis first. Therefore, we should look at the church in her glorious days. It is then we can know where the Church missed it.

1. They had all things in common (unity). Unlike today where believers are divided along denomination, tribal, language, ethnic, and doctrinal lines, the early Church concentrated on what unites them rather than those things that divide them.

2. The Bible was their standard and Jesus their message.

3. To them, persecution and challenges are part of following Christ.

4. They lived daily with the awareness of the rapture. The disciples lived daily with the consciousness of either death or the rapture. That is why they would not compromise their faith.

5. They concentrated their energy on building people and not structures. They believed that if you build the people, the people will build the structure.

Where and when the church did miss it?

Having seen where the Church was, let see the current position of the Church. This will show where the church missed it. This Bible passage reveals the state of the church now: 2 Timothy 3:1-7

1. When the Church changed her focus.

In those days, the song is, take away everything from me, but give me Jesus. But now let me get the best of the world first. Today, we have a blurred vision of eternity. We are concerned about now.

2. When we begin to build a terrestrial empire at the expense of our celestial home.

It is commonplace to compete to outwit one another by the size, cost, and design of our automobile, private jet, and cathedral. Do not get me wrong, wealth is good and God owns it. It will also make life and ministry easier.

Besides that, it shows the glory of God upon the believers. But it becomes a trap when it grabs our attention. In some countries, the government classifies the church as a profit-making venture. Thus, they are taxable like any other business.

Well, I do not know whether this is happening elsewhere, but I discovered churches have built schools with the offering and tithe from the members, yet most of the members cannot send their children to those schools because they cannot afford the tuition. It is as bad as that.

3. When we measure spirituality by achievement and status.

The church missed it when we began to measure the spirituality of a Christian or minister by his theological credentials or physical achievement. Furthermore, concluding a person is right with God because of the number of miracles, healing, and deliverance happening through them.

More often than not, we consider someone successful in the ministry by the numerical strength and the popularity of his congregation. We screwed it up at this point. No wonder most ministers will do anything to be popular.

4. When sin is openly celebrated.

A few years ago, I heard a story of a church elder who was making some shady deals in his business. The story concludes; the person explained to his leaders the source of his wealth before they ordained him.

Today, ministers will fine-tune their message to accommodate just anybody and anything. We give honors and awards to people of a questionable character because we want to swell our attendance and pocket.

5. When liberty becomes an abuse

I do not know other words that have been more bastardized by Christians than grace and mercy. Today, Christians will leave what they are supposed to do undone praying for God’s grace. Similarly, we indulge in sinful habits under the cover of the grace of God. Yes, God is gracious and merciful, yet he is not foolishly merciful.

What is the remedy?

Jesus, the owner of the church, never leaves us without a way out. That was the reason for his letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor. Revelation 2, 3

Apart from the Philadelphia Church who had a clean bill of health, the other churches represent our pitiable situation today. What was the central theme? Think, turn, and thrive on the legacy left by Jesus and as followed by the early fathers of the faith.

I would like to close with these statements from Apostle Paul to all of us, “if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NIV)

I am Joseph, an author, blogger, and content writer from Nigeria. In the field of writing, I deliver unique, grammatically correct and plagiarism-free content. Currently, I work with three online firms specializing in motivation, human capacity development, lifestyle, relationship, and spiritual writings.

Joseph Akinrinola