Once upon a time there was a Christian sailboat named church, captained by a god-fearing man the crew called pastor. The main purpose of the crew was to witness the owner’s son, Jesus the Christ, to the world so God’s Holy Spirit could save the lost. The crew was made up of a mixture of people the owner called the body of Christ. The sailboat captain had all of the right intentions to save the lost from their earthly condition by offering eternal life through God’s Son. Then the human condition of selfish-ambition, apathy, religious practice and empty words altered their understanding of God’s spiritual compass and they strayed four degrees off course.
The captain and his assistants, called ministers, try to keep the crew from hell by teaching them many valuable scripture lessons. They teach them to love their God and Savior, one another and to strive to be holy and benevolent. They teach the theory of operating the boat, the different tides, and the dangers of evil storms explained in the book of truth called the Bible.
During their earthly trip they comforted and supported one another, designed fellowship programs, sang praise songs and heard wonderful feel-good messages. The families of God inside the boat were affirmed, but over many years they gradually went off course. They slowly altered the definition of the boat to be the vehicle to bring people to salvation. Focusing on growing the size of the boat, reasoning they were bringing more people to Christ. This was true to a point but the physical boat was not the vessel God commanded disciples to use to bring people to Christ. The boat’s leadership, some knowing, some unknowingly altered God’s compass reading and slowly ventured farther and farther off course. Many became complacent because now they could choose their own way, falsely calling this ‘knowledge’ as they went astray (1 Timothy 6:21-22).
The captain and his ministers while focusing on growing the size of the boat, failed to keep close attention on their celestial compass. They knew Christ said “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses… to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8), but they continued to focus on bigger sailboats. Most without knowing, while others took advantage of being off course and substituted God’s compass with their own directional interpretations. Maybe they forgot or didn’t care that the owner of the boat did not create Christ’s church as a material structure. The church is human and built upon Christ’s foundation (1 Corinthians 3:10) The church “…who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually parts of one another” (Romans 12:5). Christ commanded every individual to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen (Matthew 28:19-20).
In 1 Corinthians 12:27, Paul tells us that we are the body of Christ. Consider the importance of this for a moment. If we are Christ’s body, we are His mouth, hands and feet. We represent Him to everyone who we touch. We are His personal Ambassador to America and all the people to the ends of the earth. Ponder a while the magnitude of our specific responsibility.
Next ask yourself, does your church encourage and teach you to go out like Christ, conquer your fears, and boldly speak the truth of Christ into the darkness of our culture? Since Christians are Christ’s personal followers commissioned by Him to witness His truth to those living in our communities, shouldn’t we go out where Jesus went? Isn’t this to impact the darkness of the world around us with the Holy Spirit of truth? Shouldn’t we be taught to fear God and not stop for worldly icebergs causing inaction? Shouldn’t clergy teach the body how to circumvent the icebergs by understanding the distance they may have go to be Christ’s disciples and then, encourage them to go? The answer should be yes to all these questions, but is this done?
America is hurting, people are hungrily searching for Christ’s truth. Many are trapped in the world of social media looking for life’s fulfilment that only exists through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. America is filled with bloodthirsty, delusional, wickedness sponsored by powerful political entities spending millions of dollars to prophesy darkness and demand harmony with what is sordid, and immoral. They are calling “…evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20)! People are tired of being lied to, but sadly many only find whitewashed half-truths spoken from the pulpit in today’s churches. When half-truths are not the word of God. This self-manipulated front was proven in a recent survey by the American Culture and Faith Institute. They found only 2% of churches are actually preaching relevant biblical messages from the word of God exposing today’s evil by verbally revealing the public works of darkness. Sadly, the reason clergy gave for silence is they do not want to offend their congregants. This faithless, cowardly gesture is not four degrees off; it is 180 degrees off as all disciples are commanded to expose evil, for what is exposed is made manifest by the light of Christ (Ephesians 5:11&13).
Today’s clergy seems to have forgotten or ignored they are God’s vehicle, charged with keeping the body heading truth north into their communities to affirm the character of Christ. The power of the spoken word of truth is to come from the apostles, prophets, evangels, pastors and teachers into the body of Christ to teach them to minister to the community, thus making the body the conduit, the connection to the people living in the darkness of their culture. Clergy who expose the good and evil to the body compels and empowers the faithful through the spirit of God to take God’s truth into the market place of ideas where the culture is established. This is what enshrines and witnesses the power of Christ’s truth to the ends of the earth. Clergy who are silent, in exposing today’s evils, lose their voice into the community and the body fails its truthful duty to God. Could we, the church, have become a sailboat floating in the vast sea of inequity rudderless and devoid of God’s true direction?
There is no doubt the problem today with many Churches is how they are being led. Many in Church leadership are not valiant for the truth (Jeremiah 9:3). They are weak like Esau, and not strong in the spirit like Jacob (Genesis 27&28). This has enabled attendees to follow leaders who are more concerned with attendance than honoring Christ’s mission statement plainly stated in Ephesians 4:11-12. Christ, “…gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for (WHAT?) the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
Many buildings today, called churches, sadly are more like communal organizations. Many do good work internally, like youth, men’s and women’s groups, etc. They Bible study but seldom mentioned or teach the body of Christ how to overtly go and witness Christ in the public square of opinion. However, they do caution their attendees from the pulpit to be good Christians and teach them all the things God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit can do for them. But then leave the body of Christ without a real duty to Christ other that attendance, piety, and serving their own church, etc. Many prioritize fellowship but don’t focus on teaching Christians “…to come after Christ, they have to deny themselves, and take up their cross daily, and follow Jesus” (Luke 9:23) witnessing Him into the community in which we live. When all Christians are commissioned to speak the reality of Christ’s truth into people who are living in darkness so the Holy Spirit can bring them to the light of Christ (Ephesians 6:10-20 & Acts 26:18).
How do disciples get the Church, the body of Christ back on course? Do what God commanded us to do! First, we have to keep Christ’s commandments (John 14:17). Then individually become active ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) through a close personal relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit of truth. God sent the Spirit of truth in Christ’s name to teach Christ’s disciples all things (John 14:26). Jesus said “…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me …to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Then in Acts 2 – The Holy Spirit of God came and now indwells those who have received salvation. In Acts 4 the works of the Holy Spirit are present and forever powerful, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,” (Hebrews 4:12). Continuing in Acts 4 Peter and John are arrested and later “…when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:29-31).
We received the Holy Spirit at salvation and we are now guided by the power of God’s spiritual compass, every day of our lives, as we speak and act for Him. Our vast potential for Godly deeds now dwells in us in the fullness and completion of His power the very moment we were born again. When God speaks the Holy Spirit acts on our behalf to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). There is no portion of the Holy Spirit. There is no spiritually elite. No leader, no minister, no pastor has more of the Holy Spirit than every disciple of Christ because the spirit is at the helm. Everyone receives the same Holy Spirit the disciples received when Jesus walked upon this earth. Every disciple of Christ is now a minister if reconciliation.
Many believers think that when they make a mistake the Holy Spirit leaves them. No, in Ephesians 4:30 confirms, “…do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” When we sin, the Holy Spirit doesn’t leave, He grieves. He abides in us to help us understand and guide us back on the right course. He remains in us to help us become strong in the spirit by understanding how to overcome evil as the Spirit convicts us with the truth. In 1 John 2:14 confirms, “…Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.” All power, all truth, all peace, all boldness, all righteous holiness abides in us through the Holy Spirit to overcome the wicked one and witness Christ to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Now stay on course by reading God’s text book, the Bible, praying in the spirit as you go in the power of Holy Spirit to make disciples for Christ. Amen!
David Howard, Foxhole Ministry