Isaiah 35:8

A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. 

Make no mistake not even a math error  -  Salvation is for the Holy. The road to life is narrow, it is not about the numbers.  The purpose of this post is to expose the fallacy of counting and attempts by men to build large “churches”. 

It seems the whole purpose of church is about getting more people to come to church and to build bigger churches and buildings, but that is not what God says we are to do.   The spirit behind men wanting to build memberships and count numbers of congregants, souls supposedly saved and money coming into the ministry,  is not of God, it is Satan.  It has at its roots pride and selfish ambition which are the roots of the devil’s vine, not God’s.  Consider the story about David and the CENSUS and what God did in His anger.     

1 Chronicles 21:1-2, Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel. 2So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring me word that I may know their number.”  3Joab said, “May the LORD add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?” 

David told Joab to go count unholy people into the numbers and Joab questioned the logic and sanity of this action.  David was driven by the Prince of Pride (Satan) to build his reputation, numbers and the esteem of all the people.  The same thing is going on now.  Building church this way is FLESH and brings judgment as David’s actions clearly show.  Later once David realized his sin, David repented.  God however was so angry that He still brought judgment although He showed mercy.  Hear these words of the Lord. 

So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel; 70,000 men of Israel fell. 15And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the LORD saw and was sorry over the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, “It is enough; now relax your hand.” 

I hope this posts gets you to see what is happening in the Babylon churches.  All the wrappings of religion and Jesus does not make anything right with God, He looks to the heart and what truly is behind our deeds.  My Bible says God will destroy these man-made church palaces and meeting places in the end; along with all that partook of their evil.   This destruction is a spiritual destruction and will be accomplished by God’s army. 


Who Builds The Church?
It is God alone that saves.  It is all Him all the time, in every single case, no exceptions.  God builds the church not men.  While are encouraged to assembly, we are warned sternly not to mix with the unholy, if we are children of God.

John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God

Jesus said He would build His church.

Matthew 16:15-18 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 

Zecheriah 6:12 Then say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD.

The church belongs to Jesus and He is in fact the one that builds it.  Man does not build it.  In a crafty scheme of Satan, man has been tricked into fleshly works to build a church for God.  This is folly.  God saves people not men.  It is all Him all the time. 

James 3:15 tells us that selfish ambition is driven by demonic wisdom even when it has wrappings of religion. Satan has crept into the churches and into the minds and hearts of men.  If Satan deceived Peter right there while speaking with Jesus don’t think the devil can’t come upon you.  It is difficult to carnally grasp this truth but the Word of God does not lie.   Out of carnal thoughts men have been overtaken by the enemy to do God’s work  but the work is really not for God, it is demonic with all the religious wrappings.  Satan uses the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life to tempt and entice men into pursuing selfish ambition and gain — ALL IN THE NAME OF JESUS.  This gain can be money, but also can be boasting, esteem, reputation and the approval of men.  This is a snare of Satan and the system of false religion that has completely taken over Christianity in the end times. This was all foretold to us by the Prophets. 

In order to build big churches for God, men must water down the gospel, cut out the parts about fear, judgment, deception, the powers of darkness,  how we fight evil, overcome sin, enduring fiery trials, face persecution and purge SIN out of the church.  Indeed pastors and minister that cling to the lie and appeal of numbers must tickle flesh and tell people what their itching ears want to hear.  They are not building God’s church when they do this,  they are doing violence to the WORD, killing people spiritually, shedding blood as the Prophets call it and allowing the powers of darkness to come inside the gates and surround God’s people.  This in turns brings about abominations (defilement) of desolation in the hearts of people, which is God’s temple.  These false shepherds teach a form of godliness but totally deny the power of God to rebirth us and transform us into a new creation that is dead to the flesh and consequently sin.  While most of these pastors and “church builders” are unwittingly deceived, the fact is they are deceived and are following another spirit and do not know God.  As the Apostle John said, “Do not be deceived my little children”.   

We are not told to go build a church.  Jesus told us go to preach the gospel, the whole gospel, telling them to OBEY ALL He has commanded.  If we taught that, the fear of God, the judgment of God, true repentance and the need for endurance to the end would be taught.  This points people to a true walk of holiness and then God could come in and supernaturally work His grace amongst the babes and build HIS CHURCH.  But instead we leaven the lump with lies and spiritual poison that points them to a FALSE JESUS and puts them on a very broad road, walking with the majority of church goers to destruction. Heed the warning of the LORD about who enters the Kingdom! 

Matthew 7:21-23 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

The one true God, Jesus, is building His Church and not any man.  People are going to be astonished and startled when the truth of the apostasy and fallen away church is revealed.  But if they do not see this truth soon, it will be too late.  This is the abomination that causes desolation.  The Scriptures tell us that the deceived people of God, the ones professing to be Christians but actually following another Jesus — will be amazed, stunned, astonished on the Day of the Lord.   

Isaiah 13:8,9 Every man’s heart will melt,
8 And they will be afraid.
Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them;
They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth;
They will be amazed at one another;
And He will destroy its sinners from it.
 

Jeremiah 4:9 “ And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the LORD,
“ That the heart of the king shall perish,
And the heart of the princes;
The priests shall be astonished,
And the prophets shall wonder.”
10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD!
Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, 


I urge you to read the Prophetic Books.  They speak to the END and the judgment of God that will come to the false church and the people who followed other gods and practiced doctrines of demons.   


God’s People Will Be Separate
I will show you a variety of Scriptures about the persistent call to be separated from those that practice lawlessness, pagan religion and do not know God.  Inviting unrepentant sinners into a church building and filling up meeting places with Holy people and unrighteous people is exactly the opposite of what God tells us to do.   God is very serious about this command and we have a stunning example in the Book of Acts from the early church. 

Acts 5:1-5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.  3Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.”  5When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 

Later Ananias’s wife comes and lies to Peter as well and she is struck dead.  The main message here is not about lying to our brothers — of course we must not lie –  this lesson is about the call and commandment of God for His Holy people to be separated from the unholy.  God killed these false Christians in the early stages of the church to be an eternal reminder of how we are to conduct ourselves.  The fear of the LORD is indeed the beginning of wisdom and God accomplished His purposes by killing the liars as great fear seized the entire church that heard of these events. 

When men try to build God’s church themselves via the works of the flesh, they are no different than the original Babylonians who tried to build their own tower in heaven.  That is what is going on today in the end time Great Babylon Church.  We have all these different denominations, with their own man made rules, doing works of the flesh to build their own towers into heaven.  In case you forgot what happened to the original Babylonians … 

Genesis 11:8-9 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel; because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth. 

Jesus said that whomsoever does not gather with HIM, scatters.  Hum something to think about! 
The World versus the Church

The parable of the wheat and the tares is an end times parable told by Jesus.  In this parable,  the enemy sows bad seed coming behind God who sowed the good seed.  The fields is NOT THE CHURCH, it is the WORLD.  There is not supposed to be any bad seeds or tares inside God’s church.  But that is what the allure and deception of large numbers has done for deceived minds and hearts of false shepherds.  Bring them all in says the flesh.  Let’s build something grand and God will come down and cooperate with us.  They boast in their numbers, but sadly by not separating,  they destroy the word of God and the promise of salvation for those that end up following a false gospel and worshipping another Jesus. 

Matthew 13:36-43 And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the WORLD, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. 

I pray you begin to see the truth in this parable.  It is also exposes the false hood of the rapture but that will be dealt with on another day.  Men in their misguided zeal for God, as led by the powers of darkness, are sowing bad seed among the good seed inside what is called ”church”.  As this parable says, if that is happening, that place is not the real CHURCH but is indeed the WORLD.  We must come out and be separate.  Satan as foretold in Scripture has established a religious image of who God is, but it is a false God.  Most are bowing down, unlike Shadrak to this image of religion.  We need to come thru the furnace and trust God instead of men. 

Look at the judgment God speaks unto the end time church. 

Ezekiel 22:24-27 “Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that is not cleansed (washed by true WORD) or rained on (No Holy Spirit) in the day of indignation.’ 25 The conspiracy of her prophets (doctrines of demons) in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured people; they have taken treasure and precious things (God’s people) ; they have made many widows (lost people) in her midst. 26 Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain. 

My friends, what we call church is not church.  It is not what Jesus is building, it is what man is building as an image to the beast.  Does the concept of a roaring lion tearing the prey remind you of something Peter said?  Of course it does, that is the Devil walking around to devour the brethren, the professing body of believer.  Please wake up my brothers.  There are some good churches, the remnant as we will see below,  but they are very rare.  Do not let yourself be torn apart by lies and have the approval of men be the driving force in your walk.   

We were promised it would be a very lonely walk and that very many will try to serve God but really be seeking after their own interests  — selfish ambition.  Consider what Paul wrote to the Philippians.   

Philippians 2:19-21 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. 

The fact is the true gospel does not attract the world.   Man has tried to change the gospel to make it more attractive to men and this is false Christianity.   Fellowshipping is a good thing but it must take a back seat to be separate and Holy before God.  That is His commandment and we in our stubborn stiff-necked rebellious heart have changed the ordinances of God to better suit ourselves and accomodate our “modern society”.  Woe unto us  — the destruction of these palaces and assembly houses built by men does not slumber. 

2 Cor 6:14-16 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. 

People can pervert what I am saying here and I am not saying not to bring people to knowledge of the Lord.  But we must tell them the truth, the whole gospel and not plant seeds of a tare in their hearts because they will not mature unto righteousness, instead they will be deceived and have a false security and peace and will not be able to stand before the Son of Man. Plus we are not to be hanging out with people practicing lawlessness.  As I will show you below, we must be separated otherwise we will be defiled ourselves and will become a tare ourselves. 


Only A Remnant, VERY FEW Will Be Saved
These are some of the saddest Scriptures of truth.  Yet God was clear from beginning to end, that very few that proclaim His name will be saved.  Satan is running most churches and the flood of lies coming out of his mouth and the mouth of the spirits he has placed inside the church and its people has deceived almost everyone.  But God is awakening His Holy remnant and my small part of serving God is to tell people this truth and pray that God will give them the spiritual ears to hear it and see it.   To understand these prophetic books one must understand how God created and uses the powers of darkness to carry out His purposes and plan of salvation. 

Matthew 7:14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it

Isaiah 6:13 But yet a tenth will be in it,
And will return and be for consuming,
As a terebinth tree or as an oak,
Whose stump remains when it is cut down.
So the holy seed shall be its stump.” 

Amos 5:3 The city that goes out by a thousand
Shall have a hundred left, (10%)
And that which goes out by a hundred
Shall have ten left to the house of Israel.” 

Hosea 4:7 Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 “ The more they increased,
The more they sinned against Me; 

It is not about the numbers.  It is about quality, a walk of holiness.  That is the gospel.

Romans 11:5 I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.  Here Paul is referencing a conversation Elijah had with God about being the only Holy one in Israel.  There are others be sure, but it is indeed only a remnant.   This remnant is not going to be sitting still inside some large church or congregation in the end.  They will come out and be separate just as the LORD commanded. 

Isaiah 5:8-10 Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field, until there is no more room, so that you have to live alone in the midst of the land! 9In my ears the LORD of hosts has sworn, “Surely,many houses shall become desolate, Even great and fine ones, without occupants.  10“For ten acres of vineyard will yield only one bath of wine, And a homer of seed will yield but an ephah of grain.” 

This passage from Isaiah is powerful if God gives you the understanding.  Please go read your Bibles in context the chapters from which these verses are plucked.   Understand that references to the words cities, land, sanctuaries, Judah, Jerusulem are types for “church” or God’s people.  There is severe famine in the land, meaning there is no WORD, instead the sheep are being fed cotton candy.  There is no rain, meaning there is no Holy Spirit and the land is parched and consumed by the works of the flesh. 

[color=#990000]Jeremiah 4:27 The whole land shall be a desolation, yet I will not execute a complete destruction [/color]

Ezekiel 5:3 You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment. 

This post  is a bit unorganized for now but I wanted to get this post outas it is heavy on my heart.  Know that this message of a FEW BEING SAVED is pervasive and consistent in the Scriptures.  But also note that the reference point of FEW is not the world, it is the self professsing church.  God did not call it the GREAT FALLING AWAY without a very good reason.  I hope you are on the right side of truth on this matter. 


Come Out and Be Separate NOW
People that worship their religion will hate me for saying this.  That is because the truth of God’s word is sharper than a sword and it comes against all falsehoods.   God will judge us on the last day and He said His words would be the measure by which we will be held to account.  Many a man and a woman are boasting and are trying to do God’s work in their flesh, but it is really Satan’s work.  When churches focus on nickles (money), noses (butts in the pews) and numbers (how many they saved today), you can be sure it is not a movement of GOD.  It is driven by the powers of darkness and is appealing to the deceitfulness of man’s heart and the gain they get from helping God out in their flesh. 

[b]Galatians 6:12-15 As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised (follow their rules or join their organization), only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 13 For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.  [/b]Instead of teaching the truth about God and our need to die to self and be transformed by God’s power into a new man, they tell us to sign up, join their organization, say a prayer and you are welcomed into God’s family.  This is an abomination. 

Paul warned us about the wolves in sheep’s clothing, the religious sounding, godly looking as it relates to our senses, yet they would be working for our enemy. 

2 Cor 11:12-15 But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. 

I have many posts on false teachings and false teachers and how to spot them. But the sad thing is the people immersed into this religious system of the end, which is the image of the Beast are very hardened in their hearts, their church has become  their idol and they get their significance in life from their supposed service to God.  Sure God uses this service for the greater good and praise God for that, yet very many are bowing down to the devil and do not know it.  This is indeed a difficult truth to grasp and only God can show it to you.  I beleive He will if you examine yourself and your motives and let Him show you the truth in the Scriptures.  It is there for the taking but you must want to know the truth and not cling to a lie. 

Revelation 18:4-8 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Render to her just as she rendered to you,] and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ 8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. 

The Babylon church thinks she needs nothing. She boasts in herself, her numbers, the money she brings in, the number of people sticking their hand up and becoming “saved”.  She is proud of all the good things she is doing for God, yet she is blind and is really serving Satan.  Saying she is no widow, means she is deceived into thinking she is married to Jesus, but she is a widow full of lost people who follow another Jesus and another gospel.  If you do not come out of this church, you will be destroyed.  The end is near as me and many others are now being awakened so we can in turn awaken others. 

2 Cor 6:17 Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
18 “ I  will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My  sons and daughters,
Says the LORD Almighty.” 

[size=14pt]Time is very short.  Quit looking to Israel the country to see where we are on God’s clock.  It is happening in the spiritual and Jesus is coming like a thief, when NOBODY is going to be expecting Him.  [/size]

The Apostle Paul quoted from Isaiah 54, echoing the words of the Prophet that the true people of God would be hugely outnumbered by the fakes.  The woman of the husband (Sarah) was barren and she was going to bear a lot less children than the desolate woman Hagar who bore an illegitimate son Ishmael.  When 80% of the country says they are Christians, something does not add up.

Galatians 4:27 For it is written,
         ”REJOICE, BARREN WOMAN WHO DOES NOT BEAR;
         BREAK FORTH AND SHOUT, YOU WHO ARE NOT IN LABOR;
         FOR MORE NUMEROUS ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE DESOLATE
         THAN OF THE ONE WHO HAS A HUSBAND.”

My heartfelt desire and I am sure anyone on this website’s desire is for all to be saved.  But that is just not going happen so says the LORD.   

I pray this message will reach the few that God may have sent to this site to receive it.  I love you my brother and sister and sincerely want all to come to a saving knowledge of the truth.  The burden I carry with this revelation is heavy and my flesh wishes I did not carry it, but God gave it to me for a reason.  I am choosing to obey God and not put the approval of men above serving Him. 

Hebrews 3:3-4 For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. 4For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 


http://truthinscripture.com/2010/01/30/liars-figure-and-figures-lie/

I hope RCCG, CEC,Winners chapel and members of all other churches who are lead to believe growing their church numbers, building edifices and promoting their church brand is spreading the gospel of christ have read and benefitted from this write up. The bible makes it clear that God does not live in man made temples neither can human hands or money satistfy his needs. All he requires of us his our heart loving him and also equally important loving one another.

And what is this "real" church?

^^^^^

Please read this article below about the real church :





What Does The Real Church Look Like?

I believe with all my heart that God is going to re-establish His true Church - the real Church. I’m talking about the Church that He intended, the one that makes it possible for those who really believe in Him to see His purpose fulfilled in their lives. And what is God’s purpose? To see all those who believe in Him conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit working in the Church (His true Church), the Father wants to strip away everything in us that doesn’t look like Jesus.

The traditional church today doesn’t know much about that. Most "pastors" (if you read the article "Leadership in the Early Church" you’ll understand why I put the word pastor in quotation marks) preach an American gospel that’s designed to make people comfortable with themselves and with God. It’s an upbeat message of "I’m O.K. you’re O.K. Just live your life however you think is best (as long as you come to church on Sunday and give me your money). Don’t worry; God will meet you where you are. No changes are required, forget repentance, let’s just rejoice and be happy. I’ll see you in heaven. Remember, God loves you, besides, you don’t believe anyone is really going to hell, do you?" Church ministry today is designed to give people what they want, what God requires is irrelevant. And, that is what you would expect it to be when men are in charge, instead of God.

To see what the real church looks like requires a somewhat novel approach, we’ll have to look at the scriptures. I know it sounds crazy, but trust me on this. You won’t find what you’re looking for in church history books. After all, the first church wasn’t a Baptist church in Oklahoma or Texas (even though the Baptists claim they can trace their roots all the way back to John the Baptist, a claim John is probably not too happy about).

No, the first real church was Jesus and His 12 disciples. The first church was actually a training school for those who would establish the second-generation churches after Jesus ascended back to the Father. It was Jesus showing His disciples, first hand, how to have church. They met in houses and gardens, by the sea and on boats in the sea, in the middle of the road, on hillsides and on mountaintops. They met wherever Jesus happened to be. These meetings formed their understanding of what church was supposed to be and established a pattern for the next generation of churches.

Now, just for fun, let me describe to you what one of these meetings in this first church must have looked like. When it was time for the meeting, everyone got dressed up in their best suit of clothes, grabbed a hymnbook and a big, fat Bible to carry under their arm. Then they all made their way down to the building with the sign out front that said "First Church". The marquee out front had the sermon topic for the day: "How To Overcome Anxiety In A Frenzied World", and the name of the class that would meet that evening, "Divorce Recovery at 6 PM". Everyone filed in, sat down in neat rows, eyes forward, and waited for the minister of music to start the service. They sang three songs, recited the Apostles Creed, sang another song, passed the offering plate and listened to a choir "special". Then Jesus, looking resplendent in a shiny, blue, three-piece suit, with a really great silk tie, took the pulpit and delivered a comforting, somewhat humorous, thirty-minute sermon. Everyone felt good about what they had heard and complimented Jesus on what a splendid job He had done, and then they all went to lunch. And Jesus was relieved that no one was uncomfortable with what He had said and felt sure that most of them would return next week. And in the satisfaction of a job well done, He soon forgot about the whole thing and began to think about something really important, His golf game (His putting had been terrible the past several weeks). That sounds just about right doesn’t it? No?

Then how about this? Get out your Bible (I mean it, don’t read any further, unless you have your Bible), now read Matthew 5:1 to 8:1. What you just read was an account of one of the very first church meetings. The actual church was small, but there was a "multitude" of visitors that day and the sermon was really long. Then read Matthew 8:2-4. That was the next church meeting, but this time there was only one visitor. Now read Matthew 8:5-13. Here’s something unusual. The sermon was only about 20 seconds long (imagine that), and it was both confronting and judgmental. I’m sure some of the visitors were offended this time, and I don’t think they’ll be coming back. Then Jesus had another meeting at Peter’s house (Matthew 8:14-17); another the next day by the Sea of Galilee (8:18-22); then, later, in a boat (8:23-27); and still another the following day on the other side of Galilee with the disciples, two other guys, a bunch of demons, a herd of pigs and some more visitors from town (8:28-34).

Are you getting the picture? From Matthew 5:1 to 8:34, Jesus had at least 7 church meetings. Actually, He probably had many more than that. How do I know? Because, in reading these 4 chapters in Matthew, the Lord taught me the one, overwhelming principle illustrated in this first church. It’s really simple, but at the same time, really profound. What does the first church show us? What should every church learn from its example? What were the 12 disciples doing? Pay attention. Here it is: THEY WERE LIVING WITH JESUS!!! The function of the church, any church, is to enable believers in their walk with Jesus. It must promote the reality of living moment-by-moment, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, week after week, year after year with Jesus.

The simple fact of the matter is that church is supposed to be the support system for believers in their continuous, uninterrupted relationship with Jesus. It should support them in their constant, openly transparent, submissive, obedient, life changing, transforming, renewing, Holy Spirit-led, love relationship with the Savior; and if you’re ever going to be conformed to the image of Christ, that is the lifestyle that is required. How can you be changed into something you haven’t experienced and submitted yourself to? And I don’t want to cover old ground again, but that doesn’t simply define a relationship. If you read your Bible (void of the prevailing religious bias and deceptions) you will realize that what I’m describing is salvation. The Bible doesn’t describe salvation as something that is accomplished in the past. It can’t be based on something you’ve already done (church membership, baptism, a profession of faith, confirmation classes, etc.). Salvation is a hope (actually, a confidence) that is based on what you are doing today. It is based on the firm commitment to a continual relationship with God that requires your submission to His will and purpose. It requires change (yours, not His). And I hate to mention this just now, but it involves suffering (really, you can look it up, try I Peter 4:12-19 for starters). If you just read the red letters in the Gospel accounts, you’ll see that Jesus never describes salvation as something that is quick and easy (only religion scribes using isolated verses do that). Instead, He presents it as something that is difficult, something that demands persistence and something that only a few will achieve (Jesus said there would only be a few that would be willing to travel the narrow road that leads to life).

Salvation is not based on what you know about God, Jesus made that perfectly clear. It’s not an intellectual exercise; it’s a lifestyle. It’s living with Jesus. The church is a group of people living with Jesus, sharing their experiences with one another, as they live with Him; nothing more; but certainly, nothing less! A community of believers undergoing change together, submitting to His will and purpose, being conformed to the image of Christ, as they are being saved (yes, salvation is a continuing process that has a starting point, but no ending point, read Luke 9:23-24; I Corinthians 1:18; Philippians. 2:12-13; Hebrews 3:14 and I Peter 2:2-3 in the NIV, a translation that actually gets it right).

I’m amazed at the number of churches today who claim to be "New Testament", but have nothing at all in common with the churches described in the New Testament. On the other hand, it is equally amazing that I recently read of another church who described their search for identity and purpose this way, "In the absence of a clear model, we set out to create our own." I couldn’t believe it, "In the absence of a clear model?" Give me a break! Why not just be honest and admit that you’re just another traditional church looking for new and innovative ways to attract more people, while trying to figure out how you can effectively entertain them while they’re there, so they’ll feel good about the whole deal and come back the next week. And at the same time, slip something religious into the mix, so they’ll think they had some gushy, sentimental encounter with God (you know, something they can deal with on their own terms, nothing heavy).

But there is a New Testament model. If Jesus and His 12 disciples were the first generation church, then those established by the disciples after Jesus’ ascension were the second generation churches. Now, it’s time to really pay attention again. Remember the principle illustrated by the first church was living with Jesus. He was there, physically with them, every day, every night, day after day, week after week, for almost 4 years. Then He was gone! Now these men, and others, began establishing churches all over the place (in Asia Minor, Europe and Africa). And the principle of these second generation churches comes through loud and clear. Are you ready for this? If you can remember what you’ve already read, you should be able to guess. Here it is: LIVING WITH JESUS IN A COMMUNITY OF OTHER BELIEVERS WHO ARE LIVING WITH HIM TOO!!!

Now I’ve said all this as an introduction to get to this place. I’m not writing a book on the subject; you’re not supposed to learn this stuff from books anyway (or from pastor’s sermons either, for that matter). You’re supposed to submit yourselves to God and let Him teach you. But, since there’s so much deception in the so-called church today, and in the absence of truth, it’s important to at least point those who are interested in the right direction.

Now I know what the problem is. I’ve heard the argument many, many times. "God doesn’t speak to believers any more. That’s why we have the Bible. He speaks to us through the written word. The Bible is our only source of faith and practice." But now I have a real problem with that! THAT’S NOT WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS!!!

A look at Ephesians 4:17-24 might help. In verses 17-19, Paul is talking about living like Godless heathen in the futility of worldly reason, being ignorant of and estranged from God, and insensitive to any real spirituality (that is, being bound up in men’s thoughts, religion’s traditions and rituals, and experiencing no reality in God).

Then this is what we see in verses 20-24: "But this is not what you learn from following Christ! If you have really heard Him and have been taught personally by Him, as all true reality is found in Him, you will get rid of your old way of life, your old self that was on its way to destruction because of deceitful lusts. And then you will continually be renewed in your mind, with a fresh spiritual attitude, a new self, being recreated in God’s image, in righteousness and true holiness."

Thank you Paul for clearing that up for us! In my mind, the key to understanding what Paul is saying here is found in the word translated "truth" in verse 21 ("true reality" italicized in my translation above). The word is aletheia in the Greek text and means, "the reality of a thing, as opposed to the mere appearance of it" or maybe more to the point, "the truth as opposed to error". What Paul is trying to express is the fact that the true reality of Jesus is found in hearing Him and being personally taught by Him. That’s the spiritual reality or spirituality that I talk about in some of the other articles. Again, true reality is never found in man’s religion. The traditions and rituals of man represent only the mere appearance of God, and that’s not what He wants us to have.

And when we receive glimpses of this true reality from Him, the result should be that we accept Who He is and at the same time reject who we are and change. The result, then, is as Paul says in the passage – we get rid of the old self that is on its way to destruction and embrace the new self that is being recreated in God’s image, reflecting His righteousness and holiness!

Now, what does this have to do with what the real church looks like? I’m glad you asked. The answer is found in the very next verse, Ephesians 4:25. This is what it says, "Therefore, rejecting outright everything that is false, let us all show forth this true reality to those who are likeminded with us, for we are all members of the same body." This is what the real church should look like today: likeminded people (those with the courage to pursue Him on His terms, not theirs) who meet together to share with one another the true reality of Christ in their lives. What has He taught you and how have you changed? This is the real church: those who are being conformed to the image of Christ, sharing their experiences with one another, encouraging and supporting one another as they go.

I’ll end the article with this, it tells us what God intended and what the Scriptures describe (this is a simple explanation of Colossians 2:5-7): believers standing together, drawing strength from one another (verse 5), determined to live with Him and be like Him (verse 6), and having the very foundation of their lives firmly established on the things He is teaching them and being thankful for His participation in their lives (verse 7). Now that’s what the real church looks like.


http://www.voiceofonecrying.com/what_does_the_real_church_look.htm

^^^
Like

^^

I have noted , these kinds of topics are not popular.

It grieves me to see how many sects there are in Nigerian churches, surely it has reached a million by now.


" My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas[a]”; still another, “I follow Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? " - 1 Corinthians 1:11-13


And yet this is the problem in the so called 'churches' today,  each one with a different doctrine and man made rules to follow.

Surely what Paul said was true regarding :



" I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you.[b] I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. [/b]I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon " - Philippians 2:19-24

Another God-serving and highly informative article.

And yes, such won't be popular because the average person has itching ears and will accept only a feel-good false gospel. Easier to "pay" than obey though what is truly amusing (yet tragic) is that they only become more wretched and hardened as disappointments pile up in their lives. They are taught that the few people who made it big did so only because they obeyed "pastor" and so they forsake God and follow the man they see on the altar.

Classic example of Moses going up the mount and Israel wanting a "god" they could see.

Tragic where we have come to "in the name of God"

@frosbel
Very well said, but first is the church the building or the people, if its the people then the talk of the building being big or small is inconsequential
you said:
"The church belongs to Jesus and He is in fact the one that builds it"
very good, question- How?

This is nothing but another time wasting empty article . Combination of scriptures that don't relate. so where do you want people to worship dude? Under the rain?
 
Was God mad at Solomon for building him the most magnificent temple of worship.

God had to mandate the Israel to have regular contribution to maintain the beauty of the temple. When the house of God was in ruins , they suffered because of the neglect of the hoouse of God.

Haggai 1:6-9
6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages[ to put it] into a bag with holes. 7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 8[b] Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord[/b]. 9 Ye looked for much, and, lo,[ it came] to little; and when ye brought[ it] home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that[ is] waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. 
  
Was God mad that they built synagogues for worshipping him? Jesus even had to minister to a gentile man contrary to his desire, just because the man won his Favour on the ground that he build a house for the worship of God.

Luke 7:3-7
3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: 5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. 6Then Jesus went with them. . . .

There is difference between the church and The church building . One doesn't get in the way of the other. Christ builds the two!

Satan never rest to attack churches in different dimension. It's one of the signs of the last day. So where do you want people to worship?

frosbel:


My friends, what we call church is not church.  It is not what Jesus is building, it is what man is building as an image to the beast.  Does the concept of a roaring lion tearing the prey remind you of something Peter said?  Of course it does, that is the Devil walking around to devour the brethren, the professing body of believer.  Please wake up my brothers.  There are some good churches, the remnant as we will see below,  but they are very rare.  Do not let yourself be torn apart by lies and have the approval of men be the driving force in your walk.   

We were promised it would be a very lonely walk and that very many will try to serve God but really be seeking after their own interests  — selfish ambition.  Consider what Paul wrote to the Philippians.   

[size=13pt]The fact is the true gospel does not attract the world.   Man has tried to change the gospel to make it more attractive to men and this is false Christianity.[/size]   Fellowshipping is a good thing but it must take a back seat to be separate and Holy before God.  That is His commandment and we in our stubborn stiff-necked rebellious heart have changed the ordinances of God to better suit ourselves and accomodate our “modern society”.  Woe unto us  — the destruction of these palaces and assembly houses built by men does not slumber. 

2 Cor 6:14-16 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. 

People can pervert what I am saying here and I am not saying not to bring people to knowledge of the Lord.  But we must tell them the truth, the whole gospel and not plant seeds of a tare in their hearts because they will not mature unto righteousness, instead they will be deceived and have a false security and peace and will not be able to stand before the Son of Man. Plus we are not to be hanging out with people practicing lawlessness.  As I will show you below, we must be separated otherwise we will be defiled ourselves and will become a tare ourselves. 

Only A Remnant, VERY FEW Will Be Saved
These are some of the saddest Scriptures of truth.  Yet God was clear from beginning to end, that very few that proclaim His name will be saved.  Satan is running most churches and the flood of lies coming out of his mouth and the mouth of the spirits he has placed inside the church and its people has deceived almost everyone.  But God is awakening His Holy remnant and my small part of serving God is to tell people this truth and pray that God will give them the spiritual ears to hear it and see it.   To understand these prophetic books one must understand how God created and uses the powers of darkness to carry out His purposes and plan of salvation. 

Matthew 7:14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it

It is not about the numbers.  It is about quality, a walk of holiness.  That is the gospel.

 The remnant is not going to be sitting still inside some large church or congregation in the end.  They will come out and be separate just as the LORD commanded. 

Isaiah 5:8-10 Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field, until there is no more room, so that you have to live alone in the midst of the land! 9In my ears the LORD of hosts has sworn, “Surely,many houses shall become desolate, Even great and fine ones, without occupants.  10“For ten acres of vineyard will yield only one bath of wine, And a homer of seed will yield but an ephah of grain.” 

This passage from Isaiah is powerful if God gives you the understanding.  Please go read your Bibles in context the chapters from which these verses are plucked.   Understand that references to the words cities, land, sanctuaries, Judah, Jerusulem are types for “church” or God’s people.  There is severe famine in the land, meaning there is no WORD, instead the sheep are being fed cotton candy.  There is no rain, meaning there is no Holy Spirit and the land is parched and consumed by the works of the flesh. 

Know that this message of a FEW BEING SAVED is pervasive and consistent in the Scriptures.  But also note that the reference point of FEW is not the world, it is the self professsing church.  God did not call it the GREAT FALLING AWAY without a very good reason.  I hope you are on the right side of truth on this matter. 

Come Out and Be Separate NOW
People that worship their religion will hate me for saying this.  That is because the truth of God’s word is sharper than a sword and it comes against all falsehoods.   God will judge us on the last day and He said His words would be the measure by which we will be held to account.  Many a man and a woman are boasting and are trying to do God’s work in their flesh, but it is really Satan’s work.  When churches focus on nickles (money), noses (butts in the pews) and numbers (how many they saved today), you can be sure it is not a movement of GOD.  It is driven by the powers of darkness and is appealing to the deceitfulness of man’s heart and the gain they get from helping God out in their flesh. 

]Instead of teaching the truth about God and our need to die to self and be transformed by God’s power into a new man, they tell us to sign up, join their organization, say a prayer and you are welcomed into God’s family.  This is an abomination. 

Paul warned us about the wolves in sheep’s clothing, the religious sounding, godly looking as it relates to our senses, yet they would be working for our enemy. 

2 Cor 11:12-15 But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. 

I have many posts on false teachings and false teachers and how to spot them. But the sad thing is the people immersed into this religious system of the end, which is the image of the Beast are very hardened in their hearts, their church has become  their idol and they get their significance in life from their supposed service to God.  Sure God uses this service for the greater good and praise God for that, yet very many are bowing down to the devil and do not know it.  This is indeed a difficult truth to grasp and only God can show it to you.  I beleive He will if you examine yourself and your motives and let Him show you the truth in the Scriptures.  It is there for the taking but you must want to know the truth and not cling to a lie. 

Revelation 18:4-8 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Render to her just as she rendered to you,] and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ 8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. 

[size=14pt]The Babylon church thinks she needs nothing. She boasts in herself, her numbers, the money she brings in, the number of people sticking their hand up and becoming “saved”.  She is proud of all the good things she is doing for God, yet she is blind and is really serving Satan.  Saying she is no widow, means she is deceived into thinking she is married to Jesus, but she is a widow full of lost people who follow another Jesus and another gospel.  If you do not come out of this church, you will be destroyed[/size].  The end is near as me and many others are now being awakened so we can in turn awaken others. 

The Apostle Paul quoted from Isaiah 54, echoing the words of the Prophet that the true people of God would be hugely outnumbered by the fakes.  The woman of the husband (Sarah) was barren and she was going to bear a lot less children than the desolate woman Hagar who bore an illegitimate son Ishmael.  When 80% of the country says they are Christians, something does not add up.

Galatians 4:27 For it is written,
         ”REJOICE, BARREN WOMAN WHO DOES NOT BEAR;
         BREAK FORTH AND SHOUT, YOU WHO ARE NOT IN LABOR;
         FOR MORE NUMEROUS ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE DESOLATE
         THAN OF THE ONE WHO HAS A HUSBAND.”

My heartfelt desire and I am sure anyone on this website’s desire is for all to be saved.  But that is just not going happen so says the LORD.   

Hebrews 3:3-4 For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. 4For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 

God is worshiped in Spirit and in Truth, not in numbers or gatherings.

Bonboi how many people will you be Bonboi to? You're Bonboi to Aletheia , Bonboi to Kunle and now Bonboi to Frosbel .

^^^^
Well, since he doesn't know scripture by him self, he rather amplify the poison of his big brothers. a bonboy needs a nanny.

nuclearboy IS Bonboi to EVERYONE WHO TELLS THE TRUTH. In effect, nuclearboy is bonboi to the "TRUTH" and happy to admit it.

Wherever Jesus was, automatically was "church" and God was worshiped there
Wherever Peter was, automatically was "church" and God was worshiped there
Wherever Paul was, automatically was "church" and God was worshiped there

None of them ever built a church let alone a palace. THEY carried God's Church inside themselves.

Jesus, Peter and Paul are good enough for me. Are they good enough for you, reader?

^^^
That is if you have cognisance of the teaching of Paul and christ. Paul was not a teacher of milk teeth babies.

^^ True - which is why Chris Oyakilome believes Lazarus and the Rich man were real "individual" people & does not know the story was a parable.

A really big baby OR a deceiver! Take your pick!

"But to the multitude, all He said was in Parables and they understood not" PROVES your idol is a member of the multitude who never understood Christ's teachings

Is Christ good enough for you? or you need er[b]ROR[/b] to "feel good"?

Chei! I hope you guys will never build a house in your life ;DBecause Jesus didn't build a house. Intact I should pray for bomboi and his Nannies . That they will never. . . .

Some people never rest from childish posts . What is the issue with buildings . Well I'm waiting for frosbel to come and explain to me where he wants the church to meet. Under the tree or under the sun.

nuclearboy:

nuclearboy IS Bonboi to EVERYONE WHO TELLS THE TRUTH. In effect, nuclearboy is bonboi to the "TRUTH" and happy to admit it.

Wherever Jesus was, automatically was "church" and God was worshiped there
Wherever Peter was, automatically was "church" and God was worshiped there
Wherever Paul was, automatically was "church" and God was worshiped there

None of them ever built a church let alone a palace. THEY carried God's Church inside themselves.

Jesus, Peter and Paul are good enough for me. Are they good enough for you, reader?

i totally agree with you that we carry the church on the inside but  there's a coporate place of worship
Paul, Peter and Jesus had places of worship,in those days halls were used for worship
Then when most houses were built especially by the rich men, they built extra large rooms for weddings and all
The upper room is an example
That room carried nothing less than 120 people, that room was not just a bedroom
there were numerous halls like that
so would you rather prefer churches go about renting halls at probably high cost and paying some landlords huge money or rather, that money should be used to build a befitting and comfortable place of worship?

Anybody that is against using money for the house of God is Judas Iscariot

KunleOshob:

I hope RCCG, CEC,Winners chapel and members of all other churches who are lead to believe growing their church numbers, building edifices and promoting their church brand is spreading the gospel of christ have read and benefitted from this write up. The bible makes it clear that God does not live in man made temples neither can human hands or money satistfy his needs. All he requires of us his our heart loving him and also equally important loving one another.

To have a critical spirit is a decease . The person will always see life from that critic spirit angle. Just like Judas. He even criticise Jesus for being wasteful by accepting expensive perfume from nuclear girl.

The early church was not perfect. It's wasnt yet an institutionalise structure. It's a church that was still undergoing changes . Why would people that were hiding from authorities put up buildings and signboards! . They met in different places. Private halls , home halls, school halls etc. Paul once hired a school hall for the teaching of Gods word.

Acts 19:9
9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall [/b]of Tyrannus.

He had hid himself from dangers and authorities, but when he had opportunity, he settles down .Finally he rented a house and use the hall for meetings.

[b]Acts 28:30-31
30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

@nuclearboy
you said
"God is worshiped in Spirit and in Truth, not in numbers or gatherings"

in spirit and in truth well said but not in numbers or gatherings; where did you conjure this because in case you are not aware it does not concord, correlate, agree and synchronize with scriptural dispositions.

John 4:24
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth"
good! very good boy!

but the later what we have is:
Acts 6:1
"And in those days, when the NUMBER of the disciples was multiplied----"
why?

Acts 5:12nd14
"And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch---And the believers were the MORE ADDED TO THE LORD, multitudes both of men and women)".

Then for that of "gathering", perhaps you didn't see this:
Acts 5:42
"And daily in the TEMPLE, and in every HOUSE, they CEASED NOT to teach and preach Jesus Christ"

ok for once you try make sense- "in spirit and in truth", but why you come spoil am na

WHEN WILL YOU GROW UP

what does the poster even want sef?
is the issue that churches should not be built or just churches should be built but they should be small

Mabell, l just made a quotnation from Acts 5:42 "And daily in the TEMPLE, and in every HOUSE, they ceased NOT to teach and preach Jesus Christ"

What do you think about the fact that these conveging place (temples and houses), where not venues in the shy but buildings built (like scripture will say- by some man), and like you earlier on correctly pointed that the upper room could only accommodate perhaps only 120 thus necessitating the need to iimprove capacity to accommodate increase.Capacity

mabell:

what does the poster even want sef?
is the issue that churches should not be built or just churches should be built but they should be small

If it's building ; Jesus ministered to a centurion because he built a place for worship.
If it's size ;     No scriptural reference to that effect . The temple was big and magnificient. God is not against large crowd. Jesus once gathered over 5,000 people at once. And he wants us to do greater than he did.

I think the  problem is the fact that religious people use there head to reason out about life rather than the Word of God.

They say they can never fall sick(natural).
They boast of how many they save today.
They say they can never be broke (poor).
They cunningly motivate members to steal for them.
They claim to know the WORD more than early apostles.
They show their charity work to the world to be applauded by the world.
They seek worldly acceptance.
They make friends with the world.
They boast of number of members they have.
Any one with functional senses, let him beware.

Nobody has said it is wrong to build churches or places of worship, however the church should get it's priorities right and do the will of God. Christ on whose behalf churches supposedly collect money would rather the money be used to take care of the poor and needy amongst us rather than build monuments to ourselves that can never glorify God in anyway. Large church buildings most serve to satisfy the egos of the promoters they don't glorify God in anyway.

God does not live in man made edifices neither can human hands or money satisfy his needs, God would rather we use all these money being wasted to build useless monuments be used to take care of the least of his brethen. Jesus Christ said that if we love him we would obey his commandents, the question is why would churches that claim to love Christ neglect his commandments to takecare of the poor and needy or at best pay lip service to it and rather priotize building monuments that the author of our faith NEVER asked for?

Acts 17:24-25:

24 “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Acts 7:48-49:
48 However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says,
49 ‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
Could you build me a temple as good as that?’
asks the Lord.
‘Could you build me such a resting place?

Joagbaje:

Jesus even had to minister to a gentile man contrary to his desire, just because the man won his Favour on the ground that he build a house for the worship of God.

Joagbaje:

If it's building ; Jesus ministered to a centurion because he built a place for worship.

I still don’t agree with you on this. Your statement above is misleading. You give the impression here an unbeliever can win God’s favor based on works alone. e.g. If an unbeliever builds a church for CEC, God will respond to his every request because God loves church builders. I don’t think we should ignore his motivation for building the synagogue. The man also displayed proof of his belief in Christ when he sent his friends to stop Christ from coming into his house.

mabell:

what does the poster even want sef?
is the issue that churches should not be built or just churches should be built but they should be small

With the above, I believe you are the only cec rep. that has made any attempt to understand frosbel’s post Joagbaje’s reaction is expected, we know he will resist any message that will have an adverse impact on his cash inflow.

Oga Joe,

It beats me how you arrived at this:

Joagbaje:

Private halls , home halls, school halls etc. Paul once hired a school hall for the teaching of Gods word.

From this:

Joagbaje:

Acts 19:9
9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the [b]lecture hall [/b]of Tyrannus.
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and this:

Joagbaje:

He had hid himself from dangers and authorities, but when he had opportunity, he settles down .Finally he rented a house and use the hall for meetings.

from this:

Joagbaje:

Acts 28:30-31
30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

@petres
Why does joagbaje suprise you above Afterall it is a well known fact that his sect specializes in adding and subtracting from the scriptures all calculated towards the singular aim of feeding their greedy hungry bellies.

KunleOshob:

@petres
Why does joagbaje suprise you above Afterall it is a well known fact that his sect specializes in adding and subtracting from the scriptures all calculated towards the singular aim of feeding their greedy hungry bellies.

Yeah, but every single time??

Is a church really those big architectural monuments that we see?

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-610764.0.html

KunleOshob and other members of the church criticisers board,
I pray the Lord opens your eyes, really.

Scriptures were quoted and the best you guys can do is to ask how Joe came about that interpretation? Give yours now.

Kunle especially,
i have noticed that you can't hold your own for long. As soon as you are boxed into a corner, you start mumbling repititively like you think that your opinion overides that of others.
It's when your buddies come to assist you that you start latching unto their words to boost your claims.
You just did it again in this thread.

See your destructive criticisms of Christ's church will one day swallow you up.
Since there is no church good enough, why don't you tell us which church to attend now?

Go see your fellow 'brother' Chukwudi deny the bible on the thread of beautification of the pope.
See how your follies are finding you out one by one?
Most of your fellow church critics hate the bible, are atheist and all and they are the ones that are your 'friends'.
May God have mercy.


@ Post,
We have a duty to preach the word correct. However, if you are have a secular job or business, have built a house and bought cars, are you now in error because we are to preach the gospel? Cos afterall you are the church too, abi? Have you helped the poor with all your wordly goods like the time of Paul?
I can 'see' four fingers pointing back at you.

Everything in this world has a motive. God will judge that motive whether good or evil. Hebrews 4:12
So your conclusion that church building is wrong does not hold water.
That is why we should be careful what we say. Be quick to hear and slow to speak bro.
There are a lot of things that will be brought to light on the last day.
God will judge the intents of the heart, so be careful you do not weed out the crops with the weeds. Matthew 13:27-30

Peace!

KunleOshob:

Nobody has said it is wrong to build churches or places of worship, however the church should get it's priorities right and do the will of God.

 

Now you're talking. The topic is wrong. He shouldn't call the building of worship place foolish God said he takes pleasure in it. He should rather talk about building people which is a beautiful thing. You don't condemn one for the other. That has been my point . 

God does not live in man made edifices neither can human hands or money satisfy his needs, God would rather we use all these money being wasted to build useless monuments be used to take care of the least of his brethen. Jesus Christ said that if we love him we would obey his commandents, the question is why would churches that claim to love Christ neglect his commandments to takecare of the poor and needy or at best pay lip service to it and rather priotize building monuments that the author of our faith NEVER asked for?   

Ofcourse,God does not dwell in temples made by man. It is not a new testament revelation. It was quoted from the Old Testament.God made the statement to David. The house of God is not where God stay but it is the place where people meet to have fellowship with him. Even though he doesn't dwell in buildings , he takes pleasure in the building and he is happy with . The glory of God came down when the temple was dedicated.

 2 Chronicles 5:14
14 . . . the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.

When the temple was neglected God instructed they should build it back so that he could "HAVE PLEASURE IN IT"

Haggai 1:8
8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.

 We ought to treat such with reverence . It is wrong to feel anything done in honour to God is a waste just because of the poor, it is satans language . That's what Judas does. We should remember how he Got angry that a woman poured expensive perfume on Jesus , he called it a waste , that it should have been sold and the money given to the poor. 

John 12:5-7
5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6* This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. 7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone! . . .

To be a critic is a spirit. And it's a wrong spirit. Critics don't make positive impact. They do nothing and are always busy attacking someone that is at least doing something. 

The point is, whoever is touched by a matter, should take responsibility in solving it. If you are concerned about the poor, your duty is not to be advocating for the poor but rather take up the responsibility of reaching out to the poor personally. It is said that the things that gives you concern are signs of what your purpose is. You don't need to talk too much. Take up responsibility. Let your work speak for you. Let people see whist you are doing for the poor. Then. Many will emulate you. I care for the poor , I minister to them. I Recently orgsnised a feeding of about 1,000 food packs for less priviledge children. Gave them clothes and Led them to christ because I got born again 9 years old also.  Apart from the one I gave scholarships.  I don't don't have to condemn what others are doing . Action,  they say speaks louder than voice.  

Jesus told judas to shut up, he said , the poor will always be there, we don't stop one good work for the other.