Everyone Interested in The Church Should Read This

[aron]

The first option listed by Igzy specializes in telling you everything wrong that has happened in the last 2,000 years. Here is a sample I found on the web. The problem I have with this option is that it is fairly negative and critical in tone (a giveaway as to its source), and second it seems to minimize loving the person next to you. Even when your neighbor is being foolish, dull, and venal, and ensnared in a dull, foolish, and venal religious system, you still have to love them. That is straight from "The Boss".

"PTK (Guest) 17/11/2009 06:28
CHURCH GOSPEL VERSES CHRIST VICTORY!
By Gary Amirault (part one)

"For 'whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?" (Romans 10:13-15, NKJV)

These are the words used by most church organizations to go out and "save" those who will obey their "gospel." Those who obey will receive eternal life and those who reject or don't live up to their "gospel" will be damned. Most denominations believe they have received the commission to "go out into all the world." They believe they have the authority of Scripture to make disciples of men. A person who does not "go to church" is often suspect of not "being saved." Evangelists often use Scriptures like the above to make one believe that without your dollars to support their work, many people will go to hell. Our involvement or lack of it, directly effects the very eternal life of millions of people. Often the face of a little foreign child is used in their advertisements with a message reminding you that you are responsible for this child's eternal life. These organizations can be gathered together under the feminine Christian term "Church."

Question: Did God trust the eternal destiny of the earth's inhabitants to the institution called "church?"
Before we answer that question, let us take a quick tour into church history to observe a few things. Please understand these facts are not meant as an attack on any follower of Jesus Christ, in church or out. They are just plain history found in most history books. Often, we associate with institutions so emotionally that we have difficulty separating who we really are apart from them. Those of you who emotionally become attached to institutions like church denominations may feel personally attacked when someone reveals its past history. This short article is not an attack on any human being, especially Christians. It is just a brief unveiling of an institution that has fallen far short of what it claims to feed the world, the "Good News." If you feel offended, check and see if your allegiance is perhaps more institution-centered than Christ-centered. We mean no offense even though we know there will be many offended. Hard facts can become rocks we stub our toes on. But I would rather one stub their toes on a few rocks than for the Rock to one day fall on their head in judgment.

• At the first council meeting of the church held in Jerusalem, the church fought over whether a convert had to enter the nation of Israel through circumcision before "getting saved." Fortunately, this problem was solved peacefully.
• At the council of Nicea in 325 A.D. the church literally killed one another over whether there were three or one in the Godhead.
• For over a thousand years, the church forbade an individual from having a copy of the Bible in their native language on the penalty of death!
• During most of church history, the "gospel" was preached from the end of a sword, convert or die was the "good news." (Ask a Jew). During the great early "crusades" the Christian mobs who went to "save" Jerusalem killed and plundered Moslems, Jews, and other Christians alike. They plundered many Christian Greek Orthodox cities and killed their inhabitants.
• At one point in "church" history, the church had two popes. They excommunicated each other, that is, they sent each other to hell.
• During the inquisition, the church invented some of the most cruel and sadistic instruments of torture man could conceive. The priests of Christendom mutilated thousands of human beings to "test" them to see if their faith was pure.
• During the reformation, hundreds of thousands of Christians killed other Christians and condemned each other to hell. Catholics against Huguenots, Lutherans against Anabaptists, Anglicans against Presbyterians, Reformed against Catholics, etc.
• In "evangelizing" the New World, the priests first took all their gold, then converted them with the sword and gunpowder. Their gold is still decorating the Vatican.
• In the early history of the United States, the church enacted civil laws on all citizens such as the following: Whosoever shall be found observing Christmas, either by forbearing of labor, feasting, or any other way, every such person shall pay as a fine 5 shillings to the county. Today, any one is looked upon with suspicion if they do not celebrate Christmas! Hypocrisy, maybe?
• During the Civil War in the United States, many of the largest denominations of Christendom, divided into separate denominations over the issue of whether slavery was Biblical. Obviously, many Christians thought slavery was just fine with God.
• Most of the nations fighting each other in World War I and II were Christian. American Baptists killed German Baptists, Lutherans killed Lutherans, Catholics killed Catholics Methodists killed Methodists.
• Even today, churches split, fight and shun one another over things as silly as whether God allows one to use a tractor with rubber tires or whether one has to take the tires off and put on steel rimmed wheels, such as the Mennonites.
• Evangelical organizations such as Billy Graham Evangelical Association, Clyde Dupin Ministries, and a host of other evangelical ministries gather all these different types of churches with different ideas of what is salvation and how to get it, and organize "crusades" whereby thousands of people hear a version of the "gospel" which most of the denominations who participate in these events do not even believe themselves! The Billy Graham organization, for example, believes in a "once saved, always saved" gospel. With the exception of some Baptist, Presbyterian, and Reformed denominations, most of the other churches that participate in these "crusades" believe and teach a convert can lose their "free gift." A person can hear an unconditional salvation message from Billy Graham and be sent to a church that teaches Christians can go to hell! Is this honesty? Often churches that participate in these mass crusades consider other churches that participate in the same crusade not truly Christians. The Catholic church still has in her canons (laws) that salvation is only in the Roman Catholic Church. All other denominations are going to hell, yet Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (Protestant), who is condemned to hell by Roman Catholic law, sends new converts to the Roman Catholic Church! This is insanity! ...
PTK (Guest) 17/11/2009 06:32
Part two...
• Imagine thousands of Christian churches all over the world hearing on Sunday how those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, or who have not entered the True church will ultimately be tortured beyond man's ability to imagine. Then the pastor, evangelist, elders and congregation go to a nice restaurant dining away, praising the preacher for his fine sermon, while driving through streets passing thousands they believe are on their way to hell; having waitresses serve them, bus boys clean their dishes and never warning them about what the preacher just preached. Then they go home to watch football, or play golf, and they wonder why the world doesn't believe their "gospel." Imagine the world going to hell, and yet few pastors and flock are pounding on our doors begging us to get right with God. Imagine TV evangelists today telling the world that any day now the world will end, while they stash billions of dollars sincere people sent them into retirement funds, funds for their children's college education, and homes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and sometimes, millions of dollars.
• Every Roman Catholic priest in the world has to swear on the Bible, before being ordained, to believe and defend the eighty articles of the Syllabus of Pope Pius IX. It contains the official Roman Catholic Doctrine for Priests and Bishops. It contains some of the following which speaks only of the rights and authority of the Roman Catholic Church as being the only true and legal representative of God: 21. The Church (Roman Catholic) has power to define dogmatically the religion of the Catholic Church to be the only true religion. 34. The doctrine which equaled the Roman Pontiff to an absolute Prince, acting in the Universal Church, is not a doctrine which prevailed merely in the Middle Ages. 42. In legal conflicts between both powers (Civil and Ecclesiastical) the Ecclesiastical Law prevails. 54. Kings and Princes (or heads of government) are not exempt from the jurisdiction of the Church (Roman Catholic), and are subordinate to the Church in litigated questions of jurisdictions! 73. Marriage among Christians cannot be constituted by any mere civil contract; The marriage-contract among Christians must always be a sacrament; and the contract is null, if the sacrament does not exist. 77. It is necessary even in the present day that the Catholic religion shall be held as the only religion of the State, to the exclusion of all other forms of religion. 78. Whence it has been unwisely provided by law, in some countries called Catholic, that persons coming to reside therin shall enjoy free exercise of their religion.
• The Pope, who had to sign the above to become a priest in the Roman Catholic Church, is presently going around the world praising all the world's leading religions as good. He even joins in their rituals while having signed the above. Is this truthful?
Question: In light of the above history, which is open to the entire world to read, if you were the Creator of the Universe and had all power, knowing the beginning from the end, demanded perfect justice, loved everything you created including your enemies; if you had some of your children lost on some tiny planet called Earth, would you send a woman like the one called "church" to safely bring back your children?
I wouldn't and neither would our Father, and if you got honest with yourself for a moment, neither would you, that is, if you were sane. Praise Him forever for having the wisdom to send His Son Who said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all mankind unto myself! (John 12:32) "The Father loved the Son and has given all things into His hands. (John 3:35) "As you have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him." (John 17:2) The Scriptures further declare that Jesus Christ created all things, reconciles all things, is Heir of all things, has authority over all things, will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, His grace comes to all men, He takes away the sin of the world, He gave His flesh for the life of the world, He is the propitiation for the sins of the world, whose gifts are irrevocable, one of which is His life for the world, who was manifested to put away sin, who preached to the spirits in prison, who holds the keys to death and hell, who never changes, who loves His enemies and prays for them, whose prayers and intercessions are always heard and answered by the Father, who made all things alive, who completed the work His Father gave Him which was to restore all things, who became a ransom for all to take away the curse, who became the Savior of the whole world and then will deliver it up to His Father that the Father might be all in all! "It is finished!" Believe it!
Now here is a Savior we can trust with everything we have and are. Here is the Gospel, the Good News. This Savior is able and willing to deliver one from themselves, sin, addictions, Satan, and from someone who often is the most powerful enemy of mankind and its Creator, a "woman" who calls herself "Church," better known among the Greeks as "Circe" daughter of the Sun, who, in Greek mythology, had the power to turn men into animals.
If you are weary, lost, broken hearted, deceived, turned off by religion, or unable to do what you know in your heart is right, turn directly to the One Who is the Way of true Life. He will send you His Spirit Who will lead you into all Truth. Yes, the road is straight and narrow, it is as narrow as One Man; His name in English is Jesus the Christ, the One sent by the Creator of all. In Hebrew He is called Yashua Ha Mashiach, in Greek Iesus Christos. He is not only the Way, but the Door and the Good Shepherd. He will lead you to our heavenly Father Who has been waiting for you. He will take your sin-stained garments and/or your religious robes of self-righteousness and burn them away. He will not burn your bodies and torture or annihilate you, as many Christians say. This is false doctrine which entered the "church" early in its history and crept into many, but not all Bibles. Jesus Christ is your Savior whether you presently know Him or not. Your eternal well-being has been secured by His act on the Tree of Crucifixion. He has not failed you for "Love never fails!" The Creator of the universe may have many attributes, but His overall nature is Love, a Love that will never leave nor forsake you, never! Here is Someone you can trust yourself, your family, and the entire world to. Now seek your Maker with all your heart.

[aron]

Option #3 might be called "The Nuclear Option". Burn it all down and start anew. Igzy correctly cites the LRC model as found in this vein.

Here is a quote from the web:

THE CORRECT MEANING OF "CHURCH" AND "ECCLESIA"

Let us make it clear from the very beginning that the established religious system, which manifests itself in the abomination called "church", is NOT of God. We intend to make it very clear, by studying the Greek words found in the New Testament, that the pattern which God intends His people to follow and live by is the ECCLESIA system, and is RADICALLY different than that which calls itself "church" in our day. As you read this short study the truth will dawn on you that Christians today have been fed a LIE, and that they have been enslaved by the religious systems of men. If you truly love Jesus and desire to follow Him in total obedience then you must seriously consider the facts that follow. We encourage each and every person who names the name of Christ to PRAY, FAST AND SEEK GOD concerning the important differences between how the first Christians lived and how Christians live today.

THE CORRECT MEANING OF "CHURCH"
Let's start by defining the word. "Church" comes from the Old English and German word pronounced "kirche." In Scotland, it was "kirk."

The following entries are from the Oxford Universal English Dictionary:

Church [Old English cirice, circe; Middle English chereche, chiriche, chirche; whence churche, cherche, etc.: -Greek Kuriakon...]

Kirk The Northern English and Scottish form of CHURCH, in all its senses.

In the earlier Greek It was pronounced "ku-ri-a-kos" or "ku-ri-a-kon." As you can see, this word doesn't even resemble the Greek word "ecclesia" whose place it has usurped. The meaning of "Ku-ri-a-kos" is understood by its root: "Ku- ri-os," which means "lord." Thus, "kuriakos" (i.e., "church") means "pertaining to the lord." It refers to something that pertains to, or belongs to, a lord. The Greek "kuriakos" eventually came to be used in Old English form as "cirice" (Kee-ree-ke), then "churche" (kerke), and eventually "church" in its traditional pronunciation. A church, then, is correctly something that "pertains to, or belongs to, a lord."

Now, as you can see, there is a major problem here. The translators broke the rules in a big way. When they inserted the word "church" in the English versions, they were not translating the Greek word "kuriakos", as one might expect. Rather, they were substituting an entirely different Greek word. This was not honest! The word "church" would have been an acceptable translation for the Greek word "kuriakos." However, not by the wildest imagination of the most liberal translator can it ever be an acceptable translation for the Greek word "ecclesia." Are you following this? Consider it carefully. This truth will answer many questions you've had about churches, and the kingdom.

"Ecclesia" is an entirely different word with an entirely different meaning than "kuriakos." In fact, the Greek word "kuriakos" appears in the New Testament only twice. It is found once in I Corinthians 11:20 where it refers to "the Lord's supper," and once again in Revelation 1:10 where it refers to "the Lord's day." In both of those cases, it is translated "the Lord's..." - not "church." This word does not appear again in the New Testament. Nonetheless, this is the unlikely and strange history of the word "church" as it came to the English language. Eventually, through the manipulation of organized religion "church" came to replace "ecclesia" by popular acceptance. Again, we must emphasize the importance of knowing word meanings in order to know the intent of those who wrote the Scriptures.

THE CORRECT MEANING OF "ECCLESIA"
Now, let's look at the word, "ecclesia". This Greek word appears in the New Testament approximately 115 times. That's just in this one grammatical form. It appears also in other forms. And in every instance, except three, it is wrongly translated as "church" in the King James Version. Those three exceptions are found in Acts 19:32, 39, 41. In these instances the translators rendered it "assembly" instead of "church." But, the Greek word is exactly the same as the other 112 entries where it was changed to "church" wrongly.

In Acts 19, "ecclesia" is a town council: a civil body in Ephesus. Thus, the translators were forced to abandon their fake translation in these three instances. Nonetheless, 112 times they changed it to "church." This fact has been covered-up under centuries of misuse and ignorance. The Greek word "ecclesia" is correctly defined as: "The called-out (ones)" [ECC = out; KALEO = call]. Thus, you can see how this word was used to indicate a civil body of select (called, elected) people.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica:

In the New Testament, "ecclesia" (signifying convocation) is the only single word used for church. It (ecclesia) was the name given to the governmental assembly of the city of Athens, duly convoked (called out) by proper officers and possessing all political power including even juridical functions.

Obviously, in Greece an ecclesia had no resemblance to a church. An "ecclesia" was a civil assembly in Athens even before the writing of the New Testament. In the Oxford Universal English Dictionary (considered the standard for the English language) the word "ecclesia" is listed in its English form as used by our English forefathers. (Nowadays, only forms of the word appear - like, "ecclesiastical").

Quoting from the Oxford Universal English Dictionary on the word "ecclesia":

Ecclesia [mediaeval Latin, and Greek - from : SUMMONED] -A regularly convoked assembly, especially the general assembly of Athenians. Later, the regular word for church.

Thus, two of the most prestigious word resources in the English language confirm the fact that an "ecclesia" was originally a select civil body, summoned or convoked for a particular purpose. What, then, did the writers of the New Testament mean when they used the word "ecclesia" to describe a Christian body of people? We can assume that they intended to convey the original Greek meaning of the word: a body of Christians called out of the Roman and Judean system to come together into a separate civil community. It meant a politically autonomous body of Christians under no king but Jesus; under no other jurisdiction but that of Jesus. No man ruled them! Only Christ. And that was the reason these same Christians ran into trouble with kings and rulers; were arrested, crucified and martyred. They dropped Caesar as their King and took up Christ.

In Acts 17, verses 1-6 we see that Paul and Silas had a reputation that preceded them. They were "turning the world (system) upside down." What was their inflaming message? Were they telling the people to find a minister and support him; go to church every weekend; be nice to their neighbors? Could this have been the message that set the city fathers against them? Or maybe they were asking people to send their tithes to them so they could build a nice church or develop a Christian recreation center? No? What then? What were these guys doing that was "turning the world system upside down"? The answer is found in verse 7:

"Whom Jason hath received (into his house): and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus."

Now is that clear? Do you see what they were doing? They were announcing ANOTHER KING! Not Caesar! This was a king who was bigger than Caesar. They were forming civil bodies that no longer looked to Caesar as their king. They were forming civil outposts for Christ's conquering army! They were at war!

Paul and Silas weren't "church builders" like preachers today claim. They weren't proselytizing people from one church or synagogue to another. They were kingdom builders! They were dethroning rulers in the minds of the people and alienating them from the mental hold Caesar had upon them through heathenistic (central) government. They were teaching the principles of Christian government. They were putting forth the call of God to whomever would hear and obey, and those whose hearts responded to the call became citizens of Christ's kingdom and joined themselves to the ecclesia, or community of believers.

CHURCH AND STATE DESTROY LIBERTY
The Oxford Dictionary also has an interesting entry under "congregation":

...used by Tyndale* as a translation of 'ecclesia' in the New Testament, and by the sixteenth century reformers instead of "church." (*William Tyndale was the fifteenth century reformer and Bible translator murdered by the church)

Tyndale was willing to die for God's word and truth. He didn't like the word "church." Instead, he used the word "congregation." Now that tells us something! Godly Tyndale, and other sixteenth-century reformers who were more reputable, did not like the word "church." They used other words like "congregation," "governmental assembly," etc.

When you consider the fact that an "ecclesia" was "a civil body politic", this is strong proof that the Christian ecclesias we read about in the New Testament were independent civil bodies of Christians -independent from worldly kings and governors, ruled by the Theocratic government of God's Spirit. They wanted freedom to serve King Jesus. They weren't building and attending churches! Please understand! The pattern laid down in the New Testament bears no resemblence to what we know today as "church". God's people are meant to live by the ecclesia pattern -together in communities, holding all things common, under the government of God through His anointed leaders. Quit saying "church" when it is supposed to be "ecclesia"! It's an important step in retrieving your brain from the trap of religious confusion.

CHRISTIAN CIVIL BODY
Independent self-government under Christ! That is what the ecclesia represents - not a religious organization for meeting on weekends. The Bible does not indicate that churches would eventually take the place of ecclesias. The change of words was not sanctioned by Scripture. There is NO Scriptural authority for Christians to build churches, attend churches, or support churches! Churches are ungodly organizations designed for and by the heathen.

We should be forming and defending ecclesias instead of the disgusting churches with their con games, entertainment, cultic mystery, childishness, and heathenistic worldly nonsense. We once used the word "church" to describe ourselves, but no more thank God. We're doing our best to break that image. It's a slow process, but we're putting the old church ways behind us.

THE IDOLATRY MUST STOP
If you profess to follow Christ, then it's time you quit voluntarily feeding the anti-Christ beast. Men who want to sincerely follow Christ must wean themselves from worldly governments and churches. It is the height of absurdity for a Christian to attend and support the very institutions which are destroying his relationship with God. Those who voluntarily support man-made religious church systems, by believing and teaching that they are good in any way, or that they help us, or that we need them, are still living in a dream world of deception. The ecclesia system, with it's Theocratic government and individual responsibility, is capable of freeing us from the bodage of religion. True peace and liberty cannot be found outside of Christ. Christ's system is the ecclesia system. Freedom awaits all those who will break away from the religious slavery of church and become a humble bondslave of Jesus Christ. We must stop idolizing men in their religious hypocrisy and let Christ once and for all be our King!

So, there is really no other choice for those who would truly follow the pattern laid down for us in God's Word. We must do the same thing the apostles did. We must form ourselves into actual communities under the guidance of God's anointed and appointed leaders, called out and separated from the world, with none other than Jesus Christ as our ruler and King. In other words, ECCLESIAS!

As a whole, Christians have departed from the pattern laid down in the book of Acts and have built, according to their own wisdom, an artificial, phony, putrifying religious mess called "church". It's time to REVOLT against the wisdom of our religious flesh and get back to the wisdom of God. It's time to re-evaluate and re-examine everything about how you think the true followers of Jesus should live. It's time for REVOLUTION against DEAD RELIGION! We are determined to change the way the world thinks about how true followers of Jesus should live. We have been following the ecclesia pattern for over 10 years and have seen the blessings and power of God every step of the way. God does miracles for those who are willing to sacrifce ALL. Write for more information about how you can join us in the struggle to bring back the truth of the ecclesia.

Source: aggressivechristianity .net

My reply: in abandoning "the church", you may end up sucked into the lunatic fringe. At least in the Episcopal church there are some safeguards to restrain the madness of the prophet. In these "recovery" or "restoration" groups there is usually little or no safeguard to balance the ignorant zeal of the fire breathers. So I'll stick to mainstream, degraded christianity, thanks very much.

If you look at "aggressive christianity .net", cited above, you get the prophetic visions of "General Deborah Green", who is portrayed on the home page in full military regalia. But, in contrast, Jesus said, "If you want to be great in the kingdom of the heavens, be the least". So this "Shim Ra Na Nation" doesn't look at all like "the guidance of God's anointed and appointed leaders" to me. So no thanks.