LEAVING ORGANIZED RELIGION
by Ron Wood
Idealism and perfectionism can be a cover-up for lawlessness. We can say, "I won’t join a church until I find the perfect one." With that prideful attitude, we’d better not join it, for then it would no longer be perfect! We overlook the beam in our eye and see the mote in everyone else’s eyes. We remain disconnected, justifying our isolation by finding fault with leaders in the church. Our independence can be fanned into flame by our desire to see renewal. Then, our criticism takes on a prophetic tone: "You’ve fallen short! Everyone else but me needs to repent!"
A dear friend of mine was blessed with the return of his wayward daughter. After a few months of once again being a participating member of the family and their wonderful church, she complained, saying, "I feel like I am losing my independence." Her gracious father said to her, "If you haven’t lost your independence, then you don’t understand the kingdom of God."
There never will be a perfect church. Why? Because it is made up of people being saved from their sin and selfishness. Consider the material God has to work with. What if the best he has to utilize is no better than you or me?
There is always a tension between the ideal model and the best that we can do with the current level of grace or understanding we now have. For example, our human family is never perfect, yet we strive for the best. Do we throw away the family because it isn’t perfect? Of course not! We know we are walking out God’s ways with imperfect human beings, so we always need to be trusting, forgiving, even tolerant.
We need to see the ideal and then conform our lives to its pattern, knowing in advance we will always fall short and need grace from God. Tension exists as we struggle to bring the actual into line with the ideal described in the Bible. That means reformation is needed.
I am a reformer. The prophetic grace on my life gives me no choice. I walk in the steps of men and women who pushed back the frontier and paved the way for others to follow. I count myself among the pioneers, not the settlers. Therefore, I understand the frustrations people feel with the status quo, with the current state of affairs with organized religion.
Some folks have come to the conclusion that they want nothing more to do with the organized church. I have reacted in a similar way in times past. I have even been proud of how disorganized or non-institutional I was. I once even equated being disorganized and impulsive with being anointed! This posture made me judgmental of the historic church. For that attitude, I have deeply repented. God has since given me a great love for all of his church.
In my radical posture, I thought I was being prophetic. Instead, I was just comparing myself with others, approving myself and judging them, and becoming arrogant in the process. I have discovered that much of my reaction was in the flesh and was very unloving. It was zealous, but immature. That isn’t to excuse the carnality or blind traditionalism of the historic church. It needs reformation and renewal, desperately and urgently.
There is a new paradigm of church, based on a old model. It is radical in the sense that God is taking us back to our roots. The word radical refers to a root. We can’t cut ourselves off from our lineage and pretend it doesn’t exist. Our history can’t be undone, only denied. Yes, the organized church is part of our heritage. But thank God, a new era has dawned. God is changing his church.
God is pouring out the Holy Spirit on millions of Christians worldwide, stretching the wineskins with new wine. He is also changing the authority structure of the church. Apostles and prophets are emerging, thus offering an alternative to independence or denominationalism.
Yet, in the midst of all this renewal, the historic church stands at a crossroads. Many are joining in the flow of the river of God. Others are watching from the banks, critical and doubtful. We need to be patient and intercede in prayer, not be quick to shoot our skeptical brothers. God hasn’t given up on the organized church. He loves all of his family, but he doesn’t want any of us trapped in ignorance and powerlessness due to substituting man’s tradition for God’s word.
Some factors should be kept in consideration. Here are points to consider:
1) Don’t Sink the Ship Yet!
The organized church is still the main "salvation station" for millions of souls, and dis-organized religionists are not doing very well at missions, evangelism, or discipleship. The fact is, God is not the author of confusion, but of order. There can be no peace apart from order. The larger any work grows, the greater is the need for some degree of order, policy, protocol, and yes, even revised tradition. God wants good government in his house. Good government is a blessing from God. To some Christians who have an independent spirit, any authority at all feels like a spirit of control. This is a wrong reaction.
There is good authority in leaders appointed by God which should not be resisted. There are, in God’s kingdom, captains of tens, captains of fifties, captains of hundreds, and captains of thousands. The leaders with larger spheres, like Moses of old, have to delegate responsibility in order to better care for the people. This is natural and ordained of God. I am delighted to report that it is possible to be anointed of the Holy Spirit and be organized at the same time. Both are aspects of Christ’s kingdom.
2) The Church is Changing
The church is in transition and in a state of flux. We don’t yet know what it will look like. Like a chick still in its shell, we can only guess at its final appearance. We hope we will resemble the church in the Book of Acts. We should be charitable in the way we judge it in its formative stages. Have enough faith to believe that God will complete what He has begun. We will emerge from our limitations and traditions and look more like the Son of God, only corporate.
God has spoken to several prophetic people that the church as we know it will not be the same, either in its function or its appearance, and that this transformation will occur in our day. I believe this.
3) The Shape of Things to Come
When God has finished with his reformation, we will not be lawless, prideful, or independent. God’s nature and Christ’s likeness will be in us. That means persevering prayer, faith to be obedient to all of his word, and grace-based evangelism abounding. We will recognize leadership, be fitted into the body, and walk in covenant love. The end result of the Spirit’s outpouring is not just independent believers displaying charismatic gifts, but true community.
The true church is more than a gathering of believers around a water cooler at work or over a coffee table at home. It must be organically connected to its Head, even Jesus, and to his apostles. This connection to Jesus is first by the Spirit, with no mediators. But it is also relational, through Christ’s appointed leaders–apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. (Eph. 4:11-16).
Jesus said that if we don’t receive those he sends, then we don’t receive him. Relationship is a reality. God is ending our isolation from one another. Apostolic networks are emerging. The Holy Spirit is inspiring covenant connections with these new circles. There really is a difference between a home Bible study and a church. One is set order in order; the other is embryonic or dislocated, or worse, perhaps even lawless.
Jesus only used the word "church" two times. First, he referred to the universal church (Matt. 16:18), saying he would build it himself. It was to be built on a rock, overcome hell’s gates, and have authority. The second time, he referred to the local church (Matt. 18:17). Here, he taught about forgiveness, reconciliation, and church discipline. He had an expectation of righteous behavior by church members.
Jesus builds the universal church. His apostles build local churches. They are the "wise master-builders" like Paul and other workers named in the New Testament.
Because some people have been wounded by man-made church systems, or been scalded by abusive authority, we have to recognize that reformation will not be without effort. Thank God for wise counselors and patient instructors who can help us walk through the re-organization of the church! Their experience is worth a gold mine.
If we are not careful, we can easily go beyond fighting traditions and start wounding the Body of Christ or fostering a state in which "every man does that which is right in his own eyes."
Jesus loves the church and gave himself for it. We should not take part in anything that further fragments or disintegrates the church which is Christ’s body. God hates those who cause discord or disunity. The church is his temple, his dwelling among his people. If anyone destroys it, he will destroy them. This is a solemn warning by the Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16-17). We need to discern the body of Christ in all of its wonderful variety and handle one another with love and honor.
An attitude of humility helps us see that God isn't through with the church. In fact, we may be called on to sacrifice our comfort in order to help finish its reformation. When Jesus is finished investing himself in his own church, then it will truly be a "church without walls," whether or not it has elements still standing of organization or traditional structures.
© 1998 by Ron Wood. Ron and his wife, Lana, have been pastors more than 30 years. He has served as a State Coordinator for the U. S. Strategic Prayer Network. Ron is best known for his prophetic writing ministry. Ron & Lana are a ministry team. They are members of Reconciliation Ministries International led by Bishop Joseph Garlington. Ron & Lana were sent to Africa to help equip emerging apostolic leaders in the developing church. If you wish to copy this article for free distribution, permission is hereby granted to duplicate it provided there are no changes or omissions made to this article and this byline is included. The author asserts his moral rights of ownership. For more information or helpful literature, visit our web site at touchedbygrace.org, or e-mail us at ron@touchedbygrace.org.
