Churchianity Vs. Christianity IV

The Scriptural Principles Still Work

Consider what I've said about mutuality and "pastoring" being a role filled by many people in the body of Christ and secondary to the role of Jesus himself. Consider how every member of the body of Christ is supposed to function together, and the Bible speaks not just of pastors and teachers, but of apostles, prophets, and evangelists.

Churchianity's paradigm for "pastors" is based very little on the New Testament's teaching, but very much on pagan priesthoods. In Churchianity, the pastor is the one who speaks, while in the New Testament, every member is to minister supernaturally with God's grace, prophesying, praying, teaching, instructing, and exhorting one another.

Churchianity's concept of pastoring causes the church to say to many members of the body of Christ, "I don't need you," while putting an undue burden on one person and expecting him to do far more than God has given him grace to do. Then it becomes about a hierarchical position and not about what the pastor is actually doing.

Churchianity's paradigm for "pastors" keeps people as religious spectators and hinders them from ever becoming disciples of Jesus. It dishonors the body of Christ, dishonors the grace that God has given to other members of the body who may be evangelists, prophets, or apostles, and dishonors the Holy Spirit by attempting to supplant his role. Churchianity's concept of "pastoring" hinders other Christians from fulfilling their God-given roles.

Churchianity's paradigm for pastors fosters the divisive, carnal attitude of saying "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," which the Apostle Paul equated with spiritual immaturity in 1st Corinthians one. Churchianity asks, "What church do you go to?" whereas the New Testament refers to the church in a particular city as one, even though they might meet in different places!

Churchianity's Programs And Paradigms Often Hinder True Pastoring Rather Than Facilitating It!

Churchianity imagines that the kingdom of God depends on big budgets and massive resources and programs. It requires an enormous amount of energy. I am dumbfounded by how much time it takes many churches to prepare for just one church service. It often takes more than 40 hours for a church to prepare for one meeting, more than a single work week for one person.

In the midst of all the work, the programs, the volunteering, and the things to do in churchianity, many people are like sheep without a shepherd. They don't even have basic discipleship. They are oppressed and uncared for. Those who are bearing the most fruit in the kingdom of God often have the least resources and the smallest budgets, but they have different priorities. They don't say, as I recently heard, "We decided to have only one mission a month so we can keep people in the church services."

Jesus died to restore relationships with God and with each other. However, Churchianity all too often impedes and destroys relationships rather than facilitating them!

There is so much real work to do that we must embrace the multiplicity of elders, mutuality, and full functioning of the body of Christ that scripture teaches. What many consider to be "church" is dysfunctional. It's not functioning as scripture instructs.

Those immersed in churchianity don't understand that what they call "pastoring" usually has little to do with pastoring. I'm busy caring for people, and what I want is not someone to say he's my pastor, but friends who will join me in the work of ministry, stir me up to faith and good works, and honor God's grace in my life. I don't have time or energy for all the demands of churchianity, and trying to satisfy the demands of churchianity would hinder me from caring for people and being a disciple of Jesus.

Churchianity Doesn't Understand That Walking Alone Isn't Always Because Of Rebellion!

I don't walk alone, but I've sometimes felt like I was walking alone. Churchianity thinks I'm walking alone and need to "get connected." I think it's funny how little connection "getting connected" to churchianity can bring.

The apostle Paul wrote in 2nd Timothy 4:16, "Everyone abandoned me." Many people in scripture and throughout history who have walked with God have been rejected and faced isolation. How about Joseph in the Old Testament? In Jesus' hour of need, even his disciples fell asleep! Hebrews 13 says Jesus died outside the camp, so let us also go outside the camp to share in his disgrace! Churchianity forgets that many of its past "heroes of the faith" faced the rejection of the religious establishment in their time. Jeremiah and other prophets had to set their faces like flint against everyone around them. Many Christians have faced isolation for following Jesus.

Curry Blake said, "If you're going to walk with God, at some point you're probably going to have to walk alone." My values challenge the paradigms of churchianity, but the fruit God is bringing forth in my life would astonish many people in churchianity, so maybe the hungry should pay attention.

If you believe churchianity is exactly what God intended and there's no need for growth and change in the body of Christ, I just can't relate to your lack of spiritual hunger and satisfaction with less than all God has for us! But if we do need change, and if anything I'm saying is true and scripturally sound, I can't challenge God's people by bowing to the paradigms and priorities of churchianity and going with the flow. When God's Word challenges the status quo, I will follow Jesus even if I sometimes have to walk alone!

Churchianity Misinterprets A Deep Involvement In The Body of Christ As A Lack Of Commitment

The Holy Spirit's work abounding in my life keeps connecting me with many groups of believers, all over any city I'm in. The people I'm in fellowship with in my city are from multiple "churches." Besides that, I'm in contact with Christians all over the world, sometimes even speaking with a group in another country via Zoom. I love God's people.

To churchianity, it looks like I'm uncommitted. They say, "You need a church." I don't see this church or that church. I see the body of Christ and the people I'm in relationship with. That commitment is so deep that thinking in terms of "this church" or "that church" seems absurd and quite carnal. I'm committed to people, so I have little time for spectator Christianity or the limitations of religiosity. If you sincerely love Jesus, you're my family.

I may have seen more than 4,000 healing miracles since I moved to Goiania. That sounds like a lot, but in six years, it only takes praying for an average of less than two people a day to see 4,000 healing miracles. However, it requires contact with many different people. Teaching many other Christians to do the same requires that I hang out with many different groups. I go all over the place!

Didn't the role of the Apostle Paul and Barnabus, the "Son of Encouragement," touch many different congregations, even in different cities? Churchianity so exaggerates the role of a "pastor" that it has difficulty understanding other functions in the body of Christ. Churchianity has a hard time understanding that I have a role in the body of Christ that touches many people, and I can't do everything and be everywhere all at the same time!

Ironically, some Christians would go as far as refusing me THEIR fellowship because I'm not "IN FELLOWSHIP" according to the standards of churchianity.

What Needs To Change?

Do you know how to offer people your fellowship and invite them to your house, where they can talk, not to a church service where they get bored and feel lonely? Have you been keeping Christians in kindergarten classes while they are still not doing what Jesus said to do? Do you know how to disciple people without monologue lectures? Do you know how to listen to people first and talk last? Do you know how to care for people rather than telling them they need to find a pastor? Do you seek the stray sheep rather than telling them they need to seek a shepherd? Can you envision what it looks like for every member of the body of Christ to function together as the priesthood of all believers? Do you honor the role of Jesus himself as the chief Shepherd of every believer? These are my challenges to the broken paradigms of Churchianity!

PS: I see a lot of Christians on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, and other social media platforms who would blindly defend the doctrines of their church, fight to the death defending their pastors, church brand, logo, denomination, and reputation.
They don't listen to what the other believer has to say and believe they can never benefit from such a worldview.
Mostly because they have been brainwashed by religion.
A Christian who cannot think is of very little use to the Kingdom

The picture below is the picture of the grilled cow we ate last Saturday during the Pneuma City Thanksgiving Service.
Sister Bisi Diete-Spiff bought the cow for her 50th Birthday anniversary.