The Kingdom of God versus death by ecclesiastical bureaucracy

Jesus never said that the Church is like.......... (fill in the blanks)

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

He often said



He said it, but Churches including the Orthodox, the Roman Catholic, the, Reformed,  the "Independent Bible Believing", the Anglican, the Lutheran, the Fundamentalist, and the Evangelical traditions do not believe it.

Our messages are mostly  about strong and growing congregations,

 or about "The way of Salvation",

or about our fine Pastors and wonderful music

or about our superior theology and ecclesiology

(with a nod to good works on the side, e.g. feeding the hungry -- good works which can be done just as well by the Kiwanis, or the PTA, or the Bowling League).

Ignoring Jesus' call to live in the Kingdom is bad enough, but the Churches actively oppose it, in their quest for self preservation and self aggrandizement.

I call this opposition to Kingdom life "death by a thousand bureaucracies". 

Such bureaucracies are maintained by the Vatican,

by various and sundry Synods and Dioceses,

by Elders in Independent Churches,

by terrified Pastors,

and by well meaning but nervous and vision-less  local Church committees and boards.

We kid ourselves that we are "Building the Kingdom Of God"   Fie on that notion.

Jesus never told us to build the Kingdom.

He proclaimed the Kingdom, He called us to live in that Kingdom, which as he said,  is already within you (plural).

He died because he refused to assent to the "Kingdom of Rome"  and to  the bureaucracy of Religion.

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Jesus said


The Church of God is like?
 NO NO NO

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

 Jesus said


YES  YES YES
YES, YES, YES.

Comments

  1. Unknown24 June 2016 at 08:30

    Thanks Michael, first time. I've been able to see your blog since I asked you about it a couple weeks ago. Happy to be back. Jack

    ReplyDelete

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