“And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” but you make it a den of robbers.’” Matthew 21:12-13 ESV
The word “church” means “people called out from the world and to God,” “the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom,” and “belonging to the Lord” (Strong's Greek: 1577. ἐκκλησία (ekklésia) -- an assembly, a (religious) congregation).
But the word “church” has come to mean buildings, and denominations (Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, etc.). And, these denominations of men have, for the most part, united with the government (in the USA) in an unholy union, and they have turned the church into businesses of men, being marketed like any other businesses of men.
So, that is not “the church.” These businesses may be called “church,” but they are not “the church.” For they are united with the world, and their target market is the world, and so they pattern their gatherings after the world in order to draw in large crowds of people from the world.
So, if we unite ourselves with these businesses called “church” we are not living as those who are truly called out from the world and to God. So, we need to get back to the basics. We need to return to what the Scriptures teach about the church and how we are to function as the body of Christ, and we need to leave these institutions of men who are united with the world behind us in order to follow Jesus in obedience to his will for our lives.
“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.’” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 ESV
“Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
‘Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.’” Revelation 18:4-5 ESV
[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]
Something God gave me to share with all of you on this subject today, August 5, 2020:
Video Talk
