Changes in the Church

There has been much talk of "the meeting," what Sunday morning should look like, and how the church should operate. Many of us look at the book of Acts as what the church needs to return to in order to be effective once again. Although I would agree with that statement, I also believe there is much more. Many of us know that changes are coming to the church, but I really believe "church" is going to look nothing even remotely like what we're doing now. Those changes are already starting:

For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17)

Just as in the days when Jesus came the first time, I believe He is begining to "turn the tables" in the church:

On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?' But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" (Mark 11:15-17)

If prayer is to be what His house is to represent - are we succeeding at this? Are we moving in this? Would anyone call His house a house of prayer at this time? We have quite a bit of work to do! So we see that is part of the ingredients to the meeting - prayer!

And He found in the temple those who sold cattle, sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!" (John 2:14-17)

It is interesting to note what they were selling in that day. Seems as though we are repeating exactly what the church in that day did. We come to church, basically to consume a "service" of worship songs and a teaching. To passify ourselves and our consciences, we put a little money in the offering plate. In essence, we are "paying our dues" to be a member of the club (the sheep), and using that money in order to "buy" us peace (dove). Now the cattle symbolism is a little trickier. In order to get a handle on what "the meeting" should look like, we should go back to Levitical laws to see what they had to do under the old covenant in order to come into His presence - after all, that should be the point of the meeting - experiencing an encounter with the Living God!

The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. (Hebrews 9:13)

The cattle were sacrificed and placed as a burnt offering for atonement of sin - purification and sanctification. That is the third thing we are "buying" and "consuming" as part of the "service" on Sunday morning. We need to move beyond the religious experience and into an experience with Jesus because, "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption" which He did for us to be with Him. Another facet of this, too, is as "members" of the club, we have demoted ourselves to merely paying spectators of the "show" put on by the priests and pastors - we don't truly believe we can and should move in ministries of our own.

This is all about to change.

I will be following up with an exploration of the Tabernacle and how it relates to "the meeting" for todays church.