Who is building your Church?

The one thing we Christians must understand is that though the Church is in the world, it is not of the world. Thus the knowledge, wisdom and the systems of the world cannot be used to run the church. On the contrary, God’s wisdom, knowledge, rules, principles, and directives which are recorded in the Holy Bible are to be used. Servants of Christ have no business using their personal opinions to manage the Church of God either.

Unfortunately, however, this is the problem in many churches today. Many church leaders have adopted worldly systems into the church. They run the church as their private businesses using their own opinions, wisdom and knowledge. The Holy Spirit is not the authority or voice in most churches around the world nowadays.

Men have become the authorities in the churches, using pop psychology. The preaching of positive thinking messages mixed with some scriptural references and principles is the norm in many churches today. As a result, many churches have been reduced to sensuality. The Spirit’s power is absent in those churches. The churches are dry, lacking the heavenly dew and supernatural power of God.

Instead of being used to demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit to heal the sick, cast out devils, set the captive free, preach and teach with power to impart grace into believers, scores of ministers have rather become ‘positive thinking lecturers’.

They are mostly teaching people all kinds of accounting and economic principles to help them acquire riches, wealth and other material possessions here on earth while sin is destroying the souls of the people. In many churches, today, abominable sins are rife, right from the pulpit to the pew in both the large, medium and small ones.

Many ministers have forgotten that the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power (1 Corinthian 4: 20). The apostle Paul said, “…our gospel came to you not only in word but also in power and in the Holy Spirit”.

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPIRIT’S POWER (1Corinthians 2:4)”.

The power not only to create wealth, but also to preach the gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead and set the captive free.

In Matthew 16: 18, Jesus Christ said He would build His Church. The Lord builds His Church by His Spirit and not just by man’s wisdom and knowledge. The coming of the Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts and upon true servants of Christ and the giving of ministerial gifts to them were for the purpose of building the church.

“And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12: 28, NIV).

Each of these manifestations of the Spirit is given for the common good – building the Church of God. But how many churches genuinely boast of these manifestations these days? The Holy Spirit is to be the life of the church. He is to be the topmost Manager of the Church of Christ but not man. He is to perform management functions; The Holy Spirit is to employ, teach, guide, lead, direct, motivate (help) and control the church of God.

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, IN WHICH THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS MADE YOU OVERSEERS, to care for the church of God…” (Acts 20: 28).

The Bible says it is the Holy Spirit who makes a person the servant of Christ. He chooses and appoints ministers. The scripture did not say Bible schools or seminaries make overseers. No! Bible schools may train people to acquire knowledge but true servants of Christ are appointed and chosen by the Spirit of Christ. It was Jesus who personally appointed the 12 apostles. He later called the apostle Paul and others to serve Him.

In the Old Testament, Moses, Elijah, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Amos and other great servants of God were all called and sent with specific messages by God. They were not called and commissioned by men or educational institutions. Attending an educational institution for biblical training is very important but it does not necessarily mean the person is called by God and given ministerial gifts to function in them.