Why Church Practices Must Change

In this article I want to look at the church as it is today, contrasting it to a legacy system. When talking about a legacy system, I'm referring to what most people consider with computers or technology, where an old system is maintained and/or kept in service beyond its usefulness. That is what has happened in regard to the majority of the way we practice church and Christianity today.

Jesus mentioned this to the Jews He ministered to while He was on the earth, saying new wine required new wineskins. While this referred to the outward types and shadows associated with the Old Testament, it also refers to the same during the New Testament times, where we've largely gravitated towards an outward and ineffective practice of Christianity because we've focused on outward rituals and forms which have little, if any use today.

Before we get into that, let me say from the beginning that I'm not talking about the foundational truths of Christianity which many have abandoned.

Many adherents of the so-called "Emergent church" have done that to the degree that they embrace outright heretics and sin which are clearly forbidden in the Holy Scriptures.

So while there is always a move of Satan to counterfeit the real, we can't retreat to past practices even though there are those that abuse the insights Christ is giving us. There will always be the ignorant and unlearned among us who distort the scriptures. We don't stop reading and believing in the scriptures because of that. In other words, even though the wine never changes, meaning the life of Christ Himself, the wineskins are always changing and adapting as new life is revealed and
made to be understood in the Scriptures. We may see it within, but it will never conflict with what the Scriptures reveal concerning Christ and His people. Never!

Some of the reasons most believers retain the practices of modern Christianity, even though it can't be found in the scriptures, is it's all they have ever known, and it is assumed by most that this is simply the way it should be done. Very few know the history of current church and Christian practices, so simply go along as if this is how it was from the beginning. The majority are unaware that there are alternatives, and that many throughout church history have taken steps to explore them.

Another reason for not wanting or looking to change is the embeddedness of the existing church system in the fabric of society, which makes it very difficult to change it, as it can appear it is an attack upon Christianity, when in fact its an attempt to release the followers of Jesus Christ into a deeper walk; one that isn't hindered by outward forms, which can deceive people into believing they're following Christ just because they participate in some meetings at a building wrongly identified as a church.

The idea of relying upon outward systems is a substitute for Christ and an inward walk with Him. It also gets in the way of walking together in Christ daily with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

When the letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament refers to Christ shaking all things so that which can't be shaken remains, it is a reference to those who continue to rely on things that are institutional and outward, rather than eternal and based upon Jesus Christ.

Even though it was an obvious nod towards the upcoming destruction of Jerusalem and the old wineskin of Judaism, the principle remains in place, which is Christ is done with types and shadows and institutionalism, and now is forming the reality of Himself in people through real, daily fellowship with Himself and one another.

Other than the fact many Christians are unaware of the various believers outside the institutional Church who are living in a daily walk together, the other major reason for remaining in the institutional church is the time and energy it'll take to make the shift out of it.

Let's make it clear. There is no reforming of the existing church system. The outward practices have become a weight on believers seeking Christ rather than helping them. It's a weight because it gets in the way of the God-given passion to share life in Christ together on a daily basis.

Since it is almost impossible to see the alternative while participating in the existing structures of Christianity, it is imperative that we share and communicate the realities of what Christ is desires and is doing outside the walls of the buildings and services featuring a main speaker and a few gifted musicians. After all, if this really worked, we wouldn't see Christianity in the state it is today, and even the call and prayer for revival is a worthless and meaningless one if all that is desired is for people to fill up these buildings and continue on as before.

That's not to say just because people leave church buildings and weekly services they are more spiritual if they meet in homes, because many times all that happens is people move from a building to a home and continue things on as they were before.

This is a radical, surgical cut that needs to excise the existing mentality of institutional Christianity into one that brings us into a daily walk with Christ and one another.

Only those willing to embrace the cross and die to themselves can successfully navigate these waters, as it is more demanding, but also more rewarding, than the type of Christianity practiced by most today.

We must allow God to do whatever He wants with us. We must continue to hold onto the foundations of the faith that have been handed down to us in the Holy Scriptures, while at the same time living them out daily, while also looking for more insight and light concerning who Christ really is.

Just because the practices of Christianity have been around for centuries doesn't mean that's how they started, or that it's how God wants things to continue.

All we can do is ask Him to open our hearts to see Him and what He wants, and seek for those who have a similar passion to see Christ and His people released from the confines of outward religion to a real and living fellowship together.