Thoughts Concerning John 3:8

by David Yeubanks July 8, 2003 (recently updated 06/19/2006) One of my favorite passages of Scripture is John 3:8; the words of Jesus to the Pharisee Nicodemus about the born again life. Nicodemus was a devout religious man, a respected leader of the Jews, a strict observer of the Law, and a member of the Sanhedrin who also appeared to be a very wealthy man (John 19:39). In this chapter Nicodemus comes to Jesus acknowledging Him as a good teacher, sent by God. Seeing the inquisitive nature of Nicodemus to try and comprehend Jesus' teaching, Jesus remarks how incredible it seems that a man so educated in the Scriptures and so elevated as a leader (a religious expert really) among the people (Jesus even calls him "the teacher of Israel" - vs. 10), yet still seems to have incredible difficulty discerning the truth concerning the Messiah's coming and the function of life in the Spirit (though, the good is, he is trying). Jesus begins to share with Nicodemus that, despite the Pharisees' pride in knowing the Scriptures with great precision, they fail to comprehend Him as the fulfillment of those Scriptures (and the Law, which served as a shadow of good things to come). They had great difficulty in, not only seeing Him as the fulfillment, but also because the very matter of accepting His testimony (John 3:11) required an acknowledgment of sin (despite their religious knowledge and performance, which they falsely believed made them righteous) and a full embracing of Him as Messiah and Lord, even the Saviour of the whole world. The Pharisees were used to form. They knew everything there was to know about how religion works. Formula, ritual, performance, routine, and legalism. All of this made sense to their religious mindset - a mindset they had all but perfected... But here, one among the Pharisees seems humble and persistent enough to ask Jesus to help him understand what goes far beyond that which his religious mindset is able to comprehend at this point; the born again life, which operates outside the confines of typical religious order. Hopefully there will yet be many more today who are bold enough to inquire of the Lord in this fashion. Sadly, for many people today (who are steeped in the ways of organized religion), like many of the Pharisees, it would be too embarrassing to admit that their long life in church world and knowledge of the Scripture doesn't necessarily mean they have fully embraced Him and His truth, let alone comprehended it. For some, they may even have to acknowledge that perhaps they have only been presuming they are righteous merely because of the fact they attend meetings, know Scriptures, and serve in the organization - none of which can actually achieve right standing with God and which do not equal the necessity of being born again. Righteousness is only found in Christ Jesus. Our righteousness is but filthy rags by comparison (Isaiah 64:6). It's sometimes easy to be hard on the Scribes and Pharisees (the religious leaders) of Jesus' day because of their common resistance to Him as the Messiah; however, Jesus was not always so harsh with them, nor should it ever be thought that He did not love them or wish them to understand. Remember in Mark 12 when one of the Scribes (a teacher of the Law) came to Jesus and asked Him a question about what was the greatest commandment? Following Jesus' answer the Scribe happily replied: Mark 12:32-33 - "Well said, teacher... You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but Him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." Jesus then said to him: "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." All of that simply to say that we should recognize that God is not agitated with persistent questioning in the effort to understand truth. If even some of the most religious of Jesus' day could finally embrace Him, so can it be today. God is patient with us and, despite our occasional stubbornness, He continues to soften hearts and lead us to His truth. He is looking into our hearts, searching for faith, and ready to meet that faith with His truth... if we be willing to embrace it. It is probably fair to say that most all of us still have "religious" tendencies that need to be shaken and removed so that we embrace Him fully. May God help us quickly lay down our pride so that we not resist His truth. This passage (John 3:8) has appeared as the banner verse at the top of the home page of the TruthForFree.com website in the past and I would just like to offer a few comments concerning how I believe the Lord has encouraged my heart with this verse. As always, I submit the following simply as a personal perspective on a passage of Scripture for your consideration and study. May God bless you. John 3:8 - The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. I think probably most Christians are aware and agree that John 3:8 contains the words of Jesus speaking in reference to those that are "born again" and how this remarkable mystery of the Gospel (where God causes a man's spirit to be completely reborn into something new) is so much like the wind; unable to truly be comprehended (with mere human wisdom) as to how it happens, save that it happens by the grace and power of God. While I agree 100% with this general understanding, I also believe that one of the most important aspects of this point, which I believe Jesus makes in this passage (about those who are born again), is sometimes missed by a casual reading of the text; that is the truth that Jesus says everyone who is "born of the Spirit" is considered in likeness as the wind. When I think of the wind and try to compare the Christian life with this analogy, I am led to a simple conclusion about it - it is not birthed, contained or controlled by any human device; not able to be shoved into a formula, a ritual, a program, church dogma, religious routine, building, legalistic practice, etc. This is not to say (and I am not suggesting) that Christians assembling together for prayer, worship and mutual edification is wrong or without value, but it is to say that true Christianity is not defined by or embodied in the confines of organized religion (Acts 7:48-51) and the "wisdom" and "ruling" of religious men that so many people feel they must place themselves "under" or be "identified" by their "ministries" (1 Corinthians 1:12-17; 3:4-5). Rather, the Christian's new life in Christ is something brought into existence by the Lord Himself; a supernatural event and therefore not able to be sustained by the flesh. It is something completely spiritual (John 3:6) - just as the Church is; something spiritual, maintained by the inner working of His Holy Spirit and the freewill response from the one who has given his complete heart to the Lord, not the dictates of organized religion. And what are some of these "dictates" of organized religion? Most people, whether they profess to be Christians or not, know them quite well (as many were raised in church or at least have some church experience and are familiar in one way or another). Many people who do not attend church, will bluntly tell you it's mostly all about do's and don'ts, following rules, rituals, religious formulas, attending programs, etc. And they are 100% correct (and 100% wrong at the same time when they think that these mindsets God has purposed for His people). DO YOU KNOW THAT THE BIBLE REJECTS THESE THINGS AS HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH FOLLWING JESUS! Did you know that? It's true! However, you won't likely hear this truth preached anytime soon at your local church. Colossians 2:20-23 (CEV) - You died with Christ. Now the forces of the universe don't have any power over you. Why do you live as if you had to obey such rules as, "Don't handle this. Don't taste that. Don't touch this."? After these things are used, they are no longer good for anything. So why be bothered with the rules that humans have made up? Obeying these rules may seem to be the smart thing to do. They appear to make you love God more and to be very humble and to have control over your body. But they don't really have any power over our desires. You see that? All that regulation is essentially for show! It's to make you look good ("spiritual") in front of other people. But all of the religious activity in the world, can't clean you up. It can't give you real power over the sin that rules areas of your life. Only God can work the change He desires in your life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Religion wants to substitute that and that's why it's such a false thing. You might be able to fool some people on the surface with your little show of holy perfection, but God knows our imperfections and we're certainly not fooling Him. When we busy ourselves with trying to make others see how spiritual we think we are, it's nothing more than pride. IT DOESN'T IMPRESS GOD! What impresses God is sincerity and faith working through love. He looks for people who are 100% honest before Him; People who don't come before Him wearing a religious mask they put on every Sunday for two hours. He wants the heart. He's not dissuaded by all of our baggage, He's not burdened by all the problems we have and He's not offended by our sin. Most of all, God is not interested in religion anymore than an unbeliever is! I'll probably get some hate mail from a few church attending folks who don't like to hear me say that, but I'm sorry - it's true. He doesn't care any more about a fancy religious show and a great sermon than the rest of those burned-out folks who are falling asleep in their pews do. The Bible says that God never sleeps and He never slumbers, so all that tells me is, He must not be attending church either (hehehe). I hope I'm not offending anyone here. All I'm trying to convey to you is that God is interested in the same thing you are (at the core of your being); REALITY! He wants YOU, not your squeaky clean performance - because as squeaky clean as you think you can get, it still won't be clean enough. In fact, many Christians who attend churches have been deceived to think that observing rituals of religious performance and even modernized reapplication's of Old Testament practices, like tithing and so on, will guarantee them blessings and favor with God, when the truth is (according to Scripture) that living by such codes actually only invite a curse! Galatians 3:10 (NIV)- All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." The purpose of the Law was never to make men righteous, but rather to expose their sin. Even Israel failed miserably in keeping the Law that God ordained for them. All of this was set in place as a means to direct all focus upon Christ; the Messiah who would save the world from sin through the sacrifice of His blood. This is basic Gospel 101! But it is this very simple Gospel that many church-attending Christians have failed to comprehend. Galatians 3:19a (NLT) - Well then, why was the law given? It was given to show people how guilty they are. But this system of law was to last only until the coming of the child to whom God's promise was made... The Gospel of Jesus destroys any possibility of the flesh being glorified! The Law and the Gospel directs all things into the fulfillment of Christ Jesus! Therefore all blessing, hope and favor with God are constituted THROUGH HIM ONLY! In other words, you canNOT now receive blessings by trying to measure up through the Law for you will only prove that you are wicked and in need of Him. If you still wish to believe that your legalism grants you some favor with God and that by doing works of the Law you earn some kind of approval by Him then, in essence, you are rejecting the intended function of the Law and also the fulfillment of the Gospel in Christ. You are choosing the curse over the blessing of Christ! In fact, the Word teaches that this actually cuts you off from Him!!! Only in Him (not through the Law) are you justified, blessed and sealed with God's approval. Ephesians 1:3 (NLT) - How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God's secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. Luke 4:18-19 (NLT) - (Jesus said) "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord's favor has come." Acts 15:10-11 (NLT) - Why are you now questioning God's way by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the special favor of the Lord Jesus." Galatians 4:10-12a(NLT) - You are trying to find favor with God by what you do or don't do on certain days or months or seasons or years. I fear for you. I am afraid that all my hard work for you was worth nothing. Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles were-free from the law... Galatians 5:4-10 (NLT) - For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace. But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive everything promised to us who are right with God through faith. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, it makes no difference to God whether we are circumcised or not circumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. You were getting along so well. Who has interfered with you to hold you back from following the truth? It certainly isn't God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. But it takes only one wrong person among you to infect all the others-a little yeast spreads quickly through the whole batch of dough! I am trusting the Lord to bring you back to believing as I do about these things. God will judge that person, whoever it is, who has been troubling and confusing you. Ephesians 2:6-10 (NLT) - For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms-all because we are one with Christ Jesus. And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus. God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Hebrews 13:9-10 (NLT) - So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your spiritual strength comes from God's special favor, not from ceremonial rules about food, which don't help those who follow them. We have an altar from which the priests in the Temple on earth have no right to eat. Please do not believe the lies of those who teach God grants you His favor and blessing if you measure up according to the Law or by keeping special religious rules and regulations, rituals and by attending meetings and participating in programs. God has granted His favor to you freely and without reserve BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU!!! As the passages we read earlier (in Hebrews and Ephesians) said, it is because of this favor that we are enabled by God to do good works. The institutional church today has it all backwards. They teach the opposite. They teach that good works earn His favor. This is a lie! When you give Him your heart, He will take care of the rest... and if you pursue that relationship with Him, He will not disappoint and eventually His desires will become your desires because you are walking in a living, vibrant relationship with Him. No one will have to tell you what to do because you will respond to Him out of love - not duty, performance or law. You see, where the Spirit of the Lord is there is FREEDOM (2 Corinthians 3:17)! God can deal with our shortcomings, our mistakes and even our sin. If we are part of His family, we are already covered by Jesus. God is not angry with us any longer. In fact, the Bible says that He chooses to forget all the sins we have committed before and embrace us as His children. Hebrews 8:10-13 (ISV) - For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Never again will everyone teach his neighbor or his brother by saying, 'Know the Lord,' because all of them will know me, from the least important to the most important. For I will be merciful regarding their wrong deeds, and I will never again remember their sins." In speaking of a "new" covenant, he has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear. Galatians 4:4-7 (NLT) - But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father. Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you. You see? He isn't waiting up there to smash us. He loves us! He is our dear Father. People who have not wanted to come to God often fear Him or despise Him because religion has lied to them that God is repulsed by their sin and will only accept religious participation if they want to get to heaven. They are falsely led to believe that unless they get into church and start being good, they won't be able to be right with God and He won't approve of them. We'll here's the truth: God is repulsed by sin, but GOD ALREADY TOOK CARE OF THAT PROBLEM 2,000 YEARS AGO! He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die in our place on the Cross (and then He raised Him back to life and took the power away from sin that once condemned us to eternal death - and because of what Jesus did because He loves us, God can raise us to life out of our old sinful lives that lead to death and separation from Him). God ALREADY FORGAVE OUR SINS thousands of years ago. He's not up there holding a grudge. Even as bad as we can sometimes be, He's isn't thinking about ways He can destroy us, punish us or push us away. The only thing we have to do is believe what He has done for us and choose to follow Him now. This is the good news! While God does hate sin, God isn't mad at sinners. He loves them! That's why He gave His own Son, who was without sin, to be the sacrifice for sin so that we could live and become friends of God. He already forgave us while we were still sinning. He already made a way for sinners to be right with Him and to be clean and pure in His sight. Even when we wanted nothing to do with Him, He still said, "I love them, they don't understand what they're doing, and I am choosing to forgive all of their sins and I will wash them clean and make them entirely new." And contrary to what some stuffy church folks might like some of us to believe, He's not sitting around complaining about how He wished we all go to church more. ;) Which brings me back to the point of this article: The true believer in Jesus is like the wind. He's not contained by a religious program or the four walls of a church building. He is free! He follows the "wind" of the Spirit of God wherever He leads. God is our Father. We aren't slaves of religion - trying to measure up to a dictator God! The true Christian does not find his true identity in the organization(s) he may affiliate himself with, but he finds his true identity in Jesus. A born again person is immediately and completely part of the family of God at his conversion (Ephesians 3:14-15; 1 John 3:1; etc.), regardless of his affiliation or participation in some religious organization (be it an institutional church or anything else). There is no special ritual or ordinance that guarantees this rite of passage into God's family. Infant baptism won't do it. Attending church won't do it. Keeping the Law won't do it. Tithing won't do it. Being good won't accomplish it. Joining some denomination won't guarantee or validate it. Entering "the ministry" won't assure it. Even quoting the famous "sinner's prayer" won't do it! Salvation is wrought wholly according to sincere faith in God through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is a gift of His Grace. It cannot be earned and there is no special formula to obtain it or maintain it. One simply must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, die to his old self, and yield Himself to God entirely. Ephesians 2:1-10 (ISV) - You used to be dead because of your offenses and sins, in which you once lived according to the ways of this present world and according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now active in those who are disobedient. Indeed, all of us once behaved like them in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of our flesh and senses. By nature we deserved wrath, just like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love for us even when we were dead because of our offenses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly realm in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might display the limitless riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by such grace you have been saved through faith. This does not come from you; it is the gift of God and not the result of works, lest anyone boast. For we are his masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared long ago to be our way of life. The born again person is a member of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13), which is the Lord's Church (Ephesians 1:22-23). There is not one verse in all of Scripture that identifies Christ's Church as a physical temple built with the hands of men. In fact, just the opposite is declared, time and again. The Word even strongly asserts that those who teach otherwise are a hard hearted and stubborn people who always resist God's Holy Spirit. Acts 7:48-51 (ISV) - However, the Most High does not live in buildings made by human hands. As the prophet says, "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me," declares the Lord, "or what place is there in which I can rest? It was my hand that made all these things, wasn't it?" You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Acts 17:24-25 (BBE) - The God who made the earth and everything in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, is not housed in buildings made with hands; And he is not dependent on the work of men's hands, as if he had need of anything, for he himself gives to all life and breath and all things. Even Solomon, who built the Temple of Old, understood that man could not actually build a house for God and that He could not reside in a temple built with human hands. Solomon truly was wise, for he even said that the Temple could not house God, but was merely a place to burn sacrifice for Him. He understood that it was a type and shadow, but not the real thing - the real thing meaning Christ. 2 Chronicles 2:6 (NKJV) - But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him? In the Old Testament Israel had the Tent of Meeting in the wilderness (the Tabernacle). Then there was the Temple. Many Christians today have incorrectly presumed (not to mention the fact that many have often been persuaded by church leaders) that the church building they frequent and invest their time and finances into, is a modern-day equivalent of the Old Testament Temple (even though there is not a single line of Scripture that teaches such a thing). Many of the religious practices that church-going people engage in weekly (like tithing, for example) are engaged in because they presume their "church temple" is the present-day equivalent (this allows leaders to lift Old Testament passages from their proper context and impose them on congregants with a revived application for their "modern temples"). This is an utterly false assumption - completely contrary to the doctrine of Scripture... As a matter of fact, even Christ did not make use of the former arrangement under the Law in His process of redemption! Not only was His priesthood fashioned typically after Melchizedek (who held no association with the priesthood of Levi whatsoever), He also entered into a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TEMPLE! The former was a mere shadow; a tempory picture. It did not hold or have the capacity to hold the substance, which is Christ. In fact, once the Messiah would come, it (the Old Temple and the complete religious system identified with it) would be totally discarded! The book of Hebrews called the old system (including ALL of its rituals and ordinances) weak, useless and ineffective in connection with the New Covenant of Christ. Dear church member reading this, please understand this vital truth: The Old Testament Temple was not a pattern for how a church organization should be run; it was a tempory image (in the natural) that signified to its adherents that a new Temple (in the spiritual) was to come (1 Corinthians 15:46). Once the new Temple had come and, likewise, its new priesthood (not of Levites but of EVERY believer in Christ) and its completely new Covenant (confirmed through the blood of Jesus Christ), the Old would no longer be necessary. It would become utterly void, useless, dead! Note, I did not say the Old was evil - but its time was expired! The types and shadows had served their full purpose AND FULFILLMENT HAD COME. For this reason, there is NO POSSIBLE WAY that any aspect of that old system has any application for the New Covenant believer - who accepts the priesthood of Jesus Christ and accepts the fact that he entered to a Temple not made with hands (in other words - HE DID NOT ENTER INTO THE OLD TESTAMENT TEMPLE). Hebrews 9:8-11 (NLT) - By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the Most Holy Place was not open to the people as long as the first room and the entire system it represents were still in use. This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them.0 For that old system deals only with food and drink and ritual washing-external regulations that are in effect only until their limitations can be corrected. So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that great, perfect sanctuary in heaven, not made by human hands and not part of this created world. Hebrews 7:19 (NLT) - For the law made nothing perfect, and now a better hope has taken its place. And that is how we draw near to God. Hebrews 13:10 (NLT) - We have an altar from which the priests in the Temple on earth have no right to eat. Not a single time in the New Testament is there a reference to a "church building." Neither is there any mention of Christ commanding something of this nature to be fashioned with the hands of men. There's no mention of "church planting" or even "church planters" for that matter. These are all clever little titles men, with their wild religious imaginations, have cooked up in their effort to put controls and structure on "the wind" a literal impossibility - yet they deceive themselves and others that this is the will of God. This will, no doubt, be a hard thing for many of my church-attending friends to come to grips with. I understand because it shook the same foundations in my own life that I had learned through years of tradition. Again, please understand, I am not condemning the action of meeting together with believers within a building, but I am talking about this phenomenon that has become almost central to the core of what believers today typically regard as "church." Most of us who have grown up in Christendom have come to believe that the organization, its building and weekly program are essential things; things that every believer ought to participate in if they expect to grow in Christ, be equipped for ministry, and be validated before our other fellow Christians. What I mean by "validated" is simply this: The most common question raised among believers in conversation is, "what church do you attend?" The answer has the power to make or break fellowship instantly. If the answer is met with approval, "ah, we have something in common." But if the answer is not met with approval, "ah, I see, well God bless you, gotta run." Then there's the game of trying to convince others who may not like their organization to come join ours and vise versa. And then, worst of all, if you don't attend a church organization at all, you are usually branded immediately as a black sheep in the family. It is often assumed that either you are spiritually immature, rebellious, bitter, backsliding or in gross sin. I have stood in conversation with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and we were having some sweet fellowship... only to have it killed by the "where do you go to church" question. A spirit of edification can quickly turn to contention. Can you see how this concept of "locational place of worship verification" is contrary to the typology of "the wind"? With the wind, you don't know where it comes from or where it goes. It's invisibly active yet entirely present and real. The born again man is led by the Spirit. If he swears some kind of allegiance to an organization or human leadership (as it pertains to matters of faith), he puts himself in a position where the wind is not as free to blow... maybe it will even be hindered altogether! 1 Thessalonians 5:19 (GNB) - Do not restrain the Holy Spirit. A church building (and religious organization), on the other hand, is static; visible, immovable, defineable, controlled. If the Holy Spirit says, "move now!" the organization is not likely to have the capacity or willingness to immediately act upon such instruction. Everything in organization must go through "the channels" and, obviously, not many churches are built on trailers to be moved around wherever necessary. ;) The whole idea of a static location fights against the life of the Spirit - which can freely flow in individuals who are yielded to it. Again, this is not to suggest that a building, in and of itself, is evil. Wherever people meet they will meet. Even if it's simply within a home, that's still four walls - "a building". My point is that the building is insignificant compared with the spiritual reality of who we are in Christ. A building, biblically speaking, can NEVER be the Church. As "the Church" we are Christ's body and that existence is something solidified in heaven. It depends not on some location on earth. For this reason it makes no sense to "join" a church. For, as believers in Jesus, we are ALREADY JOINED TO HIM! There is no other "church" we can join. All that talk among Christians about the "importance of getting plugged into a local church" is without a single shred of support in Scripture! Our life and nourishment comes from only one source: HIM. Our maturity as a body is enhanced by our interaction with one another and this can transpire in hundreds of ways. A building or organization is not required in the least... in fact, it may hinder it if we make that building at all central. Colossians 2:6-10 (NLT) - And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done. Don't let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ. For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe. Colossians 2:19b (NLT) - ...Christ, the head of the body. For we are joined together in his body by his strong sinews, and we grow only as we get our nourishment and strength from God. There are plenty of "disciples" today serving Jesus for what they hope He will give them rather than because of an inward revelation that they are owned by the Master (bought with precious blood). The prosperity movement comes to mind. Such are men and women who teach "principles" of serving God in order to gain wealth, health and prosperity. Their god is really their bellies. They are, sadly, out of touch with the Master. There were those who followed Jesus because of such "appetites" even in His day. Many who witnessed His miracle of feeding the five thousand, Scripture tells us that many of them followed Him around - not because they were interested in the fact that His miracles pointed to Him as being the Messiah - but they followed Him for what they could get from Him. They were interested in receiving for receiving sake! They were not interested in His kingdom. Jesus addressed their unhealthy craving with a stern rebuke: John 6:26-27 (MSG) - Jesus answered, "You've come looking for me not because you saw God in my actions but because I fed you, filled your stomachs--and for free. Don't waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by God the Father to last." And sadly, this is not much different from the principle design and purpose of the great part of organized religion. It is to satisfy the "felt needs" (i.e. wants) of people. Those who have been captivated by the message of the prosperity doctrine, crave what they can get from God (and "serve" Him primarily for that very purpose) - but even those who do not approve of many of the prosperity movement's teachings, often still lean on the strong arm of religion and how it can pacify and fulfil their own apparent, presumed "needs". Their church services, books, and programs are a smorgasboard of self-gratifying goodies (all neatly labeled in Jesus' name); However, at the core of things, they are not often purely and passionately interested in Christ Himself and that which He desires to nourish them with for His glory. They are interested in what's in it for them. This is not to say that they don't love Jesus or that they don't have a sincere desire to follow God, but they have been severely distracted with a counterfeit that occupies their focus, deceiving them from Gospel reality. God is longsuffering with our weaknesses and our failures, but He continues to call us to repentance - for many of the things we have followed after in His name, have become as idols to us. God never ordained a "system" for the purpose of making people feel good about their spiritual condition (to deceive them that they are right with Him by the mere fact they participate in a program dedicated in His name). Often, organized religion provides little more than false comfort and a distraction from the REAL THING that is essential. It's appearance of godliness convinces people they are "godly" by the mere fact they participate faithfully. You can hear this in their conversations... "So and so is really on fire for God; he's in Bible college, is on the worship team, goes to pre-service prayer, sings in the choir, teaches the youth, works in the outreach department, pays tithes, attends church every Sunday, prophesies in the meetings..." Sound familiar? Yet the truth is, a person can participate in all of these things and still not even be in true fellowship with the Master! Matthew 7:22-23 (NIV) - Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" Yes, it will certainly be a hard concept for some to face; that God never instructed anyone in His Word to busy themselves with religious organization. That's not to say that all "organization" is bad. Good can come of healthy organization among mutually-motivated brothers and sisters who are freely following Christ together. But we have made (or attempted to make) what the Bible calls living and spiritual into an earthy machine that can be controlled and fabricated however we wish and also used to control others and artificial produce results that make us feel spiritual and look successful. This machine, in truth, does not even require the Holy Spirit to operate. It can thrive without Him and thrive it does. I dare say it has even become an idol in many ways to us. But God never envisioned such a beast to occupy the position of His body and take unto itself their role as priests unto God and their right as a family to spontaneously co-exist in this world with one another being led, not by a "machine", but by Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit. Given the time, I could expound upon the historical roots of this word "church" we are so fond of today. The history concerning it is interesting to say the least. I will just touch on the subject very briefly here. The fact is that the word "church" has no actual parallel in the original writings of Scripture. Our modern word "church" stems from a Greek word that is never even used once in all the Bible! The word "church" was brought into influence many years after Calvary. The actual word the Lord used when He said, "I will build my Church..." was the Greek word "ecclesia", which means "assembly" or "congregation" (an assembling of those who have been called out by God and separated unto Him - i.e. those who have together become His body by way of Christ Jesus). In other words, this is a spiritual assembly. It is natural only in the sense that God's people make up this assembly together. They are His Temple in which His Spirit resides! This is what Christ would build on the Rock! Not a building of wood and stone but a BODY; a royal assembly of those He has called out into fellowship with Him! These are the details that most Christians fail to recognize are so vital. We are massively and forcefully being influenced by the world's concept of religion. It was the influence of the world that persuaded believers to consider a building as being more significant that their own bodies and their own union with one another as brothers and sisters. That having been said, I'm equally guilty of continuing to use the word Church; however, this is why I am sharing this important context, so that it be understood what I mean when I use the term because there is an enormous difference between the "Church" (if you will allow the term) as Scripture identifies it and what the world (even the religious world) has taught us. It is not a small matter that we face - head on - this truth; that the Bible does not teach the building and maintenance of churches. At the risk of being redundant, let me just reiterate that there is not one commission in all of Scripture to go and build churches, establish religious organizations or hierarchical five-fold governmental systems. Many Christians have been taught that the role of a modern day "apostle" is to establish/found churches (i.e. church buildings & organizations). It is often implied that this is what Paul spend his travels doing. But I challenge you dear reader to read that New Testament of yours again. You will NEVER find one place that reveals a call by God to Paul to start/plant churches or raise up religious organizations. You will not find church buildings either, let alone some order of God to establish such. All these things are wrought from the minds of men - not the instruction of Scripture or the example of early Church history. The earliest believers met together informally in their homes (and in a variety of other places). They ate meals together and spent hours sharing with one another in mutual dialogue and conversation. If someone had a teaching, they shared it freely. If another had a song or some gift to minister, they just shared it. The even shared their personal wealth and possessions with one another. When they did take opportunity to pool their finances together, it was used to provide for the needs of their impoverished brethren in neighboring cities (to feed their bellies and help pay their bills) - not to support building programs and clergy systems. The Lord Himself was their Leader in everything. There were no liturgies, rituals, or stale routines - for these were houses of LIVING stones, not brick and mortar! Life is what you will find in the account of how the early saints spent their time together. It was an every day, spontaneous thing, not a once a week ritual. Again, I implore you to recognize that they did not waste their time, finances and efforts building lifeless temples and church edifices. They did not set up religious organizations. They did not need such things. There were no membership rosters, special creeds, annual church vision statements, or any of that stuff. Every man and woman was the priest and bishop of their relationship with Christ. Are you getting weary of hearing me say this? The Scripture does not teach or example some call to build churches and temples. In fact, with specific relation to the Lord's Church, every reference to the temple, tabernacle, tent, or house of God is SPIRITUAL in context. Christ compared himself with the Temple (John 2:19, 21) and said He was also greater than the Temple (Matthew 12:6)... There is also a "House of God", a "Temple" in Heaven (2 Corinthians 5:1; Revelation 11:19; etc.)... And the believer, in multiple places, is called the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16). The body of Christ is also called the Temple (Ephesians 2:21-22). Each of these making every single parallel to the Old Testament Temple and Tabernacle SPIRITUAL! As we have already said, the only "Tent of Meeting" (or "Tabernacle") mentioned regarding God's Church in the New Testament is not a physical place, covering or religious organization but it is the believer himself! And when this "tent" is destroyed (by death), the Scripture teaches that we have a house (i.e. Temple) in heaven that awaits us... Again, it is a House NOT MADE WITH HANDS and it has NOTHING to do with this world. 2 Corinthians 5:1 (ASV) - For we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. Scripture is clear that the Old Covenant Temple is a picture (a TYPE), though NOT of a modern-time church building or religious organization, but of a holy and spiritual Temple in heaven. I repeat THE BIBLE TELLS US what the Old Testament Temple is a (prophetic) picture of; it is a Temple MADE WITHOUT HANDS!!! It is impossible for any man, no matter whether he bears a title of supposed religious authority or not, to declare on any ground of Scriptural truth that a church is equivalent to the Old Testament Temple. Even more, this naturally eliminates all "temple-like" ritual that people typically associate with such a concept as having any application whatsoever to any believer in Christ. Hebrews 9:24 (NLT) - For Christ has entered into heaven itself to appear now before God as our Advocate. He did not go into the earthly place of worship, for that was merely a copy of the real Temple in heaven. It ought to be easy, considering what the Scripture teaches, to understand why the early Christians actually refused to build temples of worship. You can read about this in the post-apostolic historical writings of the first few centuries of the Church. The pagans often marveled at these Christians and could not understand why they would not express their devotion to their God by erecting houses of worship dedicated to His name. Some clergymen over the years have tried to impress upon people that they (the early Christians) neglected to engage in the practice of building official houses of worship (i.e. church buildings) because they were impoverished and suffering great persecution, but this is only partly true. History declares the full truth; that believers in Christ actually viewed the building of temples for worship as a pagan practice of idolatry! They knew what the Scripture taught. Some of those earliest saints of God we read about in the volumes of the Church Fathers were actually alive during the time of the apostles and some of them were even their disciples. It is simply logical to presume that they learned this mindset from their instructors in the faith; a mindset which does appear repeatedly in the Word of God. Following are a few examples from some of these early historical writings. "The Word, prohibiting all sacrifices and the building of temples, indicates that the Almighty is not contained in anything." - Clement of Alexandria (195 A.D.) "We refuse to build lifeless temples to the Giver of all life... Our bodies are the temple of God. If anyone defiles the temple of God by lust or sin, he will himself be destroyed for acting impiously towards the true temple. Of all the temples spoken of in this sense, the best and most excellent was the pure and holy body of our Savior Jesus Christ... He said to them, 'destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it again. This He said of the temple of His body.'... When they reproach us for not deeming it necessary to worship the divine Being by raising lifeless temples, we set before them our temples." (meaning, of course, the "temple" of their bodies) - Origen (248 A.D.) "You mistakenly think we conceal what we worship since we have no temples or altars. Yet how can anyone make an image of God? Man himself is the image of God. How can anyone build a temple to Him, when the whole world can't contain Him? Even I, a mere human, travel far and wide. So how can anyone shut up the majesty of so great a Person within one small building? Isn't it better for Him to be dedicated in our minds and consecrated in our innermost hearts - rather than in a building?" - Mark Felix in "Octavius" (2nd Century A.D.) "You say that we build no temples [to the gods] and do not worship their images... Well, what greater honor or dignity could we ascribe to them than that we put them in the same position as the Head and Lord of the universe! ...Do we honor Him with shrines and by building temples?" - Arnobius (305 A.D.) "Rusticus, the perfect, said, 'Where do you assemble?' Justin Martyr replied, 'Where each one chooses and is able. Do you imagine that we all meet in the very same place?'" - Martyrdom of the Holy Martyrs (160 A.D.) "We assemble together with the same quietness with which we live as individuals." - Mark Minucius Felix (200 A.D.) "For where there are three persons - even if they are laity - there is a church." - Tertullian (212 A.D.) [Pagan Antagonist:] "They [the Christians] despise the temples as dead houses... They laugh at sacred things." - Mark Minucius Felix (200 A.D.) NOTE: Felix was a Roman lawyer that converted to Christianity and wrote one of the finest apologies of early Christianity in the form of a dialogue between a Christian and a pagan; hence, this quote is intended to be a pagan's expressed agitation with the Christian's perspective on things. It wasn't until more than 300 years after Calvary that Christians started to take on the pagan concept of erecting official houses of worship. The Roman Catholic Church was the first to pioneer this effort. Suddenly "the wind" didn't blow where it wished anymore, but only in the "dedicated official place." At least that seems to be what pious men had come to believe. It took time for these pagan mindsets to influence Christians, but their influence was certain and has sadly remained all the way up to the present day. Christ as Leader of His Royal, spiritual assembly was traded off for the organization of men, human leaders and temples built with human hands. Today many believers say, "what does it matter so long as we take these modern things and purpose them for good, dedicating their use to the Lord Jesus Christ?" Well, the Lord has an answer for this concept. God gave a strong prophecy to His servant Hosea that he hated it when His people attributed pagan names and concepts to Him. Hosea 2:16-17 (NAB) - On that day, says the LORD, She shall call me "My husband," and never again "My baal." Then will I remove from her mouth the names of the Baals, so that they shall no longer be invoked. Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible so eloquently expounds on this verse: "'Baal,' originally 'Lord,' was a title sometimes given to the husband. 'The lord of the woman,' 'her lord,' 'the heart of her lord,' stand for 'the husband,' 'her husband' (Exo_21:22; 2Sa_11:26; Pro_31:11, ...). God says, 'so wholly do I hate the name of idols, that on account of the likeness of the word Baal, 'my Lord,' I will not be so called even in a right meaning, lest, while she utter the one, she should think on the other, and calling Me her Husband, think on the idol.' Yet, withal, God says that He will put into her mouth the tenderer name of love, i^ysh, literally, 'my man.'" Many believers are mindful of the encouragement found in Hebrews not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. But many who believe strongly in organized religion presume far more than this passage presents so simply. They assert that this passage refers to weekly church attendance. I've even heard some people mis-quote the passage as, "don't neglect to meet regularly for church." Hebrews 10:25 (NKJV) - not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. This passage, as do all passages of Scripture, has a context. The author of Hebrews (in his letter) is warning the Jewish converts to Christ that Jerusalem is going to suffer attack and great persecution is coming. To top it all off, the physical earthly Temple was going to be utterly destroyed. Nearly every tangible, visible aspect of their Jewish religious way of life was about to be literally destroyed. The author of Hebrews is attempting to demonstrate the severity of the change taking place; from Old Covenant to New. These were, no doubt, hard things for these young believers to grasp, for their entire way of life is being traded for a completely new life in Christ Jesus. The book of Hebrews goes to great lengths to convey the significance of this change from Old to New, Law to Grace and Death to Life. This was (and is) radical stuff for these Jewish Christians to embrace. It would appear, in many ways, it's still radical stuff for even vetran believers to come to grips with fully. Organized religion, especially in our Western culture, has sold us - largely - a counterfeit. In our ignorance we bought it. But Christ, by His Spirit, is calling His people to awake and come out from that faulty understanding into the truth. Before the author of Hebrews even gets around to talking about assembling together, he starts off with some startling claims. In Hebrews 10:8 he quotes Christ, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them (which are offered according to the law)." Then he goes even further in verse 9, again quoting Christ who said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." This reveals the crux of the Gospel; Christ offered Himself - the perfect lamb - in whom the whole Law would be fulfilled. No one can gain favor from God through keeping the Law because no one is perfect. That is why Christ's sacrifice of His flesh on the cross was ONCE for all. Because of this ONE EVENT we are all made righteous in God's eyes through Christ. That means the Law cannot help be "more righteous." Following rituals and religious ordinance are vain and useless. Just as Christ fulfilled the Law by submitting Himself to the Father's will, so we submit ourselves to the Father through Chirst and obey His will. He alone is our righteousness - not the Law. As the author of this letter to the Hebrews boldly and plainly says next, "He takes away the first that He may establish the second." Did you see that? HE TAKES AWAY THE FIRST! I don't want to get off track too much here, but perhaps this will help to illustrate the severity of this abolition of the Old system and our necessity to embrace Christ centrally and wholly. One of the most prevalent and misunderstood examples of men still leaning upon the Old Covenant system and thinking it has some application to today's Church is the practice of tithing. Now, this subject of tithing as I am referring to it, is not about those who merely choose to give a portion of their income to a cause they believe in (whether 10% or otherwise). Rather I am referring to the modern day doctrine which teaches that Christians have been commanded by God to tithe and which (they say) the ordinance of tithing in the Law (especially Malachi 3:10) is just as applicable to believers in Christ and must be practiced to assure God's blessings, protection, favor and provision are established and that the enemy is rebuked and the curse removed. The strength of tithing (as even my former statement reveals on its own) is found in the Law. It was an ordinance. It was an offering. It was even the principle substance which supported the entire Levitical priesthood. It was every bit as much an ordinance and offering as all the other ordinances and offerings under the Law. In other words, it did not stand separate from them; it was part of that entire system. All of these rituals were applicated, essentially, because of SIN! And ALL of them are REMOVED because of Christ. Put another way, all of them are FULFILLED in Christ. You cannot disconnect the Law from sin. This confuses some people so please hear me carefully. The Law is not sin, that is not what I am suggesting to you... but it exposes sin. If a person thinks that they can observe some ritual of the Mosaic Law, like tithing for example, believing it has some benefit for them as a believer in Christ, they are deceived! ALL the offerings - including the tithing ordinance - were made under the confines of the Old Testament because of sin! They represent, for man, that he is yet unregenerate, immature in faith, and without the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit! On the basis of what the Law teaches, a man who still ties himself to the ordinances of that Law is suggesting by his actions that he still believes himself to be separated from God and has no capacity to follow the Holy Spirit. Consider this! The Jews under the Old Covenant were without the indwelling power and presence of the Holy Spirit. They had no capacity to observe God's commands without the presence of the Law to instruct them. But even with the Law it was an inferior and temporary arrangement. Why? For one, because the Law was powerless to affect the conscience; the inner parts of man... Hebrews 9:9 (NKJV) - It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience. Two, because the Law only was intended as a temporary shadow of the coming Messiah and His New and Living Covenant. Hebrews 9:10 (Webster) - Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. I want to put this in very bold terms so you will understand how critical it is that we not trade the New Covenant for a religiously-distorted concoction of the Old. The person who continues to think that observing the ordinances of the Law of Moses have substance for believers, show forth, at best, this person's immaturity and ignorance; because they have not understood that the purpose of the Old Covenant system was to point the Jews to the substance, which is NOT the Law but CHRIST! The ones who subjugate themselves to the Law are essentially suggesting that they have not embraced the living way of Christ by His Spirit. It appears they don't really believe yet that He will lead them and that He is sufficient. So they cling to ritual, formula, law, and human priests and kings to govern their religious practice. We must see these things in real biblical terms; Those under the Law (in Scripture) were those without Christ. They were still waiting for the Messiah to come and fulfill that Law to free them of the bondage of sin and death. They were still trying to measure up to a standard they could never achieve because of sin. Even Israel misunderstood this arrangement as they began to believe that righteousness was in the Law. But trying to attain right standing with God through the Law only condemned them because of sin. And those who sought to embrace the Law, even when they had been presented with the Gospel, were (are) actually rejecting the Gospel and rejecting the fulfillment, which is Christ. Christ stepped in and settled the matter once and for all by shedding His pure blood as the final sacrifice for all! This means that Law has no more strength against us and neither can it aid us to draw near to God. We ONLY draw near to God through Jesus Christ and a better covenant! Hebrews 10:8-10 (CEV) - The Law teaches that offerings and sacrifices must be made because of sin. But why did Christ mention these things and say that God did not want them? Well, it was to do away with offerings and sacrifices and to replace them. That is what he meant by saying to God, "I have come to do what you want." So we are made holy because Christ obeyed God and offered himself once for all. Ephesians 2:13-19 (ISV) - But now, in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For it is he who is our peace. In his flesh he made both groups one by tearing down the wall of hostility that divided them. He rendered the law inoperative, along with its commandments and regulations, so that he might create in himself one new humanity from the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, on which he killed the hostility. He came and proclaimed peace for you who were far away and for you who were near. For through him, both of us have access to the Father in one Spirit. That is why you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household. Colossians 2:13-17 (NKJV) - And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. The point I mean to convey with this section of our discussion is not merely to talk about tithing. That was an example that I believe may resonate with many who still believe it has some application for Christians. The point is to illustrate that we have a bold choice to examine. LAW or GRACE. We cannot have both. We cannot claim to be followers of Jesus, led by His Spirit, while still subjects of the ordinances of Moses. The two are completely contradicting to each other. This is very important to weigh in concerning our discussion of the popular passage we mentioned earlier about the assembling together as mentioned in Hebrews 10:25. The author is conveying with the strongest language possible the truth that everything focuses on Christ and his FINISHED work. The Old is DEAD!!!! IT IS SET ASIDE COMPLETELY!!! IT HOLDS NO APPLICATION FOR ANY BELIEVER IN JESUS CHRIST! These are not my words, this is the doctrine of Scripture! When you come to understand this, you will find it extremely difficult to imagine that the author of the Hebrew letter would go to such great lengths to convince the Hebrews that the whole Old Covenant and ALL of its rituals, ordinances, offerings, feasts, holy days, EVERYTHING had been set aside and Christ placed in full view, only to suddenly obligate them to another holy day ritual in verse 25. The context of this passage is speaking of something Chirst has accomplished on a spiritually global scale. He is speakin in eternal terms to a spiritual Assembly of Saint who, as Scripture teaches, are ALL part of ONE body of Christ. It is because of these truths that the author encourages his readers to pull together and live up to the Gospel reality they are already a part of. Hebrews 10:16-25 (Webster) - This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, his flesh; And having a high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised: And let us consider one another to excite to love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. This is NOT an ordinance to have church every Sunday friends. We cannot neglect the rest of the passage! He says, "LET US CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER..." This is a call, firstly, to be led by an inward (and individual) motivation of love for one another. As we consider one another to encourage, edify, excite and provoke each other to love and to good works (not as an organization dictates that we do these things but WE - ONE TO ANOTHER - because of Christ in us who has fulfilled the Law and given us the ability to hear His commands, know what He desires of us in our hearts, leading us by His Holy Spirit), we will also consider one another in terms of drawing together in order that we may do these very things; exhorting each other and exiting each other to love and good works. The author here makes no mention of needing a special building for this kind of "assembling." He has already expressed much effort to convey that we are already assembled together in Christ. The author doesn't call for organization, a clergy system, a weekly ritual, a building program, tithing, song services, pews, pulpits, choirs, stained glass windows on fancy buildings, pastoral offices and salaries, outreach programs, counseling ministries, bla bla bla... None of that is even slightly implied in this simply-stated passage. Rather it is, because of what we know of Christ's great gift, LET US CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER to spur each other on for the Day of the Lord is growing closer. Secondly, I believe this passage has a more specific call, not simply to "assembling" in the sense of meetings, but is a call not to apostosize from the Faith. This word "assembling" the author of Hebrews uses only appears one other time in all of the Scripture (2 Thessalonians 2:1) with reference to the whole body of Christ being gathered (assembled) together in the air with Him. This is an assembly of a global and spiritual scale. Look again at how the author of Hebrews phrases his statement: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, as the manner of some is" As we read in other places throughout the New Testament, a great many believers had wandered from the Faith because they were following false teachers and false doctrines. In essence, they were "forsaking the assembly." They were leaving the truth and embracing a lie. Paul made reference to these who actually follow a Jesus, but he is a different Jesus. They believe in the Spirit... but it is not the same Spirit of God the apostles preached. They preach a gospel, but it is not the same Gospel of Jesus Christ. It has been cleverly distorted to draw away disciples after themselves. This, it seems to me, based on the Greek words used in this passage and the phrasing of the sentence that the author of Hebrews is talking more about the General Assembly of all believers in Christ rather than an admonition to make sure you meet together all the time, though meeting together to spur on to love and good works is also perfectly consistent with the heart of the author's comments in general. For this reason I will not conclude that my perspective here is absolute; however, I will certainly tell you that this passage in no way presents some instruction to start churches and have ritual meetings every Sunday. One has to eisogete such a religious concept into the text and can find no other Scriptural or historical support to prove this is what those early saints believed or did. To reiterate this point just a bit further, I must encourage you that the believer's fellowship with other Christians transpires because of who he/she belongs to (that "who" being Christ) - but true, biblical fellowship is not defined by mere attendance of religious meetings or participation in religious activities, groups, organizations and programs. To put it in simpler and bolder terms: you can go your whole Christian life without ever once setting foot into a "church" and still have fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ (the way the Bible encourages us to); again, fellowship is something you HAVE (not do) because of whose you are. 1 John 1:7 (NKJV) - But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. It is my opinion that too many Christians place things like church attendance and participation in religious programs in the middle of their relationships with one another. As a result it often divides them and causes them to lose a central focus on Jesus Christ. I think that far too many Christians today are not secure enough in their understanding of who they are in Christ to be able to regard the institution they call "church" as merely an institution (a club, if you will). Too many see it as essential to their Christian lives and have been convinced through tradition that it must exist and it must be maintained. Some even believe it is a necessity to "keep" their salvation or have God show favor on them; to protect them, bless them, keep them safe from the enemy and from error. It is my opinion that the enemy, yes the devil, has purposed to use this distraction to keep the body of Christ fragmented, lame and bleeding. I do not mean that the "meeting" or the "activities" of any group, in and of themselves (necessarily), are the distraction. What I am suggesting is that the importance placed on these things is the distraction. Until Christians can finally regard one another simply and purely as brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus, regardless of what organization they belong to (or don't belong to), I think they will be missing the full intent of the Lord for His people. We have got to stop cramming religion in between our relationships with one another. It is not helping to pull us together and grow strong in the Lord. If you attend a church, that's fine. But honestly, who cares? Does God? Is there some Scripture where He commanded men to build churches and fill them with programs and pews? Is He keeping a record of how many services you made and how many you missed? Has He promised to use you to minister His love and also meet your needs only if you attend meetings somewhere or join some organization? Did Jesus die for your sins and also require that you must become a member of another church besides the one He has built without human hands in order that you might be saved? What does church "do" for the Christian? I'll tell you what it does not do. It doesn't make a person right with God. It doesn't keep them safe from hell or guarantee them heaven. It doesn't identify them (from God's perspective) as a Christian or insure their spiritual growth. It doesn't qualify them to be used of the Lord "in ministry." It doesn't do any of these things. Can true ministry happen in a church? Sure. Can a person grow spiritually while attending a church institution? Sure. But is it because of the organization or is it because the believer has submitted some area of his life to the Lord and responded to Him? I think any eternal good that happens in an organization has NOTHING to do with that organization, but it has everything to do with Christ and the believer who submits to His Lordship. In all reality, the organization is a non-essential. That doesn't make it evil or sinful. It just means it's an organization. The family of God is not defined by the religious organizations of men. It is defined by our position with Christ. You see, the simple fact is that what the Bible calls "church" (as it is defined from the original Greek) means people assembled. In the greatest sense of the word it means all of those who are called out by God and who are members of His body. In fact, Scripture boldly calls the Church "the body of Christ." It is to be the manifestation of His person on the earth through His people. So the Church is more than just people assembled; it is the Lord's very body! This is what "church" means according to its New Testament definition and context. It does not EVER (not even one time) refer to a building or a program!!! Try reading any verse in the New Testament that uses "church" or "churches" and replace the word with "assembly" or "assemblies" or "the believers" or, best of all, "the body of Christ" and think simply in terms of Christians gathered together as members of one divine body (leave all the organization out of it that tradition has taught you). The whole text will come alive with fresh perspective. Suddenly the church in a given city is not about a building where some people gather each week to have a service and perform a few routine rituals and activities, but it simply means the Christians living in that city who gather together (however, wherever and whenever they may gather) who are recognized by God as members of His very body. The form and pattern wasn't important. And without such hangups, the believers were free to express the life of Christ together as one body submitted to their Head; Christ. Many met in homes. Some in caves and in courtyards; all for the purpose of simply being together to edify one another, meet one another's needs (spiritually and materially), and to pray and worship together. It was real. It was informal. It was not a club. You didn't have to attend in order to be regarded as part of the family or the body. It was just people gathering together because of mutual love and a desire to regard one another as family. But even without the "gathering" they understood, as the Bible teaches, they were already part of the Gathering; the body of Jesus. Well, that was a little off topic but it gels with the heart of my message here and that is that being a Christian is something far greater than simply belonging to a religious organization. A lot of Americans call themselves Christian just because they live in America (which is considered a Christian nation because it was founded on Christian values by Christian forefathers) and some call themselves Christian just because they believe in God or because they went to church growing up. None of these things qualify someone as a true Christian; a person who is born again. We must remember that John 3:8 is the words of Jesus Christ - that the Christian life is something birthed and governed by His Spirit and, like the wind, it cannot be held within four walls, it cannot be pinned down and fashioned into a routine. It cannot simply be identified by slapping a label on it. If a wind blows into a room and the doors are then shut, the wind will not be encapsulated, rather it will cease to blow altogether. Walls keep the wind out and they also keep the stale (religious) air in. And what some may seek to control with their organization of religious programming, they ultimately destroy the impact and effectiveness because that which is born of the Spirit must flow like the wind. Perhaps to some this will seem to be a too extensive rendering of explanation of the simple text of John 3:8. As I said earlier, I agree with the general interpretation of this passage completely and I have no problem if someone does not believe it is any more "extensive" than that. I am merely suggesting that we intently look at what the text says about the Christian's new life and consider the Lord's unique choice of wording to express this new life. He says it is like the wind. I find it very significant that the Lord uses such an analogy to express this mystery. And again, I do not share this to suggest merely that participating in a religious program or belonging to some organization is anti-Christian. If you belong to one or the other, please do not be offended because I am not seeking to discourage Christian service or assembly (i.e. ministry and meeting). But if you have been led (by anyone) to believe that participation in a religious program is equivalent to Christianity and is even essential to it, then I do wish to suggest strongly to you that you have not been told the truth, because Jesus says that His new creation is like the wind. Jesus told the Pharisees that it was their traditions that made God's Word to have no effect at all (Matthew 15:3, 6; Mark 7:13)! That is a strong statement, but it shows the Lord's utter contempt for anything that stands in the way of Him and His Word. I would personally take the Lord's words to the extent of saying He was not impressed or fond at all of organized religion. It seems to me He thought it an obstacle to the truth and a distraction from complete submission to God. I wholly believe that this is exactly what is happening today in organized religion as a whole; men have become so enamoured by and saturated with their own doctrines (the commandments of men), that they are often unwilling and, many times, simply unable to discern actual biblical truth from error. Remember that the Pharisees were the respected and highly esteemed religious leaders in Jesus' day and they were wholly offended at Him, often remarking how He and His disciples transgressed the traditions of the elders. But Jesus was quick to respond to their religious accusations. Matthew 15:1-3 (GNB) - Then some Pharisees and teachers of the Law came from Jerusalem to Jesus and asked him, "Why is it that your disciples disobey the teaching handed down by our ancestors? They don't wash their hands in the proper way before they eat!" Jesus answered, "And why do you disobey God's command and follow your own teaching?" Mark 7:13 (CEV) - "And you ignore God's commands in order to follow your own teaching. You do a lot of other things that are just as bad." Jesus taught us that it is the Spirit of God - NOT HUMAN RELIGIOUS EFFORT - that gives life. The Jews became confused by Jesus' words at times because they misunderstood the purpose of the Law. This was partly due to all the distortions they received by the religious leaders of their day. People were led to believe that it is by observing laws, rituals, deeds, ordinances, and exhibiting pious performance that made one appear right before God. The delusion was so thick that at times even Jesus' own disciples had trouble understanding Jesus' words. So Jesus reminded them: John 6:63 (NLT) - "It is the Spirit who gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life." When Jesus talked with His disciples about things like prayer, He also strongly encouraged them to leave religiosity out of the picture completely. In fact, He again used the religious leaders of His day as the example how NOT to do things. Matthew 6:5-8 (MSG) - "And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need." The Christian life is like the wind, Jesus said! It cannot be bound into a formula or some performance of religiosity. Christianity is about CHRIST BEFORE US, OVER US, IN US and THROUGH US! Our life finds its full source and sustenance in Him only. He is that Life! He is the Center! Organizational religion, on the other hand, wants to play the mediator and stand between God and men as well as be the center of everything. It wants to "help" God out by taking control of some of the load, some of the authority, some of the right to present what must be accepted as the truth. It wants to dictate every facet of the Christian life in accordance with its own prescription of rules, ethics, morals, and dogma. It has a very high and haughty opinion of itself - so high that it even will dare call its own doctrines the doctrines of God. I have watched men in prominent ministry positions choose to reject, re-define, ignore and overlook important passages of Scripture because, if they were to acknowledge or accept what the Word really taught (as it is plainly written) in those instances, it may prove that some or all of their traditional doctrinal perspectives are false and require amending or, sometimes, complete dismissal. So consumed is the Institutional Church today with its man-inspired, man-made, man-sustained, man-estemed and man-promoted teachings, programs, "revelations", rules and regulations, that anyone who raises a flag of question, challenge or even criticism with respect to what the Word of God actually has to say in response to such things, are almost immediately regarded as heretics, trouble-makers, dissenters, rebellious, etc. In so many institutional churches today, the Bible is no longer the foundation of truth and Jesus has lost His role as the central Character of the Christian faith, but whatever a particular denomination seeks to believe and impose on its patrons is held in the highest regard. I have watched, first hand, as men elevate their own organization's doctrines above the Word of God and then call their doctrines "the ordinances of God." I have watched them chastise, rebuke, and manipulate sincere believers in Christ who have dared ask honest questions, challenge with Scripture, or refuse to believe those man-made doctrines. It is my opinion that the moment an institution of religion imposes itself in some intermediary fashion (assuming a position of control that should only be held by Christ), it is at that moment completely out of the will of Christ. It is then, in fact, anti-Christ - for it denies His control, His influence and His governing. We who have been born again are sons (and daughters) of our Father in Heaven. He is our Lord, our King, our High Priest (and even as Psalm 23 and Hebrews 13:20 tells us), our Senior Pastor (Shepherd). The Church is His body (not a building made with human hands). His Church is a spiritual building made of living stones (1 Peter 2:5) and completely under the rulership of Jesus; the government rests on His shoulders only (Isaiah 9:6) and not on some artificial hierarchy (Matthew 23:8-12; 20:25-28). He ALONE is the Head and is the only one allowed to have the preeminence (1 Corinthians 11:3; Matthew 21:42; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23; Colossians 1:18) and we all belong to Him and were created by Him and for Him. DO NOT BE DECEIVED! The true Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about attending meetings or following rules and rituals to make you falsely feel right with God. If you yield to this deception, you will actually find yourself divided from the truth and under a curse and Christ will profit you NOTHING! Those who misunderstand the Gospel and think the New Covenant does not fully supercede, even REPLACE, the Old Covenant are frustrating the grace of God by dividing themselves into an unhealthy and unbiblical separation that cannot embrace the concept of a single Church submitted to a single Shepherd, who is also their one High Priest. They have not understood the purpose of the Law and their misunderstanding leads them to bondage in legalism (separating them further and further from Christ), because they wrongly embrace the lie that keeping the Law buys them favor with God and makes them righteous in His eyes; However, just the opposite is true. The Law is precisely what condemns us all as prisoners of sin! That is BIBLE! The Law makes us realize that our righteousness can never be had through obeying its rules, regulations and ordinances. It magnifies our unrighteous, lawless condition. It wholly condemns us! This is why the Scripture calls the Law the "Ministry of Condemnation" (2 Corinthians 3:9). I don't know too many preachers that would eagerly like to sport this title - yet when they impose their legalistic doctrines (by mixing Law with Grace) they are introducing God's people to a cursed lifestyle of bondage that has no choice but to devalue the great gift of Jesus Christ! Galatians 3:22-29 (NLT) - But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God's promise is to believe in Jesus Christ. Until faith in Christ was shown to us as the way of becoming right with God, we were guarded by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until we could put our faith in the coming Savior. Let me put it another way. The law WAS our guardian and teacher to lead us UNTIL Christ came. So now, THROUGH FAITH in Christ, we are made right with God. But now that faith in Christ has come, WE NO LONGER NEED THE LAW AS OUR GUARDIAN. So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians-you are one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you. Galatians 5:1-2 (MSG) - Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ's hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. Isn't that amazing? Today we have preachers telling people that if they embrace little legalisms like "storehouse" tithing or this string of principles or that list of rules and rituals, church attendance, etc., we can gain God's favor. Dear friend reading this, please hear the Word of the Lord to you this day, those men and women who presume themselves to be teachers of Scripture and who would instruct you to obligate yourself to principles of Law ARE PREACHING A DIFFERENT GOSPEL! God's Word declares that if you heed such teachings YOU WILL BE CUT OFF FROM CHRIST AND ACTUALLY FALL OUT OF FAVOR WITH GOD, NOT INTO IT!!! Galatians 5:4 (GW) - Those of you who try to earn God's approval by obeying his laws have been cut off from Christ. You have fallen out of God's favor. On that happy note (grin) I want to encourage us all to remember that Jesus says the born again man is likened to the wind. He is not walled in an institution, bound by dead rituals. He is alive in Christ Jesus, who leads him, convicts him, counsels him, and comforts him. He is a valid and vital part of the body of Christ; the Ecclesia. The Lord is His Head. When this revelation takes hold, the false teachers will no longer hold the strong grip many of them now possess because of people's ignorance. God's people will begin to live free and unfettered; transformed by the Truth. They will see sincere Christianity in action and the world will finally begin to notice a true and living manifestation of the risen Lord actively moving through His people! The intention of this site is to encourage believers completely in this holy direction. That's why the focus is not on religious organization but purely on the connection we must have with Christ the Lord. He is essential and central to all things. God bless you as you continue to discover His leading hand in your life day by day. © 1995-2006 TruthForFree.com & The Prayer Shack. All rights reserved. Contents of this article may be copied freely without permission from the author. 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