Painting a Picture...

Last week I wrote a blog called, "Sunday Morning Dread" where I express my struggle with the American church. 

Someone commented on that blog and below you will see the comment and my response. 

"Your brush is very broad, Teresa. The American church is a big place. Are you sure that you don't men the local part of it that you are involved with?"-comment

My Response:

If I meant the local church I am involved in, I would have said that. But I clearly stated "THE AMERICAN CHURCH" The "broad brush" is for a purpose. I have gone to churches all over The West Coast, and Texas. I have friends, who go to churches all over this country and it is not hard to watch a church service anywhere in his nation with the advancement of technology and some online streaming. 

If you study the history of the American church, by in large, you will discover that almost every church in America has Catholic roots, and the Catholic Church is rooted in the Jewish Priesthood.  Then the Catholic Church  split and then split and then split again and again again since Jesus. Even Vineyard has Carholic roots. 

Let me bring you back to First century Christians. There were two Types of believers... Those as recorded in the Binle and those who were Pharisees, who believed Jesus, but tried to re-establish the priesthood in the New Covenant. The result was Catholism. The two groups flourished together and separate of one another. 

By the time The Roman Empire had peaked, Constantine had become a believer of Jesus Christ and had written a decree that Christianity be the National religion. He turned the pagan temples into places of worship and like the Pharisees, established a level of government hierarchy in the church to maintain control. This was very similar to the Priests of the pagan temples.

After Rome fell, the Dark Ages were upon this world and faith in Jesus was scarce. The Catholic Church maintained a level of Political influence and survived. Most expressions of Christianiy died at that point, because people were mandated to sacraficing to the pagan gods of that time. So true remnant believers went underground. 

By the time of the Rennaisance, believers began to surface and the Catholic Church would not allow any Bible to be copied unless in Latin, so the masses believed what was told to them and the priesthood beast grew and grew until it looked demonic! 

In steps Martin Luther, who broke off from the Catholic  church but still maintained similarities. Then other denominations broke of from Lutheranism, and then broke off from those .. Etc.. All having roots in Catholism. 

One of he first noted "Remnant" church to surface, was The Pilgrims  The Pilgrims longed for a true Biblical expression of worship that did not tie them to any type of governmental control of religion. 

The government control at that time was King James, ie. The King James Bible. The Pilgrims were persecuted so fled to America to be able to have the freedom to worship God in the "true" Biblical form. 

They worshipped in America without any interference until the Puritans arrived. The Puritans were a group, who like many groups before them, wanted a reformation of the religion they were a part of. Unlike the Pilgrims who wanted NOTHING to do with any kind of "religion", the Puritans wanted to change things about their religion that benefitted them. 

The Puritans eventual exerted ultimate power and authority of religion and drove out and/or persecuted those who did not comply with their religious viewpoints. So, once again, the "priesthood" way in the Christian church came to America. 

From the Puritans, so many denominations broke off. Eventually the Catholics and Lutherans made their way to America and even more denominations broke off. Even today, our Non-denominational churches are, in fact, a denomination. 

Most churches follow the "Priesthood" pattern in the church, which was supposed to die when Jesus did. He was the final High Priest coming in the perfect Mechezledeck Priesthood. The final sacrifice for the atonement of our sins! No more temple, no more priests, no more sacrifices! 

Yet, almost every church in America follows this man made structure in the organized church today! There should not be 1 person over the church! It is supposed to be collaborative, as demonstrated in Corinthians! Jesus is the Head of the church, Ephesians says, not a man! 

Please give me Biblical truth that states we are supposed to sit and listen to one man talk about the Bible. And please use the scripture in context. Don't give me scripture about Paul preaching in the temple, because that was not church! That was evangelism to the Jews and Gentiles, who did not know Jesus! 

Please give me Biblical reference that says communion is done without a meal. Please give me scripture that says we are supposed to tithe post resurrection. Please give me scripture that says we are supposed to have an order of service that is the same each Sunday. And please give me scripture that says we are supposed to go to Bible college and get a degree to be worthy/qualified/ equipped to minister the gospel. 

The problem is... People in this country are so programmed to believe that the way we do church is correct, that they don't even question it. People are so programmed to believe that the pastor is at the head that they don't even know that Jesus is the head of the church and the cornerstone/foundation of the church. People are so programmed to believe that worship is music and songs that they miss out on the intimate encounters with the living God in the everyday, mundane tasks of our life. People are programmed to believe that God is an emotional experience that they can't even grasp what a a relationship with God looks like. People are so dependent on the programming, that they don't know how to depend on the Holy Spirit. People are so used to the church looking like the world... Corporate America... That they are walking away by the masses. People are so used to powerless doctrine that get slaughtered when the enemy comes. 

I could go on and on about how the American church has gone so far astray that people who make a commitment to be a Remnant Believer of Jesus Christ are looked at by the "priesthood churches" as dangerous. 

It is to be expected though, the Bible does warn about it...

" for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because  they  have itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn those ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Ephesians 4:11-16  and Acts 2:42-43 pretty much sums it up! 

My prayer for the American church  is that we may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that we may walk worthy of The Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in very good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from he power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:9-14

The Privileged

I am privileged.

I have been given an opportunity that very few people will ever experience in their life. 

This privilege does not raise me above other people, but rather gives me the perception to see eye to eye.

I was privileged to grow up in a community where color and race existed as a masterpiece of community, painted with love and valued as family! We were all neighbors, who became family and allowed our different backgrounds to marinate together in a flavorful abundance of love and community.

This family was rich in diversity. We lived life together in unity and celebrated each other. From Christmas parties to 4th of July BBQ's, we did life in a way that was beautiful. 

I was privileged to eat many different kinds of foods, celebrate in different holidays in different ways and experience love from many people. 

 I was raised for a time by Dorothy Woods, who helped my mom when she had back surgery. We swam in Brian's pool. I still have the wooden cradle my Crailford Court grandpa made me, who lived across the street.  We planted trees, slid in cardboard boxes down hills, raced in our Radio flyers and took walks

Some of us moved away, but we had already become a family, so we had a yearly reunion to stay connected. We went to high school and college graduations; We celebrated Jess and Maria Musquez​​'s Daughter getting married (she was the first of us kids); we had baby showers and birthday parties and get togethers.  We cried together because of divorce; we hurt for Dorothy Woods who had a stroke too early in life and for Kevin, her son, who also had a stroke too early in life. We grieved as a family when our sister Jennifer Clark died way too young!

More recently, when my mom was dying, all of the Crailford Court moms came to say their goodbyes to their sister. 

We were privileged to see color, religion and race as beautiful and rich. We were privileged to just be a family, as we are today.... If more people focused and strived for the privilege I had as a child and as an adult today, this world would be a more beautiful place.

 That privilege was given by God. The privilege to see people for who they are and not where they came from, the color of their skin or the money they have, the religion they follow, the mistakes they made.  That is the privilege called love, true agape love that is undefiled  and pure. 

It was the closest thing to a Utopian society I have ever seen or experienced. Only the Utopian state was not in equality of jobs or money or things, but rather a state of mind. A mindset that gave me the most solid foundation of love for all humankind. I have that Utopian mindset etched into my DNA and I am thankful for the privilege that Crailford Court Community gave me to experience such a marvelous perception of life!

My Crailford Court family was an anomaly in a stitch in time where all the elements were perfect to breed such a marvelous expression of love that we all still share today.