Rage Against the Machine

I was recently party to a conversation between a few individuals from varying ilk within the Apostolic Movement. Everyone involved seemed to have their own opinions as to the current status of the Movement and subsequent reasons for the attrition that is becoming all the more prevalent.

I’ve never been known to run from a good argument.

The conversation had it’s genesis in and around the subject of individuals talking about their journey, or seeking GOD, or any other such statement. I got the distinct impression that these types of expressions—in the opinions of those conversing—are not appropriate for an Apostolic. One participant made the statement, “This ain’t no journey. We’ve arrived! We are here!”

Hmmmmmmmm.

To assume that we are not on a journey to salvation is a total denial of 2 Peter 1:5-11 where the apostle provides us with a list of godly characteristics that should be added to our faith. This Text demonstrates that there is more to salvation than simply receiving the faith. Throughout Paul’s letters to the 1st Century Community we find him admonishing the new believers to move toward spiritual maturity; another example of growth, or a journey—if you will.

This also brings to mind another question: if we’ve arrived, or we are here, does that mean that we should no longer hope on Christ’s appearing? Is this really all there is? Is Spirit-baptism the epitome of our relationship with GOD. Does the fact that we’ve arrived mean that we shouldn’t seek a relationship with GOD at all? If so, why then is the underlying theme of the entire Text GOD’s plan to return humanity to right relationship with Him?

Another statement that simply made no sense to me was, “All these people who just want to analyze Scripture. Just listen to your pastor!”

Again, what?

Where in the Text does it say to blindly follow men called by GOD? This same individual denied that Paul’s instruction to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:14-16 applied to anyone other than Timothy. This is yet another example of cherry picking Text to fit a personal credenda. Don’t get me wrong, I am not espousing a practice of ignoring GOD-delegated authority. However, if GOD had intended that we simply blindly follow the instructions handed down by preachers, He would have never given us access beyond the veil; there would have been no need to move away from Judaism, and grace would have been pointless.

Pastors are gifts given by GOD for the perfecting of the saints until we all come to the unity of the faith, not for us to check our brains at the altar once Spirit-baptized. GOD’s mission is not for His people to connect with Him through an intermediary; He wants to relate with us Himself. Why else would He make comparison after comparison of His relationship with His Bride to that of a husband and wife. Saying that the only way that we should interact with GOD is through our pastor is the same as saying that the only way a husband and wife should be intimate is by listening to someone else talk about intimacy. At some point you have to get up off the couch and get into the bedroom and let the relating begin. Yes, our pastors are integral, but they are not the determiner of our personal relationships with our GOD. How can we know the voice of our Shepherd if we only listen to the under-shepherd?

The sad thing is that this thinking is more the norm in the Apostolic Movement than not. It’s time to wake up and realize that this mindset is one of the primary causes of the attrition that we are experiencing, not a collective of compromise. In fact, if more time was spent teaching the laity to personally interact with GOD regularly, and if there were more personal interaction with GOD, there would be less compromise. The flip side is that many of our pulpits would become silent because too many of our preachers don’t have a clue how to preach or teach to people who are truly knowledgeable of the Text. Take away the clothesline and introduce real-life principles and far too many are left speechless and sadly ignorant of true Christianity.

Do you want to hear true holiness teaching? Here goes: talk to GOD, daily. Read His Word, daily. Honestly seek (yeah, I said it) GOD and ask Him to illuminate His Word, His Character, His Mission to you, daily. Ask Him to guide your footsteps, and to check you when you’re moving away from Him, daily. Die, daily. Fall in love with Him, daily. Do all of this and you won’t need someone standing behind a pulpit telling you the length of your shirt sleeves, or some other standard that is more based on denominationalism than on actual Text.

We can no longer complacently sit on the sideline with our collective head in the sands of our credenda-driven pathos, simply willing to accept the status quo. Now is the time for us to rage against the machine of religion and denominationalism that is choking the life out of the followers of the Apostolic Faith. We need to accept the fact that we don’t have all of Truth, but have been given a glimpse of Him, but won’t see much more until we return to Him. We need to stop converting people to pentecostalism and begin truly discipling them to GOD.

The time has come to rage, rage against the attrition; rage against the ignorance; rage against the lack of intimacy. Not against people, against mindsets.

There’s more that GOD desires for His people to do. Are we ready?