Who’s really running the church?
March 20, 2006
Christians believe that the church was ordained by God and represents the presence and influence of Jesus Christ on earth. The casual observer may be excused for looking askance at that assertion. Christians also believe that the church members are not exempt from human failings, an attribute commonly ascribed to the influence of the Devil.
How the Devil Wants to Run Our Churches - byFaith Online
If Jesus is Lord, then He runs the church. The trouble is, though, that Satan is always grabbing at the controls. What is the devil trying to do?
My concept of a Devil is strongly influenced by what C.S. Lewis wrote in his delightful little book, The Screwtape Letters. It’s all so believable to anyone hanging around churches.
Bounds begins by asking this question: What is the truest measure of a church’s strength? His answer is, “True strength lies in the vital godliness of the people. The aggregate personal holiness of the members of each church is the only true measure of strength. Any other test offends God, dishonors Christ, grieves the Holy Spirit, and degrades religion.” To put it another way, the strength of any church is the work of the Spirit in conforming its members to the life of Christ.
The going gets pretty heavy here. The quest for personal holiness gets bad press, even from within the church, but I think my Free Methodist friends are on to something important here. Anyway, the article and the attendant Holiness Manifesto should be required reading for anyone seriously interested in the church.
Dave, pursuing holiness but never quite catching it.
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