(Photo Credit: MentalFloss)
The word, ''Church'', has been highly misunderstood in the secular world. The real meaning attached to the word has not been well digested by many believers because of the perspective with which the word has been looked at.
Church as a word is ambiguous. It can be used to mean 'a building where Christains gather to worship'. Secondly, and most importantly, Church is known as the body of Christ (Luke 22: 19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:16)
The body of Christ is a body made up of men whose spirits have been recreated, and are having the nature of God in them. It is a body of people who have the life of God in them: eternal life. This is the view of the protestants.
Therefore anybody who though goes to a building of worship, but has not his spirit recreated is not part of the body of Christ (1 John 4:8). It is the body of men whose spirits have been made perfect. This means that the CHURCH is made up of PEOPLE (1 Corinthians 12: 27)
Churches as social gatherings are mostly registered under the relevant Laws as Incorporated Trustees depending on the jurisdiction.
These gatherings or places of worship are otherwise now tagged as denominations.
Often, many men have mistaken the church to mean the conglomeration of these different denominations put together. For example, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Depper life, Winners Chapel, Greater Evangelism and so on, when put together, is what they believe is the Church of Christ. But this is not correct. Those are places meant to learn the word of God.
The Church are the humans that have truly repented of their sins and are living a godly life, whether it is one in denomination A, two in denomination B, one in denomination C, and four in denomination Z.
We must know that not all denominations are established by God. Many of the so called prophets and pastors of many denominations are not from God (1 John 4:1). So God is concerned about the humans and not the gathering centres per se. This implies also that the gifts of the Holy Spirit is not to be given to the denominations but the humans. Also, the offices for administration is not to be held by denominations but humans.
Emphasis is laid on this because it is now a general notion in Christendom that God gives offices to denominations. For instance, I have heard people say Church A has the gift of praying (That is if there is such a gift in the first place), B has the gift of healing, C has the gift of teaching, D has the gift of prophesy.
I even hear people say that Church F has been blessed with the gospel of prosperity; so do your own while we do ours. This is not God's idea of His Church.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit is not given to denominations but human beings and though denominations abound, God will not give one denomination a particular gift and another denomination another gift. Rather, God will give some Christains a particular gift or some gifts, and another Christain another gift or gifts. (Ephesians 14:11/ Romans 12:6/ 1 Corinthians 12:28).
In denomination A, there may be most likely many people, sometimes, 1000 or more. Assuming all one thousand folks are true Christains, God will distribute his gifts to all of them as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:11). One denomination cannot be known for only one thing because there is most likely more than a very few Christains there (Even though few): That is, so far as the head pastor is truly anointed by God.
The display of different patterns of worship is evidence that the spirit who rule these denominations are not one. God is not an author of Confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). God cannot tell Church A something different over a thing and turn around to tell Church B something entirely different about the same thing. God is the Same yesterday, today and forever.
Some say that their callings are different. Your faces might be different but if it is God that indeed truly did the calling, then the message will be one concerning a subject matter. It is one spirit, one baptism and one faith (Ephesians 4:5-6).
The SPIRIT of God cannot give church A a different interpretation to a scripture and then turn around to give church B a contrary interpretation to the same scripture. That is confusion and God's hand can never be in it. It is either the person is not of God, or maybe of God but he or she mistakenly misinterprets a part of the scripture, in which case if the person truly love God, he will accept correction once it is better explained to him or her. But where denominations say things obviously even against what Jesus Christ himself had taught or what Brother Paul got as a divine revelation, it then means that the spirit ruling them is not of God.
Let us not deceive ourselves; TWO CANNOT WORK TOGETHER EXCEPT THEY AGREED (Amos 3:3). God cannot bend Himself for men, but men for Him.
While the church which is the true body of Christ is ONE, denominations are never ONE. I repeat, they are NEVER ONE because MANY FALSE PROPHETS ARE GONE INTO THE WORLD. Hence the charge to try the spirit. Can't you see the contradictory teachings of many denominations? How can the same spirit create such confusion and then in the same contradictory sermons, make the teachers to be so confident about the contradictions? Don't you know that you are expected to try the spirit before following?
Members of the true Church or body of Christ have one understanding. They do not contradict themselves neither do they serve God in mixed patterns. They have the same understanding, the same knowledge and belief because the spirit ruling them is ONE.
The Church divided against itself is not the church of God. Many have tried to console themselves by saying that we all serve the same God; It may hurt you but that is not true, we all do not serve the same God. Very few are the foundations known by God.
For the god that tells you to kill and not spare your enemies cannot be the same God that tells the next man to love his enemies. The god that demands for effigies for worship cannot be the same God that ask the next man to work by Faith. This I say eventhough we all are expected to tolerate one another. Yes, Mr. A is to tolerate Mr. B and even respect him but that does not make them ONE. This goes to every centre that gather in the name of Christ But teach things contrary to what Jesus himself had taught.
The body of Jesus Christ is too perfect to be associated with what the denominations of these days have presented. And again, that some denominations agree to one message over a subject matter does not necessarily mean that the spirit that rule them is of God because the Devil has been known for always deceiving man with his own wisdom. The standard to know the true Church of God is the fruits of the Spirit.
Repent and be part of this true body.
(The Proliferation of Churches is a design of the Devil ---- M.K. Odubo)
Ebi Robert