Below is an excerpt from Secrets of the Early Church by Andrew Strom, first printed in 2004. You may agree with his thoughts or get deeply offended. I believe both responses are fine if they lead to honest discussions, but maybe it is time to get our hammers out?
Lately I have been taking a long, hard look at the state of the Western church, and how bad things have really become. And I have come to the sad conclusion that today’s religious system really is “killing” people. It is the ‘system’ itself that is doing this. It is set up in such a way that it is actually PREVENTING millions of people from coming into the kingdom. And thus, couldn’t it be said that it is actually sending MILLIONS to hell?
I know that is a radical thing to say. But isn’t it a fair conclusion to come to, at the end of the day? There are well over 100 million people attending ‘church’ every week in America. But how many of them are actually walking in the kingdom? How many are walking in true salvation? Or how many are headed for HELL because they are locked in a system in which they are never taught the BASIC ESSENTIALS of New Testament Christianity?
The religious system is imprisoning and destroying millions of people. It is a conclusion I had to reach. Most of them do not even have the BASIC GOSPEL preached to them anymore. If the original apostles heard what passes for the “gospel” today they would be horrified. I am convinced that there are millions upon millions of totally UNSAVED people sitting in our churches every week. And most of them are beyond our reach. They are locked away in systems in which they will NEVER hear the truth.
I have to admit that even the Pentecostal/Charismatic system (which is my own background) is pretty much as bad as the others. In some areas it is worse. Multitudes of people are being told they are “OK” when clearly they are not. They are being fed candy-coated half-truths. How many are truly right with God or have a deep walk with Him? Isn’t it true that many are not “saved” at all?
It is clear to me that we need to wage a “war” on their behalf. Not a war against people, but a war against the ‘lies’ that imprison them. “We do not war against flesh and blood”. So it is not ‘people’ that we are fighting. It is the lies and deceptions that need to be brought down. The Truth will set them free.
We need to see people repent deeply from sin. We need to see the ‘fear of the Lord’. We need to see good foundations laid in people’s lives. And then we need to see liberty and a deep walk of communion and intimacy with God. We need to see full New Testament Christianity. “Romans 8” Christianity, where people walk before God with “no knowledge of present sin” – a totally clean conscience before Him. And when these people gather and fellowship it is truly the ‘Body of Christ’. The “Religious System” is in the way of all of this – even today’s “Full Gospel” Religion quite often. It is keeping people sated with half-truths and a kind of ‘half-Christianity”. A “go to church on Sunday and you’ll be alright” mentality. It really has to go. And so it is time for war. It is time to contend for these people with every ounce of Truth that we possess. It is time to smash down the lies and bring God’s people out into the light. Religion is killing them. “Let my people go”.
Excerpt form Chapter Eight, Is our “Religious System” Killing People?
4 replies on “Get Your Hammers Out”
Well said. I’m going to save this one.
Thank you!
This is not a new thing. It’s been going on since the second century. Really it’s just a cultural war. Most people are of this world and thus have adopted it’s cultural. There is a reason the Bible refers to people as sheep. They need to follow the Good Shepherd rather than the herd.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 7:13-14
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
Matthew 23:13-14
Even so, we have our marching orders.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
Sweet