Andrew Strom – northphoenixhousechurch.com

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?

INDIVIDUALISM – ENEMY of THE CHURCH

We live in an utterly individualistic and “self”-oriented age today. I’m sure few would disagree. Every advertisement appeals to ‘self’ in some way. We are taught from childhood to be completely self-contained, reliant on no-one, living in our own little bubble where we decide exactly what will take place. We are often frightened to commit to any particular group or cause, any particular leadership. The modern man is an “individualist” to the core. “Don’t ask me to join or commit! And don’t tell me how to live my life!”

But all of this, of course, is the exact opposite of “Body”. It is the exact opposite of ‘Community’. And thus the exact opposite of the true Church. And yet millions upon millions of Christians today (especially in the West) are just as “individualistic” as the next man. Sometimes even more so.

As noted previously, the very first sentence used to describe the early church says: “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42).

That is the very picture of a BODY – not a pile of “individualists”. They have GIVEN themselves to a group and a cause – a group with real LEADERS who are anointed preachers from God. But it is almost anathema for a modern person to give themselves to any group in such a way. We are far too suspicious and individualistic and untrusting to ever do such a thing. And thus the question must be asked: Is it even possible to have true “BODY” in our day? Is “CHURCH” (in the true sense) even a concept that we can understand? Or have the media and our entire culture so “individualized” us that true ‘Body’ is no longer possible?

You know, Christianity is not designed to be lived out by a pack of “individualists”. And half-committed “building-attenders” on Sunday mornings are not it either. Christianity is designed to be lived out CORPORATELY – the “Body of Christ” – an entity that can be seen and observed by people – full of the glory of Jesus. A Body that corporately carries all the words and power and love and miracles of the King.

So how on earth can such a “gathering” take place? How can the scattered remnant of today come together to form such a Body? Well, it all starts with the anointed “word”. You notice in the above verse that these people gathered around a very specific thing – “The apostles’ doctrine and fellowship”. It is an anointed apostolic “word” being preached that is a crucial element in all this. From such a ‘word’ everything else follows and comes into alignment.

But the big question is- Could today’s “individualistic” types bring themselves to form a real ‘Body’ – even if such a word was being preached? Or is individualism so ingrained that even ‘apostolic’ preaching might not bring this about? Individualistic types want to tear down the local body, not build.

These are questions that every one of us should be asking ourselves if we ever hope to be part of a true movement of God in these Last Days.

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