What’s going on in the Church House Today? By Minister Speed

A recent study by The Barna Group, a California-based Christian research organization, found that about 13 million Americans whom the researchers identified as being born again were "unchurched ... not having attended a Christian church service, other than for a holiday ... at any time in the past six months."

In Gospel of Matthew was Jesus first use of “church” in Scripture. Jesus stated “on this rock I will build my church?” "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (Matthew 16:15-18).

When Jesus says He will build His church on this rock, He is referring to Himself, the rock.  Jesus Christ is the rock referenced throughout Scripture. When He makes this statement He is merely addressing Peter, Christ is not saying that He will build His church on Peter.  The “church” is spiritual; it cannot be built on a man.

The first problem is the church houses of today have been built upon the ideas and organizational skill of man.  If you look at most churches there is even a man’s name on the outside building.  The majority of church house are 501 C 3 Non-profit which means also that they are under the auspices of the Federal Government and not Jesus Christ. 

Click link below to See 501 C 3 church.....

 501 C 3 Controls the church

In looking at Holy Scripture the “Church” as presented in Scripture is, 

·  The body of Christ

·  All believers

·  All believers, Gentile and Jewish

·  All believers, of a town or city

·  All believers, of a fellowship

·  All believers, Old and New Testaments

·  All believers, male and female

·  The household of God

·  The Bride of Christ

2.    The church as presented in our culture is,

· That church building on the corner.

There are over tens upon tens of thousands of church houses in my town which has a population of 1,445,806.

· That Christian denomination.

Barna, cited a figure of 20,780 denominations in 1980 and projected that there would be as many as 22,190 by 1985.

Compare these two meanings for the church.

1.   The first is spiritual: made up exclusively of true believers in Jesus Christ, members and leaders. 

2. The second is secular: local, national and international organizations with unbelievers and believers, members and leaders.

 In an effort to make clear distinctions between the secular church and God's spiritual Church, I will differentiate my references to them by capitalizing Church, for the spiritual Body of Christ.

For example: There is still a remnant of the Church in the local Baptist church on Broadway.

The problem within the church house today

In my new book A Declaration To The Spiritual Soldier I identified several problems with the church house especially in America today. 

(Beginning of A Declaration to the Spiritual Soldier quote)

In the last 1900 years we have seen the church degrade into apathy and apostasy. Even through the reformation of old, there remain vestiges of carnal appendages which have stretched their tentacles into the modern day church causing a passive, placating, and politically correct spirit.  Many are deceived into thinking that being IN Christ is an automatic result of believing in Christ. 

There are two different principles on the path to Maturity in Jesus Christ. For example, in western society most will tell you they believe in Christ. They can tell you which church house they go to, quote certain scriptures, and even pay their tithes on time, but ask them God’s purpose for their lives, or what are they doing for God’s Kingdom, and they draw a blank. Ask them what it means to be IN Christ, and they will tell of believing on Christ.

To look for indicators in this lack of maturity, one could simply look at the dramatic decline of the church population in the past 30 years, or the staggering statistics regarding divorce amongst church going Christians in this day and age. There is also the active and practiced engagement of homosexual and sexual misconduct, including pornography, adultery, and fornication. These are but mere precursors to a host of debacles which the church suffers to persist in its Holy Sanctuary today. 

These ailments show a maladaptive behavior in the church of Jesus the Christ, not conducive to what Christ had in mind when He first built His Church.

At first glance, the church today appears to be at a zenith in purpose. In any city in America, on any street corner whether urban, rural, or a suburban location, you can usually see a building with a cross or some Christian insignia indicating a place of worship. But upon careful observation, this is where all continuity ends. The worship of Jesus Christ has taken on a circus like atmosphere. 

The main purpose is designed to not help bring about true conversion, but to say the right words to get the pews filled on a week to week basis. This equates to a consumer mentality.

The reason for this is clear. The world has changed and most pastors struggle to keep up with it. If they have a loyal following, they feel it necessary to teach according to the dictates of that crowd and not offend. If they don’t have a loyal following, then they understand the dynamics of trying to reach people who were raised without a God consciousness, people under 30 who don’t know God or the church at all. These pastors understand that we live in a pagan society meaning people don’t believe in Jesus, Jehovah, or the Holy Spirit. 

Ask any member of a church organization today why they go to church, and what they believe is the function of the church. You will receive just as many answers as the people you asked. There are those who look faithful, but only use the church as a social function. Many times these men and women are placed in leadership position because they are often times more than twice a week attendees.

Then there are the serious men and women who may not attend Church but once a week. They may be teaching Bible lessons at home or volunteering their time in services to the LORD in some other way as directed by the Holy Spirit. There are those who may not even attend traditional church service as you know it at all. I personally know hundreds of people who operate in this manner, and they are just as, if not more, successful in reaching out to the lost.

There is also the problem with scandals which have rocked the church leaders in the last 20 years. Because of the shifts and changes in the world, pastors, men and women, are not entering the ministry as before, and those who do, face a host of problems and issues that would make any CEO executive balk. Even so, it appears that the power of God is not as evident as a string of high profile divorces, and moral failing have weakened the public’s view of the church. 

There are many other factors of course which show the necessity for NewVival in the church today. There is of course the catastrophic decline of church members in the past from ministries which once flourished to now average traditional denominations being in crisis.

(End of A Declaration to the Spiritual Soldier Quote)

The first step in reversing this crisis is to listen to the call of Christ. His Word of grace calls us to obedience, to follow Him unconditionally with a faith-formed trust in His leadership. We trust the word spoken to His disciples before He ascended into heaven when He promised “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

It’s time to repent, get honest and take a look at the spiritual character that is lacking within us all and take a stand to allow God to move within us.

I have listed 3 principles which should propel us into a dynamic new area for Christ Church.

Growth

Hebrews 5:11-14 (NLT) "There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don't seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. 

Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God's word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn't know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong".

As believers, we are expected to grow like a child does. When you are young in your faith, God only expects for you to get the "milk"; there's more room to make mistakes because you're growing, learning, just like a child does. Verse 14 tells us that as we grow in life and in Christ, we have developed the "skills to recognize the difference between right and wrong" as a result of "maturing". 

If you can say that you've been a believer for x-amount of years and you're still making the same mistakes, you haven't grown as you should. Just imagine if my 13-year-old Son was still wearing diapers and eating jars of Gerber: wouldn't that seem strange? How much more, then, should we grow year to year in our walk with Christ? (1 Peter 2:2, 1 Corinthians 3:2-3 supports this)

Responsibility

In recent months, many Christian leaders have found themselves in hot water when the lives they lead behind closed doors suddenly were exposed to the public. From Eddie Long to Pastor Zachery Timms and many other leaders in the Body of Christ, this year has been a year of exposing -- that age old adage "what's done in the dark will always come to light" has reigned true for many in recent months. Some would argue that we are all imperfect, just fleshly beings that can't be regarded so highly that those who follow these leaders should fall and stumble because of their imperfections.   

I beg to differ!!!

The bible tells us that leaders in the church are held to a higher standard – 1st and 2nd Timothy both explore the expectations of church leaders (I Timothy 3:11) noting that their failure to be in right standing with God can have a greater impact beyond their own personal lives.

We have a responsibility to people. Yes, we are imperfect, but the charge to live upright even when you think no one is watching is clearly stated in the Word.

Ephesians 5:10-14 (NLT) says: Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible."

We have a responsibility not only to God, but to the people we lead. If for any reason we are found to be living a life of perpetual sin behind closed doors, we have the responsibility to shine light for the sake of repentance, not ridicule and judgment. 

In Revelation 3:19 (NLT), it reads, “I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference”.

The great and most important part about reproof and reprimand is that it should evoke a spirit of love and repentance to God and a sense of responsibility to the people to make things "right" with them. We (the body) are charged in James 5:19-20 to love people back into the fold (which would require us to acknowledge the wrong publicly, right?) and guide them back to their original standing in God.

We are even told to "confess ours sins to one another" so we may be able to address our issues and be made whole. How else do we do that lest we publicly confess them?

Obedience

At the same time, leaders (and yes, even us regular folk) are supposed to set themselves apart -- be different from the world -- in order to be used by God. No amount of talent, gifting, or anointing can replace the power of obedience and holiness.

In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:20-21)

What sin does is make it harder for us to be used by God. Had I never had a child out of wedlock, it would have been easier for me to navigate my purpose; certain hurdles I wouldn't have had to overcome had I been obedient to what I knew to be true. Thank God for grace, mercy, and second chances.

What does God want?

God is very concerned about winning souls -- and will win them at any cost. He will use the broken, beat up, and damaged to reach people to bring them into the kingdom. He will use singers, ministers, bishops, pastors, clerks; stay at home moms, firemen, bankers, anyone who is willing to use their life as a testimony to win souls.

 He is also excessively concerned about our personal lives and wants to see us do and be better. He expects for us to grow and change in Christ every day. He will always deal with our personal lives privately before allowing our sins to consume us and embarrass us publicly. 

Even then, He will use people to draw us back unto Him in order to get ourselves right and be more effective than we were before -- but we must be willing to grow, take responsibility, and be obedient to his direction. 

Selah

Jet Magazine Promotes Same Sex Marriage By Minister Speed

This so call magazine was once a standard bearer for African Americans.  A Black man was the Cross carrier for Jesus Christ, but today we hardly resemble the Proud and Majestic people who used the Power of the Holy Spirit to struggle to show the world what God’s power looked like. “My how the mighty have fallen.” My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.

Satan has infiltrated every entity of this world, even the Church of Yeshua itself. My God, My God, the Sodomite populations are approaching like roaches in the darkness. Every film, music, commercial, educational tool, and subliminal thought has their concerted effort behind it.

The spirit of political correctness, the spirit of passiveness, and of placation has come upon this once great nation and it is in its dying throes. America, America the great has fallen and become the habitation of every demonic and foul spirit from hell.

In 50 years the children will think this act as “Normal” There will be no outcry from Christians as that would be “judgmental” and we shouldn't show intolerance right !!!!

Most Christian and their kids look and act like the world. The only time they open their bibles is when they do decide to go to church. Most church houses are busy running a business instead of being about Gods’ business. No prayer in the homes, no speaking outright about what’s right and wrong from a biblical perspective. It appears we know more about T.V. shows like the “voice” and football playoff situation than we do The Word of God.

Satan has possessed a people that are on the ball. They will unite with a serious force and market and buy this now evil and wicked magazine and because they control the media.  You will see this magazine now being promoted with zeal all the while my people sit back on Facebook, their emails, and even in their churches, and do nothing. They will not assemble to strategy. They wait lethargically on Gods’ return as if they have no responsibility or accountability.

In the days of Christ 12 men conquered the world for the name of Jesus Christ. They did so without phones of any kind, faxes, T.V., cars, or bikes. Their ships were nothing but small crafts which would strike fear in our hearts today on the raging ocean. They had no refrigeration, no central heating, They has no 5 day weather forecast, no medication for every ailment, no Christmas, Halloween, Sweet heart, Valentine, or New year’s day.

You see in comparison to our day these 12 men were in abject poverty but I believe that they were living in the fullness of the richness of the Holy Spirit which we have abandoned. My God, My God, the church is the most powerful organization on the planet. In Revelation 19:7-8 it reads that the Bride of Christ has “made” herself ready. There are some things we must do to align ourselves to the Spirit.

We can’t talk about the Sodomites and we are aborting our young in the church, painting our kids faces on Halloween, spending countless hours at the clubs and watching T.V. and buying goods produced by the very people that are against us. This would mean we are unjust judges. 

In closing, I’ll say this.  There is not one Nation on this planet that stands for God. Be not deceived. Not one. There is not one entity saved the True Church on this planet whether it is education, medicine, media, military, music, ecology, or politics, that has made a stand for the One True God. They all stand for, uplift and perpetuate Satan and the destruction of the Government of God. That is why we are called to be in the world, not of it.  You can cancel my Jet Subscription right now!!!!

God is about to make His Holy Move on This Planet. Are you 100% sure that you are Prepared? Please know that I view sodomy as a sin against God.  Just like lying, stealing, murder.  The problem I see with this population they believe that their lifestyle is somehow immune from being a sinful one.  The bible says we were born into sin.  All must repent and come to Him through the blood of Christ.

I have posted a great link from Dr. Robert Jeffress on homosexuality.I believe it should clear up a lot of debate and answer questions you may have. 


http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/pathway-to-victory/player/what-to-say-to-those-who-are-gay-part-2-291340.html

The Decline of Christianity In America. By Minister Speed

Are we witnessing the decline of Christianity in America? When you examine all of the most recent poll numbers, the answer is inescapable. Christian churches in America are losing members rapidly, and this trend is especially dramatic among young Americans. According to a stunning new survey by America's Research Group, 95 percent of 20 to 29 year old evangelicals attended church regularly during their elementary and middle school years. However, only 55 percent of them attended church regularly during high school, and only 11 percent of them were still regularly attending church when in college.


Those numbers have got to be incredibly sobering to the evangelical Christian leadership in the United States. The reality is that young Americans are deserting the Church in America in droves. The other day we came across an article in Advertising Age that blew us away.

The article was discussing marketing and religion, but what impacted us so profoundly were some figures from the American Religious Identification Survey by the Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society & Culture at Trinity College. According to that survey, 15% of Americans now say they have "no religion" which is up from 8% in 1990.

That would be bad enough news for evangelical Christianity. But there is some more news from that survey that is much worse. In that same survey, 46% of Americans between the ages of 18 to 34 indicated that they had no religion. Forty. Six. Percent.


It is important to realize that not all of those 46 percent are unbelievers. According to a survey by Bohan Advertising/Marketing, the Barna Group and the United Methodist Church, 62 percent of Americans in that age group consider themselves to be "spiritual" (see my note entitled "what is spirituality), and 43 percent of them have prayed to some higher power in the last 2 months. But what it does mean is that almost half of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 do not identify themselves with any particular religion.


Remember in my new book entitled "A Declaration to the Spiritual Soldier" I wrote: "Many do not understand that millions under the age of thirty have no God consciousness. They have not accepted the tenants of Christianity and live a pagan lifestyle reflecting an if it feels good, then it must be good mindset. They are technologically advanced, politically astute, educationally empowered, but lack the necessary moral compass derived from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

In a way, they are a reflection of our brothers and sisters within the church who gives them credence to remain ignorant in God because they see no value or difference between Christianity and this world. To them the average Christian is hypocritical, ignorant, and a microorganism of the world itself".


When you look at more recent poll numbers for Christianity in particular, the numbers become even more staggering. Another new survey by the Barna group reveals that less than "1" percent of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 23 hold a Biblical worldview. This new poll data clearly demonstrates that the youngest adults in America are clearly rejecting traditional evangelical Christian teaching.


The Barna survey defined "a Biblical worldview" as holding all of the following six key beliefs: 1) Believing that absolute moral truth exists. 2) Believing that the Bible is completely accurate in all of the principles it teaches. 3) Believing that Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic. 4) Believing that a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or by doing good works. 5) Believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth. 6) Believing that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.


So what do all of these poll numbers mean? They mean that evangelical Christianity has totally lost almost an entire generation of American young people. Meanwhile, the Christian Science Monitor recently published an article about the "coming evangelical collapse" that they believe is coming. They openly predict that "within two generations, evangelicalism will be a house deserted of half its occupants." Ouch!

The reality is that nearly all Christian denominations are rapidly losing members at this point. The most recent American Religious Identification Survey demonstrates this fact very clearly. According to that survey, the percentage of Americans who call themselves Christians has dropped more than 11% since 1990.

The survey also reports that Catholics, Baptists and other mainline Protestant churches have seen very large drops in numbers. However, Islam, Wicca and eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism showed large gains in the survey. The long-term trends look even more frightening for the churches in America. According to LifeWay Research, membership in Southern Baptist churches will fall nearly 50 percent to around 8.7 million Americans by the year 2050 if current trends continue.

But even more bad news for evangelical Christianity in America is that those who still call themselves Christians do not necessarily hold to traditional Christian beliefs any longer. Two other recent surveys reveal that the majority of American Christians believe that accepting Jesus Christ as savior is NOT the only way to eternal life. USAToday recently reported on an almost unbelievable new survey that found that 52 percent of American Christians believe that eternal life is not exclusively for those who accept Jesus Christ as their savior.


A different survey that was taken last year by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life found that 57 percent of evangelical Christians in America believe that "many religions can lead to eternal life". That shocking study revealed what many evangelical leaders have known for a long time - large number of "Christians" in the United States are throwing traditional Christian doctrines into the dumpster. Evangelical Christians have traditionally been those who follow the teachings of the Bible most literally.

But these new surveys indicate that even a majority of them do not believe in the most fundamental precepts of the Christians faith any longer. For example, in John 14:6 Jesus says the following: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." If there was another way for our sins to be forgiven, then why did Jesus need to die on the cross? If there were other ways to salvation, then Jesus could have come down to earth, pointed out a bunch of other ways to get to heaven, and then could have gone back up to heaven without having to deal with the cross.

But the reality is that there was no other way for our sins to be paid for. And yet these new surveys reveal that a majority of American Christians now believe that there are plenty of other ways to get to heaven.


The Pew survey referenced above also revealed that 45% of Americans say that they seldom or never read their religion's holy books. Perhaps if more American Christians were actually reading the Bible they would know what is truth and what is error. Instead, American Christians have surrounded themselves with preachers and self-help coaches and "feel-good" ministers who tell them what they want to hear, who always make them feel comfortable and who never, ever tell them about sin, holiness or the judgment of God.

The current situation in the churches of America reminds us of 2 Timothy 4:3..... For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.


The reality is that past generations of America faithfully filled up churches across the nation that were preaching the Word of God, but today the vast majority of Americans stay home from church each week, and many of the churches that are still drawing crowds are watering down their messages as much as they can in a desperate attempt to hold on to the people who are still there. Dave Olson, the director of church planting for the Evangelical Covenant Church, has done some really interesting research into the church attendance patterns of Americans.

Olson's research found that the percentage of Americans that regularly attend church is only 18.7%. In addition, his research shows that if current trends continue, the percentage of the U.S. population that attends church each week in 2050 will be about half of what it is today. All of these polls and surveys tell us the same thing: Christianity in America is in a serious state of decline - especially among young people.


Many Christian leaders who read this article will try to deny it or will try to make excuses. But all of these polls are not lying. The truth is that we need to examine ourselves. Is God moving where you worship? Do our churches look like the authentic Christian movement that we read about in the book of Acts? Are our lives significantly different from what we see in the world? Are our services lifeless, joyless exercises in futility? Do we truly have great love for one another and a passion to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ? 

If we want any chance to win back the next generation, then we are going to have to get back to the real thing. If you do not have "the real thing" in your church, then it is time to start asking yourself some really hard questions.

Order a copy of "A Declaration To The Spiritual Soldier"

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-declaration-to-the-spiritual-soldier-jimmie-speed/1111851448?ean=9780979047954