Church institution Part-2

In my last blog we were seeing why Jesus did not choose to centralize institutionalizing of the Church. You can click HERE in case you missed to read the last blog.

I am just thinking, what would today’s preacher or Pastor literally have done if he faced a situation like Jesus. Invariably, a big mega-church building project would have come up in almost every village, town and in a city. The preacher / pastor will be the new celebrity.  Plans to mobilize funds would have been the top priority. A largest auditorium would have been erected in a noticeable place to accommodate all the people. The preacher or the pastor would be the headlines in all the news all the week. In one gathering the pastor would address thousands of people.  It would be the highest fund turnover of all times. He would own almost anything, from helicopter, to airplane, ship, branded cars and probably an Island in his name. Soon the tag ‘international’ would be attached to his name and to his ministry. It looks so interesting and promising right?

It is an oxymoron and an assumed ideology to believe if we erect a Church building in all pin codes, towns, taluks, and cities, then the gospel by itself would spread and people will be saved! Christian presence is marked by number of Church buildings existing in a particular city or state. However, have you ever wondered why Jesus never did that? He could have always asked His people to build a large auditorium and called it as Church. And by the way, Jesus had many disciples and followers by then, who He could have entrusted with a Church for each one of them. Probably, that would have been the best prototype for us to follow as a pattern.  

It looked like a successful church model was emerging, but fortunately Jesus never intended Church that way at all.  Leonard Ravenhill Put’s it so beautifully “When I see the Church in the New Testament, they didn’t have stately buildings, they didn’t have paid evangelists, they didn’t have a lot of money, they didn’t have organization, they couldn’t get on TV and beg; but I’ll tell you what they did — THEY TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN!” Let’s give it some serious thought. Jesus had prominent funders with Him too. There was also a treasurer in His team. Then why did Jesus keep moving from one place to another leaving the crowd behind? Is Jesus a bad model for a pastor in today's standard? Analyse with me please if Jesus missed something or are we choosing to deliberately overlook something. Leaving all possibilities, Jesus takes the disciples to Caesarea Philippi filled with all types of gods and idols, and there He promises the establishment of a Church. He did not select a place to put a structure there but propelled a powerful movement which can soon govern not only a particular city but entire earth. Jesus' intention and purpose of building a Church was completely different than what we want it to be .  Jesus intended to built the Church on person, and eventually, people become His Church. Matthew 16:18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.".

To be continued...

 

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