The Importance of the Church

My precious brothers and sisters,

I hope this letter finds you well. In this same hope, I believe you will take it in its intended spirit. I come to you in the spirit of God, which is love, and is made possible by the Holy Ghost, which is Christ. In saying this, I greet thee in the name of Jesus Christ, the name above all names, the word made flesh, who is alive and well, living among us, within us.

I am an observer, among many things. In my observations, I often see the many illusory ways that the devil works within the wind. His army, Legion, comes in like a flood, washing away all who do not stand upon the solid rock. This happens in different ways time and time again with various subjects. Once an individual catches wind of a contrary thought and does not recognize it as contrarious, he takes to social media in our modern day. He spreads a false doctrine like wildfire with the powers of social media, parroting it before preaching without a single thought in the mind of Christ.

This is why I draw attention to the importance of observation: the enemy has many titles, and an observer is among them. He has observed, nay, even known us far longer than we have known ourselves. 

In fairness, not many know their scriptures well enough to understand that false prophets speak to them, mainly because the world’s pastors lack the courage, discipline, and desire to preach doctrine. They value popularity over people and likability over love. Hence, the reason I am so critical of the denominations is not because I hate the people within them but because I love them. Like my Father, I do not desire that all of you be fooled, taken by the devil’s tricks. Ironically, even without possessing the fullness of the word of the Lord revealed through the prophet of the age, you all have come to the same conclusion concerning denominations on your own. 

But even with proper revelation, the devil can deceive a believer. Hence, this prose’s inspiration.

The church, as we understand it, based on the scripture, is not a building but a people. The very term can be connected to ‘being called out,’ meaning God calls you out of the world to be in His body. Many confuse this with going to church or having different beliefs than the world to a moral and spiritual degree, but many claim that they believe and are still a part of the world. There is only one way to the Father, to Heaven, and that is through Christ. With this revelation, we understand the meaning of being born again in the spirit, for in being born again, we realize that the body of Christ, the church, is a nation of individuals with the same spirit: the Holy Ghost.

Thus, the exodus of believers leaving denominations is revelatory as long as it is conducted in good faith and with respect for the church you are attending. A proper exodus is performed only through constant prayer, meditation, and finding a destination to go to after leaving.

The last bit here is the most important. 

Yes, the mass exodus is reasonable, given that the people are coming out of the great deception, but it is of no effect if you go from one deception to another. Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way. To further a revelation with a contrary thought is not of God and, therefore, cannot be blessed by Him. More than this, it is a surefire way to grant the devil access to your soul and lead you to damnation.

Now I ask, is the building that we call a church important? Must we enter a building on Sunday and Wednesday to be saved? If so, do we find a contradiction? 

The building we call a church is a congregation point, meaning that the body comes together to fellowship, worship, and learn. Yay, though the building may be a home, a park, or a mountaintop, and wherever the body comes together in His name, there shall He be, there is still an order that was placed by the apostle Paul many years ago. It should be known that God is a God of order, and He has placed his order in the five-fold ministry in the congregation, which assembles most commonly in a building. This is where we hear God speak to us most directly through the minister, His chosen vessel, to edify our body, teach us, heal us, and give us the Holy Ghost, filling us with the same. Therefore, to be a part of God’s program, you must follow His gospel gate through the evangelists, teachers, prophets, apostles, and pastors, comprising the five-fold ministry, the pastor being the chief among these. Not all of these are exclusive to the confines of a building, which is to say that we can evangelize, teach, and prophesy in public. The pastors will always be central to a flock, the congregation, which is foremost on Sunday and Wednesday in a building. From there, additional meeting grounds will be agreed upon, but the primary and most commonplace of the pastor will be among his herd. 

Understand that the purpose of this prose section is not to place importance on the building but to clarify why we have one. 

You must have a pastor; you must have a ministry; you must be taught right under ordained tutors and governors through the apostles who will be placed and raised by the Lord, properly establishing church order. This is what the apostle Paul did, and in this understanding, we follow in his footsteps, for they were not only the strides of a man but ordained ones by God, made possible by the Holy Ghost. 

By faith, we know that this is still possible today. 

Therefore, we must go to church, but to that end, we must find a church that follows God’s word, not by our leading but by the leading of the Holy Spirit, who, when sought in sincere, fervent prayer, will answer. Until then, my brothers and sisters, you must stay put. You must go to church as often as you can so that your spiritual body can be nourished. I know we can feed our spirit in different ways, but this is not a sustainable approach to retaining our relationship with God and the strength of the inner man. 

We must have fellowship, a shepherd, and a doctrine if we are to survive. I caution you, my beloved: do not believe your mind alone is enough to sustain your spirit. It is, in fact, not and will lead you to your destruction. This thought process is how dogmas are made and how false prophets rise. This is how millions are deceived daily.

Be found by Christ where he is today, in his body of believers.