THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS SUGGEST
HOW THE TRUE CHURCH SHOULD LOOK
AND HOW TRADITION HAS MADE IT INTO SOMETHING ELSE.

What is the nature of fellowship in God? How does the concept of "The Church" relate to the life of believers? What is the importance of ritual and programs in the life of a "Church?" The following will address the question of the nature of the true church and the nature of the fellowship of all believers. Institutional Christianity has done disservice to us by presenting the life of God as being predicated upon church house activities, services that occur inside a physical edifice!

The TRUE Church is a Spiritual Body Comprised of All Believers

Christianity is not a philosophical belief system. Christianity is not an ideology. Christians are not Christians by virtue of their attending a particular church or denominational fellowship. We are not a Christian because our mother or father told us that we were. We are not Christians by default because we are not Buddhist, Hindu or Muslim. God has no second generation Christians. "God has no grandchildren!) We are not even a Christian by virtue of an act of your own will or choosing! We are a Christian believer because Almighty God enabled you to believe through His hand of Grace upon you. You are brought into the fellowship of the son of his love, Jesus the anointed.

An Encounter With God

The Gospel message teaches that believers are supernaturally joined into an elect (elected) spiritual body. After our names have been written in the Book of Life. Our names are not written in the Book of Life by God without our knowing it! The day we become a believer is the day that we have our personal God ENCOUNTER! Rather it should be said, the day we have our personal God incounter is the day we become a believer! In this encounter he touches us. He begins to transform us, and he fills us to overflowing with his presence. We will never walk in the darkness of unbelief again! God is experiencial not theoretical. "Behold all things become new!" (2 Corinthians Chapter 5;17.) In the years that we live in this world we witness a lot of religious behavior through 'church-related' activities but we have witnessed very little of the 'manifestation of God' occuring within the institutional church.

Forms of Godliness Without Power

Writing in the second letter to the 2-Corinthians in Chapter 6.14, Paul exhorts believers not to 'unequally yoked' to unbelievers. The unredeemed whose remain under the domain darkness of the devil. The admonition concludes that we should dis-attach ourselves from that which has an appearance of Godliness but is without (spiritual) Power! This exhortation is also part of the serious admonition Paul has written to Timothy, both in 1 Timothy C.4 and in 2nd Timothy C.3 We are advised to have no fellowship with those practicing a "form" of godliness but have no experience of the "power of God."

Most of what we see in our culture as representing Christianity in no more than formalistic, tradition-bound religion. It does not teach or emphasize the power of God or the reality his fellowship with us.

Here are some practical definitions of religion.
Man's attempt to explain God or God's ways; Second hand or third-handed accounts about God or understand the truth revealed in God's word; Rituals and customs which are presumed to gain favor with God; Forms of Godliness without manifesting God's presence or power; Things that happen inside of church buildings The Church is not a Building

The Greek word "Ek-kles-sia" is the word translated "church." Its definition refers clearly to those who are called out, "the called out ones." In the writing of Peter's letter, Peter a disciple and apostle declares: " You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special and peculiar people, that may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9.)

The "Church" is this body of called out people. The word church to most of us has come to refer to a building or a place of worship. Some habitually call the church building "God's house." However, the true church is a NOT a building but the spiritual body to which we gave reference. The apostle said, "Do you not know that you are the temple?" When believers come together even as few as two or three and we gather in Jesus' name, he promises to manifest himself in their midst. Thus the body of Christ gathers itself together in fellowship. This is the church, the body of believers.

The Body is the Living Body of Christ in the Earth

Jesus walked the earth and ministered in the flesh. He is now the head of the church and walking in the flesh in us as the body of those who believe. Any who do not believe that Jesus has come in the flesh expresses the spirit of anti-Christ. (1John 2,3)This also addresses the Gnostic heresy prevalent from the first century and afterword.

Sometimes things have to be repeated to jolt us out of our lethargy. The reality of Christ in the flesh has got to impact our theology! It is so amazing so full wonderment that for it to be a mere concept is to indicate a kind of spiritual deadness.

The Body of Christ is comprised of many members. (See 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, 1 Per 4.) The BODY has many parts and many needful giftings which God has chosen to impart. Each member has a part to play, each member is needed and has significance. We are members of him and one another. Each is a part of Jesus Himself. Christ's love characterizes his Body. He is one with it as a husband and his bride are one. The union of the body is a great mystery. Christ is the head over it. The fullness of the spirit which filled Christ is fully and freely available to every member of The Body. We honor the Body. We love its members. We do not declare war against ourselves by speaking evil against a brother or sister in Christ. We also are given the task of sharing in its growth and edification, therefore each of must contribute of our gifts to its growth and health.

A Mystical and Spiritual Life

The true church is a spiritual body chosen from heaven. It is connected to heaven by the Holy Spirit to the enthroned Christ. In the book of the Acts, people heard the Gospel, believed the word preached, and made a public witness confirming that they believed that Jesus was the one begotten Son of God who was given as a sacrifice for them. They were given power and authority (right to) become "sons of God". When this public confession is made the Spirit of God came upon them and us with transforming power with the experienced of the miracle of the New Birth. Old things pass away and new things come,
(2 Corinthians 5;17.)

New Godly love came upon the believer, a new bond of fellowship came with it also. They gathered into houses and praised and worshipped God. Men and women prophesied, The Scriptures were read with enlightenment and they knew God and Christ were assuredly in their midst. This was the church of the Book of Acts. Since that day his body has never left it was only added-to. It is the same spiritual body that we may join. The attributes of Jesus Spirit were the source of the transformation. It was and is not achieved by self effort! The parable of "abiding in the vine" illustrates this phenomena.

The Body Must  Manifest the Love of Jesus

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." (1 John 3:1) "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." (1 John 3:16)

The power and redemptive quality of God's love has to have a place to manifest and to shine as a light. It is in this body of believers that it shines. Those who see enlightened believers who are Spiritually aflame see kindness and affection that is unlike the rest of the world.

In the fellowship of Christ there is openess (or the bond) of affection among true believers not mere civility. It is "unfeigned love." There is a sense of care and sharing because we have the nature of God's love within us. Perfect love, the Scripture says, casts away all fear.

The self consciousness of the unredeemed man or woman does not allow freedom and openess in shared affection. While the unredeemed person is fearful of being hurt or looking foolish of such openess and vulnerability, these fears vanish in the life of the Spirit of Christ.

Our Heart's First Call is to Fellowship
For generations the church institution has been exalting leadership while fellowship in terms of horizontal relationships has been impoverished and neglected!

All of us crave companionship and fellowship. Believers crave and hunger for the fellowship of others of like faith. It is not only this inner desire fueled by God's nature but the fact that "we are edified through love" in this fellowship. Thus  all are prepared to share this common life with others. This is why that fellowship is essential.

The word for this fellowship that God initiates in us is called in the Greek "Koinonia."

Koinonia has several important meanings associated to it; sharing, fellowship, communion, support, and participation. All of these things describe the fellowship we have with God and through God.

Because of the power (an empowering grace) that God supplies we are first able to share his Spirit and his nature, we therefore have fellowship with Him. We become partakers of the Divine nature of God. We become "bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh," an expression used to describe 'marriage.' It is this "Bond of Love" that is Jesus' description of the church, His Body (Ephesians 4) and His Bride, (Revelation 21).

The Church is First Called to Fellowship
(Secondly to Service (to manifest and to minister as Christ ministered)

We are each are given the ability through supernatural enablements to do the works that Jesus did. (For this purpose the son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the Devil.") This was the mission that God gave to Jesus. Jesus announced his mission by reading the prophetic text, in Isaiah 61 as recorded in Luke 4:18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised," You might also note that the scripture Jesus quoted omitted the portion that address wrath and judgment which are in another dispensation beyond the age of grace.
 

No Believer is Expected to Minister or Live the Christian Life by His Own Strength or Natural Ability

The power from God (the Holy Spirit baptism at Pentecost) empowered or enabled all of the disciples to receive supernatural abilities: Many theological traditions exclude this divine enablement and see the life of disciples at the time the Bible book of Acts as different from God's operation in the present day. This 'cessationist' doctrine is extremely unfortunate. Any doctrine that is denied or excluded can not be received by faith. Please, my friends be assured. Take the word of one who has seen, touched and tasted the reality of the present manifestation of God's power, that this spiritual enablement exists today. Spiritual enablement exists for anyone who can set aside his or her own natural abilities to seek, with faith, and to receive the "down payment of our divine inheritance,"(read Ephesians 1:13,14). regarding the giftings from the Holy Spirit.

Who Ministers the Gospel?

The disciples of Jesus saw and heard many wonderful things as they walked with the Master, the Son of God. But after 3 years of walking with Him, seeing all the wonders, and hearing all the teaching, they were told, " - wait in this city (Jerusalem) until you are supplied with POWER from heaven." Jesus' disciples needed a power which was above their own, a power divinely enabled by God, to minister with the intentions that Jesus required of them. With there natural abilities they could have they could have told amazing stories, recounting Jesus' life and teaching, but the Lord wanted something more than this to qualify these disciples for ministry. He wanted them to share in the same empowered mission and vision proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom. The disciples were appointed the same manner of executing the Gospel in which he Jesus, himself was sent. The disciples were to be equipped with a new kind of love a love empowered by God to perfectly love one another. The disciples were to be equipped with the same Spirit which was in the Messiah.

The Holy Spirit provided power, love and a new mind. The disciple who was to minister needed a Spiritual transplant so they could be after His image.

Making Disciples

Disciples were chosen by Jesus as He walked the shores of Galilee. He is still making disciples today. He chooses men and women. He reveals himself to them. He changes their nature. He prepares them with wonderful gifts from heaven that are freely given by grace.

Growing into the stature of Christ

Disciples reach out to make other disciples. Christ's Spirit works in them to reveal a love and compassion which cares about the lost and the hurting; to have a heart for those who are oppressed and bound.

We do not minister with the objective of enrolling a candidate for church membership. We meet their needs and share the promises of Christ. God's provides God's best for each person. Ministry is what we each do to provide or make possible God's best for each person.

We follow the doctrine of the apostles; the way of demonstrating the reality and power of the Kingdom of God.

We are invested with Powers granted through Christ Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit. We share a bond of fellowship with those who we rescue from the fire.

We bless them and instruct them in the way of God. We remove the grave clothes from their lives just as Jesus instructed his disciples to do after Lazarus was called forth still bound from the tomb.

We share the joy of salvation with singing and rejoicing, and making melody in our hearts. We praise God with songs, hymns and spiritual songs. We share and rejoice in the wonderful testimonies of deliverance.

We lay on hands to heal the wounds of the afflicted and we take authority over demonic powers which would attempt continued harassment of a the fledgling believer, who is still struggling to sort out things which are spiritual from things which are pyschological or "soulish" a term referring to the natural man.

We feed the young with milk and the old share meat. We are not owned by any other but hold another's interest in common with our own. We know the ruthless operations of a spiritual enemy who is always at work to enter into the fellowship, to steal the glory, to divide and conquer, to steal our confidence and our joy.

We are not ignorant of the devices of the enemy. We stand against him. The zeal of the father's house has eaten us. Church should not a matter of scheduled meeting times for the believer, The doors are never closed in the temple of the human heart. The altar is not mortar or wood, it is a place within us, a holy place sanctified by God by the blood of a lamb most Holy, A lamb without spot or blemish.