10 Reasons We Keep Seeing Established Churches Failing - JOSEPH MATTERA CHARISMA NEWS

Many churches refuse to reach beyond the culture and predominant ethnic makeup of their congregation. (Pexels)

10 Reasons We Keep Seeing Established Churches Failing

8/11/2017 JOSEPH MATTERA  CHARISMA NEWS

Where I live, dozens of large old church buildings that used to hold thriving congregations strewn along a major avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Some have been torn down and developed, while others are supported by social programs and/or rentals from other congregations. As I ponder this, I have come to the conclusion that there are 10 primary reasons established churches eventually fail.

1. They are not intergenerational.

Many of the churches in my community were at one time ethnic churches that have failed to pass down their faith to their children. When we first moved into this community we noticed that the average age of the believers in these churches was probably over 60 years of age. Consequently, there are many large congregations populated primarily with older people, and the concern of this article is whether these churches will exist in two decades.

2. They refuse to adapt to the changing demographics.

Many churches refuse to reach beyond the culture and predominant ethnic makeup of their congregation. It is the job of the lead pastor and elders to continually analyze the changing demographics of their community so they can stay ahead of the curve. I once warned a group of ethnic pastors that they would not have a church in 10 years if they did not adopt their strategies to the rapid gentrification taking place in their community. In other words, in order to reach certain people groups, a church has to focus on developed leaders representing that group and eventually give them a prominent role in decision-making and public ministry.

3. They use old methodologies.

The outreach strategies and methods of ministry in some churches are the same today as they were 40 years ago. The way we do evangelism, dress, speak and relate to our congregation has to be relevant without compromising the gospel. In the same way we are called to exegete Scripture, we are called to exegete our communities if we are going to continue to thrive.

4. They lost the zeal of its founding members.

Many established churches start with great passion and vision in their founding and move to merely consolidating, maintaining and administrating their vision in the next generation. Every mainline Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox denomination was in its beginning a thriving apostolic movement (read the book of Acts along with church history). It is the challenge of every established church to generationally pass on the torch of its original vision and zeal so that their love for Christ doesn't dissipate. Established churches that lose their vision and zeal eventually go from power to programs, revival to routines and community transformation to perpetuating mere church traditions.

5. They fail in their succession plan.

Truly, there is no success without a successor. Established churches that pick the wrong lead pastor to succeed the original apostolic visionary risk losing everything they built. Succession is tricky and often messy and hard to map out since every local church has a different culture, context and community. This is why succession planning needs to be done with much prayer, fasting and inside and outside consultation along with checks and balances. In most cases (there are always exceptions), the best successor is a spiritual son of the congregation who already has within them the DNA and vision of the house.

6. The core leaders lost their oneness.

Satan's No. 1 plan to thwart the vision of a local church is to sow seeds of discord, disunity and division in the ranks of the elders and leaders of a congregation. Churches that fail to maintain biblical oneness among their key leadership will have a rocky road ahead due to the intense spiritual warfare and complexities every church has to navigate through. Only a strong, unified core team will continue to move forward and perpetuate the church's vision. Leaders have to keep first things first and learn to overlook petty differences for the sake of kingdom advancement.

7. They succumb to the values of secular culture.

Many established denominational and independent churches in the past several hundred years have gradually gone down the slippery slope of secular accommodation. In order to be relevant and/or to be accepted by the surrounding community, whole church movements and denominations have accepted cultural norms that are antithetical to biblical values and ethics. When churches allow culture to inform their ethics and values instead of Scripture, they lose their distinction from the world and begin to decline. All historic Protestant denominations that have embraced liberal theological constructs are rapidly losing members and dying off.

The only churches that are continuing to grow worldwide are evangelical churches that are biblically based. Jesus said that if the salt has lost its saltiness, it is good for nothing but to be trampled under the feet of men (see Matt. 5:13). Churches that cease to reflect His light fail to be salty and risk being closed down by none other than the Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 2:5).

8. There is no provision for a lack of vision.

Proverbs 29:18 teaches us that without a vision, the people become discouraged (or perish depending on your translation). When there is no longer any compelling vision in an established church, there will not be enough volunteers motivated to serve in the ministry (read Ps. 110:3) and the finances will rapidly drop. Truly, God only gives provision for that which reflects His Vision.

9. There was no long-term financial solution.

If at all possible, established churches that own their building should attempt to utilize their facilities in ways that can help financially support their ministry. Whether it is developing their property or renting space to another entity, if at all possible, creating an income stream enables a church to function even when their tithes and offerings drop (sometimes because of the weather, or other times because of a crisis in leadership or a church split). Creating a long-term financial base is a wise move to compensate for the vicissitudes of the life of a church.

10. They lost their prophetic edge.

Established churches who fail to maintain consistent corporate prayer and fasting eventually lose their prophetic edge and operate according to fleshly wisdom. This results in them missing divine opportunities, kairos moments and presumptuously making decisions that result in a loss of momentum, key people and kingdom advancement. When lead pastors, elders and core members are too busy to spend quality time seeking God together, they will miss what the Spirit is saying to the church (Rev. 2:7) and are on the road to failure.

My prayer is that every church planted by God will last for generations and be effective until Jesus returns for His bride.

Joseph Mattera is an internationally known author, futurist, interpreter of culture and activist/theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence nations. He leads several organizations, including The United States Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (uscal.us). He also has a blog on Charisma magazine called "The Pulse." To order one of his books or to subscribe to his weekly newsletter go tojosephmattera.org.

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12 Things the Early Church Didn't Need to Change the World for Jesus - JOSEPH MATTERA Charisma News

With the focus today on building large church edifices to hold sizable crowds, we forget that the early church exploded when they were decentralized and met in homes and catacombs. (Flickr/Jorge Lascar)

12 Things the Early Church Didn't Need to Change the World for Jesus

JOSEPH MATTERA  Charisma News  Aug. 1, 2017

The book of Acts grants us a snapshot as to the power and effectiveness of the first-century church that transformed the world. I believe we are still called to extrapolate principles from the early church in order to fulfill our mission. One of the things that most of us take for granted is the dependence upon modern methodologies and assumptions we deem absolutely necessary today to have a successful church.

However, sometimes what we deem necessary may prove to be a stumbling block in our quest for exponential, explosive church growth.

The following are 12 things the early church didn't need to change the world:

1. A Large Central Building

With the focus today on building large church edifices to hold sizable crowds, we forget that the early church exploded when they were decentralized and met in homes and catacombs. Of course the reason for this was because Christianity was illegal and they could not build public buildings. Having smaller meeting places gave them a greater sense of community and compelled more people to lead to hold the city church together. It was truly one city church with many congregations and locations.

2. A Complete Bible

The powerful church depicted in the book of Acts did not yet have all the gospels, epistles and the book of Revelation. Furthermore, since there was no printing press, nobody walked around with a Bible! Can you imagine a church today without access to a completed Bible? (In many places today where believers are persecuted, many are without a Bible!)

In the early church, only a few had scrolls of the Old Testament and some apostolic letters that circulated among believers to be read in corporate gatherings. Yet, they turned the world upside down! Why? Because they were living epistles who depended upon oral learning and acted upon the limited revelation they had.

3. Professional Clergy

Often the first-century church only had a handful of full-time ministers. Most of the ministry was done by elders, deacons and believers who supported themselves with a vocation. Of course, the primary apostolic leaders itinerated and devoted themselves to the ministry of the Word and prayer (Acts 6:1-4).

4. A Denomination

The early church was an organic movement of voluntary associations of believers. The skeletal frame was a simple hierarchical structure that included five cluster ministry gifts (Eph. 4:11) with a team of elders and deacons (1Tim. 3). Their focus was to equip the church to do the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:12). As the church evolved, church government became more sophisticated, and the office of bishop eventually expanded to have a diocesan and metropolitan influence.

However, they were not an institutionalized, top-down, hierarchical organization with complicated canon law, protocols and traditions like present-day denominations. They would be more akin to what we would term today as "independent, network Christianity" that is presently exploding and expanding the global church.

5. An Accommodating Culture

The early church emerged as a small, counter-culture movement with opposition from both the Jewish nation and its polytheistic Roman/Greco culture. Its odds of survival were very slim (perhaps in Vegas it would be 100-1 odds). In spite of this, they not only survived but thrived because they depended upon the all-sufficient Christ as their daily bread. Many believers today fight for freedom of religion because they do not want to be inconvenienced when living out their faith.

6. A Bible School

The thought of sending promising leaders away to a university or Bible college was unheard of in the first century. The model for nurturing and equipping their leaders of the future was to mentor them in the context of their faith community. This is still the most effective way to develop strong leadership.

7. A Worship Team

The early church utilized the psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, orally passed down Scripture and sang a cappella in their small gatherings (Eph. 5:19). Can you imagine a church trying to grow today without the use of visual effects, lights and a skilled worship team? Often these accoutrements cause believers to focus more on a visceral experience than worshipping Jesus.

8. Social Media and Technology

The apostle Paul planted churches in 31 major cities and networked all the leaders together through the use of hand-delivered letters and personal visits. His work turned the world upside down without the use of planes, trains, automobiles and social media.

There is truly no substitute for personal touch when it comes to birthing a movement.

9. A Sunday School or Youth Group

In the early church there was no separating the families. The children, youth and parents all worshipped and learned the word together. Of course, some were taken aside for private instruction (2 Tim. 2:2), but the concept of Sunday Schools and youth groups was unheard of. Yet, they still kept their families in the faith and perpetuated the gospel for generations.

10. Professional Therapy and Counseling

In the early church—people received Scripture-based admonition (Heb. 3:12,13), prayer and at times deliverance from Satanic oppression—but there was no psychological counseling and therapy (or drugs). Yet, they rejoiced always—even when their material goods were confiscated and they were persecuted (Phil. 4:4; Heb.10:32-34).

11. Political Affiliation

Nowadays, most Christians are affiliated to some extent with a political party and even depend upon it to buttress their faith and values. The early church only promoted and affiliated in public with Christ's kingdom. They believed that affiliating with a heathen government like Rome compromised their allegiance to the reign of God.

12. A Financial War-Chest

Many church plants and congregations today struggle to survive due to a lack of finances (many church plants even close due to this). The early church did not have much money (Acts 3:6) but subsisted on radical love, which included the sharing of their material possessions and financial support (Acts 2:44,45; 4:32; 2 Cor. 8-9). This interdependence created synergy, which released great power to spread the gospel (Acts 4:32, 33).

Finally, although the methodologies we utilize today can be useful, we should never allow them to replace proven biblical principles the early church used to turn the world upside down (Acts 17: 6).

Joseph Mattera is an internationally known author, futurist, interpreter of culture and activist/theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence nations. He leads several organizations, including The United States Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (uscal.us). He also has a blog on Charisma magazine called "The Pulse." To order one of his books or to subscribe to his weekly newsletter go tojosephmattera.org.

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YEAR IN REVIEW: Why Some Believers Experience More Spiritual Warfare Than Others - JOSEPH MATTERA CHARISMA NEWS

(Flickr)

Editor's Note: 2016 was a big year in the church—and in the world. This week we're looking at some of the biggest stories of the year, selected based on feedback from our readers. Thanks for reading Charisma News this year and stay tuned as we continue expanding our coverage in 2017 to include more spiritual insights on the stories that matter most to you.

This article was published April 9th.

YEAR IN REVIEW: Why Some Believers Experience More Spiritual Warfare Than Others

4/9/2015 JOSEPH MATTERA  CHARISMA NEWS

There are some believers who falsely believe that if they have a lot of faith they will not undergo any suffering, severe tests or satanic attacks. Nothing could be further from the truth! Actually, the opposite is true.

For example, in the book of Job chapters 1 and 2, God actually asks Satan if he considered His servant Job. Hence, God brought Job to Satan's attention, not because Job was in sin, but because Job was the greatest servant of God on the earth at that time (read Job 1:6-12; 2:3-6).

Furthermore, Acts 19:15 illustrates how Paul the apostle was not only known in heaven, but also in hell! He had their attention! First Peter 5:8-9 teaches that Satan roams the earth seeking someone to devour, which also goes along with the Job narrative (Job 1:7). When we read the context of all these passages, especially in regards to the satanic focus on both Paul and Job, we can come to the conclusion that the devil's main focus is to thwart, divert, distract and disarm the servants of God who are promoting the rule of God on the earth as it is in heaven. Heaven is the only realm in the universe where everything is perfectly aligned under King Jesus, since the devil was displaced from there (Rev. 12:7-12).

Consequently, when someone on earth wants to bring the influence of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, Satan erupts with fear and anger against them since he doesn't want to be thrown out of another place!

This is why it seems as though a person following the will of God will sometimes have the most difficult tests, trials and resistance, as opposed to some saints who are casual seekers of God. Satan is no dummy, why should he attack a Christian who is a bad example to others and who is already deceived and in his grip? He will focus the most on those who are the biggest threats to his desire, to do a power grab from God over the earth realm! Remember: God gave Adam a commission to have His rule over the whole earth (Gen. 1:28), and immediately after that the devil came and convinced both Adam and Eve to disobey God and abandon their posts as God's vice regents over the earth (Gen. 3:1-8).

Since that time Satan has been jealously attempting to protect his control over the earthly realm he stole through subverting Adam, including its systems of government, commerce, media, the arts, science and education. Those who attempt to bring God's influence in these realms will most likely experience some of the highest levels of satanic resistance. The apostle Paul had a messenger from Satan follow him everywhere he went that caused riots and persecutions (2 Cor. 13:1-8), only because he was turning the present world system upside down (Acts 17:7).

So, if you are sold out for God, don't be discouraged when you are attacked or allow yourself to be deceived into thinking that the only reason you are in intense spiritual warfare or tribulation is because you may have missed God. It may be the opposite. You are being targeted because you are hitting the divine bull's eye! This is why Paul admonished believers to stand strong in the Lord: "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers and the rulers of darkness in high places" (Ephesians 6:10-13). Notice: Paul said "our struggle" meaning he was including himself in this struggle. Every time there was an open door for ministry he had many adversaries. This is a biblical principle (read 1 Corinthians 16:9).

Do not ever think that just because God is calling you to do something that it will be easy. Jesus did the will of God and He was crucified, and church history tells us Paul was beheaded! It's not how many years we live, but what we do with the years we live that matters!

So, what do we do when we are in a time of spiritual warfare that Paul calls "the day of evil" in Ephesians 6:13? Paul tells us in this passage to be strong in the Lord and to stand firm; in other words, do not quit (Eph. 6:10-13).

The apostle Peter also tells us to resist the devil, standing firm in the faith (1 Pet. 5:9). Peter knows firsthand that faith in God is the key to standing firm in the midst of the day of evil because, when he denied Christ three times, Jesus prayed for him that his "faith" would not fail (Luke 22:31-32).

So, do not be afraid when you are in tribulation, because Jesus has already overcome the world (John 16:33)!

Joseph Mattera is overseeing bishop of Resurrection Church and Christ Covenant Coalition, in Brooklyn, New York, and author of numerous books, including Ruling in the Gates: Preparing the Church to Transform Cities. Follow him on Facebook or visit him online at josephmattera.org.

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The Top 5 Reasons Hillary Clinton Should Not Be President - JOSEPH MATTERA CHARISMA NEWS

U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton walks off the stage at a campaign rally at the Manor Complex in Wilton Manors, Florida. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

The Top 5 Reasons Hillary Clinton Should Not Be President

11/1/2016 JOSEPH MATTERA  CHARISMA NEWS

This is the first part in a two-part series. 

As most Americans already know, both the Democratic and Republican nominees for president have a low approval rating even within their own parties. Concerns abound with both candidates, even though both of them are far apart ideologically. I must be insane releasing an article like this since both pro Trump and pro Clinton friends may be upset by its contents; however, I have never been motivated by the accolades of people. 

The following are the top five reasons a Hillary Clinton presidency concerns me. 

1. Her Supreme Court Justice Selections

Clinton made it clear during the last debate that she will choose Supreme Court Justices who will uphold Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in 1973. She made no mention of choosing judges who will uphold the U.S. Constitution because she views the court as legislators who make laws. With the death of Antoine Scalia, the present court is virtually tied ideologically between constitutional literalists and liberals. If Clinton gets elected, she has the potential to choose up to three or more Justices, which will tilt the court to the left for generations to come. This is my No. 1 concern with a Clinton presidency. To quote Nathaniel Bruno of the ADF:

"To zero in on just one of the decisions identified above, Justice Ginsburg declared in her dissent in the Gonzales v. Carhart case (in which the Court upheld the federal ban on partial-birth abortion, based on a respect for the government's interest in protecting preborn life): 'Today's decision is alarming.' It is ironic and lamentable that Justice Ginsburg found the majority opinion alarming but was apparently not alarmed by the brutal practice of substantially delivering a fully formed, fully alive baby before crushing his or her skull. If Justice Ginsburg had her way, that barbaric procedure would be permitted throughout the United States."

2. Her View on the Freedom of Religion

Clinton is known to be against freedom of religion, which can eventually result in 501C3 revocation for religious organizations that do not comply with her societal views.

Mrs. Clinton stated, "Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will. And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed." For those who do not believe liberals would abrogate religious freedom, I want to make you aware that as of Oct. 1, all public organizations (including churches) have to comply with transgender bathroom laws in the state of Massachusetts. (Of course, I believe there is a humane and sensitive way to deal with this issue from the pulpit and in churches, but the point here is that the government is forcing its views upon religious entities). If Clinton becomes president, these laws will likely spread to every state, which will crush the first amendment and freedom of religion.

3. Her View on Abortion

It has been documented that Hillary Clinton has radical pro-abortion views, even until the third trimester. Hence, she is the only presidential candidate ever officially endorsed by Planned Parenthood. This is the same Planned Parenthood that harvests aborted baby parts for money.

Some people say that Planned Parenthood does other things besides abortions like providing mammograms and other family health services. My response, would you hypothetically support a racist organization like the KKK if they opened up a hospital? Of course not, then why support a legalized child killing organization like P.P. if they do a few good things?  Furthermore, it is well known that P.P. founder Margaret Sanger was an avowed white supremacist who wanted to use abortion to exterminate blacks. Instead of receiving their endorsement, Clinton should work to defund them. Unfortunately she chose the former.

4. Her Constant Scandals

The fact that there is always a scandalous cloud always hanging wherever Clinton goes is an understatement. Whether it is the 30,000-plus emails she deleted before the FBI investigation, to the Benghazi cover-up, to the whitewater scandal, to her involvement in causing unrest in Trump rallies and on and on and on, it's almost legion and too numerous for one article. Furthermore, as I write this article, everyday there are more "Project VERITAS" videos and WikiLeaks released daily that continually connect Clinton to other scandals not mentioned already. Can you imagine four more years of her scandals being front and center of the news every day?

5. Her Foreign Policy Disasters

Notable black economist Thomas Sowell lays out a litany of foreign policy disasters that took place while Clinton was Secretary of State that he says disqualify her from the presidency.

Whether it is participating in decisions that resulted in the formation of ISIS, the emboldening of Russia and China, the outrageous Iran nuclear arms deal, Benghazi and more, her foreign policy record is so dismal it would be a scary thing to see what would happen the next four years if she were president. Clinton may think Trump is reckless, but the director of the FBI, James Comey, is on record saying her actions regarding national security were "careless."

Joseph Mattera is an internationally known author, futurist, interpreter of culture and activist/theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence nations. He leads several organizations, including The United States Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (uscal.us). He also has a blog on Charisma magazine called "The Pulse." To order one of his books or to subscribe to his weekly newsletter go tojosephmattera.org.

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7 Steps Jesus Walked Through to Fulfill His Calling - JOSEPH MATTERA CHARISMA NEWS

Jesus lived by seven principles in order to follow God's plan. (YouTube)

7 Steps Jesus Walked Through to Fulfill His Calling

7:00AM EDT 7/29/2016 JOSEPH MATTERA  CHARISMA NEWS

The Lord Jesus Christ was the greatest motivator and example of living a purposeful life that the world has ever seen! He lived by the Scriptures since He is the living Word of God (John 1:1), and this is why all the greatest books on leadership and management operate with latent biblical principles, whether intentional or not.

The following seven principles are primary ways Jesus empowered and released purpose:

1. He asked questions.

Instead of just giving the answers to life's questions, Jesus demonstrated that the best way to teach people was to ask them questions. As a matter of fact, He asked over three hundred questions and only gave answers to three of them. When we allow people to answer questions, it reveals how much they really know, what's really in their heart and involves them in the process of discovery that enables them to remember and learn better.

2. He had goals and objectives.

If a person has no specific goals or desired outcomes, they will never know if they have succeeded or not. If a person has no vision or mission, they are clueless and have no idea what their final destination will be! In contrast, when Jesus began His ministry in Nazareth the first thing He did was announce His vision statement which was found in the words of the prophet Isaiah (Luke 4:18 and Is. 61:1-2). Furthermore, Jesus operated with objectives and goals which enabled Him to fulfill His mission and vision with a daily understanding of what, when and how to function (Luke 13:32).

3. He invested his time with those who bore fruit.

The Pareto principle teaches us that 80 percent of the work done is accomplished by only 20 percent of the people in any given church or organization. That being said, Jesus was wise and only invested most of His time with disciples who bore much fruit instead of with the crowds. (John 15:1-7 shows that He expected His followers to bear much fruit if they abided in Him.) Even though the Pareto theory was not yet written, Jesus knew that He would get the most results from pouring into a few rather than focusing on the many. Although He ministered to the crowds, the gospels clearly show that He invested most of His time with His twelve apostles and then the seventy disciples (Luke 9:1, 10:1).

4. He confronted superficial religion.

Jesus did not like superficial religion and attacked religious leaders who misrepresented the heart of His Father (Matt. 23). He insisted that religious leaders allow God to first cleanse the inner man before focusing on outward rituals and religion (Matt. 23:26; Mark 7:15). Jesus also taught that religious tradition often nullifies the word of God (Mark 7:13). Since He confronted superficial religion instead of placating it, He was able to raise up powerful men of God who demonstrated the truth with signs and wonders (Acts 3:6,7).

5. He confronted political power.

When Jesus was with Pilate He confessed that the primary purpose He had was to be recognized as the King (John 18:37). He was not afraid of offending those loyal to Caesar (which is the main reason He was crucified). He understood that the things that ruled external culture had to be shifted to another king and different gatekeepers if true systemic change was going to take place. Furthermore, He told Pilate that the power of His kingdom did not emanate from Rome but from His father (John 18:36). He did not say that His kingdom is not in this world but that it was not of this world!

6. He was motivated by compassion.

Jesus did not heal merely to demonstrate His lordship but because He was moved by compassion (Mark 1:41). He was great because He had empathy and connected to the pain of those around Him (Heb. 4: 15). Any leader without strong feelings of love for his people will not be motivated to serve and release them to greatness.

7. He was willing to die for His purpose.

Life is not worth living if there is no transcendent purpose worth dying for! Jesus not only believed in His mission but also was willing to die (on the cross) in order to fulfill it (Heb. 12:2). 

Consequently, He was able to instill and inspire such passion in His followers that most of the original twelve apostles died a martyr's death while preaching the gospel. Truly, the seed of the early church was the blood of the first and second century church. Even today, two thousand years later, thousands of Christ followers continue to die for the cause of Christ, which is the main reason Christianity became the largest and most formidable movement in the history of the world!

Joseph Mattera is an internationally known author, futurist, interpreter of culture and activist/theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence nations. He leads several organizations, including The United States Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (uscal.us). He also has a blog on Charisma magazine called "The Pulse." To order one of his books or to subscribe to his weekly newsletter go tojosephmattera.org.

3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God's presence 3) Hear God's voice clearly! Go deeper!

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9 Signs of the Modern-Day Remnant Church - JOSEPH MATTERA CHARISMA NEWS

There is always a true remnant left during times of apostasy and persecution. (Flickr/Creative Commons)

9 Signs of the Modern-Day Remnant Church

1/21/2016 JOSEPH MATTERA  charisma news

As the persecution of the Bible-believing church becomes more intense, there will be a greater manifestation of what I am referring to in this article as the "remnant church." By remnant church, I am referring to the surviving vestige of the body of Christ that remains true to biblical principles in spite of cultural opposition.

There is always a true remnant left during times of apostasy and persecution. Elijah the prophet found out that God always preserved a remnant, by His grace, that held true to the faith (1 Kin. 19 and Rom. 11:2-5). By remnant church, I am not merely referring to so-called "cultural warrior" churches who seem to always be battling for a cause (which can be part of it, although the gospel is always much bigger than one social cause).

I am also not referring to so-called Christian churches that do idiotic things (like burning the Quran) or exhibit intentionally hostile (and un-Christlike) behavior by so-called churches (such as the Westboro Baptist Church). (I cringe even calling this group of hate-mongers a church.) I am, however, referring to those of plain and simple faith and obedience to the Word of God, which is practiced by humble, people-loving, community-serving, compassionate churches that do not compromise the Word of God.

The following are characteristics of the modern-day remnant church:

1. They will become more entrenched in the Word of God the more the world opposes them.

The more resistance they face, the more the remnant church will become resolute in their faith (sort of like the way the muscles in our body get harder with resistance training). Instead of compromising the message of the Word, they may change their method of presenting the gospel but will never even consider watering down biblical ethics, values and the message of the cross of Jesus Christ.

2. They will become the vilified in society.

The remnant church used to be merely unpopular in the past but has now gotten to the point where they are hated. It is very apparent that Christian values are constantly mocked, such as by popular voices like Bill Maher, Rachel Maddow and the like. This can give you an idea on how popular it is to hate biblical Christianity.

3. They will preach countercultural biblical messages.

The remnant pastors will continue to preach the gospel of Christ, which always has vast implications related to human sexuality, the sanctity of human life, the definition of marriage and family and such; albeit, they should apply the gospel to cultural issues in a wiser, more winsome way. The remnant church will remain faithful in preaching the gospel in spite of the possible backlash they can receive from church attendees and or the public.

4. They will produce the most committed Christians and make disciples.

It is a known fact that liberal, progressive, compromising churches are shrinking, while conservative evangelical churches are the ones growing in numbers. Also, when a church is on the tip of the spear in regards to biblical truth, it is able to produce disciples because it takes great sacrifice to believe in Jesus in the midst of hostile environments. Consider the Christians still living in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Northern Nigeria, Sudan and similar persecutory regions. Compromising churches produce wimpy believers and the remnant church produces committed disciples.

5. They will experience a greater presence and power of God than other churches.

The first-century church was a hated minority, yet the great power and presence of God that accompanied its ministry (Acts 3-5)! I have found the more difficult it is to confess the truth of the gospel, the more God shows off His glory! Where sin abounds, grace does more abound (Rom. 5:20).

6. They will become more visible and distinct as the culture becomes more decadent.

I believe that in any entity, secular or religious, about 25 percent of its members are the most committed to its vision and mission. They are the ones willing to endure the most pain for the cause. That means that most of the people in any entity detach when the going gets tough. From this we can expect that the harder it becomes for the church to practice biblical Christianity, the more evident it will become who the remnant church is.

7. They will be more excluded and separated from mainstream secular evangelical churches and denominations.

The more uncool it becomes to be a biblical church, the more the so-called cool (or, as I call them, compromising) churches will distance themselves from the remnant church. Presently, it is still not as easy for the average person to discern between remnant and compromising churches. (Most folks still lump us all together.)

However, as the heat gets turned up more and more, compromising pastors and churches will choose to accommodate culture and compromise Scripture, thus making a clearer distinction between the remnant and mainstream church. Not only that, these (compromising) pastors and churches will continue to do their best to distance themselves in public from remnant pastors and churches. (This is what happened in Nazi Germany when the nationalistic churches separated from the confessing churches to avoid persecution and death.)

8. The remnant church will change the world.

Sometimes God allows difficult circumstances to weed out the uncommitted followers from the committed followers. (Read the story of Gideon's army of 300 in Judges 7.) As it was during the days of Elijah, the early church period and the time of the Confessing Remnant Church in Nazi Germany, only the remnant has what it takes to change the world! Only the remnant church has the conviction, the sacrifice, the devotion, the endurance, the message and the power to change the world. The compromising church will enjoy their temporary popularity in the present time, but those who are wise and turn many people unto righteousness will shine as the stars forever and ever (Dan. 12:3).

9. The remnant church will endure while the compromising church will fade away.

In Malachi 3:16-18 God promises that He has written a book of remembrance for those who speak of Him and fear His Name. The reward for them (the remnant) is that He will spare them as a man spares his son. The implications of this are vast. While the spiritual children of the compromising church will probably become agnostic, the children of the remnant will carry the torch of Christ to the next generation, which will increase in strength and do greater works (John 14:12). The remnant church goes from strength to strength and faith to faith (Rom. 1:17). Meanwhile, the compromising church goes from strength to weakness and from faith to apostasy and eventually into oblivion.

May God help us all remain faithful to the end and participate in the remnant church. 

Joseph Mattera is an internationally known author, futurist, interpreter of culture and activist/theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence nations. He leads several organizations, including The United States Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (uscal.us). He also has a blog on Charisma magazine called "The Pulse." To order one of his books or to subscribe to his weekly newsletter go tojosephmattera.org.

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7 Reasons So Many Mighty Christian Leaders Have Fallen - Joseph Mattera

7 Reasons So Many Mighty Christian Leaders Have Fallen

 9/1/2015 JOSEPH MATTERA  charisma news

If Christian leaders don't stand for righteousness, God will remove their candles. (Flickr/Creative Commons)

A few weeks ago as I was praying with my dear friend Lenny Weston (a powerful apostolic prophet residing in Ohio), he was caught up into heaven and heard the voice of the Lord saying something like this:

"How the mighty have fallen; I am going to remove many candlesticks from their places, so that the church will trust in me and not in men. I am going to remove many prominent leaders and rise up many unknown leaders to prominence that will speak for me. As a result of this, many in the church will be shaken and some will fall away."

His reflection on his prophetic word was "while most in the church are focusing their prayers for the nation because of same-sex marriage and abortion, more believers are needed to pray for the church at this time."

There was more to this word, but those were the main points based on my recollection. Since Lenny has a very solid walk with God and is very accurate and walks in integrity before God, I am taking this word seriously! This word may start to be fulfilled very shortly or it could start in several years. Of course, every year we hear about several prominent Christian leaders falling into sin or being removed from their ministry. The gist of this word seems to indicate what is coming will be a tsunami compared to what has transpired in the past.

This article was triggered by the word Lenny shared with me. I do not presume to understand the timing of this word and/or the methods God may use to fulfill it. However, using biblical principles and having an understanding of the past, I have responded to this word with seven possible reasons the mighty will fall.

The following seven reasons the mighty have fallen and will fall in the future:

1. The authority of scripture is undermined

The Roman Catholic system was judged by God because they placed church tradition and their canon law on a higher level than Scripture. As a result, their ecclesial structure became corrupted as they adopted unbiblical doctrines such as: Mary worship, justification by works, idol worship in the church, praying for the dead, praying to the saints, indulgences, purgatory, the office of the pope as the vice regent of God's kingdom on earth, and transubstantiation (they believe that during communion the wafer and the wine literally become the body and blood of Jesus, which violates Hebrews 10:10-14 which teaches that Jesus only had to make one sacrifice for all time).

Of course, God has already judged this colossal ecclesial system with the Protestant Reformation. This divine judgment was not just about justification by faith in my opinion, but must involve the Roman Catholic Church repenting from all of the above.

Also, many mainline Protestant denominations have fallen away from the truth because they have embraced the higher critical view that came into seminaries in the mid-19th century, which questioned the validity of biblical authorship as well as the plenary inspiration of Scripture. The result is that many of their clergy don't believe in the literal resurrection of Christ and do not preach the true gospel of salvation through faith in Christ alone.

Furthermore, even many evangelical pastors believe that the message of the Bible can change based upon the shifting sands of culture, which is why many have embraced unbiblical views regarding gender, human sexuality and family.

When pastors or leaders stop trusting the word of God as their highest authority, they will experience serious decline and/or be removed from their ministries.

2. A leader is not motivated by God's glory

Any leader, whose primary (subconscious) motivation for ministry is not ultimately the glory of God, is doing ministry for their own glory. This God will not tolerate long and will result in a severe correction that can result in the leader being removed from the scene. God says in Isaiah 42:8 that He will not share His glory with another.

3. A leader's value system is worldly

When Christian leaders need to continually lavish themselves with opulent gifts replete with a celebrity lifestyle, they have bought into the world system and need to come back to the simplicity of Christ. Even unbelievers can see through the superficiality of these worldly leaders, and it becomes a stumbling block for the gospel. I believe God wants to prosper His people, but I also believe people can go too far and become more fascinated by temporal things than things eternal. God is not going to tolerate this much longer.

4. Leaders who stop earnestly seeking God

In Acts 6, we see the apostles of the church confronted with a serious issue that could have consumed all their time. Peter's answer was that they were not going to neglect the ministry of the Word and prayer to wait upon tables. Their desire to keep first things first was one reason why the early church was so powerful! When leaders stop seeking God, they are no longer infused by His grace to function, and they operate in their own strength setting themselves up for burnout and moral failure.

5. Leaders stop taking a biblical stand regarding morality

When leaders are afraid to take a public stand regarding ethics and biblical morality, they do not understand the nature of conversion and the gospel. Jesus said we would know a tree by its fruit (Matthew 12:33; Galatians 5:19-21).

The gospel produces root changes in the human heart that is manifest in lifestyle changes. Thus, the Word of God gives us biblical examples of actions that either correspond or do not correspond with biblical behavior. Hence, human behavior, lifestyle and actions are a major indicator, which demonstrates authentic conversion. When pastors and leaders just preach grace and never mention sinful behavior, then they will not see many true conversions. After all, the word "conversion" connotes a change from one particular state to a radically different state of being and living.

Consequently, God will eventually remove the candlestick of a compromising church.

6. Leaders neglect their interior lives

When leaders are too busy to reflect, pray, write, meditate and assess their emotional and spiritual state, they are a potential train wreck!

A leader who neglects their soul is a leader who will not last long in this intense climate of spiritual warfare.

7. A leader searches for significance

Many leaders are driven by ambition and not led by the Holy Spirit. Hence, they get their ministries involved in costly endeavors that God never told them to do! For example if the economy suffers another huge drop in the future, many church leaders are in so much debt from huge building projects that they may have to sell their properties to survive. This search for significance leads to the sin of presumption. The more I grow in Christ the more I discover that my longing to feel significant can only be satisfied in the only significant one, Jesus Christ.

Living with contentment is not a popular message today among the motivational speaking Christian circuit, but it is one of the most important and basic commands of Scripture. Passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4:11; 1 Timothy 2:2; Philippians 4:12 teach us to live a godly and quiet life as believers, what some motivational speakers may interpret as a dull ordinary life. Christ-centered contentment (not fleshly complacency) in a believer is a sure sign that their sense of significance comes from above and not from the earth. God will eventually humble leaders whose search for personal significance dominates their lives.

Joseph Mattera is an internationally known author, futurist, interpreter of culture and activist/theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence nations. He leads several organizations, including The United States Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (uscal.us). He also has a blog on Charisma magazine called "The Pulse." To order one of his books or to subscribe to his weekly newsletter go to josephmattera.org.

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