I've seen it time and time and time again through the years

I've seen it time and time and time again through the years. The modern Christain "gospel" has so severely mishapen the thinking of God's people and caused the ancient prophesy of Hosea to be fulfilled in the body of Christ: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hos. 4:6). I've held prayer and worship services, along with bible studies in my home, and in other places through the years; and many souls have come through our meetings and felt the liberty of spirit, the love, and the joy; and have gotten more free in spirit than anywhere else they have been. But so many have never been able to see our services or any venue where we minister as anything other than a nice pit stop. Why? Because of the whole "church" mentality that Christianity has erroneously dictated to the minds of God's people. It is really a sad observation to see people getting freed up in their spirit and having a wonderful time in the Lord, and never understand. Those who have been part of "big churches" have complained to me about these big "churches" in every conceivable way, and yet continue to stay in the death trap. Christianity has taught a mindset that if you're not involved in something bigger and more reputable in the religious community, you're just not in the right groove. Yet the souls in all of these Christian affiliations are dying slow [and sometimes quick] deaths spiritually, after they receive God's Spirit into their lives. Hosea again spoke of this new testament malady when he said, "Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts" (Hos. 9:14). The erroneous "new birth" doctrines of "getting saved," "accepting the Lord as your personal saviour," and "confessing Jesus;" have aborted many souls who would be born of the Spirit, and have brought forth those who DO receive the Spirit to everything BUT "the sincere milk of the word" (I Pet. 2:2). Christianity has taught the people of God that more numbers of people equals more "fellowship," but the killer there is that the true meaning of fellowship is totally obscured by the thinking that social religious camaraderie is fellowship. Fellowship is having one mind in Christ with one another through being taught the truth of God by his "one Spirit," and abiding therein (I Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:4; I Jn. 2:27). And I assure you that you will be far more edified in Christ "where two or three are [truly] gathered in [Jesus'] name [his Spirit - Jn. 14:26]," then where two or three hundred are gathered just THINKING they are in his name (Mat. 18:20). Again I am speaking of two or three who are in true fellowship of the Spirit, not just people who are gathered in a religious setting.

And then there is the school of thought that you have to be going to a religiously oriented building complete with cross and steeple in order to really be "going to church." Actually the whole "going to church" thing is totally contrary to the new testament scriptures, as actually the very word "church" is erroneously in the scriptures to begin with. The right word is "congregation," and we can't "go to congregation;" but rather we can be PART OF a congregation of God by being baptized with the holy Ghost into the body of Christ, and being with those who also have this experience (I Cor. 12:13). And then there are those, and they haven't been few, who have come to the liberty and simplicity of love, joy, and truth in our meetings or wherever we may be ministering; and think that WE are supposed to be in THEIR "church," because we don't belong to something that is larger and more recognizable in the religious community. Do you know the Bible well enough to realize that THE ONLY congregations whose locale are definitively mentioned in the new testament scriptures, were in people's HOUSES? Do the research and you will see my words confirmed. The truth is, people need to COME OUT OF the suffocating "church" environments that they're in, and COME INTO an atmosphere that liberates from sin if it is available; or stay alone with God if there is nothing like that to be a part of. I can assure you that I will not be leaving the life and liberty that God's Spirit has given me to jump into some formalized religious quicksand. Oh yeah, then there's the mentality that unless you have the natural ordinances of water baptism and "communion" in your "church," you are missing the mark. Yet the scriptures are clear that ALL natural ordinances have been fulfilled by the Spirit, and that the true worhippers "MUST worship God in SPIRIT and in truth" (Jn. 4:24; Philip. 3:3; Mat. 3:15; Mat. 5:17; Mat. 26:29; Lk. 22:16,18; II Cor. 13:14; Eph. 4:5; Col. 2:10; Rom. 10:4; Gal. 5:18). The list of Christianity's contradictions to the true worship and service of God could go on, but I think you get the point by now. The moral of the story is that it's not WHERE we gather, or HOW MANY we gather with; but rather HOW MUCH of God's Spirit of love, truth, and power is involved in our gatherings. The point of gathering at all is to be fueled, lubricated, and made free by God's Spirit; and to come into one mind and one spirit together thereby; not to soothe our conscience with the idea that we're "going to church." Jesus had the real goods when he was here, and he took those goods with him everywhere he went. And everywhere he went quickly became the place to be for those who were seeking truth, comfort, love and deliverance. We are called to do the same my friend, but that cannot happen as long as God's own Spirit batized souls continue to linger and die in the toxic spiritual smog of the modern, perverted "churches" of Christianity. "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Rev. 18:4). Amen. And again I say, Amen!