It seems to be the best of times. With television stations flooded with Christian programming, radio airways saturated with religious broadcasting, and printing presses turning out a multi-million dollar business of church literature, the modern day church has no equal in any age in the promotion of itself to the world. Magnificence church cathedrals are being built in city after city. Most congregations are actively pursuing more and better trained ministry personal than in any other time in the history of the church. Supporting multi-million dollars budgets, the church of modernity has become big business.

In-depth training materials from personal money management to the operation of the spiritual gifts are readily available for everyone. The modern church with its emphasis on reaching every age group now offers a wide range of ministries to meet the needs of everyone. For the first time ever in the history of the church, a new term, the mega-church, has been created to describe its success. With all of its multi-facet programs and activities, the modern day church should be judged as reaching an all time high of spiritual excellency.

But, all is not well with the church. The simple preaching of Jesus that immediately changed lives has been replaced by a multi-task obligation to be accomplished in this life to lay up treasures for the life to come. With the emphasis of the church’s message shifting from Jesus living in and through the believer to the believer becoming all they can be by their own positive thinking and their own assertive actions, Christianity has lost its Christ-centeredness and has become participant-centered. The fruit of the church’s labors does reveal the nature of its roots.

People for the sake of people are no longer the concern of the church. People become important only to the degree that they are perceived to be a blessing to the church. Help built the church and you are accepted; perceived to be of little use for the church and you are forgotten. The church itself has become the focal point of much of modern Christianity.

A quick comparison of the belief system of the early followers of Jesus and the belief system of many in the modern church will reveal how much the fundamental issues of Christianity has changed over the recent years. Understanding that there are exceptions to the general rule, the conclusions of this comparison are, nevertheless, alarming. They suggest that the general church once again is in need of a reformation. The distant mirror of the 15th Century reflects that all the ingredients of such a need for reformation are presence in the modern day church.

In what we know as 1 John, the author writing towards the end of the first century, penned these words:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. (1 John 1:1-4)

The words highlighted will be used to try to illustrate how far we have moved away from the living Jesus to emphasize an understanding that keeps drawing our attention to the visible church. In the first example, if the term, the Word, is used in the modern church it is most of the time, if not always, a reference to the written word, the Bible. The term, the Word, to the early followers of Jesus, however, meant not a written document but the living Word, Jesus Christ. When Paul said, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17), he is emphasizing that faith comes by hearing the living Word, Jesus.

Although the Word is accepted today, generally, to mean the written Bible, the early followers of Jesus knew that the Word was the living Jesus: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). There is a tremendous difference when the emphasis is kept on the living Word as opposed to the written Word, even though the written Word is inspired and completely trustworthy.

The writer of 1 John wrote, "And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life" (1 John 2:25). It should be quite obvious to all that if the term eternal life is used in the modern church that it is a reference to the next life--the believer will live eternally. To the early followers of Jesus, however, the term eternal life was not a reference to the eternal life to come but a reference to the eternal life of God manifested in Jesus. For example, John wrote, "For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us" (1 John 1:2),

Eternal life for most in the modern church brings to mind their belief that they are going to live forever in the next life but to the early followers of Jesus eternal life was a reference to the One who has, is, and will always live--the eternal life of God. Although the next life for the believer cannot be questioned and should not be doubted, the phrase eternal life for the early followers of Jesus did not bring attention to the believer and to the next life but to the reality of experiencing the eternal One in their present life. Although they were mortal, corruptible, weak, and processed a physical body, they knew that they had the opportunity to experience the immortal, incorruptible, powerful, and spiritual body of the eternal life of Jesus. It was what profoundly changed their lives.

Fellowship, the experiencing of Jesus together, was the life blood of the early followers of Jesus. Unfortunately, fellowship, the experiencing of Jesus together in a face to face relationship, rarely occurs in the modern church. When those who go to a church meeting are asked to be participants in what is being performed by those in charge, just how much fellowship is experienced? If fellowship does occur in the modern church, it is largely a by-product rather than an integral part of the church. As someone has suggested, "The real church is what goes on before the opening prayer of a meeting and what goes on after the closing prayer." Although that may be an oversimplification, it does point out that the real church does occur in, by, and through what happens between people.

From the writings of 1 John, it can be seen that how they measured success, although they probably did not think in those terms, was by how they treated one another (1 John 2:9,10). Joint-participation in Jesus was evidently the essence of all things for the early followers of Jesus. Jesus Himself stated, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). Contrast that fellowship with how the modern day church measures success (how many people attend church, how big is the building, and how large is the budget) and it should be obvious that what was important to the early followers of Jesus in large measures cannot be found today.

A simple question needs to be raised in illustrating the next major difference between the church of the first century and the church of modernity: What is the emphasis of most sermons delivered by the leaders in churches today? On any given Sunday, is it not a motivational homily encouraging the believer to do something, to increase their efforts, their time, or their giving in order to be blessed of God. Although there are exceptions, it is usually an instructional message teaching the believer how to prepare for the next life or what they should be doing in this life.

Notice, the words of the writer of 1 John when he said, "And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." It is hard for the motivators and the movers to grasp that all John wanted of his first readers was that their joy might be full. Instead of telling them that circumstances would be good if they could get their belief right, their doctrine right, he simply told them that in the midst of the struggles of life they could be cheerful. They could remain calm and delight in the Lord. It is hard for the modern church to believe that all God wants of his believers is to enjoy life and know that He is producing that life.

When we fully understand what John is saying in the opening statements of his letter, it should cause us to consider seriously our ways. In this day of one program after another designed to call the believer to greater effort, to incite into action, or in some other way emphasize the believer, Jesus is calling us to return to Him. May the church once again move away from being participant-centered and become Christ-centered. For after all is said and done, every message that is recorded in the New Testament is a message about Jesus--especially, the resurrected Jesus. The living Jesus needs to be heard again.

Purpose of Course: "Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways" (Haggai 1:5-7). The purpose of the course is to help the people of God to evaluate honestly what is occurring in their lives by examining the writings of the twelve minor prophets.

Theme of the Course: "Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days" (Hosea 3:5). As the twelve minor prophets called the people of God in their day to return to the Lord, their prophesies speak also to the people of God in the latter day to once again make the Lord the center of their lives.