True Church in New Zealand: Reality vs. Expectation

A young farmworker finds himself outside of church in a well to do part of a city.

He gets out of his muddy Ute which he has parked in the church car park amongst Audi’s, Bentleys, and other top-class European brands.

He raises eyebrows as he’s dressed in his black singlet, canterbury shorts and wearing his muddied Redband’s.

On entering the church, he can’t help but feel everyone was staring

She finds a seat near the front.

As he was leaving after the service, he bumped into the Pastor who said to him,

I don’t believe I have seen you in this church before and the young man said, “no I haven’t been, but I would sure like to come back.”

The Pastor said “well, why don’t you have a chat with God and be guided on the appropriate style of dress for next Sunday.

The following week the young man returned to the church dressed exactly like he was the week before.

After the service the Pastor approached him and asked, I thought you were going to enquire of the Lord as to what you should wear to church.

The young man replied, I did, I said to him I went to this church I had never been to before, what do think I should wear and Gods reply to me was, “he didn’t know, He’s never been to this church either.”

Today in New Zealand we literally have hundreds of churches.

Different streams, differing theology, traditional, evangelical, Pentecostal, charismatic, and some would say cultish.

But here’s the thing I would challenge anyone to tell me their church is practicing, promoting, and encouraging like the true church described in the book of Acts.

Remember the old TV series Undercover Boss?

Well, if Jesus were to visit a New Zealand church what would he see.

What he would see is the Church falsely claiming to represent him and his Kingdom

Churches working and acting like a business.

Churches who have copied the model from the entertainment sector.

“Congregations want this they will tell you. when your church acts like a café before the service with its lattes and long and short blacks.

When you enter the auditorium your met with a gigantic screen, dimmed lighting to get you into the mood.

Then out pops the jester greeting everyone, building up the anticipation of we are going to have a great time today.

The Lord is going to be in the house today. Probably true but it’s not this one.

Then the music beats out, complete with a worship leader designed to get you moving with their up-tempo music only to bring it down so the audience can move into a trance-like condition.

Then it’s time for the star of the show

Who Jesus?

No don’t be silly it’s just the pastor.

He’s here to tell you oh I should have used the word teach, my mistake

To teach you the word of God. By the end of his 30-minute, 3-point dissertation on God and his family he’s encouraging you to pay him and his multitude of support people who work for the church.

Then the paid worship leader comes back on stage for another final song to send you off on a high note so you can be buzzing with that soy latte.

Now yes, I may have well described a Pentecostal church but if he were to go to another branch something more traditional.

Its more likely he would find a congregation claiming to be steeped in tradition but led by an openly gay minister, who would be extolling the virtues of love and acceptance.

Would Jesus recognise this church today?

What if the boss came back undercover, what do you think would be his first statement?

Matthew 7. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and, in your name, perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

My friends we do not need churches in New Zealand who are competing for crowd numbers.

Every day, and it’s with sadness, I receive emails from dispirited people who have left churches disillusioned because they are not hearing the word of God, many have left church years ago and are seeking, not the entertainment but the heart of true teaching, the heart of worship the heart of love the true Jesus.

This is a word for the man-pleasing preacher or pastor who cares more about man’s applause than God’s approval.

Sadly, the truth in your church is often neglected, watered-down to the same volume of milky froth on the coffee you serve after a service or avoided altogether in the hope of not offending members and building a large audience.

 Judgment is never mentioned; repentance is never sought; and sin is often excused.

These days pastors want to build a church rather than break a heart; be politically correct rather than biblically correct; coddle and comfort rather than stir and convict.

This leaves people confused and deceived because we teach and live a form of Christianity void of repentance … void of truth…”

Pastors back when I was a boy were pillars who supported truth, not opposing it. Truth is not “flexible” when it comes to absolutes—it’s solid and unyielding. Truth liberates. Truth rebuilds. Truth restores. Truth heals. Truth transforms. Truth prevails—you don’t change truth—truth changes you!

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15), yet many avoid words such as sin and repentance.

The good news about Christ can only be appreciated with the bad news as the backdrop.

There are times when the saints must be fed, and there are times when the sinners must be warned.

Preaching, witnessing, and teaching are to be done with God-given authority to truly be effective.

When we fail to proclaim God’s Word faithfully, we run the risk of “encouraging sin” and “perverting the words of the living God” (cf. Jer. 23).

As the church falls deeper into self-reliance and further from reliance on God, our need for bold leadership has never been greater.

Change in our nation will only occur when there is a strong conviction of sin, genuine faith, humility, and sincere repentance, beginning in the pulpits.

To all you Christians who have left churches I give you this word of encouragement from Philippians

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

If you want to be found, then take heed for God is near

In Luke 15 Jesus talks about the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. And then there is great rejoicing.

My question to any pastor, minister, church leader.

Not when, but have you ever really, truly in your heart done this?

Is your church one who professes to speak truthfully and teach the word in the Bible.

And if Jesus was to come to you after an undercover boss, what do you think he would say to you.