Whitewashing the brand

Whitewashing the brand

Now why would such a phrase enter my head unless the Lord put it there? I can’t think of a good reason – any reason – so I have to listen up, as it were. I find it interesting that the church ‘whitewashes’ so much of what it does and how it does it. There has been, and still is, so much watering down of the Gospel and so much obfuscation of people and their real role in the church that it is no wonder that so many are put off by both church as a building and Christians as people.

How can you preach the Gospel without repentance? Without the blood? And without a confession of our own sin? How can we preach Christianity and a Christian life-style without picking up our cross daily, dying to self, and living to Christ alone? How can we preach a church without love? With so much falseness and pretence?

Jesus waged war and offended the hypocrites of His time. How much more must He be saying to those of our time, “You whitewashed sepulchres?” What else would you call those who rent out a car and nice clothes especially for Sunday service so they look good as they arrive? What else do you call the parading of ‘famous names’ in the congregation in order to pretend yours is the church to be at?

Jesus offended the religious. He offended the self-righteous. He offended the hypocrites. He made a whip and drove traders from the temple saying, “You have made My Father’s house a den of thieves!”

It is time for Christians and the church to end the parading of self-awarded grandiose titles that mean so very little or less. Who appointed them as bishops, apostles, prophets that they should actually demand to be known by that title. A true apostle or prophet is known by the fruit of his or her ministry – not by the string of perhaps purchased degrees after their name.

It is time for the church to get real before God. When the great moment arrives, the church will be first to be judged and, at this point in time, that will be messy – very messy indeed. “But, but – look at all that we did in Your Name.” “Away from Me – I did not know you.”

Away with the watery Gospel. Away with all the pretence and hypocrisy. Away with the self-promotion and grandiose but meaningless titles. Many who may read this will be offended because of their own guilt. Many others, who seek only God’s Glory, will welcome this.

I sense a New Puritan anointing coming upon the church. Not the old 16^th or 17^th Century Puritanism but a 21^st Century holiness movement where love is the key to everything. I sense a ‘new church’ driven by love of God; driven by a hunger and thirst for more of the living God and of His righteousness. A people who’s watchword is Psalm 51:10-12 “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”