We’ve all seen the typical lavish “church” and its special little kingdoms spread all over the world. What I want to focus on for the moment is this concept of the “kingdom of God” or “kingdom of heaven.” The basic question I will be addressing is whether the kingdom of God is here now or is it in the future. Is it on earth or is it hidden from us? The modern “church” seems to think itis the fulfillment and the manifestation of the visible kingdom of God on earth, and that when Jesus comes, he’ll just take over the building program where the church has left off. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Is Jesus concerned with his disciples acquiring as much land and property and goods as they can find, all in the name of the Lord, of course? You would think that was his main concern if you talked to just about any pastor at random. Let’s see what the Master has to say regarding the whereabouts of his kingdom that he is concerned with: “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence”(John 18:36). In his typical fashion, the Lord Jesus astounds with his clear, unambiguous and unheard of teachings. From the Jews to the Romans to the modern church world, everyone expects that man helps build God’s physical kingdom on earth. Of course, this involves temple building, ministry building, money-raising, and the list goes on and on and on. Jesus tells Pontius Pilate that even though he (Jesus) is a king, he is not concerned with or has any intentions of setting up a physical kingdom at that time. As we shall see, Christ has no intention of setting one up until he returns. Therefore, Jesus does not promote his own political aspirations or those of his disciples, for the only politics he will endorse are his own in his kingdom with him as King and Kings and Lord of Lords.

This concept that the kingdom of God “is not of this world” includes any politics in the so-called church. Jesus did not appoint a church to run, build, organize, or install a kingdom on earth. Therefore, no church government that controls parishes, dioceses, and territories is of God. All of these pseudo-churches are running a kingdom of their own and it has nothing to do with Jesus’ kingdom, for his “is not of this world.” How can I be so black and white? Because I believe the word of God and don’t have any hidden agenda to sell you. I am not promoting my church’s political kingdom on earth and can be totally honest with you. I am not after your money in the name of God to build God’s kingdom on earth. The truth makes you free, not the so-called church or anything connected with it. Almost all the mainline churches have their political leaders, governments, bylaws, constitutions, etc. etc., blah, blah, blah, ad nauseum. Please excuse me while I throw up. Jesus said he would throw up too, if you remember (anyone need to be reminded of who Jesus was saying he would “spew thee out of my mouth” in Revelation 2?). It was a false church that he vomits out!). The whole mess of kingdom now, political church structure is antithetical to the teaching that Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. The church is proclaiming the exact opposite of what Jesus proclaimed. It lives and breathes politics, whether it says so or not. The entire set-up of all modern church politics is an abomination because it is usurping the role Jesus himself says he alone will fulfill. The institutionalized, politicized, “kingdomized” church is a man-made kingdom with men at the throne under the guise of serving God. It is a man-made substitute for the real kingdom of God which consists of Jesus Christ reigning on a physical throne from New Jerusalem on earth when he returns.

Of course, the religious, churchy people wanted to know when the kingdom of God was coming because they wanted a controlling role in it: “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation” (Luke 17:20). What an astounding scripture that is easily overlooked! Jesus tells us so simply and almost imperceptibly that the kingdom of God cannot be observed by man in any shape or fashion. It cannot be seen by the human eye. Do we get that? Do we understand? This teaching rules out any physical manifestation of God’s kingdom on earth at the present. That means no church can claim to be the kingdom of God on earth if it is referring to all its ministries, buildings, etc. If you want to see the kingdom of God and have to see it manifested in building programs, you will just slough off the next verse that says the polar opposite. Now Jesus tells us exactly where the kingdom of God is located in the present: “Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). That is not some nebulous spiritual talk. The totality of the kingdom of God is Christ in us. At present, the entire kingdom of God resides in the hearts of saved Christians. Not some of it, not a partial manifestation of it. All of it. It is not where people say it is, like “lo here,” or “lo there.” Jesus is predicting that people will try to show you and tell you where you can find the kingdom of God on earth. He said not to believe a word of it. It is not “here” or “there.” As we know, it is Jesus himself that resides in the believer, so when the Lord says that the “kingdom of God is within you,” Jesus equates the kingdom of God with himself. Jesus is the kingdom of God. He is within us (“Christ in you, the hope of glory” says Paul in Colossians). There is no kingdom without a king. When Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God coming to people right then and there, he was referring to himself: “But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you” (Luke 11:20). Jesus just got through casting out devils, and he told the people that the kingdom of God came to them upon him doing that. That could only mean that Jesus came to them, for no elaborate kingdom with all its physical beauty showed up obviously. To further support this teaching, let’s look at another verse where Jesus describes what the kingdom of God is like for now. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17). The kingdom now has nothing to do with “meat and drink” or anything connected with the physical desires of man. “Meat and drink” is synonymous with man’s desire for the here and now and the carnal desires of the flesh, but Jesus says the kingdom is not concerned with that now. Here is a deeper truth though: “Meat and drink” also referred to the multitude of laws, customs and traditions that the Jews had imposed on them under the Old Covenant. Jesus was telling them that the real kingdom of God under the New Covenant doesn’t concern itself with all these things. It concerns itself with what all these things were meant to point to originally, and that is the King Himself, Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God is nothing more than Jesus Christ in us and Jesus on the throne when he returns. I can’t wait.

Jesus Didn’t Die for a Building Called “The Church”

When you hear the word “church,” we are conditioned through years of religious indoctrination to think first of a building, and then, perhaps, if we are somewhat spiritual, we may think of the body of Christ. The first time the word “church” is used, Jesus uses it himself and says concerning it, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). To repeat, Jesus said, “I will build my church”. Where do you see the phrase “we will build” or “our church” in that quote? Did the Lord say he would build it or we would build it? Did Jesus just mean that we would help him build it? Does he need us to help him build the church? Did he ask us to help him finance the construction of multi-million dollar “Christian” entertainment centers in his name or any buildings for that matter? Since Jesus builds it, then why is the church world so concerned with building it and doing what only Jesus can do? Churchy people will acknowledge that Jesus builds the church, but only in some sort of ignored spiritual sense. The Christian church builders seem to think that Jesus has entrusted them to carry on his never-ending building program. They know that Jesus never built a physical building called a “church,” but that doesn’t stop them. This may come as a shock to many, but Jesus never told any disciple or apostle to construct a building for the assembly of saints. No apostle ever commanded anyone or group of disciples to build a building for God. You never read of the disciples of the early church involved in any of these activities that consumes the modern “church”. However, the so-called church’s main priorities are building the kingdom of God on earth which to them is the never-ending construction of bigger and better buildings, programs, theme parks, blah, blah, blah. They just keep tearing down their barns and building bigger ones. Jesus said “the kingdom of God is within you.” Is that just spiritual talk, or is that proof for you that the kingdom of God is not anything connected to man’s building programs? Isn’t this a bit strange that that is the main concern of churches today? It is more than a bit strange. It is indicative of the total apostasy of the modern church and just goes to show how far off the mark the “church” is today.

The word “church” in scripture is never used of a building, though a few times it may seem to refer to one because we are so conditioned to hearing it that way. It either refers to the body of Christ or a particular assembly of the body in a certain location. Look up every occurrence of the word and check me out. We should never, ever, ever refer to a building as a “church.” That is sacrilegious, for Jesus never died for a building; he died for the real church, the body of Christ. Jesus didn’t lay down his life for a family life center; he laid it down for you and me: “Feed the church of God which he purchased with his own blood.” That would have to read “Feed the building of God which he purchased with his own blood” to keep consistent with the way the church world uses the term “church.” Isn’t that sad how the world has taken the precious blood of Christ and applied it to a pile of bricks and wood? I don’t take lightly the use of the word “church” to mean a building because of verses like this. You shouldn’t either. Christ didn’t die for your building, so quit saying he did by calling it a “church.” He died for the church, yes, and that church is all his believers, not their buildings. Do we get it now? This is not semantics; this is who Christ died for. We should defend that meaning at all costs.

The early church met in believer’s homes even though they could have easily constructed giant buildings and temples to meet. What made Christianity unique in the beginning and separated it from all other pagan religions was that it didn’t worship in temples and have a class system of clergy and laity. For more on that, see my section “Church in the House”.

Here’s an additional wake-up call: The Bible never speaks of a “clergy” and “laity,” but these are standard lingo for the institutional church. Those are man-made terms and man-made theologies that serve to support a man-made and menpleaser church system. Jesus warns us of this very thing in Luke 20:46 when he says: “Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes…” That rebuke couldn’t hit much closer to home for a multitude of preachers today. Jesus talks about how he actually hates those who exalt themselves over the congregation and claim their superiority over the church by their position: “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolatians, which I also hate” (Revelation 2:6). Jesus hates? For more on that purposely neglected topic, see the chapter “God’s a Hater.”

Though the high priest in the Old Testament wore a special garment, you don’t see the preachers or apostles strutting around in them in the New Testament. When the church staff and choirs have their own wardrobes that are distinct from the congregation, this wearing of special clothing promotes superiority of a so-called “clergy” over the congregation. Just the fact that there is a church staff and “laity and clergy” makes it easy for the church to “lord over” its people.  According to some church history, the Nicolatians were clergy who thought they were a higher class of people who could lord over the common man. All modern churches fall under the condemnation of Jesus who is against this Nicolatianism. “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord.” If you feel the need to join a Christian “club,” then maybe you aren’t in the real one. If you are in the real one, i.e., the body of Christ, you should feel no need to join yourself to an artificial, self-serving business such as the modern church. If you have the need to wear a special robe, God himself will give you one in heaven (“robes of righteousness”). In the meantime, he’s not impressed with yours or your church’s.

The Sinner’s Prayer: The Protestant Rosary

Asking sinners to “walk the aisle” and “come to the altar” to pray the so-called “sinner’s prayer” in order to get saved is not a practice the Bible condones, but it is an accepted practice in many evangelical churches today. Typically, when the “sinner’s prayer” is prayed, the sinner is asking God to forgive his sins, and he usually asks Jesus to come into his life or heart. This action “seemeth right” until you start looking for this activity in the typical conversion of a sinner in the Bible. That kind of practice does not occur. The Bible commands the sinner to believe the gospel, not “ask Jesus in his heart” or “commit to Jesus” or “give his heart to him.” God doesn’t want your old wicked heart anyway. He wants to change that to a new one.

This teaching will surely upset multitudes of witnessing Christians who ask their converts to do these things; however, the Bible instructs otherwise. Scripture commands the individual to repent of his sins and thoroughly acknowledge his own utter wickedness. The word of God commands the unbeliever to believe that Jesus Christ is God Almighty who raised himself from the dead. Romans 10:9 records, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Notice what is emphasized is belief from the heart in Jesus. It is not asking God to do things, feeling sorry for yourself, or recognizing Jesus can help you. What is called for is believing in who Jesus is and what he did for you, plain and simple, yet plainly and simply overlooked. The “sinner’s prayer” has become the Rosary for the Protestant church. Protestants really shouldn’t get upset with Catholics about using the Rosary, for the Protestants have their very own—they just don’t use the beads.

Party in the Pews

Who needs to join a country club when your local church can be that for you? There is no need to workout in a gym, go bowling, or visit your favorite restaurant—the church will provide that for you. Feel like dancing to rock, jazz, or country music, having Super Bowl parties, meeting girls, and drinking café lattes at the bar? Believe it or not, these are not uncommon occurrences at your local “megachurch.” Do you need to purchase books, tapes, Christian art or other “sacred” objects? No problem, the church can help.

So, what do scriptures say about all these wonderful ministries doing all these wonderful things for people? Jesus got quite upset one day when he entered the temple and discovered they were selling merchandise left and right: “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves” (Matthew 21:12). Jesus said that they had made his father’s house “a den of thieves.” He obviously condemns this activity, so where are all the preachers today who do likewise? They mostly are engaged in doing the exact opposite—selling all they possibly can in the name of God of course.

If the average person walked into today’s mega-church, he might think he’d mistakenly walked into the local shopping mall. If Jesus walked into today’s mega-church, he would need a few bulldozers and a crew of twenty men to help him overturn all the “tables of the moneychangers.” Jesus would be arrested before he got started today. If you want to “party in the pews,” the church is the place to be. If that’s true worship, count me out. I’d rather play racquetball. I’d be closer to God.

Christian Golden Calves

The Bible ridicules and mocks the idols that heathen build, saying they “have eyes and see not, ears and they hear not.” The Old Testament is full of examples of godly men who were instructed to tear down the idols of the heathen, idols that included their statues, altars, and holy places.

The Bible is controversial enough as it is to the rest of the world, but when it is against its own “church” members, the controversy rages even hotter. Christians like to build their own statues and altars, but because they are statues of godly men and so forth, “Christians” reason that this practice is okay. After all, don’t these statues help Christians to worship God better by allowing them to look, stare, and dream of God through the eyes of some “giant of the faith” like Mary or Moses? As to the issue of building statues in the church, the apostles, disciples, and early church never built giant statues and memorials to Jesus or other saints. The modern church must think the apostles should have built them. Maybe the apostles didn’t because they just weren’t experts in church fundraising campaigns. If they only could see us now. A prime example of the denunciation of this activity in scripture would be the Mount of Transfiguration where Jesus was transformed before the eyes of John and his disciples. When the disciples saw Jesus transformed and also saw Moses and Elijah, they wanted to build three altars or monuments to each: “Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias” (Matthew 17:4). The disciples thought they could impress Jesus, Moses, and Elijah with their offer to memorialize them. To the surprise and disappointment of his disciples, God the Father explicitly commanded them to honor Jesus only, but not with a memorial or statue: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."

Idols come in all shapes and sizes, pagan or Christian. Making them “Christian” doesn’t make them okay. Pretending that you are not idolizing them only makes it worse. Admit that it is idolatry, for if you don’t, it makes it even worse than a heathen statue.

Building Bigger Barns: An Inch Deeper and a Mile Wider

Giant cathedrals and mega-million dollar buildings are an invitation for worldliness, not church. Look in vain in the New Testament for any “building programs,” “family recreational centers,” lavish houses of God, and the like. The entire priesthood, temple, and sacrificial system ended with Jesus. Though the false church likes to reinstate this practice through its many rituals and practices, the need for  temples (i.e., giant church buildings) are gone. Despite this, the false church loves to impress others with its beautiful buildings.

Jesus’ disciples were especially proud of the beauty and magnificence of the Jewish temple, and they asked Jesus what he thought this building. His answer showed he wasn’t impressed in the least; on the contrary, his primary concern was with warning them that these ornate buildings would soon crumble to the ground: “And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Mark 13:1-2). Any questions?

Church in the House

Though the modern church doesn’t like to admit it, the early church did not meet at giant cathedrals but at believer’s houses like that of Priscilla and Aquila’s: “The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house” (1 Corinthians 16:19). When Saul persecuted the early church, he didn’t go to some building—he went to disciples’ houses: “As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison” (Acts 8:3). Other believers had church in their house as well: “Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house” (Colossians 4:15). “And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house” (Philemon 1:2). “Playing church” ought to be the characteristic of the hypocrite, not the believer. We still believe that God dwells in temples of stone, so we build “Christian temples” bigger and better than ever. To top it off, the church even calls its buildings “temples.” If God is not residing in your bodily temple, though, you would probably want to build one for him also. It just makes you feel like he’s there. Thirty- million-dollar pipe organs and elaborate masonry only hide better the lack of anything substantive being taught. Big, beautiful, and gaudy is a good indication that you’re in the false church. God’s advice you to is “Come out of her, my people.”

By Steve McCalip

Exract from the ebook "The Most Controversial Book in the World: The Bible"

Web Site  "For The Word of God"