Recently I was reminded of the astounding number of denominations. God recognises none of them. He has one church, not 40,000. I watched a video recently about life in Israel in the time of Jesus. There was mention of old and new wine skins and I realised why at least some denominations have formed over the centuries since the Reformation.
A characteristic of a new wine skin is flexibility. In the time of Jesus, grapes fermented because there was not way of halting the process. Putting that wine into an old, rigid wine skin would have been foolish. Wine gives off gases as it ferments. The pressure is too much for old, hardened skins.
The Reformation was like new wine in the Catholic wine skin. Luther's 95 thesis blew a hole in the rigid theology of Rome. Exact numbers are hard to assess, but millions of people turned away from Catholicism. Luther's ideas were especially new, but he lived in the time when printing had been invented and the message could spread easily.
So everything was wonderful, correct? No. The "new wine" of the Reformation quickly became old and the wine skin became rigid. Various new denominations started as fresh insight into God's word was gained. One of these insights was baptism by immersion. This was promoted by Anabaptists who were severely persecuted for their beliefs.
A more modern controversy revolves around the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I was saved in 1971. The Pentecostals had been active since the early 1900's. The Charismatic movement brought the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to the non-Pentecostal churches. Again, the old wine skins burst and many left the non-Charismatic scene. It was a strange time indeed. I know someone who was kicked out of a Baptist church for promoting the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Not long after, the Pastor had a change of heart and embraced it. Not everyone was happy. new wine/old wine skin.
This does not explain every denomination, but it does explain a lot. Some mainstream denominations have taken to embracing woke, progressive and worldly attitudes to try and plug the holes in their old wine skins. All that has done is create even more division.
I believe that God has bypassed the denominations. There is one truth that no denomination has yet embraced, at least that I know of. The "pyramid", top-down leadership model of the Catholic tradition has been retained by most fellowships. Most believers are Sunday morning spectators who are allowed to join in the singing. This is nothing like the pattern given by God.
According to God's word, every individual in a congregation is an essential part of the body of Christ. The hand is no more or less important than the foot. We have two hands, two feet, two eyes, two ears, all necessary for the health of the church. Elders are supposed to be able to teach. Yet the load is placed on a paid professional who is expected to do most of the work. I know one pastor who mowed the lawns of the church. "Why does the church have deacons?" I asked. Sadly, the spectator mentality is hard to overcome.
No one hands out prizes to spectators. No pastor should be so overworked that he burns out. He should be able to take a break and allow one of the congregation to preach from time to time. Christians need to know that they are valued and necessary. If one is away, the fellowship should miss that individual. This is one reason why people drift from church to church, seeking somewhere that they are valued.
A characteristic of a new wine skin is flexibility. In the time of Jesus, grapes fermented because there was not way of halting the process. Putting that wine into an old, rigid wine skin would have been foolish. Wine gives off gases as it ferments. The pressure is too much for old, hardened skins.
The Reformation was like new wine in the Catholic wine skin. Luther's 95 thesis blew a hole in the rigid theology of Rome. Exact numbers are hard to assess, but millions of people turned away from Catholicism. Luther's ideas were especially new, but he lived in the time when printing had been invented and the message could spread easily.
So everything was wonderful, correct? No. The "new wine" of the Reformation quickly became old and the wine skin became rigid. Various new denominations started as fresh insight into God's word was gained. One of these insights was baptism by immersion. This was promoted by Anabaptists who were severely persecuted for their beliefs.
A more modern controversy revolves around the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I was saved in 1971. The Pentecostals had been active since the early 1900's. The Charismatic movement brought the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to the non-Pentecostal churches. Again, the old wine skins burst and many left the non-Charismatic scene. It was a strange time indeed. I know someone who was kicked out of a Baptist church for promoting the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Not long after, the Pastor had a change of heart and embraced it. Not everyone was happy. new wine/old wine skin.
This does not explain every denomination, but it does explain a lot. Some mainstream denominations have taken to embracing woke, progressive and worldly attitudes to try and plug the holes in their old wine skins. All that has done is create even more division.
I believe that God has bypassed the denominations. There is one truth that no denomination has yet embraced, at least that I know of. The "pyramid", top-down leadership model of the Catholic tradition has been retained by most fellowships. Most believers are Sunday morning spectators who are allowed to join in the singing. This is nothing like the pattern given by God.
According to God's word, every individual in a congregation is an essential part of the body of Christ. The hand is no more or less important than the foot. We have two hands, two feet, two eyes, two ears, all necessary for the health of the church. Elders are supposed to be able to teach. Yet the load is placed on a paid professional who is expected to do most of the work. I know one pastor who mowed the lawns of the church. "Why does the church have deacons?" I asked. Sadly, the spectator mentality is hard to overcome.
No one hands out prizes to spectators. No pastor should be so overworked that he burns out. He should be able to take a break and allow one of the congregation to preach from time to time. Christians need to know that they are valued and necessary. If one is away, the fellowship should miss that individual. This is one reason why people drift from church to church, seeking somewhere that they are valued.
