How the church in Namibia is dishonouring God

By Sam Kauapirura

When the Church is investigated for crime and wrong behaviour, it dishonours God. Earlier this week, the Namibian nation woke up to the news that a certain denomination at the coast was being investigated for child trafficking and allied charges, after a minor had to be rescued by the police to prevent an alleged planned marriage sanctioned and approved by the church, as a matter of doctrine. 
 
At the outset, I must stress that our country has an abundance of denominations, some advancing and practising contrasting religion and related activities.  
 
Yet, the only obvious common thread binding all these denominations is their use of the Christian Bible. 
 
As such, I went back to the Bible in search of its definition of a Christian church. Needless to say, I must point out here that it is common knowledge that the Christian church (Christ’s church), only commenced after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, with the first denomination beginning in the Book of Acts 2, at after the dawn of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. 
 
One immediate implication of this reality is the fact that the larger framework for the identity of the church, its worship, the conduct of believers and purpose and calling of the church can be easily traced from the writings of the New Testament. 
 
A good place to start looking for the identity of the true church of our Lord Jesus Christ is 1 Tim 3:15 which reads: “If I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth” 
 
How does this text then, define the marks of a true church? A true church is one which is: 
 
• The support of God’s Word.  
• The Word needs to be protected by the church; Jude 3.  
• True church upholds the truth which upholds it; Psalm 119:116  
 
It is thus not enough to have a building, people, a preacher and pulpit. You must have the truth.  
 
The true church established by Jesus Christ as the pillar and ground of the truth has six significant marks as the pillar and ground of the truth, and they are: 
 
One, the true biblical preaching of the Word:  
 
Churches forfeit their identity when they forfeit preaching the true Gospel. It is the doctrines of the bible alone which save souls, converts wayward minds, and strengthens the faithful. The mission of the church is to preach Grace alone, through faith alone, by Christ alone, stated in the Scriptures alone. 
 
Too many churches of nowadays seem to have invented a new “more attractive” gospel, of manipulating and threatening audiences with death, the horrors of hell and a blanket false promise for material prosperity.  
 
It’s like saying, give God N$10 and He’ll return N$100 to you. My limited English vocabulary calls this practice plain gambling. That’s exactly the premise in gambling, and people flock to the slot machines, in the hope of invoking luck, which, I understand, in most cases does not happen.  
 
Then there is the ‘claim it, have it’ theology. Many churches make false pronouncements of having spoken and ordered away vicious diseases such as cancer, HIV-AIDS, TB and others.  
 
Even car accidents are ordered away from our roads, and you know the statistics of the carnage on our roads.  
 
When more people die of the very same diseases, congregations are bullied from the pulpit to believe those who died sinned against God, or simply were of little faith! Oh, the misery of the pulpit of the 21st century.  
 
When Christ and his disciples healed somebody in the New Testament, he/she were healed instantly. They did not demand extraordinary faith, they did not charge a fee, they did not call healing festivals and conferences, no, they were preaching the gospel, and along the way, attended to these practical needs and challenges. 
 
The second mark of the Christian church is the Biblical administration of the sacraments.  
 
Christians are never to neglect the table of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:23-30) and baptism (Acts 2:42).  
 
Third, the faithful exercise of Biblical discipline: Matthew 18:18 and Titus 3:10.  
 
Christians must be corrected when they wander from the pillar and ground of truth. Ravenous wolves come in and begin to prey on the flock if they are not protected.  
 
Some people do not like to “judge” others in truth—which is sin since Christ told us that the church is lawfully to judge according to church discipline. 
 
Ministers and churches who do not exercise church discipline when needed are cowards; they are required to show men their sin as pastors of the flock of God – as they have been ordained to do so in meekness and quietness of spirit. 
 
Fourth, Strong Biblical Leadership: 2 Tim. 4:1-4. It is the case today that itching ears are scratched.  
 
Churches are started because men fancy their own opinions, and their own doctrine, and heap up or gather around them others who like to preach this error and find worldly comfort in it.  
 
Fifth, a Heart and Zeal for Biblical Missions: Psalm 96:3 and Matthew 16:18.  
 
If a church does not have a right, Biblical expression of missions, it’s not a church. And churches should be intricately involved with those the church sends. 
 
Sixth and final mark, right Expression of Biblical Worship: John 4:24.  
 
The church is to be the pillar and the ground of truth! If the aforementioned is true, then the expression of the church would then be biblical whole-hearted worship of Christ. Christ – the sin bearer, the redeemer, desires an expression of worship by the truth of His Word.  
 
To end my discourse, just a quick recap, does your church meet these six criteria?  
 
– True biblical preaching;  
– The right administration of the Sacraments;  
– The faithful exercise of church discipline;  
– Strong biblical leadership;  
– A heart and zeal for biblical missions;  
– Biblical worship.  
 
If your church does not outwardly exemplify these six areas, then it is not a place that Christ is building as His church. Remember, it’s not your church, it’s His. 
 
Churches have an out of this world criterion to measure themselves against in the above. As God says, a child of God trembles at His Word. (Is 66:2b). And when this happens, God gets the glory, and honour. 
 
If we as the true church of God fail in reflecting this reality, God is dishonoured, He doesn’t get His glory, and, perhaps, we may have to come to terms with the fact that we may not be the church Christ is building, on the basis of His blood, for His glory.  
 
Failure to live up to this crystal benchmark raises solid questions about the credibility of the Church, and God, being a holy God, cares about the credibility of His Church and his people. And all this is premised on His glory, alone. 

Credit: www.newera.com.na