Why is the UnderGroundChurch Important

It may sound somewhat alarmist, but Jesus was pretty plain in saying that things will not get better before He returns; they will get worse.

We cannot look at Christianity through the eyes of American Christian Lifestyles. It will skew the truth. The day will come, and I believe is fast approaching, when much of the American-style church will be a thing of the past.  This page looks at the reasons and the cure.

Why is it going to change?

For 40 years, the church has been quickly becoming less relevant to society.  We have relegated most of our social agenda to the humanistic government and other’s equally atheistic, and focused on “spiritual” matters only.

Yes, spiritual things are important, but we have gotten our eyes off the signs of the times.  We don’t see what is happening in the world around us,  and we continue in our “Christian ways.”  One day, the rug will be pulled out and there will be a lot of panic in American Christendom.  Simple things like church buildings, church signs, non-profit status will be stripped away.  Let me lay out a few scenarios that are real possibilities in the near future for the American Church.

Taxation

In 2009, our beloved government has added a Trillion dollars to the national debt bringing the total to 11 Trillion dollars for the long-term debt load.  If every dollar made in America were taken for one year from every American, we would barely meet this new debt.  Where are they ever going to get the money to meet this government’s insatiable appetite for money.  They can only tax the rich so much?

They are going to look to the non-profits – the churches in particular.  Enough uproar will be made about churches paying preachers too much, spending money foolishly and lavishly that they will create societal hate against the church.  The governmentwill feel “compelled” to tax the church. They successfully did it to CEOs by taxing them 90% on bonuses that the government already knew about.  It doesn’t take much to get a gullible society to pull out the torches and burn the “monster of the day”.

It will start with income, then they will remove the tax deduction to churches that people receive when they give tithes and offereings (Obama already wants this one) then they will tax properties.  This will fiscally wipe out most churches in America.  Can you see churches’ tax burdens jump to 30% of their income?  Most can barely get by today as it is.

Limits on Function

The administration, in 2009, put into the “faith-based” office an anti-religious, gay activist.  What do you think is going to come of this?  Churches are competition to a socialism.  Socialism must be the source to meet the people’s needs, not religious organizations.  Why do you think church was outlawed in the USSR?

Hate Laws

Our teachings will be slowly outlawed.  It will start with convictions such as marriage, homosexuality and other social issues. After a while, it will go deeper to destroying the very foundation of faith.  They have already spent decades in the schools indoctrinating the children who are now adults.  It won’t take much to totally activate the humanistic manifesto for America and take churches off the map.

A church in Florida in 2010 plans to burn the Koran on September 11, and everybody is up in arms because of their “religious intolerance”. If it were reversed, I dare say that there would be little reporting.

What gets affected?

How we do church will have to change.  Meeting publicly will get harder and harder.  Giving will drop, salaries with go away. Programs, dramas and other productions will disappear.  All these things are probably good because we will be getting back to a raw, real and relative relationship with Jesus and each other.  The church will once again be integrated in homes and in the underground where it will thrive with people truly devoted to Christ and not holding on just because of a “feel good” message.

The Transformation

This transforming process will be a gradual one and will be painful at times.

First is the falling away predicted by Jesus.  There will be a lot of people disillusioned with the church that believe all the hype about good times, great blessings, no worries or troubles before Jesus comes.  Prosperity for all!

There will be a rude awakening.  People will be forced to choose between character and troubles or comfort and convenience, Christ or the World.  You will not be able to live the double life nearly as easy as before, and many won’t be willing to take that.  Their salvation is shallow and weak due to lack of teaching, and poor discipleship and many will fall.

The up side is that those that remain and those that join will be tried and tested in the fire and come through stronger and more refined than ever.

Second, church will look different.  It will be integrated into society.  Underground meetings, one-on-one ministry, home groups, real unity, true relationship will form  and the church will become a spriritual and social force that will proclaim the gospel like it did in the first century.

Finally, miraculous signs and wonders will accompany those that believe in ways never seen before.  “Greater things than Jesus did” according to Jesus own words, will be done in the last days.  Prayer that moves mountains; healings that will move people to repentance and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit will fill the church with boldness and giftings like never before.  It will be a day that will fulfull Jesus own words and bring in the most number of people to Christ using the least severe means necessary by the hand of God, and you reading this right now will most likely be here to seen it all unfold.

I don’t know when all this will happen, only that it will happen and that the day is fast approaching.  We, the church, must become a active force for the preaching of the good news of Jesus Christ – unashamed, unbound, uninhibited and  unrelenting.