When the Church Is Sifted: Challenges and Purifications
I believe that in the coming time, many true believers will not be able to remain in what we call traditional “Christianity”. The true victors will have to leave the universal church system, which I liken to the Laodicean Church in the Book of Revelation – a church that is complacent and compromised.
The Compromise of the Church Before the World
Today, the fundamentals of truth are facing unprecedented attacks. Right is becoming wrong, and day is turning into night. Some “leaders” are even openly declaring the Bible to be a “dead letter”. If denominational church organizations want to continue to exist, they seem to have only one way: compromise and surrender.
History teaches us lessons about church compromise. A prime example is the Lutheran Church in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. This state church completely compromised with an extremist regime, just to ensure its own survival. As one German citizen remarked: “There was something in the air and we breathed it.” Today, a similar atmosphere is spreading throughout the Christian world, not limited to a particular country or region. Even the fervent “restoration” or “current” movements are breathing this air of compromise.
The Birth of the “Confessing” Church
Against this backdrop, people like Bonhoeffer in Germany abandoned the Lutheran Church and joined the so-called Confessing Church – an underground, illegal church separate from the state church. They are forced to leave because the national church only serves the purposes of the state, and no longer stands firm on the truth of God.
When a church compromises with the world and stands silent in the face of evil for the sake of material gain, fame, or to ensure its own survival, it is no longer a place for a true believer to stay. When the church is willing to serve a “new Nicolaitan system” (meaning the rule of the clergy over the people) in the “global restoration” movement for the sake of money and fame, many who love God will have to leave.
Lessons from the Death of Jesus
Jesus was also killed because of the compromise of the religious leaders of His time. The high priest Caiaphas wisely said in a worldly way: “It is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed” (John 11:47-53). He said this not on his own initiative but as a prophecy, but the motive of the Sanhedrin was to preserve order and their existence against the threat of the Romans. In order to maintain their power and system, the religious establishment was willing to destroy the Messiah himself.
Similarly, today, in order to protect their system and doctrine, some denominational churches are willing to brutally oppress and even destroy Bible-loving saints, reveling in the persecution of those who seek God outside their organization.
A Wake-Up Call for the Modern Church
So, what path is the modern church taking to survive? Are we witnessing a church that is only allowed to survive if it follows the immoral dictates of the world, such as accepting same-sex marriage? Although there are promises that clergy will not be punished if they do not perform same-sex marriage, I believe this will not last.
Brothers and sisters, the coming days will bring “disturbing noises” to wake us from our slumber. The legalization of same-sex marriage is a much-needed shock to the Body of Christ. We need to be awakened to be uncompromising witnesses, willing to suffer for the love of the truth. This is the time for the Church to stand firm, uncompromising in anything that goes against the Word of God.