In the book of Revelation, we have God's words to the seven churches. In chapters 2-3, we read of the loveless, the persecuted, the compromising, the corrupt, the dead, the faithful, and the lukewarm churches. Clearly, we want to be part of churches that are faithful through persecution, uncompromising, full of love, pure, and vibrantly alive with good works.
It is clear that 5 out of the 7 churches named have serious issues. I would wager that at least 5 out of 7 churches in the United States today does as well. This should not surprise us. It should sadden and upset us, but not surprise us. Being faithful is never going to be popular or easy, though only the faithful in Christ will inherit the promises and last. Notice how God judges and blots out the other churches.
Today I fear, in our Evangelical and Reformed churches and seminaries, in its pulpits and among its parishioners, we have plenty of compromising, corrupt, lukewarm churches. We see this with the Revoice/gay-affirming movement, with rampant adultery, with support for radical socialistic and racist and feminist agendas, following the spirit of the age. We must confess, I must confess, that we have wallowed in our own corruption, compromise, and laxity for too long.
We all have much to repent of, but that's the beautiful thing about God's grace. When you repent, as Christ said on the cross, the atoning work is finished! It is not held against you any longer. But when we say we cannot resist our unnatural lusts, we cannot be chaste in marriage, we cannot submit to our husbands or lead our wives and children, we cannot overcome being white or make it in this world being black, we are simply denying the work of Christ on the cross, which has covered our sins, making full atonement by His blood.
The Southern Baptist Convention is floundering, and in our Reformed/NAPARC denominations, all except perhaps the micro denominations are following suit. Even the churches that personally try to hold fast to God's Word in their own churches, seem to fail to have the energy or desire to obey God's Word when it comes to disciplining other unfaithful churches with whom they are covenantally/denominationally in union.
But what fellowship hath light with darkness? How faithful can a church be that has joined itself with so many harlots, and refuses to put out the harlotry? A local church might be faithful, but what about the "high places" under its jurisdiction, will it continue to refuse to tear those down? I'm not saying it would be easy. It might not even be possible. But it certainly isn't possible if there is no united will to fight the united forces of Satan in our most conservative denominations and institutions, who often waging war against us under the wing of our supposedly staunchest defenders of the faith. After all, have we heard and seen what Al Mohler and Ligon Duncan have been doing, have been enabling?
Repentance is a beautiful thing. I recently delivered two sermons on Leviticus 16, the Day of Atonement. I was reminded of the call to repentance as the Israelites on that great day entered into the spirit of the day by humbling themselves in their souls, "afflicting" their souls with Sabbath fasting and repentance. And why? Because they must wallow in their misery and never forgot how rotten and awful they are, how their sin defiles God's people and God's dwelling place? No, but rather, so that they may confess all their sins to the LORD, who is faithful and just to then forgive us of our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We must confess to experience that cleansing still, even in the New Testament, even as Christians (see I John 1:9). This is good news, this is the Gospel!
I have found the real, genuine repentance, is nigh impossible to counterfeit. It cuts to the heart, not just of the one repenting, but everyone seeing and hearing it. I have experienced Christ's atoning blood afresh in deep and full repentance and confession, and through tears, I have had the guilt and stain of unconfessed sin washed away. I have been rejuvenated by seeing others confess sin from the heart as well. It would be wonderful, beautiful, cleansing and rejuvenating if our Evangelical elites would just repent, if those so-called conservatives would just come clean, confess that they got caught up in the love of money and legacy, and shed tears of repentance. That would unify the Church. That would be a legacy truly worth remembering.
But the cost of true repentance is the work of repentance. An Al Mohler or Ligon Duncan would have to look at the spiritual damage done under their watch, in their academic institutions, and own it. Confess their lack of leadership and shepherding. There is no under-shepherd who doesn't have to confess sin, and confess it bitterly. I have had to do this as an elder, and I certainly have had to do it as a father and husband. Would that popular Reformed pastors repent of their sin, and save both themselves and those that hear of their repentance! Repentance can save friendships, marriages, congregations, nations, because it is through repentance that the grace of God in Jesus Christ is laid hold of and clung to for new life.
But it is the constant refusal to truly repent that is unforgiveable, and I mean that literally. God does not forgive the unrepentant. When we look at our Evangelical thought leaders, confirmed in their compromise, refusing to acknowledge any fault unless it is to save face with the woke (which is a false repentance and sin in itself), we have to stop lying to ourselves and admit to ourselves that we have been betrayed. If our generals have betrayed us, what shall we foot soldiers do? Shall we follow them into compromise, perhaps all the way to hell? Or shall we come out from among them, stand firm, and appoint faithful generals as God will allow?
I am praying for and pursuing the latter. Practically, this means a lot of trusting God. It was back in 2014 that I realized pursuing pastoral ministry in the PCA, and likely other NAPARC denominations, would require me to compromise, to lie to myself, to pretend to respect men in leadership who were ungodly, even godless. Soon after, I had to leave my home church where I served as an elder and was interning. This was painful. I was licensed in a small denomination that was outside of the NAPARC web, which had resisted years ago and departed when they were able to see the writing on the wall even then. While I continued in a remnant/solid PCA church until a year ago, my trajectory was in the Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church for many years. In the past year I moved to Florida, became an elder in a CRPC church, and have been richly blessed by the fellowship and faithfulness of the church and its leadership. God willing I will soon be ordained in the CRPC, and I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.
Church planting is something I have had in my heart and mind for many years. I have seen churches compromised and become lukewarm at best, because of a lack of leadership, either from the pastor or the majority of elders. Today, while we have some good churches that undoubtedly remain, I believe for real reformation to occur, we need to see godly seed planted, godly churches formed. They will have humble beginnings, and may be humble for a long time. But humble faithfulness is preferable to haughty, bloated, gradual apostasy. Poverty with the Lord, among God's people, is better than riches with the world, under Satan's sway. And the truly rich are the faithful, only by the grace of God found in Christ Jesus, who will inherit the earth, while the Synagogues of Satan will be brought low before the faithful churches feet, for God will "make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you" (Rev. 2:9b).
God humbles the proud and exalts the lowly. We need faithful, lowly churches that will soon be exalted, and haughty, proud churches to soon be brought down to the dust, where the head of Satan lies, which has been crushed by His cross.
This means, to be blunt and clear as possible, that some of our favorite pastors and theologians, some of our favorite academic institutions and seminaries, need to be reduced to rubble, to dust to be swept away. God warns them, as he warned all the unfaithful churches in Revelation 2-3, to "Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth" (Rev. 2:16).
God's patience is long, but it is not forever. His judgment on these unfaithful churches will be soon, and swift, and you don't want to find yourself where it is too late to flee the wrath that is to come.
So let us build godly and faithful churches. It may be humble beginnings. Jesus began with fishermen, in the highways and byways. He came to stand before kings and has conquered kingdoms. Now He has been given the Name that is above all Names. By God's grace, in the strength of His Spirit, let us stand firm, let us hold fast, and let us build new things worthy of the Name, and pray that God will bless it, expecting Him to do so as He is pleased to bless those who are faithful to Him and magnify His Holy Name.
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