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             Looking for the Right Church in the Wrong Places!

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By David Wilkerson
July 12, 1999
__________

          If there is one complaint I hear consistently from
          Christians all over the world, it's this: "I can't find
          a good church anywhere! I need a place where my family
          can be ministered to -- where we can hear a true word
          from heaven, and where my children can grow up knowing
          true righteousness. But I just can't found that kind of
          a church!"

          Over the past five years, this single complaint has
          poured in like a torrent from thousands of readers on
          our mailing list. Many write, "Everywhere I go,
          churches are full of hype, foolishness, flag-waving --
          all kinds of distractions from the gospel. All the
          preaching I hear is shallow, and the worship is dead. I
          always leave feeling so empty."

          Others complain, "Our pastor is constantly trying out
          new things in our church -- new methods of evangelism,
          new music, new 'revival' movements of all kinds. Now
          our church is splitting over his continual search for
          new gimmicks!"

          Of course, there are exceptions to these sad stories.
          Some readers write, "I thank God for our pastor. He
          spends time on his knees -- and every time he preaches,
          he brings down fire from heaven. The Lord is blessing
          our church mightily!"

          Tragically, however, few ministers today have the
          anointing of God's Spirit. They may be able to tell a
          good story or inject humor into their sermons. But they
          have no fresh word from heaven, because they don't
          spend time alone with the Lord. The result is a
          widespread famine of a true word from God in the land.

          If you're having trouble finding a good church, I've
          got both good news and bad news for you. First, the bad
          news: You'll never find the right church -- the
          righteous, God-blessed church -- until you start
          looking for it in the right place.

          Now, here's the good news: God clearly shows us in his
          word where to find this holy, blessed church. In fact,
          I hope to show you in this message specifically where
          you can go to find it!

                      -------------------------------

                         Jeremiah Found This Church
                        "...While He Was Yet in the
                          Court of the Prison..."
                             (Jeremiah 33:1).

                      -------------------------------

          While the godly prophet Jeremiah sat in prison,
          Jerusalem lay in ruin. The city represented the center
          of worship for the Old Testament church. At one time it
          was a hallowed place -- filled with the glory of God,
          and served by holy prophets and sanctified priests.

          But now Jerusalem was full of sickness and death,
          peopled by false prophets and the spiritually dead. Had
          you been one of the holy remnant holding out at that
          time, you wouldn't have been able to find a single
          righteous house of worship or even a godly shepherd.
          Everything once holy and blessed had been brought to
          devastation.

          As Jeremiah looked upon this awful scene, his heart was
          crushed. God had told him in the previous chapter that
          Jerusalem was so wicked, he now "hid his face" from it
          all. He warned, "I can no longer stand to look at what
          my church has become. All of the people's idolatry and
          foolishness -- all of their new 'rooftop' movements --
          are angering me. So, everything that's of flesh and not
          of me, I'm going to burn down!" (see Jeremiah 32:29).

          Jeremiah himself became so focused on the ruin around
          him, he lost sight of God's covenant promises to his
          people. He could have continued in despair, wasting his
          days brooding and sinking further into hopelessness. He
          might have thought, "It's no use -- God has hidden his
          face from us. There is no true house of worship left!"

          But suddenly, the Lord spoke to the prophet, saying,
          "Get on your knees, Jeremiah! Set your heart to pray to
          me. You believe there's nothing left of my church. But
          I'm going to show you the mighty things I have planned
          for my people!" (see 33:3).

          If Christians today want to find the right church, this
          is the place to begin -- with prayer! No one is ever
          going to find God's true church by jumping on a bus,
          train or plane and racing around the world in search of
          it. We simply can't get to his church by any modern
          conveyance. The only reliable map is our secret closet
          of prayer!

                      -------------------------------

                        God Revealed to Jeremiah His
                         Glorious Covenant Promise
                           Regarding a Perpetual
                             Holy Priesthood!

                      -------------------------------

          God had already warned the backslidden church in
          Israel: "...Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is
          grievous...thou hast no healing medicines...because thy
          sins were increased, I have done these things unto
          thee" (Jeremiah 30:12-15). He was saying, in other
          words, "My people are in such ruin and death, their
          condition is incurable!"

          Today, the church of Jesus Christ is in just such an
          awful condition. I've come to this conclusion after
          viewing videotapes of certain "revivals" and
          conferences sent to me from righteous believers all
          over the country. They write, "Brother Dave, you won't
          believe the blasphemy you'll see on this tape."

          I've usually thought to myself, "Surely it can't be
          that bad." But when I watch the tapes, the scenes are
          worse than anything the people described. The services
          are led by false prophets and moneychangers who spout
          forth madness and blasphemous mockery. Consider the
          following scenes from various meetings:

             * One prosperity teacher told the audience it's a
               waste to give money to the poor. Instead, he said,
               "Give your money to the blessed. That way you'll
               be blessed in return!"

             * A man wearing a dog collar crawled around on all
               fours, barking like a dog, while the choir sang,
               "Where He Leads Me I Will Follow." The leaders
               called this demonstration a Spirit-led act of
               submission!

             * People raced around the auditorium while the
               worship team sang a tune called "Run for the
               Money." Apparently, the faster you ran, the more
               you'd be blessed financially.

          As I watched these things, my spirit cried out, "Oh,
          Lord -- this is blasphemy! The shepherds and sheep are
          totally blind! How could you ever bring healing to such
          blatant profaning of your work? The wound to your
          church seems incurable!"

          Of course, the Lord does "turn his face" from all such
          foolishness and mockery. Yet he never hides himself
          from those who shut themselves in prayer with him. And
          he told the prayerful Jeremiah, "Behold, I will bring
          it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will
          reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth"
          (Jeremiah 33:6).

          These were amazing words! God was telling the prophet,
          "Believe it or not, Jeremiah, I am going to heal my
          people. In fact, I'm going to lead them into abundant
          peace and truth! I'm about to bring a great cleansing,
          with new mercies. And my church will once again be a
          place of joy and true praises, where all bondages are
          broken!"

          The Lord then gave this glorious covenant promise:
          "Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Again in this place,
          which is desolate without man and without beast, and in
          all the cities thereof, shall be an habitation of
          shepherds causing their flocks to lie down" (Jeremiah
          33:12). He was saying, "I'm going to establish a
          multitude of godly priests in cities everywhere. And
          they'll serve me in truth, causing my sheep to lie down
          in rest!"

          In every city and town, whether in the mountains or
          valleys, the north or south, there would be a
          "sheepcote" -- a pen for the flock - with a shepherd to
          watch over it. And "...the flocks [shall] pass again
          under the hands of him that telleth them, saith the
          Lord" (verse 13). This verse speaks of intimate,
          personal concern for every sheep. God was saying,
          "These godly priests will care for my people
          individually!"

          The Lord then summed up his blessing of restoration,
          saying, "Behold, the days come...that I will perform
          that good thing which I have promised unto the house of
          Israel and to the house of Judah" (verse 14). This
          "good thing" sounded almost too good to be true. Not
          only would God cleanse his church and restore his
          people - but he would provide them with godly
          shepherds!

          Only the Lord himself could perform such an amazing
          work. No evangelist, teacher or new movement could
          accomplish it. It would happen only by covenant
          promise!

                      -------------------------------

                         I Believe God Was Speaking
                         These Promises to Jeremiah
                              About Our Day!

                      -------------------------------

          "In those days, and at that time, will I cause the
          Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he
          shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land"
          (Jeremiah 33:15). What are the "days" God is talking
          about here? He's speaking of the time when the vision
          would be fulfilled. And what is the "righteous branch"
          he mentions? It is none other than the Lord Jesus
          Christ!

          Beloved, God has fulfilled this vision, through the
          death and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ. He has
          established his church, and its name is neither
          Baptist, nor Pentecostal, nor any other name but simply
          "The Lord...our righteousness" (verse 16).

          Yet here is the most wonderful news of all. God said
          this church "... shall be to me a name of joy, a praise
          and an honor before all the nations of the earth, which
          shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they
          shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all
          the prosperity that I procure unto it [make for them]"
          (verse 9).

          The literal meaning of this last phrase is, "They shall
          quiver and be startled, full of the awe and fear of
          God." God was saying, "I'm going to do something so
          amazing, so clearly full of my abundant peace and
          truth, people will tremble with fear!"

          Yet, what would cause this fear and trembling? Would it
          be a harsh message of judgment? The preaching of the
          law? An expression of God's wrath? No! All fear and
          trembling would come through a revelation of God's
          goodness! It would come from an expression of his
          unmerited blessing, providing his people with an
          abundance of peace and rest.

                      -------------------------------

                            Did God's Promise of
                          Healing, Forgiveness and
                            Holy Shepherds Make
                          God's People Careless?

                      -------------------------------

          When the Lord promised to be his people's righteousness
          through faith, did the Israelites suddenly begin to
          walk carelessly, lowering his standard of holiness? No,
          not at all. Rather, his promise of peace and rest would
          cause them to tremble in fear!

          We see a picture of this holy trembling in Mark 4. When
          a storm threatened the disciples' very lives, Jesus
          rebuked the wind and sea, saying, "...Peace, be still.
          And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm" (Mark
          4:39). How did the disciples react to this? Scripture
          says, "They feared exceedingly, and said one to
          another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind
          and the sea obey him?" (verse 41).

          Why did these men "fear exceedingly"? It wasn't because
          of some harsh rebuke from their master. No -- it was
          because he settled the storm, bringing about peace and
          calm. In short, they trembled at the goodness Christ
          showed his faithless, undeserving followers!

          So, how will God cause fear and trembling in his
          last-days church? Will it come through a thunderous
          message of condemnation, or some new form of legalism?
          No, never! God's people are going to tremble at the
          glorious revelation of his New Covenant promises!

          We'll tremble when we realize his Spirit lives and
          works in us, undeserving as we are, to prepare us as
          Christ's bride. We'll cry, "What? The Lord is at work
          in me, with all my problems, failures and quirks? He's
          causing me to do his will making me holy, blameless,
          his shining light to the world?" We'll be humbled with
          a holy fear!

          Isn't this what you are looking for in the church?

                      -------------------------------

                          What About All the Godly
                          Shepherds and Flocks Who
                         Will Populate Every City?

                      -------------------------------

          You may be wondering, "Are you saying God will purge
          the church of all false prosperity doctrines and phony
          hireling shepherds?" No, I'm not saying that at all. In
          fact, according to an Old Testament prophecy, there
          will always be a lazy, compromising Eli ministry in the
          church. It's called the Abiathar ministry, named after
          the priest who forsook David -- and it's a ministry
          totally of the flesh!

          You may also wonder, "Where are all these godly
          shepherds the Lord promised us? Where are they
          pastoring? Are you saying we can find their righteous
          churches in any city, town or village?

          "I don't see how God could ever find enough holy,
          separated ministers to 'make them a habitation' in
          every place. There aren't enough Bible schools and
          seminaries in the world to even begin to fulfill this
          incredible prophecy. I know the Lord is raising up a
          host of godly young ministers. But surely they're few
          and far between. So, where is this numerous
          priesthood?"

          We find the answer to this question in the rest of the
          story from Jeremiah. God told the prophet, "As the host
          of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the
          sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my
          servant, and the Levites that minister unto me"
          (Jeremiah 33:22). He was saying, "I give you this
          covenant promise. I'm going to increase the holy
          priesthhood who'll shepherd my multiplying flocks!"

          How will God do this? We find the answer in the book of
          Revelation: "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from
          our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and
          priests unto God and his Father..." (Revelation 1:5-6).
          God has made us all his priests! Everyone who has been
          washed in the blood of Jesus is a member of his royal
          priesthood.

          The apostle Peter echoes this in I Peter 2:5: "Ye also,
          as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an
          holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
          acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5). God
          has called us to be priests who minister to him!

          You see, the Lord's concept of "church" is much
          different from ours. We think of church as being a
          ministry to people. It's a place where all of God's
          people's spiritual, physical and emotional needs are
          met. Of course, that is all part of what makes up a
          church. But the true church, according to scripture,
          begins with ministry to Jesus Christ. His concept of
          church is anyplace there is ministry to the Lord!

          We see this distinction illustrated in Ezekiel 44. In
          the following passage, the Lord describes man-centered
          ministry:

          "They shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge
          at the gates of the house, and ministering to the
          house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the
          sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before
          them to minister unto them...I will make them keepers
          of the charge of the house, and for all the service
          thereof, and for all that shall be done therein"
          (Ezekiel 44:11,14).

          According to this passage, the priests were doing
          everything a pastor should do. They were preaching,
          counseling, ministering to the people's needs. in fact,
          to unspiritual eyes, their ministry probably looked as
          if it made up a good, solid church.

          But in reality, these ministers were giving the people
          what their flesh wanted: "They ministered unto them
          before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to
          fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up mine
          hand against them, saith the Lord God, and they shall
          bear their iniquity" (verse 12).

          These false shepherds had no word from God. In fact,
          God said he was their enemy! "They shall not come near
          unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in
          the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame,
          and their abominations which they have committed"
          (verse 13).

          Simply put God is telling us, "My people desire false
          shepherds! They don't want to sit under a searing
          gospel message and have their sins exposed. So, I'm
          going to give them the kind of shepherds they want.
          I'll appoint pastors who'll minister to their
          idolatrous desires and lusts!"

                      -------------------------------

                         I Ask You -- What Are You
                         Looking for in a Church?

                      -------------------------------

          Maybe you're looking for a church that will disciple
          your children on Sunday mornings. Or, perhaps you're
          looking for true fellowship. Maybe you're hungry for
          good praise and worship. Or you're trying to meet some
          other deep need in your life.

          If any of these concerns apply to you, I have a very
          hard question for you: To meet these needs, would you
          put yourself and your family under the care of an
          Abiathar priesthood -- a ministry God has rejected?
          Would you subject yourself to the preaching of a
          shepherd "appointed" by God to minister to people's
          idolatry?

          Let me give you this word about God's true church: The
          Bible says you have been appointed as a royal priest
          unto the Lord! That's right -- you are to be a
          shepherd, a minister, a priest. And the true church is
          to originate in your home!

          The Bible says every believer has been called to a
          godly Zadok priesthood:

          "But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that
          kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of
          Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me
          to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to
          offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord
          God; they shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall
          come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they
          shall keep my charge" (Ezekiel 44:15-16).

          You don't have to go to Bible school to be part of
          God's royal priesthood. You don't have to have an
          ordination paper hanging on your wall. Everyone who's
          been washed in the blood of Jesus has been raised up as
          a priest unto the Lord!

          I grew up in a family that observed what used to be
          called "family altar." My father believed that the
          verse in Hebrews commanding Christians not to forsake
          corporate assembly was meant for families as well.
          Therefore, we were not to miss the family altar.

          Every day, when the time came for family altar in our
          home, my siblings and I might have been out playing
          with our friends. But when our parents called out,
          "Prayer time!", everyone in the neighborhood knew the
          Wilkersons were going to the altar.

          My father happily took on the role of priest and
          shepherd in our home. But what about you? Have you
          searched your heart about being a priest to your
          family? You claim you can't find a good church -- one
          that stirs and provokes you, one that ministers to your
          children. But have you done the priestly work of
          mediating for your loved ones before the Lord?

          We've already seen in scripture that God's true church
          is wherever believers minister to the Lord. And that
          ought to be happening in your home. The apostle Paul
          tells us of Priscilla and Aquila, "...the church...is
          in their house" (Romans 16:5).

          Yet, many Christians come home to a blaring TV. They
          shop till they drop. And they give little, if any, time
          to minister to Christ. They never pray. They never shut
          themselves into their secret closet to seek the Lord or
          intercede for their spouses and children. Yet they
          complain that they can't find a church!

          It doesn't matter if there is no husband or father in
          your home to act as priest. You may be a single mother,
          or a single man or woman. Yet no matter who you are,
          God says you're a royal priest -- and you're called to
          minister to him!

          Perhaps you're able to say, "But I've already found the
          right church. I meet the Lord there every week. I hear
          godly preaching, and I enter into wonderful worship.
          I'm satisfied with my church."

          I rejoice with you over that. But if you see church as
          being just your local fellowship, then you still
          haven't found the true church. The God-blessed,
          righteous church is where you live -- at home, on the
          job, on your way to work. It's anywhere you seek him,
          worship him, minister to him!

          If you aren't ministering to the Lord in your home,
          then you've become an Abiathar priest. You're focused
          only on your own personal needs. And you won't find the
          right church until you go to your secret prayer
          chamber. You find it by giving Jesus quality time -- by
          serving his desire for communion with you!

          When your home becomes a church, all your deepest needs
          will be met - not by human means, but supernaturally by
          your father in heaven. And your children's needs will
          be met as well -- all because the Holy Spirit communes
          with you in the closet of prayer!

          Then you can go to any church, no matter how dead it
          may seem. Why? You do it so that you can connect with
          other Zadok seekers there! He has hungry servants
          everywhere -- and he will supernaturally bring you to
          those who share your hunger to minister to the Lord.

          Recently I was privileged to minister to pastors in
          several eastern European countries. During the years of
          communist rule, their churches were forbidden to meet.
          So, often small groups of believers would walk some ten
          miles into the woods just to have fellowship together.
          There were no official pastors or elders in these
          groups. They knew that they all were priests unto the
          Lord.

          I also heard stories of imprisoned believers whose only
          fellowship was with the Lord, sometimes for years at a
          stretch. One Christian man spent twenty-five years
          without contact with another believer. But his every
          waking hour was spent in church, because he ministered
          to Jesus' desire for communion with him.

          Beloved, the priesthood that Jeremiah prophesied is
          everywhere. It's made up of multitudes of God-hungry
          people who believe the father's covenant promises to
          them. Those promises have settled them in abundant
          peace and truth. And they respond by being faithful to
          minister to the Lord themselves -- beginning in their
          own homes!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.

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