Aspects of Institutions
Although individual, formal organizations, commonly identified as "institutions," may be deliberately and intentionally created by people, the development and functioning of institutions in society in general may be regarded as an instance of emergence; that is, institutions arise, develop and function in a pattern of social self-organization, which goes beyond the conscious intentions of the individual humans involved. (Wikipedia)
We humans tend to have a club mentality. We love to be apart of a group, whether it be a street gang, motorcycle gang, "save the trees" club, "Save the baby seal" club, political affiliation or religious denomination... We long to be apart of something that gives us identity and security. So we attach ourselves to an institution. When we cast ourselves at the mercy and furtherance of an institution, and we find our identity and security in it, we become institutionalized. You might say, "So what?". There are two main reasons.
Before I get into that, Jesus Christ did not come to start an institution. His followers did that. The true Church, is meant to be relational and spontaneous, not surrounded by barriers that are always prevalent inside institutions. Does God work inside those walls? Absolutely. There are many godly men that are used powerfully by God to preach His truth inside the walls, but the people having their lives changed are almost always the younger generation who have not yet given themselves over to the establishment.
The first evil of the institutional church is that people find their identity and security in IT, instead of in Jesus. Scores of guilt-ridden people, find relief and security in an institution. With all reliance on the "learned" clergy, the rules that govern the "church" members, the ordinances and the overall structure, many people falsely believe in their salvation, right up until the day they slip into hell. For what? For a club that they chose to be their saviour. For an institution that became their identity, security, hope and often times, the provider. If the institution were to go, so does everything. This is especially true of those in leadership. In this state, the leader's faith is reduced to fighting for and promoting the institution.
So many people have this false security. It doesn't matter what institution's banner you fly under. Whether your identity and security are found under the banner of a particular denomination, a home school, a house church, a mega church, a Calvinist, or an Arminian, it doesn't matter. If that's where your identity lies and where you find your security, then you might as well be an atheist. John Calvin did not die for your sins. The Methodists and Baptist's did not die for your sins. Pastors, priests, worship leaders, youth ministers did not die for you. No group, club, no ordinance, no denomination, local or otherwise, died for you! Jesus Christ died for you! Jesus Christ is the true Church and if our identity and security aren't in Him, then what have we got? Nothing! Without our faith being fully in Him, everything else is merely fluff and meaningless. All the institutions in the world won't save us from the wrath of God and eternal torment in the lake of fire. No institution in the world will pay the massive debt our sin has incurred before a holy God. No institution was crucified and rose from the dead. No institution made a sacrifice sufficient to make peace between God and man.
The second evil of the institutional church is that it limits God's working to inside its walls as if it were His only instrument on earth. If we view, what is called "church", to be God's only means of working on this earth, and of divine importance, then anything opposing it or existing outside of it is resisting and existing outside of God Himself. It would seem then, that if you further the cause of the institution, you further the cause of God, or if you resist the institution or question it, then you are resisting and questioning God Himself. If you are not a friend of the institution, then you are not a child of God. The worth of people is determined by the worth they have to the institution. This is how people are controlled and manipulated by this system. The institutional church, has become god.
Both of these evils are idolatry. Anything that takes the place of Jesus Christ, is worshiping a false god. Anything that a person trusts in, whether it be personal goodness, water baptism, church membership, humility, instead of the Lord Jesus Christ whom God made to be sin for us, is idol worship.
God's Kingdom is bigger then any church, institution, denomination, or club. God does work in the institutional church, but most assuredly He works outside of it too. Christ's Church is His body in which we, that have His Spirit in us, are members. We have our identity fully in Him and no church, institution can steal that from a true child of God. What is a cause to worry though, is that millions of people have bought into an institution and are a million miles from finding peace with God. They are in bondage to an invisible stifling institution that governs their behavior thereby making them feel good, but they are without light and without truth. There is no truth without Jesus Christ. He is the way and the truth. He is the only One worthy to receive our faith, thanksgiving and praise.
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