Prophetic Vs. Prosthetic

Some will say that this "prophetic church" I'm about to describe is idealistic and unattainable. But that doesn't absolve us from taking steps in that direction. Some would say that this prophetic church is a gathering of only very mature Christians. I think that any group of Christians, regardless of where they are spiritually, who seek to live their personal lives, and pattern their collective gatherings, inside the framework of scripture will begin to move toward and experience a more biblical description of "church". Some would say that the less mature or the "seekers" would be left behind if the church begins to move in the direction described below. I say that the prophetic church is a place where a stranger would be recognized and welcomed immediately. A true "seeker" by my definition is not someone looking to kill an hour or two on Sunday - but one who is seeking God - just like we say we are. How awesome to come into an assembly of people who obviously know how to find what you're looking for. In a prophetic church, the less mature believers would be in close relationships with the more mature believers. They would have this thing we call Christianity modeled for them on a daily basis. They would very soon be experiencing spiritual growth and maturity. Those people "seeking" to be entertained could go to one of the other 5,000 buildings on Sunday morning. If / When they get tired of milk and toast, they'll have a place to come and be fed some meat.

In a prophetic church - people gather to hear from God during their Spirit led times together (1 Corinth. 14:26). In a prophetic church the members have been taught that they are spiritually interconnected members of a body that Christ is the Head of (Ephesians 4: 1-16). The individual members of this body know very well what their spiritual gifts are (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4) and they employ those gifts in the service of mankind in every single setting they find themselves in (1 Peter 4:10). In a prophetic church there is extreme importance placed upon each individual member. Each individual member is invaluable to the proper functioning of the whole. They have come to realize that each of the individual members has been given a "piece of the puzzle" that begins to make sense when it is placed with the other pieces. If a member of this body were to be absent or not fulfilling their role, it would cause the whole body to suffer (1 Corinthians 12:26). Just like your entire physical body would suffer if you were to loose a hand or a foot - or any part of your body. In a prophetic church there is extreme importance placed upon knowing and seeking God (Acts 17:27). The relationship they have with their creator is of the utmost concern to the members of this body. They understand their collective accountability because of their interconnectedness. Everything they do is centered around bringing themselves and others first and foremost closer to God (Matthew 22: 36-40). Their study of God's word flows very naturally from their relationship with Him. They eagerly desire to know more about the One whom they are in an ever deepening and intimate relationship with. In a prophetic church prayers are very frequently answered and the outstanding things they do flow almost effortlessly from their connection with their Creator (John 15) . During their times of collective worship each member of the body is given time to express themselves. They understand that in order to get a larger and more correct picture and understanding of God, they need to hear regularly from each individual member of their body. They are always fascinated by the fact that the Head is telling the feet something completely different than He's telling the hands. Fascinated because they know that if they remain deeply connected to each other and communicate regularly with each other, they will soon discover a Divine Unity in the separate "instructions" given to the individual members of their body (Romans 12:4-6). In a prophetic church, the members understand that things like "evangelism" and "outreach" are a very natural result of living an authentic Christian life (Acts 2:47).

In a prosthetic church - people gather together to be entertained or to hear a lecture or a sermon. They've been taught that church is something they go to. They have no idea what the spiritual gifts are - never mind what their particular gift(s) may be. There is absolutely no need of them to be filled with the Spirit to attend the collective gatherings they call church. They need not even stay awake during these times. If a member of their "church" leaves, they might not know about it for months - if at all. Members of this gathering come and go and are all completely disconnected and interchangeable. This is due, in part, to the fact that they are spectators during their gatherings. If one of their members is hurting, that member hurts alone and causes little to no distress to the rest of the body. Because of the absence of any meaningful relationship, it's not unheard of in these gatherings to have drug addicts and adulterers teaching their young children. These prosthetic churches are a stumbling block for young and mature Christians alike. Young Christians enter into these gatherings and are led to believe that it's okay to be isolated from other Christians. They're led to believe that church is something you can go to and walk away from. They're led to believe that attending a sermon or a bible class on Sunday morning is Christianity. They're taught that the church is no place to talk about your problem with alcohol or your temptation with pornography. They're taught that the church is a place to wear your best clothes, put on your biggest smile, and act like everything is great. Mature Christians are bound up with responsibilities placed upon them from the people in charge of these prosthetic churches. Even if a person sees the need for relationship they don't have the time for it because of their increasing responsibilities. They experience burnout and depression just like corporate executives. The promise of "position" or "title" is held out in front of them like it is in a secular corporation. From a distance these gatherings might resemble the real thing in form. However, close scrutiny reveals that they fall severely short in function. They fall so short that they have nearly completely lost all relevance to a lost and hurting world. They fall so short that they are quickly loosing there relevance for the saved as well. In a prosthetic church there is importance placed upon knowing about God rather than actually knowing God. They don't even understand that there's a huge valley between the two. They read and study their bibles and books to prove themselves right and to justify their religious activities. Knowing about God is all they have so it's placed at the pinnacle of all their Christian activity. Instead of talking to God for countless hours they talk about God to each other for countless hours. Since they only hear from one or two members during their collective gatherings, the understanding they have of God is extremely small and limited. Most of the members who speak during their collective gatherings have the same education, beliefs and gifts. In a prosthetic church, the members hide their Christianity Monday thru Saturday. They've been taught that in today's society it's politically incorrect to share the good news with their co-workers and neighbors. Keeping their jobs and their high standing in the community is extremely important so they try not to think about lost people. In a prosthetic church, the members consider evangelism to be an extremely heavy burden that only a few gifted people should have to bear. The members of a prosthetic church don't understand who their provider is so they have a tremendous fear of loosing their jobs, status and possessions. Out of fear they neglect their families by working too much.

These two groups of people stand in such stark contrast to each other. One group is experiencing a tremendous amount of freedom. Freedom in their personal, professional, and spiritual lives. Freedom from tradition and opinions. Freedom to search the scriptures for an authentic, biblical understanding of words like "church", "worship", "relationship" and "love". It's my hope and earnest prayer that we can continue to move in the direction of becoming a prophetic church.