The Institutionalised Church

When the church of Jesus Christ degenerates into an institution, it ceases to be the church of Christ in any meaningful sense.  An institution is something over which men have complete control, and they exercise their control whenever they have opportunity.  This ensures that the work of the Holy Spirit is quenched because He is unable to work freely in such circumstances.

The institutional church was created when Constantine was 'converted' to Christianity in about 313 AD, and brought the entire empire into the church, and in effect christianised it. The official church, when confronted by the Montanists in the early centuries, opposed this new movement of the Spirit, notwithstanding its errors, a logical response when the church progresses towards a form of institutionalism.

These early moves to institutionalise the church paved the way for the full-blown manifestation of institutionalised religion with the advent of the Roman Catholic institution in the Middle Ages, a body that poses as Christian, but is not.

The institutionalised church takes on the paraphernalia of the state, with its hierarchy of authority and positions and higher offices, etc. Institutions are 'rules ridden' and while rules have their undoubted place, these rules are often used to remove Gospel ministers from dead orthodox churches and to silence the authentic Gospel.

Now a problem arises when Gospel ministers 'take on' and challenge the institution, not by a full frontal confrontation, but by simply preaching the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. When Luther took on the Roman institution, the entire armoury of the church institution was brought out against him. And the result? Luther was removed from his ministry within the church of that time.

And when Gospel ministers do likewise in today's increasingly decadent church, exactly the same response is discovered - Gospel ministers are removed, to the relief of the institutions best and most loyal servants. No doubt they will be rewarded in die course by the church; what reward they are likely to receive from the Lord is an altogether different matter.