Running the Church

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) runs churches. There are many CCP controlled congregations in major cities in China. The CCP is not pretending to have any control over the Kingdom of Heaven, though.

James 1 of England ran all the churches in Britain when he became king of England. He pulled them out from under the control of the Pope and ran them. So that he was in control of them, he insisted that the scribes he employed to create an English translation of the Scriptures and Apocrypha mistranslate the Greek word “ekklesia” into the unrelated English word “church” so believers wouldn’t get mixed up and think they were authorities in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Kingdom of Jesus is a great terror to earthly kings and other dominators who cherish power over humans. It is a great environment in which its subjects can find abundance of liberty and provision and righteous culture, though.

Having been born of our God, we can see the lines drawn clearly around the spaces where Jesus is currently ruling (John 3:3). Congregational lines are frequently irrelevant in contrast. National lines are irrelevant. The Kingdom is where the King is obeyed.

Its good news! Preach it.

“Then they will hand you over for persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name. Then many will take offense, betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered. This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come.”
(Matthew 24:9-14 HCSB ©®)