For many of us, the Church of Christ no longer fulfills the purpose given by God. It is easy to observe how we have adopted from one another the idea that what is generically called “the Church” is the place where people with common religious interests gather.

We have been taught to believe that it is the place where people sing, pray, attend a religious program, and socialize a little after the service ends, then each returns to their personal concerns and interests. Thus, for many, the Church has come to be merely a place to find inner peace that is lost during the week due to a busy lifestyle.

The vast majority of members are in the position of being spectators at these religious programs, their service consisting of being present/sitting in the pews and contributing a certain amount of money for the needs of the congregation. A very small portion of the members are responsible for carrying out this program.

As a result, we have come to believe that after being born again, God is somewhere far away and does not get too involved in a person’s life. And the majority of us remain at this initial part. We went to church, had our seat, confessed our sins, were baptized, sang, supported the teachings of the church we belong to, being convinced that in this way we will enter the Kingdom of God.

So, in these gatherings, the ordinary member is just a consumer; he has nothing to do, attending the assembly being his only duty. In most large congregations, members know each other only by sight.

Because of these teachings, many of those on the membership list no longer attend these programs, and the buildings are quite empty during certain worship services.

In many congregations, there is a major gap between the membership list and those who actually attend the worship programs. This has led us to believe that it is normal for many in the congregation not to attend services for months or years and yet remain on the membership list.

From what we see today almost everywhere, we observe that Satan has succeeded in distorting the role of the Church – the significance of the Body of Christ. Through the false teaching that “salvation is limited only to the forgiveness of sins” (a teaching that lies at the foundation of the major religious organizations), he has deceived people into thinking that discipleship and the school of Christ are unnecessary.

Most of us were taught that God did everything for us, that through faith in the sacrifice on the cross we obtain salvation, which consists of the forgiveness of sins. We were taught that it is not possible to achieve character perfection, that no one can add anything to the work of salvation accomplished at the cross.

Through this false teaching, the goal was to eliminate discipleship and the importance of Christ’s school (the Church), deceiving people into thinking that these are not part of the plan of salvation. Satan has worked intensely to prevent people from understanding the role of the Body of Christ in the work of growing and perfecting the saints.

The doctrine that reduces salvation to the mere forgiveness of sins has led many to no longer value the Body of Christ. Those who have received this teaching have had their eyes closed to the role of the Church and have come to no longer see the need for the Body of Christ and for the members to whom to be closely connected.

This is the situation of both those who are on the membership lists of congregations that are limited to worship programs, and those who have chosen to live out their faith life alone. (And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. Ezekiel 34:5)

Both of these situations are very dangerous, because they are, in fact, a rejection of Christ’s work regarding the growth/building of the members in His Church, in His Body. (He gave Himself for her, to sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. Ephesians 2:21-22)

On the foundation of this false teaching, Satan has succeeded in deceiving people into thinking that “the Church” is nothing more than worship and preaching in buildings equipped with preaching halls, through which people are given only religious education.

We can easily observe that this teaching has caused discipleship to Christ to become effectively nonexistent in today’s religious movements, and almost no one believes anymore that they must live as a disciple in order to reach the full stature of their Teacher.

Anyone who looks more closely will see that Satan, like a great merchant, has made every effort to build a vast religious empire to keep people in darkness, so that they would not come to know the truth about the Church of Christ.

Thus, he has positioned in every country religious organizations (like networks of supermarkets) that offer people only religious programs, and he has succeeded in trapping billions of people in this snare. None of them has discipleship implemented in their doctrine – the kind of discipleship whose sole purpose is to bring people to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

If we look at these religious movements, we can easily see how successfully Satan has deceived humanity, all of them practicing this institutionalized system of worship. From Catholics, Orthodox, and historic Protestant churches like the Lutherans, to modern Evangelical and Post-Reformation movements, all follow the same organizational model, with buildings specially constructed for worship and preaching.

In this way, the Church has become merely a center for religious education, thus losing its purpose – no longer being the place appointed for the growth and perfection of the saints, which the heavenly dominions and powers look upon and marvel at. (Now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 3:10-11)

First of all, Satan worked on replacing the spiritual fathers/shepherds, who were entrusted with raising their children (disciples). These have been replaced by pastors or preaching leaders — ministers dedicated only to worship programs, whose responsibility is limited to religious education and maintaining the flock in a scattered form, rather than raising the children. (The wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. John 10:12)

Thus, the one who desires to live out the life of discipleship in a practical way – which involves a child-parent relationship – will find themselves in the absurd situation of not being able to find a single spiritual parent.

This happens because today, in these religious organizations, spiritual fathers are entirely absent, fathers like the apostle Paul was to Timothy, Titus, Onesimus, as well as for many others. They have been replaced with preaching pastors, committee members, youth leaders… (see Paul’s epistle to Timothy, Titus, Philemon)

For those who accept the model of church with religious programs, the true Church – in which the members are closely connected to each other, and which altogether form the Body of Christ – remains a great mystery. For those who remain within this pattern, the Church as described in the Holy Scriptures has no practical applicability. (This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:32)

The question we each need to ask ourselves is: What mystery does the Church hide? For whom is it a mystery? Is it for us too?