In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25; ESV

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2: 1-2; ESV

an•ar•chy \ˈa-nər-kē, -ˌnär-\ noun

[Medieval Latin anarchia, from Greek, from anarchos having no ruler, from an- + archos ruler — more at arch-]

(1539)

1 a : absence of government

b : a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority

c : a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government

2 a : absence or denial of any authority or established order[1]

 

Every church has their own way of doing things; one denomination may do this practice one way while a different denomination might do the same observance in a different fashion. And that is good in itself. But what happens when an established order of service or worship, accepted by the church body and in accordance with the Scriptures (Bible) is compromised in order to accommodate secular belief? You have Christian Anarchy.

I provided a definition of the word anarchy so you might see how it could apply to the believer’s life and attitude of the church universal. A) absence of government (God’s holy Word) – taking what Scripture declares as sin and declaring it acceptable. B) state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority (God) – when we remove what God has deemed as His Word to compromise it to secular beliefs and demands, we also remove God as the Head of the Church. C) a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government – as we attempt to create a church where everyone is accepted as they are and who they are, we create a church where Christian absolutes are forsaken, Worship is compromised and the environment for false theologies can grow and choke out core Christian theologies and beliefs. 2a) absence or denial of any authority or established order – there are people who try to justify their beliefs apart from God. They will base it of a bestselling writer’s works, the latest trend in philosophy and theology, or off of some influential person other that God and Jesus Christ.

This being said, can the same thing take place in established Christian churches founded on the principles of God as recorded in the Bible? Yes… if we allow it to. Allow me to clarify this statement; if the church allows the influences of the world to dictate how we worship, compromise what is defined as sin, accept standards of the world over the standards of God; then yes, we have allowed it to take place in the Christian church. What are such compromises? I leave that for you and God to discern. Am I afraid to voice them? No, however, I choose not to on the grounds that I want YOU to search your heart and to decide what God declares as right. I want YOU to seek what is right in His eyes and not your own. I am not here to judge, but to testify the changing morals of the church and its beliefs are beginning to mirror the things of the world than it is to mirror the heart of God.

You might be saying, “I don’t see that happening in my church!” Good! I hope you never do. However, in the church universal, large debates and even church divisions have occurred and will continue to take place due to the social acceptance and tolerance of different subject matters. As preaching God’s Word is replaced by the latest hot topic book/author or by “feel good” sermons which refuses to speak out against sinful lifestyles, or if the sermons are not founded on the Word of God, the church begins to head towards the passage found in Judges shared. The book of Judges shares the story of God’s people living life apart from the Word and apart from God! Some of the saddest words in the Scriptures is the verse share, “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” Why are they sad? Because those word describe the absence of God.

There should never be Christian Anarchy. We, according to the Scriptures, are one body with Christ as the head. (See Colossians 1: 15 – 23; 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31) We should have the same mindset, the same heart and the same blood flowing through us; regardless of what church we attend. We should be focusing on the same God, the same Christ, and the same Holy Spirit. We should be reading from the same Word of God (Bible) as one another. We should be one family. We should never be apart from God and enslaved by worldly desires and mindsets.

How can we know how to love, honor and serve God? Read the Matthew passage; then we too can be wise.

Father God,

Please help us to never be a part of Christian Anarchy. Allow us, O Lord, to be a part of Your family. And for myself; may I never promote anything but Your Word and Your messages. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

[1] Merriam-Webster, I. (1996). Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.