What happens if there’s no religious system?

“A revival almost always begins among the laity. The ecclesiastical leaders seldom welcome reformation. History repeats itself. The present leaders are too comfortably situated as a rule to desire innovation that might require sacrifice on their part. And God’s fire only falls on sacrifice. An empty altar receives no fire. Cold intellectualism, formal ecclesiasticism, and priestly domination are altogether outside the genius of the Gospel.”

– Frank Bartleman : “The Azusa Street Revival” 1906

http://fleebabylon.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/what-if-every-aog-member/

Good little article and good questions.

What happens if there’s no religious system? Usually, nothing. And that is why the system exists. Christians have been conditioned into being organized into action by someone they see as a spiritual authority. To organically fellowship and function together without an “authorized” person to lead them is virtually unknown.

So the system creates ignorance and then feeds off that ignorance and finds it self-justification from that ignorance of God’s ways and of Godly authority.

But it is possible for God to break thru this vicious cycle – this closed loop, and it requires laying down our lives for a few brethren and faithfully serving them, teaching and praying for them until they see the Kingdom and their place in it.