OPINION (Charisma) – Ever since the divide of the Western and Eastern branches of Christianity in the 11th century, two of the greatest fears of once-united Christendom have been realized: fragmentation and division. Even in the 16th century, when Martin Luther’s protest against the Roman Catholic Church’s abuses sparked the Protestant Reformation, leaders hoped there would be only a few major expressions of the body of Christ. Never in their wildest dreams did the reformers envision all the denominations and various branches and networks of Christianity that have evolved since then. The end results have provided an
opportunity for a spirit of lawlessness, independence, and empire-building among some insecure (albeit gifted) leaders. It is not my purpose to judge whether all these expressions are of God or not. However, the following list will reveal some signs when the motivation to build a church, ministry or network is akin to the human race’s attempt to build its own empire, epitomized by the Tower of Babel—which God judged and scattered across the whole earth (Gen. 11:1-18). In 1 Kings 11:11 and 12:16, God divided the kingdom of Israel because of religious apostasy, which is the same reason the Roman Catholic Church was corrected and fragmented (too much concentration of power in the hands of humans, who deviated from the true way of Jesus and the apostles). God will judge His church and hold back revival from certain churches, ministries and regions when their key spiritual leaders are attempting to build themselves empires instead of God’s kingdom. Such leaders may talk the talk, but their actions often speak louder than their so-called “kingdom-first” words. READ MORE
