Leaving Beyond – Grounded In Scripture

Movements demand momentum. The church requires faithfulness. Movements chase influence. The church proclaims Christ.

Written by: April J. Buchanan

Many in the church today are dissatisfied with simply being the church, the ekklesia, the called-out ones, the bride of Christ. They want to be part of something bigger, something the world takes notice of. Increasingly, many identify themselves not with religion but with a movement.

Yet Scripture uses the word religion in both positive and negative ways. Religion itself is not the problem. Scripture distinguishes between true religion and false religion. What it does not do is redefine Christ’s bride as a movement.

So why are so many enticed by the language of movement? Why are so many repulsed by the language of religion? And why are so many dissatisfied with being the church?

There are many contributors. Over time, erosive teachings and practices have caused the church to forget who she is. She has been told that in order to win the world she must change her language, her image, her methods, and even her message. Yet her greatest threats have not come from outside but from within. Slowly, subtly, she has been persuaded to trade her identity for what she was promised would be more effective.

Much of what is called the church today bears little resemblance to what Scripture reveals the church to be.

Religion has been labeled “bad” largely because some taught doctrines and took practices beyond what Scripture permits. But instead of reforming according to the Word of God, many seized the moment to offer new solutions that created new problems. The answer was never innovation for its own sake. The answer has always been Scripture.

We look back at the past and see dusty roads, open windows without air conditioning, and lives marked by hard labor rather than modern comfort. We see men of the past as ignorant and uneducated. We assume there is nothing there for us to learn. But the real issue is not progress. It is pride.

We think we know better than those who came before us. Worse still, we often act as though we know better than God.

Rather than reforming our beliefs and practices according to the Word, we chase what is new and shiny. We want to leave our mark. We want to be part of something big. We want our names written in history books. That is the promise many have been sold, and many are willing to do whatever it takes to obtain it. It is even marketed as virtuous.

Reform is seen as boring. Innovation is celebrated. And many will get exactly what they want. They will join movements. They will gain recognition. They will stand in the spotlight they crave. Others will not, and though their smiles remain polished, their hearts will grow quietly bitter.

Not everyone will be the face of a movement. Not everyone will be a visible servant within one. Yet even proximity to prominence is often prized above faithful identification with biblical religion.

Meanwhile, the word religion is despised, though Scripture does not despise it. The word movement is celebrated, and it is marketed well. It appeals powerfully to the flesh.

Why does it work? Because fallen men do not naturally want religion that glorifies God. They want significance. They want scale. They want association with influence. Movement language, branding, and messaging often appeal directly to those desires.

It is frequently framed as being about Christ, about the gospel, about love for the lost. But those grounded in Scripture and shaped by true religion can often discern the difference between what is authentic and what is carefully packaged to appear so.

Christ never called His bride to build a movement. He called her out from the world and united her together in Him. The church is, by definition, the called-out ones. Our identity is in Christ. We belong to Him and to one another in Him.

Our mission is not to build platforms. Our mission is to proclaim Christ and His gospel.

Yet many no longer understand what the church is or where her beauty truly lies. She has been so frequently leveraged for man’s purposes, man’s visions, man’s ambitions, and man’s dreams that she has often lost sight of her own glory.

But she has one Lord. Her identity is in Christ alone. She has His Word.

Pastors are not salesmen or brand architects. They are called to faithfully exposit the Word of God, through which Christ sanctifies His bride, causing her to grow in true beauty and glory by His grace and for His glory.

The church is Christ’s bride. He loves her. He is jealous for her. And He has not called her to chase the spotlight, but to remain faithful to Him.

Grace and peace.

Soli Deo Gloria.