How We Got Into This Religious Mess (Part 2) – First Century Church vs Modern Christianity

Yes, sir. Plymouth Brethren. They have one meeting on Sunday night, when they have an open meeting. Audience: It’s not really open; I’ve been there.

Thank you. Thank you, brother. That’s really true. It’s open within a certain acceptability. The denominations will never have an open meeting for long. They can have them, but they will always get steamrolled by the sermon. Jim Rutz wrote the book The Open Church, and, as far as I know, it sold 60,000 copies. Not one single church did what he suggested. Wonderful book. Very good book. I know—I wrote two chapters of it. Yes, sir. Well, I don’t know what that has to do with the price of eggs in China, but I have taken the acceptance of second-century writers, who assumed, without question, that it was Barnabas. So, I put the book of Hebrews in the context of the island of Cyprus, where the churches were mixed. Thank God Barnabas went back there, because all the churches had been Jewish. He got them into a situation where they were mixed. They were partly Jew, partly Gentile, and he wrote a book for both of them, in my personal judgment, so that the Jews would understand who they were in the light of Christ, and the Gentiles would have some understanding of the Jewish faith. That’s my personal opinion about the book of Hebrews, a very deliberate book, like the Gospels, deliberately written for a particular need. That’s as far as I know. It’s also a book that’s almost impossible to explain.

Yes. I wouldn’t give you two cents for a single one of them (the early church fathers), not a single word, and that includes Tertullian. He was too much the philosopher. Clement was a legalist of the first order. That brother didn’t help us one bit. I think he used the word “in Christ” once in that long, long thing he wrote.

Yes, sir. I try to ignore the book of James. First, Second, and Third John actually seem to be written to churches; we’ll never know. And that leaves—what? First and second Peter? The book of Jude? I don’t understand the book of Jude. If you can clarify that for me, I would appreciate it. They seem to be very, very general, don’t they? Not written to churches at all. First and Second Peter are fascinating. Second Peter seems to have been written by a man who could just barely read, so I figure Peter really did write that book. And he probably dictated First Peter to Mark. I think that one of the major things he did—let me do this really quickly. This is probably written after the city of Jerusalem is annihilated, and the Jews were fleeing to Gentile churches, and it seems First and Second Peter were both written probably to the Jews to say to them: go to the Gentile churches, and saying to the Gentiles, when they get there, accept them. And by the way, those books are very Paul-like in their writings. That’s the best I can do with those. Jude, I don’t understand. James, I ignore. Don’t ask me about the book of Revelation. I have never read it. I’m teasing. (laughter)

Do you have anything to say about the miracles? No, I haven’t even thought about it. I just consider that part of His life. There was another hand there. Yes, sir. Not about the content of Revelation, but what is your opinion of the dating of it? I am really torn there. I used to understand the book of Revelation from one end to the other. Yes. Today, I don’t understand anything about it, and that’s not Alzheimer’s either. I’ve always dated it very late, and I haven’t even entertained any new thoughts about all of that stuff in years, but I’m about to put that thing…I think I’m about to move that thing way, way up to an early date. I don’t know what I’m going to do about this. I’m really being torn right now. Why would you ask that question? The idea of an early date is getting really popular right now. Pre 70 A.D.

Well, wait a minute, this lady back here. I would say to you, how do I see the church? I experience her. I would really like you to ask these people what the church is like. I would say above and beyond all else, it either is or ought to be a lot of fun. A place of incredible liberty and freedom, and a place where, once in a while, we touch the Lord. A place where we all come together and share Him in the meetings. I believe very strongly in the itinerant worker, because if you have local problems, you can’t solve them with local people, because you’re part of the problem. And you need ministry seasonally, but you don’t need it every week. It’ll kill you.

Brothers and sisters, I have tried my very, very best to corrupt you. I have gone to the extent of my ability to mess your life up royally. I have no idea what’s going to happen around this place. I’ll find out in a few minutes. But if you ever get tired—really tired—of whatever you’re doing right now, there are only 10 places in the United States that I can invite you. I hope someday we’ll have at least one fellowship of believers who are having a rootin’, tootin’ good time in every state in the United States. I will not be alive when that happens, but I hope it does, and if these young men I’m training turn out to be legalists, I want you to make a promise to me: I want you to kill them.