The Church throughout the world today is and has been dysfunctional for hundreds of years. It has become corrupted by sin. The definition of sin, as we all know, is “missing the mark or a lack of maturity causing a lack of unity.”
Jesus said, ”Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.” (Luke 11:17)
I believe one of the biggest hinderances of a genuine revival in nations today is a “pharisaical spirit.” This spirit has been around since the times of Jesus and His disciples. The root of this demonic spirit comes from Satan himself, who Jesus described as “the father of all lies.”
Satan’s goal has always been to divide the brethren and have them accuse and fight one another. In so doing, they are weak and impotent. The Bible exhorts us to, “come reason together,” but many believers preach in word or deed a gospel of “exclusionism.” They believe that they have a corner on all the truths in the Scriptures. If this were true, Gods’ agape love would force them to come in all earnestness, gentleness and patience, burdened by the Holy Spirit to help their fellow brethren to walk in the light.
Instead, many denominations have people in them that murmur and complain against their brethren, God’s fellow servants. The devil and his cronies laugh while watching this discord develop. We as believers need to be kingdom people, Jesus people, more than denominational people. Our narrow-mindedness and self-righteousness have only hindered the very revival we say we are praying for. God’s heart grieves for his children on earth who cannot seem to come together, for He knows that unity would allow Him to usher in a mighty revival through the church.
Yes, now is the time for man to be used of God to bring repentance, healing, deliverance, restoration and salvation to the nations. Yet, there will come a time when God himself will shake the nations as described in the book of Revelation. God declares that if man does not worship him “the very rocks will cry out.”
How very sad it was that a mighty revival came to China only after the missionaries were being thrown out of the country. My grandparents, father, and relatives have ministered throughout Asia for approximately eighty years. They ministered over thirty years in China before becoming prisoners and being sent to a concentration camp. I have personally ministered all throughout Asia as I travel to 85 nations. I fully believe that revival could have come to China when the missionaries were still there if they were unified and flowing in the totality of the scriptures rather than building denominational empires.
I am not against denominations, but I am against divisions that they sometimes seem to inspire. As chairman of the non-denominational World Ministries International (WMI), I work with good men and women in many different denominations. Thus, I have the privilege of working with many fine servants of our Lord Jesus Christ throughout the evangelical, pentecostal, and charismatic communities, whether they are Nazarine, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, The Apostolic Church, Assemblies of God, Four Square, Church of God, Independent Churches, Youth With a Mission, Missionary Aviation Fellowship, Methodist, Mennonites and many other fine churches, pastors, missionaries and ministries, throughout the world. Last year my daughter Talitha, served with The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM).
June 2, 2004, The Japan Times headlines read, “Sixth-grader kills her classmate, 12. Slaying at school in Nagasaki stuns nation.” In the same newspaper on page 4 it records, “a 38-year old woman repeatedly stabbed her teenage daughter with a kitchen knife and then slit her own right wrist...a 48-year-old unemployed man was arrested Tuesday for forcing his stepdaughter to sever her left little finger...an 11-year-old schoolgirl on Tuesday jumped to her death from the 14-story apartment block where she lived...”
Yes, dear saints in Japan, the nation needs Jesus. It does not need dysfunctional organizations but a living organism. Japan needs to see and feel a living God who is working through the missionary and church community in Japan. This can only happen when the church unites together, putting aside prejudices, traditions and cultures and truly becomes the bride of Christ that can reach and save a nation. Jesus liberates, but man’s institutions and traditions suffocate. Let us become united while there is still freedom in Japan-before God allows persecution and judgment to be the instrument to usher in revival in Japan.
Jonathan Hansen
© 2004 World Ministries International