BISHOP WILLIAM NICHOLSON COMMENTARY TODAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020: WHO RUNS THE CHURCH? Jesus does in our Church. Christ said “I will build my Church”. My understanding of how the Anchorage Moravian Church services are conducted (and should be for all of our UIMM Churches and Fellowships) is that we are not a personality driven church. Instead we submit humbly to each other as leaders and allow the Holy Spirit to have free reign. The Moravian heritage understanding always is that in everything we do we desire to allow Christ to appear and lead. We must diminish and Christ must increase. That is the symbolism in the white surplus Moravian ministers have used to conduct the sacraments for 100s of years. It is a covering of humanity, so that divinity will appear.
No one pastor or leader should feel that they are king in the pulpit. We know that if the church is big, and there are many attendees, and there are outstanding programs, it is easy to glory in this type of success, but really behind it all should be people of God who all are using their giftedness to build the Kingdom.
Recently, according to what I have read and it is my understanding, too, that idolatry can happen and render God’s purposes less effective when we allow a certain vision to take control, or let that person take over, or follow this or that purpose statement. We must beware less man’s way in the Church is just another “substitute for the power of the Cross and the presence of the Holy Spirit when it demands to be the source of kingdom building”.
UIMM is not a denomination; we are a ministry group. We must beware of an idolatry whether it be doctrinal idolatry, personality idolatry, vision idolatry. The author of the Elijah Principle says, “Idolatry substitutes something for Jesus, and the Church can be as guilty of idolatry as a Buddhist or sorcerer when it chooses another source and resource by which to fulfill her destiny”.
Let’s get away from “I” folks. Let’s let Jesus be Jesus. In our Churches, the only Person must be Jesus, the only principles must be His opinions, the only program must be His agenda, and the only purpose must be the Father’s. Amen.