The church does not belong to pastors, politicians, denominations, or popular movements. The church belongs to Jesus Christ. Scripture says Christ is “the head of the body, the church” (Colossians 1:18), and that God placed all things under His feet and made Him head over all things for the church (Ephesians 1:22).
If Christ is the head, then the church is accountable to Him first. Not to culture. Not to political parties. Not to tradition. Not to fear. Jesus specifically gave instructions for building His church. He said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18), and before He ascended, He commanded His followers to make disciples, teach His commands, and bear witness to Him in the world (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).
That means the church should be evaluated by the standards of Christ. Are we teaching the gospel? Are we making disciples? Are we loving our neighbors? Are we caring for the poor, the stranger, the wounded, and the rejected? Are we walking in truth, mercy, humility, and justice? Or have we mixed lies with truth until the gospel has been made to serve human pride?
In Revelation, Jesus spoke directly to the seven churches of Asia Minor. He praised what was faithful, but He also corrected what was broken. Ephesus had lost its first love. Pergamum tolerated false teaching. Thyatira allowed corrupt influence. Sardis had a reputation for being alive but was spiritually dead. Laodicea was lukewarm and self-satisfied. These were not attacks from outsiders. These were words from Christ to His own church (Revelation 2-3).
That should make us pause. If Jesus were to call a group meeting with church leaders today, or sit down with them one by one, what might He say? Would He praise our buildings, budgets, slogans, and online platforms? Or would He ask whether we have truly followed Him? Would He ask why so many churches know how to gather crowds but struggle to make disciples? Would He ask why some churches can defend doctrine but fail to show love?
One painful area is race. Many churches are still deeply divided and, in practice, remain segregated. Some have ignored racism. Some have baptized prejudice in religious language. There have even been pastors who preached blatant racism from the pulpit, claiming that darker races were cursed by God and misusing obscure passages of Scripture to support hate. That is not sound doctrine. That is a distortion of the gospel.
Sound doctrine is not just being able to quote verses. Sound doctrine agrees with the heart and character of Jesus. It produces love, humility, holiness, justice, truth, and mercy. When doctrine is used to excuse cruelty, pride, racism, or indifference, something has gone wrong. There is a disconnect between the spiritual words people use and the observable lives they live.
Years ago, I read writings about church awakening and the need for the people of God to be led by the Holy Spirit again. That message still matters. The church does not need another performance. It needs awakening. It needs repentance. It needs courage to speak openly about matters of faith in these times. It needs to return to the gospel of Jesus Christ, not a watered-down gospel and not a politically twisted gospel.
We are living in serious times. A divided church cannot faithfully witness to a divided world if it refuses to face its own divisions. The church must ask hard questions: Have we left our first love? Have we tolerated false teaching? Have we looked alive while being spiritually asleep? Have we become lukewarm? Have we protected systems more than people? Have we preached about Christ while failing to live like Christ?
The key point is simple: Jesus is still the head of the church. He still has the right to correct His church. He still calls His people to repent, wake up, return to love, hold to truth, and make disciples. The church’s assignment has not changed. We are called to teach the gospel, live the gospel, and reflect the character of Christ before a watching world.
If the church wants to be faithful, it must stop asking how to protect its image and start asking how to obey its Lord. Christ is not looking for a church that merely claims His name. He is looking for a church that follows His voice.
Minister A Francine Green, August 2026