The New Church

The New Church

Mark 13:28-32

Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

28 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 “Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 30 “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32 “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

This narrative follows the second coming event. Therefore, it must be considered from that perspective. A big question about the return of Jesus is when it will happen? Perhaps the idea of Jesus’s return is because His work was not finished in His lifetime. Jesus introduced the Kingdom of Heaven. However, its institution and growth still need to happen. A problem with this idea is that Jesus did not tell us when He would return. There are no indications of what events have to occur for His return. Christianity should not be concerned about this event but rather how it demonstrates the love and grace of Jesus to the world.

The cycle of life can be seen in organizations. A person is born, they live, and they die. Organizations have the same process. The difference between the two is that an organization can live for many more years. At the organization’s birth, it will have good growth if its reason for its existence is accepted by the general public. For example, the Odd Fellows was created before professional funerals. This organization offered funerals and life insurance for its male members. The organization grew quite rapidly. It also evolved to meet other needs of its members. During the second half of the 1800s, funeral homes opened. The funeral profession was born. The need for the Odd Fellows main benefit disappeared. In the 1900s, the Odd Fellows saw their membership decline rapidly. They still exist today but in smaller numbers. They added all kinds of activities and benefits to the organization to reach new members.

The Freemasons were established in the early 1700s in London, England. The organization grew because the Lodges could fulfill a need that men had. Freemasonry proliferated in the 1700s. George Washington, Ben Franklin, and several signers of the Declaration of Independence were Freemasons. Because of their growth and prestige, many rumors were created about them to discredit the organization. Things went well for the Freemasons until 1960. The membership started a decline. The organization was left unchecked, and now the Freemasons are hanging on by a thread. The original purpose of the Freemasons is not as important today as it was in the 1700s.

The church was established after Jesus’ death to bring believers in the Gospel message together. The purpose of the church was being fulfilled at that time. People wanted to join the organization. Through Paul, many churches were established. After Paul’s death, the churches that he created could create new churches. Even during Roman persecution, the faith was able to grow. The significant growth burst occurred when Constantine, an emperor of the Roman Empire, declared Christianity the religion of the Empire.

When Christianity became an integral part of the government, there was nothing to impede its growth. The government helped the church by requiring the people who lived in their territories to be baptized as Christians. During the Dark Ages (approximately 400 to 1000 CE), the church filled the vacuum created when the Roman Empire fell and anarchy reigned. The church was able to grab power and establish order.

The church continued to do well until 1958 CE. This is the year that Christendom fell. Christendom is described as the time period when Christianity was helped by the ruling government to grow. The “Blue Laws” in the United States (they were called blue laws because they were written on blue paper) forbid business to be transacted on Sunday, except in Jewish neighborhoods. The government was helping the churches.

Over time the Blue Laws were revoked because people stopped attending church. The membership of the mainline churches started to decay around 1958 CE. The mainline churches ignored the problem for decades until they realized their end was near. One day the mainline churches that were once large and strong will grow weak and small. Their huge organizational hierarchy will collapse because there will not be enough members to pay for the structure. As an aside, this can be seen in Freemasonry today. The fraternity is doing things that can get the cash. The Shriner hospitals never needed to go to the public for funds because plenty of members raised the needed money. Today they do not, so they advertise in an attempt to gain donors.