Success in all of living on earth whether its through businesses, grade schools, universities, governments, and religious organizations require hard work. A great deal of focused hard work. By the sweat of our brows, we labor and we make it work.

BUT, this is not so with the church (better translated the ecclesia).

The kingdom of God and groups of believers is a place that we should not try to systematize.

Man (no matter how pious, devout, and good-intentioned) should NEVER attempt to systematize the things of God.

Systems imposed on the life of God is bondage.

Systems cannot replace the love and life of Jesus Christ.

Man manages and brings order into the world with systems. I love to do this at work it’s very satisfying to use science or engineering to discover then to create systems that could make money.

BUT, not so in the kingdom of God. It’s not our place to devise and add our systems to Gods place.

If brotherly love is not among a people, Jesus himself is not among that people, that is the root of the issue, not the lack of a well-led or inspiring system.

Jesus Christ and his kingdom is himself the best and highest system in the universe.

We don’t need to tweak it or manage it or help it get along. We just surrender to it and cooperate with it.

The body of Christ is Christ’s system on earth, he builds it, he maintains it, he anoints it, and sometimes he discards it when it no longer responds to him.

With traditions we try to get God to repeat things. We try to manage him, and force God to do again what we know he has done in the past. It’s my fallen nature to do this, it’s difficult to stop.

Common systems we’ve inserted into Christ:

-A particular order of Sunday worship, (it better be good or I’ll leave and find somewhere it is)

-Hierarchy-based clergy systems based on titles or status or family lines.

-What are some other systems you’ve seen brought in? Comment below.

Systemization is great for businesses, buildings must have systems, our bodies function by systems. Systems are good in general, they bring order and function to our world.

I’m grateful for my home’s heating and well systems which I have been upgrading recently. I’m also grateful for my families functioning immune systems this time of year.

But it’s human ignorance of Jesus and just plain arrogance to insert our religious and business systems into the body of Christ. When we do this we are usurping the high place of the Holy Spirit among us.

Lord forgive us for thousands of years of snubs and usurping and overlooking you with our man-originated systems and orders.

Have your way Lord!