Amway Churchianity

Amway Churchianity

Satanic Acculturation has been going on since the first sin in the garden of Eden. For over six thousand years Satan, as an angel of light, has found ways to acculturate believers to embrace distortions instead of holding firmly to that which is true and right. Some of those distortions have led to cultism. But the most damaging of distortions occur within mainstream Christianity even within the fundamental evangelical ranks.
One way is what I will call Amway churchianity which you can somewhat liken to a pyramid scheme. Amway churchianity comes in different forms, the one I will concentrate on here is primarily in the area of evangelism.

These evangelistic-focused churches have most of the right ear markings.
• Salvation by grace and not works.
• The absolute authority of scriptures.
• Solid creationist teachings.
• And other such elements consistent with evangelical Biblical convictions.

Unfortunately, they’ve patterned their churches after many of the great evangelistic endeavors of the past. From such names as: Dwight Moody, Billy Graham, Charles Finney, Billy Sunday, George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, and John Wesley. In other words they have taken the fellowship and assembly of believers and changed it into a perpetual evangelistic crusade. Instead of believers gathering for fellowship they are constantly called upon to bring unbelievers into the assembly for a “professional” evangelistic delivery in order to save these lost souls.

These pastors pray for laborers for the harvest, but in translation really means for members to bring in those lost souls to these very structured evangelistic meetings. Which is very much like Amway calling upon its members to bring in new people for signing onto their material endeavors. If there is any fellowship, it is merely the crumbs that fall from the table as believers talk a little here and there before, between, and after the evangelistic church productions.

Why this is wrong is so easy to grasp that a little child would understand. All the child needs to know is the actual and most simplistic definition of church — which is an assembly of true believers.

Get kids together and they do what kids do. Play and look for ways to have a lot of fun. Believers are to gather together to get to deeply know one another, to exhort one another, to pray for one another, to sing praises to God, to partake of the body and blood of Christ.

But kids who just want to be kids are so often forced into uniforms, timetables, rules, penalties, and expectations concerning their performance. So to, those pastors who have been Satanically acculturated into kidnapping church members into supporting their personal evangelistic crusades end up pushing true Spirit-led fellowship aside, relegating it to the crumbs that fall from their evangelistic table.

There are very few people who seek out a church who are looking to be a part of a perpetual evangelistic endeavor. Rather, they are drawn in by those initial rushes to “get to know them”. They are delighted to be a part of a group of people who seem to genuinely want to hear from them and to share their lives as well.

Then the honeymoon is over, especially after joining the church. Then the transformation begins as they feel the pressure to wear the right “uniform” (in the sense of uniformity), bring the unsaved or potential members into this Amway church, and dutifully support this evangelistic cause; dutifully standing and sitting upon command; embracing this performance that is perpetually repeated over and over, week after week.

Forget deep relationships. Forget gathering together in true fellowship. Forget having a platform to exhort one another. Just keep bringing people in and that is your primary role within the Amway church.

Now that I’ve painted this rather bleak picture for those in an Amway church, it’s time to change gears. I would be remiss in leaving you in such a dismal state. Here are 15 realistic suggestions for proactively being a part of an Amwayish church:

  1. Pray to God for guidance in your specific Amway church circumstance.
  2. Realize that God’s word will never return void. Even though the Amway church has stifled fellowship for the hierarchy’s evangelistic endeavors, rejoice in any fruit that God allows through that distortion.
  3. Embrace the exhortations that come from the star performer during these evangelistic meetings; don’t ignore or despise that facet of the diamond.
  4. Realize that direct confrontation with the hierarchy will most likely result in an alienation to the point that you will not even have those crumbs to fellowship with.
  5. Realize that leaving most or all of Amway churchism in place while looking to add a real fellowship experience is probably the best you can hope for.
  6. Embrace what is there and nurture as best you can those crumb experiences.
  7. Take time before, between, and after the Amway productions to try to get to know those willing to fellowship with you during those brief times.
  8. Invite those precious crumbs to your home for a deeper and longer time of fellowship.
  9. Try to draw out exhortations from the crumbs to help you see where Satan might be blind-siding you.
  10. Enjoy the times you can praise God in song with other believers.
  11. Embrace the times of praying for and with one another.
  12. Look for ways to bring about more fellowship through pot lucks, picnics, strategy sessions, etc.
  13. Whatever you do make sure it is with brotherly love and charity. If you push with anger then you are in danger of having “become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal”. I Corinthians 13:1
  14. Persevere in the face of rejection. The last church age of Laodicea shows Jesus outside the church, looking for those individual doors or bread crumbs to be invited in for fellowship. I imagine most of the time the doors will never be opened. Then Jesus will move on to the next door and so should you. Not necessarily a new church, but a crumb within your Amway church.
  15. Prepare yourself in finding ways to gently inject eye salve to those leaders who think they can see, but are blind due to Satanic acculturation.

But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. I Thessalonians 2:7-8

Here is a clear and final test as to whether your church is an Amwayish church.
The Bible says: Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:2

Remember how Jesus at times in the Old Testament came as an angel in what is theologically called a Christophany? If this unrecognized angel (which could be Jesus) came into your church, what would it take for him to exhort the assembly for an hour or two?

  • For most churches, years down the road or never, unless they somehow found out who that person was.
  • For most churches any attempt to speak without prior permission, even for a couple minutes, would find him being ushered out of the service.

If that is your church, then it is an Amwayish church. Apply some of the ideas above and look and pray for even more ways to help your church that they might “be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Revelation 3:18

Ralph Wendt

Here’s a few more items you might want to look at involving Amway churchism. Click Here