25 years ago, I came to understand the gospel and researched how it had been polluted in early history. 15 years ago, I did some research into how water baptism had been polluted by “infant baptism.” 5 years ago, I began looking into how the Lord’s Supper had been changed into a mere ritual and how the Hebrew Scriptures came together. 2 years ago, I read a lot on how the Christian canon came together. On a morning walk in early August, 2026, it came together.
In just a few generations after Christ ascended, people had drifted away from the simplicity of the gospel, thinking water baptism was salvific. Most common folk did not know how to read, and the educated within the larger Christian community were influenced by what they had learned in the culture – communication methods that were designed to influence people. This focus on people accompanied a lesser focus on God, resulting in the false gospel of means instead of grace.
As power-hungry religious men made friends with the state, Christianity was made legal, and comfort led to compromise on the other means God had gifted His people with: the reason for and content of the congregational meetings. The dynamic life-sharing and interactive teaching of the ecclesia of Christ gave way to a speaker/spectator format for efficient communication of the state-church’s message and the “love feast” Lord’s Supper gave way to the somber bare elements ritual we are still familiar with.
Those indwelt with the Holy Spirit had periods of awakening, as they partially grasped truth that had been neglected. The state-religion, in various forms, consistently oppressed God’s people, thinking they were honoring God. Some Christians believe that the Reformation of the 16th century successfully recaptured everything the state-church had taken. I think that was another partial awakening, still connected to the speaker/spectator format and the somber bare elements ritual of the Lord’s Supper.
