Preeminent Suppression: Biblical or Cultural?

2,000 years to lock the church into a Satanic culture

A picture is supposed to be worth 1,000 words. If true, the above provides 19,000 words toward helping us realize how broken the church is today.

From full participation to being mere spectators. From simplicity in Christ to complex Gnosticism. Whose pattern is the modern church following? Christ’s or Satan’s? This website tackles this critical issue and supplies a way out.

First, let’s look at ourselves, individually. It is important to consider how locked in one might be to Satan’s wiles. Ultimately, Satan wants you to believe you are a true Christian, when in reality that could be in appearance only.

When Jesus said “I never knew you”,

could he have been talking about you?

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23 

To those involved in the religion called Christianity and who think they are true Christians, this statement by Jesus should be a most terrifying warning that should drive each of us to question our church regarding its religious culture and its affect upon us.

A genuine inquiry requires each of us to recognize our vulnerability to being deceived. The last church before the rapture is the church of Laodicea, which is full of deceived religious workers who think the church culture is okay: being rich, increased with goods, and having need of nothing. But Jesus says to almost every church today that they are a breeding ground for producing those who “art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked”.

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. Revelation 3:17-18

Do you suspect your church to be a part of this broken culture? If not, you are in danger of Jesus saying to you, “I never knew you.” You must humbly ask Jesus to provide you with the eye salve to see the cultural decadence that surrounds you; to see how wretched, miserable, and poor our church culture has become, entrapping so many into its abysmal programmatic busyness. 

Like so many caught into this false cultural trap, you might resist, citing all the wonderful things your church does that seem so right. Satan, as that “angel of light” also seems so right but is the author of many or all of these perceived niceties.

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. II Corinthians 11:13-15 

It is Satan, the devious architect of the thieves and robbers, who attempts to draw the sheep after his Satanic voice pieces, enticing them away from the voice of the one and only true Shepherd: Jesus Christ.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. … My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. John 10:1-16, 27-29

Satan wants you to bolster the false programmatic church, directed by those preeminent usurpers who are so “gifted”, so “theologically educated”, so “comfortable on stage”. How can anyone question these wonderful “men and women of God” who have dedicated their lives in service to the Lord? How can anyone question this programmatic system handed down through the millennia? And that is just what Jesus demands: for us to question the church systems of today and look for God to deconstruct our thinking so it is locked into the scriptures and not Satan’s twisted culture. 

You can’t do that deconstruction on your own. Only God can and it starts with calling upon him to supply you with the eye salve to see. What will you begin to see? Simplicity, the simplicity there is in Christ Jesus. The simplicity of Jesus Christ as the one and only Shepherd [as described in the verses above from John chapter 10]; the one and only one who is to have the Preeminence. If you surrender to his preeminence, to him as your Shepherd then you will be called by Jesus to yield to his dynamic leading while resisting man’s programmatic leading.

And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. Colossians 1:18

If the blinding scales have begun to come off, then it’s time to look at the beloved Psalm 23 with the determination to take it seriously and in recognition that Jesus is our one and only Shepherd.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. Psalm 23

Questions & Answers

What's wrong with a programmatic church? Perhaps God had it evolve to be very organized and easy to be part of.

The New Testament clearly depicts the true church as being dynamic, not programmatic. Satan has worked hard over almost two millennia to programmatically eliminate Jesus from the position of the one and only Shepherd – the chief Shepherd, (And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.I Peter 5:4). Rather, the “programs” generated by the elite are the modus operandi; these performances are the norm in almost every church throughout the world today. Most adherents act like slaves or robots; obedient to the commands to stand, sit, read, pray, sing, etc. Falsehood can be dispensed and often is and like a slave you have no voice to protest. If you don’t believe me, try it sometime (when you think something is amiss) and watch the ushers descend upon you to quickly silence you or escort you out. This evolving church you talk of is really the devolution of Jesus’ church and sheepfold.

  • Your Shepherd is the only one that can answer that question. If you bring it before him in faith, he will guide you through your specific circumstance. This guidance might come in the form of the scriptures speaking out to you, your conscience being a voice, or a myriad of other means. One thing to keep in mind is this: a person cannot become preeminent without followers who elevate that person into that position. Followers therefore become enablers of those in preeminence.
  • But we also must consider how close we are to the end of the church age. Perhaps one’s work in the church is such that it is helping to alleviate the damage. In this scenario, leaving might end up making God’s task harder to work in that constricted environment.
    • For example: one might teach Sunday School, but now with an awareness of the preeminence/usurper issue. That could help awaken a new generation although one must be aware that if the preeminent ones become aware of your teaching, there will likely be repercussions.
    • Another possibility is where you might be able to encourage gatherings that are true fellowships that are dialogical and therefore true churches.
    • There are many other possibilities that again require you to be very sensitive to Jesus’ leading and not man’s.

The Apostle Peter was a believer, but out of “good intentions”, when he tried to correct Jesus and impose his will, Jesus said to him, “get behind me Satan.“Matthew 16:23; Mark 8:33; Luke 4:8 Good intentions that usurp Jesus’ position as the one and only Shepherd, the one and only preeminent one, end up within Satan’s realm and deserve Jesus’ incriminating chastisement of “get behind me Satan.” Most people in these elite positions desire deeply to serve God. Typically, the cultural path for that to occur requires jumping through all sorts of hoops in order to obtain that preeminent platform. They are caught in this Satanic acculturation just like all of the people, who not only expect but demand this performance/spectator church culture. Most laity are content to sit in the background in a passive role. Either end of the spectrum is a culture that has been shaped by Satan. Those who follow this pattern or who propagate it should all listen to Jesus’ admonition to them: “get behind me Satan”. And just what is Jesus proclaiming: “I am the only one who is preeminent; I am the only Shepherd of my church; if anyone tries to step in front of me, I will instruct them to get behind me as emissaries of Satan.” Like Peter, those in preeminence can repent, give up their elitest position and follow Jesus in an equal position with each of Jesus’ sheep.

  • First off, there are no divisions when Jesus is the one and only Shepherd. However with millions of preeminent usurpers you have an almost unbelievable amount of divisions.
  • One internet source gave these division statistics: world Christianity consists of six major ecclesiastico-cultural blocs, divided into 300 major ecclesiastical traditions, composed of over 33,000 distinct denominations in 238 countries, these denominations themselves being composed of over 3,400,000 worship centers, churches or congregations.’
  • To emphasize this point, here is a sobering joke on divisions:


Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, “Don’t do it!”
He said, “Nobody loves me.”
I said, “God loves you. Do you believe in God?”
He said, “Yes.”
I said, “Are you a Christian or a Jew?”
He said, “A Christian.”
I said, “Me too! Protestant or Catholic?”
He said, “Protestant.”
I said, “Me too! What franchise?”
He said, “Baptist.”
I said, “Me too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?”
He said, “Northern Baptist.”
I said, “Me too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?”
He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist.”
I said, “Me too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?”
He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region.”
I said, “Me too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879 or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?”
He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912.”
I said, “Die, heretic!” And I pushed him off the bridge.

— Eugene Mirman, sharing an Emo Philips gag

  • Whining for the sake of whining is not good unless you have a positive solution. Let’s check the Bible for those accused of being whiners but who had positive solutions: Jesus, John the Baptist, Paul the Apostle, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijah, Elisha, …, and the list goes on. If someone accuses you of whining take it with a grin, knowing you are in good historical company.

Yes, to a degree. Which brings up an important point to differentiate between the true church and an organization. In the early church Stephen Acts 6:1-6 was selected to lead the administrative care of the widows, putting him in a position of authority (servanthood not lording it over others). In the Christian realm, teachers, professors, administrators, etc. all have a place that puts them in servant authority. But all these activities do not constitute the “church”, rather, they reflect functional outlets that should emanate out of the “church” where only Jesus is preeminent over all.

It has been the same for me except for a wonderful wife who has also been enlightened by the grace of God. Our Shepherd will guide husband or wife through the valley of loneliness even if it turns out being a lonely valley for the rest of one’s life. Perhaps though, that valley will end with meeting up with one or more you will be led to in true fellowship. One thing for certain is your Shepherd Jesus “will never leave thee nor forsake thee”.Hebrews 13:5

If Jesus is guiding you that way, do not hesitate trying to start a true fellowship. Most churches sit empty most of the time, so using the resources for a true church fellowship is worth pursuing. That is how my wife and I felt led for many years with several programmatic churches but with only a modicum of success. Every time it looked like something might gel, Satan attacked from many angles until the attempts fell apart. The key is obedience to Jesus and not giving up in trying to facilitate bringing into existence a true church.

  • Jesus might be guiding you to do that, but I would be very careful as scripture seems to call us instead to back off and just let “the blind lead the blind” Matthew 15:14 and find other avenues to facilitate the formation of a true church. The programmatic churches might be broken but that doesn’t mean Jesus has lost control. He still does his amazing work in spite of the many detrimental suppressive dynamics within the programmatic church.
  • Most exhortation comes almost exclusively through the preeminent usurpers, but it is still exhortation. The Bible says we should all be involved in exhortation that if unleashed would exponentially strengthen the church. Usurpers can shrink the power of the church but the Lord will still work through that weakness.

I struggled with this for decades while also pursuing platforms. Were those pursuits wrong? Only God knows whether my various pursuits were of the Lord or just of my own making. You must listen to God’s voice and pursue the path you believe he has laid before you while always being conscious that you do not become a thief or robber of Jesus’ sheep. The line between facilitation and becoming preeminent yourself is very thin.

I have substantial worldly credentials and experience but like the Apostle Paul I see publicly laying them out as foolishness. Perhaps in a more private personalized setting doing so might prove appropriate and useful. If the scriptures I have laid out do not ring true; if the sociological and psychological dynamics do not ring true, then I will readily admit my mistake. However, if they do ring true, then are you willing to embrace and stand up alongside that truth?

Ralph Wendt

This website is for those who are distressed by the state of the church because it seems to be so far from what we see in the Biblical narrative. If distressed, you probably feel alone in this struggle and sometimes think the problem lies within yourself; that you are just way out of tune with reality and just have trouble adapting to the “modern” church culture. You question yourself thinking: how could so many people be wrong? John the Baptist most likely faced those same doubts, especially during his imprisonment. This website can help clarify the issue and then provide a solution.

Pathway for understanding the damage incurred by Ecclesiastical Preeminence.

Synopsis: This will provide you with a snapshot of the Restoration issue.

Getting Started: Follow these guidelines to begin digging deeply into understanding the damage incurred by Ecclesiastical Preeminence.