The shaking is not coming to destroy the true Ecclesia of Jesus Christ. It is coming to expose everything that men have built in His name that was never established upon His foundation!
Hear me, Remnant! I believe we are entering a season when the curtains will be pulled back, carefully constructed religious images will begin to crumble, and multitudes of believers will be confronted with a heartbreaking question: Have we been discipled as citizens of the Kingdom of God, or have we been conditioned to finance the religious empires of men?
For decades, portions of the modern American Church have celebrated celebrity pastors, enormous campuses, multimillion-dollar expansion projects, private jets, luxurious properties, and sprawling retreats, all presented beneath the banner of advancing the Kingdom. Yet somewhere along the way, we must have the courage to ask what all these investments have actually produced. Where is the Kingdom fruit? Where are the mature disciples who understand their identity in Christ, recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit, and know how to advance the Kingdom in their homes, communities, and nations? When religious success is measured by wealth, attendance, and influence rather than transformed lives and biblical discipleship, something has gone terribly wrong!
Jesus never commissioned His disciples to build religious empires or establish organizations centered upon the personalities of men. In Matthew 28:18–20, our Lord commanded His followers to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe everything He had commanded. That was the Great Commission, and nowhere did Jesus suggest that the measure of success would be the size of a sanctuary, the extravagance of a ministry headquarters, or the popularity of the person standing behind the pulpit. The true measure of a ministry is not how many people gather to hear a man speak, but how many are being equipped to live under the government of Jesus Christ!
And beloved, this problem is not new. In Ezekiel 34:1–10, the Lord confronted the shepherds of Israel because they had become more concerned with feeding themselves than caring for His flock. They enjoyed the benefits of their positions while neglecting the weak, the wounded, the sick, and those who had wandered away. In Ezekiel 34:2, the Lord asks a question that should cause every spiritual leader to examine his heart: “Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?” The Lord did not overlook their conduct, excuse their selfishness, or celebrate the impressive structures they had constructed. He declared that He was against those shepherds and would require His flock at their hands. Do we really believe that the Father has somehow changed His mind about shepherds who use His sheep to enrich themselves while neglecting their spiritual maturity?
I believe the next two years will bring an intensifying season of exposure, accountability, and spiritual shaking. Where religious enterprises have concealed corruption beneath polished presentations, impressive buildings, and carefully managed public images, I believe the Lord will continue bringing what has been hidden into the light. This is not a declaration that every large ministry is corrupt, nor is it an accusation against every pastor who has been entrusted with substantial resources. But where the Gospel has become a commercial enterprise, where offerings have been diverted toward personal luxury, and where the people of God have been treated as customers rather than disciples, the foundations deserve serious examination. Heaven is not impressed by what men have accumulated in the name of Jesus when the people entrusted to their care remain spiritually impoverished!
Hebrews 12:26–28 reveals that God has promised a shaking so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. The writer then reminds us that we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be moved. Think about the weight of that revelation! The Kingdom of God does not depend upon a multimillion-dollar campus, a celebrity preacher, an elaborate organizational structure, or a worldwide television audience. Its authority rests in the eternal sovereignty of Jesus Christ, whose Kingdom shall never end. When everything built upon human ambition begins to tremble, what has truly been established upon Christ will endure. The Kingdom is unshakable because its King is unshakable!
But here is the burden that has been weighing upon my spirit: What happens to the thousands of believers who discover that the religious systems they trusted were never faithfully preparing them to live as citizens of the Kingdom? Where will they go when the curtains are pulled back, when the platforms begin to crumble, and when the celebrity pastors they followed are exposed as having built personal kingdoms rather than making disciples? Who will receive these wounded believers, restore their confidence in the Word of God, and teach them to recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd rather than simply replacing one religious personality with another? When the platforms fall, who will shepherd the scattered sheep?
This is precisely why I believe the restoration of the biblical Ecclesia is one of the most urgent assignments facing the Remnant in this hour. The Father is calling His people back to genuine Spirit-governed fellowship, biblical discipleship, authentic spiritual family, and servant leadership. We need fellowships where the Word of God is opened without compromise, where prayer is foundational rather than ceremonial, where the gifts of the Holy Spirit are welcomed and exercised according to Scripture, and where communion reminds us that our fellowship is rooted in the finished work of Jesus Christ. First Corinthians 14:26 describes a gathering in which members of the Body participate for the edification of one another. This is not a picture of spiritually passive spectators gathering around a religious celebrity, but of believers contributing to the strengthening of the Body under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The apostle Peter established the biblical standard for spiritual leadership in 1 Peter 5:2–3, instructing elders to shepherd the flock of God willingly, not for dishonest gain, and not as those exercising domination over God’s people, but as examples to the flock. Shepherds are called to serve rather than exploit, to equip rather than entertain, and to raise mature disciples rather than cultivate permanent dependence upon themselves. Ephesians 4:11–13 reinforces this truth by revealing that the ministry gifts were given for the equipping of the saints, the work of ministry, and the building up of the Body of Christ until we come into maturity. The purpose of spiritual leadership was never to make the people dependent upon the platform, but to prepare them to function as mature members of the Body of Christ!
Let me make something abundantly clear. The issue is not whether a congregation meets in a large auditorium or a small living room, nor is it whether a ministry possesses substantial financial resources. The issue is whether Christ is truly the Head, His Word remains the foundation, the Holy Spirit governs the fellowship, and His people are being discipled into spiritual maturity. A large congregation can faithfully advance the Kingdom, just as a small fellowship can become controlling and spiritually unhealthy. What matters is the fruit, the integrity of its leadership, and its obedience to the commission Jesus entrusted to His people.
And Remnant, we must understand that exposing religious corruption is only part of the assignment. We cannot simply point toward what is falling while failing to prepare for those who will emerge from beneath the rubble. We must be ready to love the wounded, strengthen the weary, restore the disillusioned, and patiently disciple those who have spent years attending religious services without being equipped to walk in their identity and authority in Christ. The answer to religious corruption is not another religious empire operating beneath a different name. The answer is a return to Jesus Christ, His Kingdom, His Word, and the Spirit-governed Ecclesia He is building!
I believe that as this shaking continues, the Father will bring greater visibility to those who have been quietly preparing for this hour. They may never stand beneath the lights of a massive auditorium, command a worldwide television audience, or possess the financial resources of a religious corporation. Yet they are opening their homes, establishing altars of prayer, studying the Scriptures, making disciples, and learning to minister through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. These faithful servants understand that the Ecclesia is not a religious business to be managed for personal gain, but a living Body belonging to Jesus Christ, purchased by His blood and called to reveal His Kingdom upon the earth.
Beloved, I believe we are approaching a defining moment for the modern American Church. As people begin hungering for truth rather than religious performances, for genuine spiritual family rather than institutional membership, and for the presence of God rather than another polished production, the Remnant must be prepared to answer that hunger with more than criticism of the existing system. We must demonstrate what it means to be a people governed by the Holy Spirit, anchored in the Scriptures, established in Christ, and committed to making disciples who will make disciples!
The Father is not merely calling attention to what men have built. He is calling His people back to what His Son commanded. The Great Commission has not changed, the government of Jesus Christ has not weakened, and the eternal purpose of the Father has not been replaced by the ambitions of religious institutions. Christ is still building His Ecclesia, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, as He declared in Matthew 16:18.
So let the shaking accomplish its purpose! Let every shepherd examine his heart, every ministry examine its fruit, and every believer return to the foundation of Jesus Christ. For when the platforms fall and the religious machinery grows silent, there must be a mature, Spirit-governed people ready to receive, restore, and disciple those who are searching for truth.
THE SHAKING MAY EXPOSE THE EMPIRES OF MEN, BUT IT CANNOT OVERTHROW THE KINGDOM OF GOD!
AND WHEN THE CURTAINS ARE FINALLY PULLED BACK, MAY THE WORLD DISCOVER THAT JESUS CHRIST HAS BEEN BUILDING HIS ECCLESIA ALL ALONG!
Stay tuned, the journey continues…..
— Dr. Russell Welch
A Watchman & A voice of fire to the Remnant,
Dr. Russell Welch is an apostolic teacher, author, and founder of Remnant Warrior Ministries and Kingdom War College. His calling is to equip the Ecclesia to walk in spiritual maturity, biblical authority, and the government of the Holy Spirit while preparing the Remnant for Kingdom advancement.
RECOMMENDED READING
SPIRIT UNCHAINED: Reviving the Church’s True Identity
What happens when the people of God rediscover that they were never called to be passive spectators within a religious institution, but living members of Christ’s Spirit-governed Ecclesia?
Spirit Unchained challenges readers to reconsider the identity and calling of the Church in light of Scripture and to pursue a return to genuine discipleship, spiritual maturity, and the Kingdom purpose of Jesus Christ.
The time has come to move beyond maintaining religious systems and return to becoming the people Jesus called us to be!
Available on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/196415524X?th=1
