Understanding Spiritual Authority (Part 1): What Is Aaron That You Murmur Against Him? — Carter Conlon

This is going to be the first in a series of messages that I'll be preaching. It'll be a series of three messages on understanding spiritual authority. Today is the first message and probably next Sunday morning.

I'm not sure of that yet, but certainly possibly. I'm going to be speaking on just understanding spiritual authority. Part one this afternoon and then next message will be on understanding the purpose and limits of authority.

What to do in response when authority becomes questionable, abusive or unjust. And then the third message I'm going to be speaking to you about the inseparable link between authority and faith. I can prove this to you in the scriptures that people who are not under authority really are not people of faith and have no faith.

I'm going to prove to you that authority and faith are inseparably linked. I thank God for his mercy and allowing me to stand to be able to speak this message. I believe that I am a man under authority.

As much as I know in my heart, I walk under authority, all authority that's established in the kingdom of God, including the nation. And I don't despise authority in any regard. Acknowledge it everywhere I go, whether it's the authority of a clerk behind the counter in a drugstore or a pastor in a small church.

Whatever the situation is, I recognize the authority of God everywhere I go. And there's such a blessing walking under that umbrella of God's authority and trusting the Lord to open it to us as a congregation.

Now, please, if you'd be in prayer with me. Father, I stand before you today. I ask you for an anointing of the Holy Spirit that I may convey this truth clearly, concisely to every heart. I pray that you deliver me from too many words and allow me to speak it simply, that every person can understand this.

And I pray that you give us the grace as a church to live this. Quicken me now, Holy Spirit. Expand the borders of my mind and heart and understanding and expand the hearts of this church. God, help us to understand that you are speaking to your people in this hour.

Give us the grace to hear this. I thank you for it. In Jesus mighty name. Numbers chapter 16, please, in the Old Testament. Understanding spiritual authority. Part one. Title of the message is What is Aaron that you murmur against him?

What is Aaron that you murmur against him? Now, as you're turning there, I just want to bring back to your remembrance the fact that we prayed as a church for three days and fasted. And we said, Lord, walk among the candlesticks of this church and reveal to us anything in our hearts.

And anything in our attitudes and behavior and conversation that is contrary. To the nature of Jesus Christ. Now, you remember in Revelation chapter two, you don't have to go there. I'm just going to share something with you before getting into the.

This message, actually, probably more of a teaching than a message. But in Revelation chapter two, there was a church called Ephesus. And Jesus walked in the midst of the candlesticks. I believe in large measure it was by invitation.

Somebody in that, whether it's John or whether it's the messengers to the churches, the pastors, they were there were seekers of God at that time. And Jesus came and revealed himself and walked among the candlesticks.

Now, the candlesticks are the testimonies. There are types of the testimonies that he has established in the earth. I am a candlestick. You are a candlestick. My life is a testimony of the living reality of Christ.

And so is yours. And then, of course, we meet corporately in certain places where we are comfortable fellowshipping together. We receive some measure, at least of spiritual instruction. We worship God together.

And our corporate gathering becomes a larger candlestick, as it is when we bring our individual candles together. It's a brighter light. Let's put it that way. And we meet together. Now, in Ephesus, Jesus walked among the candlesticks.

And he had a lot of good things to say. This was a working church, a laboring church. This was a church that had learned the patience of God, as we heard about this morning. A church that could not bear those who said they were evil.

And tried those that said they were apostles and found them out to be liars. So this is a Bible-believing church. This is a Bible-searching church. They're looking in the Scriptures. They're digging deep.

And in verse 3 of Revelation 2, he says, You've borne, and you've had patience, and for my name's sake you've labored and not fainted. This is a church that's got a mission's heart. They're moving in the grace and mercy of God.

And they're touching, perhaps, their generation. And beyond their own borders. And there's so many good things happening in this church. But then Jesus comes to them. He says, Nevertheless, he said, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works, or else I'll come to thee quickly and remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. And so this is an amazing thing when we realize all these good things that are in this church of Ephesus could be negated by this one issue that they were not really willing to deal with.

It's Jesus walking among them and saying, This is just one thing. But this one thing among you is sufficient to take away your testimony. Now, if there was something in your heart today that was resident there, even though you might not be aware of it.

And if I were to stand and tell you, within five to ten years, your testimony is going to be gone. Would you be concerned? Would you really want to know what it is? If there was something within you? Now, history tells us that the church of Ephesus at least appeared to initially embrace this word of Christ through John.

But only momentarily. They fell back into their old pattern again. And the church of Ephesus disappeared. Today you can't find any trace of the church of Ephesus. You can't even show me where the foundation of whatever building they met in might have been.

It simply disappeared from the earth. The warning of Jesus came to pass. He said, I will take your testimony and I will remove it. There will be no candlestick. There will be no testimony. Obviously, the people did not take seriously the things that Jesus was speaking.

Pastoral Authority and the Message to the Church

Now, the Lord spoke to my heart. Now, the message from Christ was to the angel of the church. And the word angel means pastor, really. It's to the pastor of the church of Ephesus. I am the senior pastor.

I'm only one of the pastoral team. Pastor David is the founding pastor of Times Square Church. I consider him to be my spiritual authority. Now, there's a board in this church. There's another authority.

And we are all under the authority of the board of Times Square Church. Nevertheless, I am one of the pastors. And in the capacity that I stand in this pulpit, I believe that God has spoken to me. And he's spoken to me to bring a message to this church, because this is one of those one things that could affect this congregation.

It could affect us collectively, perhaps in the future, and certainly individually. Now, in the book of 1 Corinthians 10, I'll just, let me again just read it to you for the sake of time, because this is really not the message.

Paul says in chapter 10, verse 10, Neither murmur ye as some of them murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. In verse 11, he says, Now all these things happened to them for examples, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Wherefore, let him that thinketh, he standeth, take heed, lest he fall. Everything, Paul says, that happened to Israel was happened, and they are examples to us. They are types. The very things that happened to them could happen to us, and especially upon whom the ends of the world are come.

If you believe that we're in the last days, certainly this would apply to us today. And so the Holy Spirit through Paul says, If you think you stand, take heed, lest you fall. Now, Numbers chapter 16, if you're still there, beginning at verse 1.

Korah’s Rebellion Against Moses and Aaron

Now Korah, the son of Ishar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan, and Abiram, the sons of Eliab and An, the sons of Pellet, the sons of Reuben, took men, and they rose up before Moses and certain of the children of Israel.

Two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown. And they gathered themselves together against Moses, against Aaron, and said to them, You take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them.

And the Lord is among them. Wherefore, then, lift you up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord. And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face, and he spake to Korah and all his company, saying, Even tomorrow the Lord will show whose are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come nearer to him.

Even him who he has chosen will he cause to come nearer to him. This do take you senses, Korah and all his company, and put fire therein, and put incense in them before the Lord tomorrow. And it shall be that the man whom the Lord doth choose, he shall be holy.

You take too much upon you, you sons of Levi. And Moses said to Korah, Here, I pray you, you sons of Levi. Seemeth it but a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?

And he has brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren, the sons of Levi, with thee, and seek ye the priesthood also? For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord?

And what is Aaron that you murmur against him? That's the title of my message. What is Aaron that you murmur against him? Who is Aaron? Aaron, according to scripture, is a man with a history of failure, which no doubt everyone, including himself, is aware of.

Aaron is the man who, coming out of the wilderness, built the golden calf. Aaron is a man whom the people could persuade to move in spiritual directions that were not of God. Aaron had made gross mistakes.

He was a man of gross failure, really. If you look at what he did in the scope of his ministry, he's a man who obviously stood by grace. Aaron was a man who was placed in the congregation of Israel to supply where there was a lack.

Aaron’s Calling to Supply What Was Lacking

You remember in Exodus chapter 4, verses 10 to 16, God spoke to Moses. And he told Moses, I'm going to send you in. I've heard the cry of my people, and I'm going to send you to deliver them. And Moses said, well, I'm not eloquent of speech.

And he looked in the mirror, as it was, and he saw a deficiency in himself. And the scripture tells us that Aaron was placed in the ministry, as it is, to walk alongside of Moses to fulfill a deficiency in the life of Moses.

Now, God spoke to Moses, and he said, Aaron will be your voice. You will tell him words from me, and you'll give them to Aaron, and Aaron will speak for you. And he will be to you instead of a voice, and you will be to him instead of God.

But nevertheless, he was in the body, as it is, in this congregation of Israel to supply where there was a lack. Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4, verses 15 and 16, about the church of Jesus Christ. But speaking the truth in love, that we may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.

From whom, this is from Christ, the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

We are a body. We are the body of Christ on the earth. God is the one who chooses the ministry that we are to have. We are not placed in the body by happenstance. If we are genuine, honest seekers of God, the Holy Spirit will show you exactly where Christ himself is placing you within the body.

It's an amazing thing. And when you come to realize that I'm not called to do anything more than God calls me to do. Folks, I want to tell you, there's incredible liberty in this. When you stand before God one day and he says, well done, good and faithful servant.

It's not because you preach to thousands. It's not because you had a miracle ministry. It's not because you fulfilled some self-fulfilling destiny that you thought your life had to fulfill to be successful.

It's simply that you obeyed God. He called you to do a certain thing and you just simply did it. You did it with all your heart. You rested in it, knowing that your reward at the end of the day is exactly the same as everyone else who has been faithful in the body of Jesus Christ to where God has placed them.

That's why it's really level ground. That's why there should be no competition in the true church of Jesus Christ. That's why I honestly feel if I was a doorkeeper, I'd be the happiest doorkeeper in the house of God.

If I had this knowledge in my heart that all I'm required to do is what God calls me to do. I don't have to do anything outside of that. I don't have to prove anything to anybody. I just do what God calls me to do.

He places me in the body. Aaron was God's choice to be where he was for the time appointed him. Now, we just spoke on this. First Corinthians 12, 18 says God has set the members, every one of them in the body as it has pleased him.

Aaron was separated for this purpose. He was divinely appointed and divinely sustained. In Numbers chapter 17, verse 5, when again, in the hearts of the people, they were still challenging as it is the position of Aaron.

Aaron’s Rod and Divine Appointment

In Numbers 17, 5, Moses said, every man that represents one of the house of their fathers of Israel, let them take a rod which represents authority. And bring that rod and we'll put it into the, before the testimony.

And in verse 5, it says, it shall come to pass that the man's rod whom I shall choose shall blossom. And I'll make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you.

You know, folks, I want to tell you something. When you are in the place that you should be, you blossom there. You blossom there. The fruit of the Spirit begins to abound. The peace that Paul talks about when he says, I have learned in whatsoever state I am to be content.

I've learned in this place to be content. You begin to blossom. And everything that God aspires as it is in his word for you to be, you begin to become because you are in that place that God has placed you.

And Moses spake to the children of Israel and every one of the princes gave him a rod of peace. Verse 6, for each prince one, according to their father's houses, even 12 rods and the rod of Aaron was among them.

And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of the witness. And it came to pass that on the morrow, Moses went to the tabernacle of witness and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was butted and brought forth buds and bloomed blossoms and yielded almonds.

You know how much that should have annoyed people who thought they were holier than this man who just said, listen, this is this guy has made so many mistakes. And others would say, look, it's fairly obvious.

He's just a spiritual stuff shirt that has been brought along by Moses. Doesn't even seem to have any kind of a will or mind of his own. But yet God says, no, I put him there. You see, there was a huge deficiency in the thinking of the people and that they felt that they could take this liberty to murmur against Aaron on failing to understand that he was placed where he was by the spirit of God.

And Moses brought out all the rods, verse nine, from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel. And they looked and took every man his rod. And the Lord said to Moses, bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token or a sign against the rebels.

And thou shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die not. So we look at the life of Aaron and Aaron is a man. Yes, he's got a history of failure, just like you and I. Do you not have a history of failure here today?

How would you like your life to be put up on a screen right now and all the private little things? You're those that think they're really holy. You know, you really are something at the body of Christ.

I'd love just put it up on the screen. We can just see you as God sees all of that. You know, there's a scripture that says God doesn't stay just for the church service. He follows the whole act. He follows you home and he sees you in those private moments.

And that's why David the Psalmist said, God, if you marked iniquities, who could stand? If you held our failings against us, which which one of us would stand? He was called into the body to supply where there was a lack, just like you and I are.

We're not placed there because we're perfect. We're placed there because of God's grace. And it's the choice of Jesus Christ. We are set as God pleases. We are separated, divinely appointed and divinely sustained for the purpose that God has called us to.

Folks, settle it in your heart. Whatever you do in the name of Christ, whatever you do in his church, whatever part you have in the body, irrespective of your own failings and your own struggles, you are put there by God.

You are part of God's divine order. You are part of the body of Jesus Christ. And if you're aware, as I am in this house today, you know that you stand by grace. And so there's it gets rid of all the holy fluff.

It gets rid of all of the holier than thou stuff. And we all know that we stand by grace. We're well aware that if God marked our iniquities, nobody could stand. We're here because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

And we stand and do what we do because we have an inward grace through the power of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to do what we're called to do. Romans 13, 1 and 2. Paul says that every soul be subject to the higher powers.

Submission to God-Ordained Authority

Now, I know he's talking about government in this passage of Scripture, but it has an application. It speaks about the authority that is ordained of God. Let every soul be subject to the higher power where there is no power but of God.

And the powers that be are ordained of God. I want you to think about this. That means the only authority that you see around you is ordained of God. Every police officer on the street, even a clerk behind a drug store, who has authority, in a sense, to put out unruly persons out of the store.

Security guards, government officials, people who are in authority, even outside of the church, are allowed to be there by God. God will even use authority to chastise a nation. He will cause there to be authority that causes the people to cry out to him.

All authority is there and has been allowed of God. It's so important to understand that God is in complete control. There's not a dictator in the world who's there of his own accord. If he's there, God, for whatever reason, has allowed him to be there.

Whosoever, therefore, resists the power. Now, of course, this has to be in context with the message that I'm going to preach next time on righteous authority and how do you respond to it. Resist the ordinance of God.

And they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. Paul, in 2 Timothy chapter 3, talks about a last day lawlessness. A lawlessness is going to virtually pervade this entire world. And you're seeing it now.

We're seeing a terrifying increase in lawlessness. I hear it. I can hardly watch the news. Now, I go to a weight club every day. Well, it's not really a weight club because they don't do weights, but it's like, you know, one of those total fitness life cycle machines.

And it has a screen in front of it. And I look at either Fox News or CNN. I don't find either fair and balanced, by the way, no matter what they say. But it's hard to even watch the news now because there's a scorning in people.

There's a despising of all authority. There's this inward immorality that just literally oozes out of even some newscasters. A scorning, a despising, these off-color jokes, a lawlessness against anything that is good or holy.

I find it hard to even watch the news, even though I simply do, to keep up on the hurricanes and such like that are coming on a regular basis. A last day lawlessness, Paul says, where children are going to cast off the restraint that God puts around them through their parents.

There's going to be a breakdown of natural affection. That means human affection, family affection. Just a semblance of order in the home, the family, in government, in society is going to be lost. There'll be a scorning of everyone who's in authority.

You have to almost be insane to run for political office today because society just delights in taking righteous people and ripping their lives to shreds. A loss of natural affection, there's a loss of natural decency.

We see it today on the increase. Just no fear of God to take people, good people sometimes, and just tear them apart just for the sheer pleasure of it. It speaks to something very evil in the hearts of this society.

Paul said that this is going to be a generation of truce breakers and traitors. In other words, man's word will mean nothing anymore. There'll be no sense of having any obligation to anyone but oneself.

An absolute lawlessness. Oh folks, we see it in New Orleans when the floods and everything came. This unspeakable lawlessness that would have gotten even worse had there not been some authority there to quell it.

I dread to think of what's going to happen in this society if ever there is a breakdown. There's a lawlessness just beneath the surface just waiting to break out. There's this insane casting off of God's authority and subsequently all authority.

Paul said men will be lovers of self. In other words, they will have their own ideas, their own standards of righteousness. They will exalt themselves in their own knowledge above the knowledge of God.

They'll have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. And one of the New Testament translations in today's language says they have a form of godliness, but they refuse to let it be a power. In other words, they have this knowledge of God, but the knowledge of God does not bring them under authority.

Does not bring them under the authority of God. They do not become subject to the power of God and subsequently end up with a reprobate knowledge or viewpoint of who God is. They will not be brought under the authority of God.

They will not be brought into the government of God as it is. Because God ultimately is a God of divine order. You simply can't get around it. There's order where God is. There's order in the home. There's order in the nation.

There's order in the church. Where God is, there's order. The universe moves in divine order. Even though man is out of order since the fall of Adam, the universe is still moving in divine order. But eventually, the scripture tells us the weight of sin that touches planet Earth will eventually affect the universe even around it.

That's why Paul says even creation itself groans for a release from the dominion of sin. From the weight of man's rebellion against God, which brings everything out of order. We see the world out of order today.

We see nature now out of order just as the scripture says it was going to happen. The message I'm bringing today is fairly simple. The failure to acknowledge Aaron was a failure in truth to bend the knee to God.

Aaron as a Test of the Heart

Who is Aaron? Aaron is that person who's placed in the chain of God's order and command who will serve as a test of your heart. That's who Aaron is. When Moses said, what is Aaron that you murmur against him?

We look at the statement and we think initially that he was demeaning his own brother, but he wasn't. He was simply speaking back to the people what was in their own hearts. Or they perhaps had a fear of standing against Moses.

And maybe they had a fear in some measure of even standing against God, although they didn't see themselves as standing against God. But they had absolutely no trepidation about standing against Aaron.

After all, Aaron had failed. After all, Aaron. Who is Aaron? Moses said that you murmur against him. He wasn't demeaning him. He was just exposing the deficiency of the people's thinking. Listen carefully in this.

In this church, in this church in New York City, there are some people who will not acknowledge what they consider to be the lowest ministry positions. There are some people who come into the church. They will not acknowledge the authority of an usher.

They will not acknowledge people who they feel to be in the lowest ministry position. And they do not see this as rebellion against God. What is Aaron that you murmur against him? I mean, who is Aaron?

What's the big deal? We can stand against Aaron. We wouldn't dare stand against Pastor David or Pastor Carter or Pastor Neal or Pastor Patrick or Pastor William. No. But I mean, an usher. I mean, what's the big deal?

So they tell me I can't sit here. So I sit there. Let them move me. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. There are some people in this church who will not acknowledge ministry leaders. There are leaders set over. They're in the body.

And they form in their mind some perceived deficiency. You see, that's how the people could stand against Aaron and literally write him off in their hearts. Because they perceive in them some deficiency.

Well, maybe they've seen them lose their temper. Maybe they've made a decision once in the past that proved perhaps to be not the best decision. So they write them off as being any part of the authority or the divine order in the house of God.

And they will no longer acknowledge the ministry leader. The ministry leader gives a direction. And they will bypass them and go to an elder. There are some people in this church body who will not acknowledge the position of elders in this church.

An elder comes to them and we have this happen all the time. And they just simply do not acknowledge the position of elder in this church. Although these elders are not self-appointed. They're not even appointed by the pastors.

They were appointed by God. They're in the position they are because we prayed and said, Lord, who are the men you've appointed over the spiritual business of this church? That's how they got here in the first place.

They were not elected. They did not give us resumes. They were men who had been in this church that God identified. And time has proven this to be God. Because they are men who have been proven to be faithful.

They're spiritual men. They're praying men. And yet there are some here who will not acknowledge the ministry of an elder. But they don't see this as rebellion. Isn't it amazing? They don't see this as something that eventually can take away their candlestick.

Their testimony. Five, ten years down the road can be gone. Because they refuse to acknowledge this one thing. And they have this defense of, well, you know, I study the Bible. And I have a devotional life.

And I go to the mission field. And I'm involved in work in the church. And so I just don't like this elder. So what's the problem? There are some people in this church who don't acknowledge the pastors.

They won't acknowledge Pastor William. So they go to Pastor Patrick. And they won't acknowledge Pastor Patrick. So they go to Pastor Neil. They won't acknowledge Pastor Neil. So they come to me. They won't acknowledge me.

So they go to Brother Dave. And then ultimately they won't acknowledge any pastors at all in the church. And they become their own authority. There are people like that in this church. And yet they say Jesus is Lord.

And they come into the house. And they raise their hands. And they put incense in their censers and fire. They come before the tabernacle of the congregation. Jesus, I love you. Send the fire. How do you say Jesus is Lord?

And you don't acknowledge his authority? How? Tell me, how do you get around this? The day you and I stand before the throne of God, tell me, how do you get around this? If God has planted authority in the church, and you don't acknowledge it, how do you get around it?

Every Member Is Necessary in Christ’s Body

In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul says it this way. In verse 20 he says,. But now are they many members but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you. Nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

In other words, you and I can't walk into this body. And in our heart, the first usher we meet, and maybe it's somebody we've seen a failure, a flaw. Or we've perceived a failure, a flaw. And we say, I have no need of you.

I don't need you. I don't need your position. I don't need you in my face. I don't need your authority. I don't need what you have to say. And Paul says, we can't say this. He said, nay, verse 22, Much more, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary.

Now, was not Aaron a feeble member of the body? He was. Absolutely. He didn't seem to have the resolve to stand. But yet he was placed in the ministry, in the priesthood as it was, by God. And he had a descendancy, even, that was placed in ministry by God.

Even though his ministry in life appeared to be feeble, it didn't rescind the ministry that God had given to him. And those members of the body, verse 23, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor.

And our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. And the question we have to ask ourselves is, do we obey this? Do we obey, do we bestow honor on those parts of the body which we think are less honorable than others?

It doesn't mean they are, folks. But sometimes we just think they are. And do we obey this? Now, back in Numbers chapter 16 and verse 17, now we see them stand with censures in hand, justified in their own hearts in their disregard of God's authority.

It says in Numbers 16, 17,. And take every man his censure, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the Lord every man his censure. Two hundred and fifty censures, thou also and Aaron, every one of you his censure.

And they took every man his censure, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron. Now, I want you to see the picture.

Two hundred and fifty. And these are men of renown. These are people that have somewhat of a reputation for godliness, as it is. And here they are standing. It's a type of prayer and worship. And they're standing before God.

But in their heart, they have a despising of God's authority. And in Numbers chapter 16, and verse 35, tells us,. And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

And the Lord spake to Moses, saying, Speak to Eliezer the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censures out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder, for they are hallowed. And the censures of these sinners against their own souls.

Let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar. For they offered them before the Lord, therefore they are hallowed. And they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel. And Eliezer the priest took the brazen censures wherewith they that were burnt had offered.

And they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar, to be a memorial unto the children of Israel. That no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the Lord.

That he be not as Korah, and as his company, as the Lord said to him by the hand of Moses. Now the Lord said, Melt down their censures, and cover the altar as a remembrance. And let the people, when they come to the altar, and they see this golden covering as it is on the altar, let them remember that two hundred and fifty people have come before them, who stood in their arrogant pride against God's divine order, and God's divine authority in his church.