Yes—a church can be full of members and outwardly active, yet spiritually powerless when it neglects Paul's epistles and fails to teach its people.
Les Feldick says plainly, 'No wonder the church has become powerless.' He identifies the root cause as neglect of Paul and his writings—which he calls 'the bedrock of our Christian faith'—combined with a failure to teach believers what they believe. Many churches confine their preaching to the four Gospels and never move into Paul's epistles, leaving the church outwardly busy but inwardly weak.
1 Corinthians 3:10 — Paul laid the church's foundation as a wise master builder; when that foundation is neglected, the church loses its spiritual strength.
1 Corinthians 15:8 — Paul's unique apostleship as one 'born out of due time' is why his epistles carry unique authority for the church.
Scripture does not equate a church's outward condition with spiritual strength. In writing to the Corinthians, Paul had to confront divisions—believers saying, 'I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.' He also confronted gross immorality in the assembly, believers taking one another to law before pagan courts, and disorder in the use of spiritual gifts. Paul could not speak to them as spiritual but as carnal, 'even as unto babes in Christ.' Paul also reminded the Corinthians that he, by the grace of God, laid the foundation of the church as a wise master builder—and that no other foundation can be laid than Jesus Christ. He described his own apostleship as that of one 'born out of due time,' a unique apostle to them. Scripture thus shows that a church can be established, active, and even gifted, yet remain spiritually immature.
Les Feldick states directly that the church has become powerless: 'no wonder the church has become powerless.' He traces this to two failures. First, the church has not taught its people: 'that's where the church has failed so miserably, is that they have not taught their people.' He observes that the average Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Baptist, or Methodist cannot tell you what they believe 'because nobody teaches them,' whereas believers are supposed to be a well-taught and well-read people. Second, the church neglects the apostle Paul. Les says too many people want to spend all their time in the four Gospels—'part and parcel of the problems in the Corinthian church'—while Paul's letters are the most neglected portion of the Bible. He notes that some think Paul's epistles should not even be in the Bible, yet they are 'the bedrock of our Christian faith.' Until churches move into Paul's epistles, Les says, they will not get a clear view of salvation by grace through faith, and they will remain spiritually weak.
Les says, 'What a travesty! And there's so much of that today.' He is speaking about people who want to spend all their time in the four Gospels and in what Jesus said. He reminds his listeners that this was 'part and parcel of the problems in the Corinthian church'—believers were divided over whether they followed what Jesus said, what Peter said, what Apollos said, or what Paul said. Paul had to constantly defend his apostleship, and Les says that attack was Satanic to be sure.
Les says a lot of people think Paul's epistles should not even be in our Bible, and he recalls a seminary professor who called Paul's Damascus road experience nothing more than an epileptic seizure. Against that, Les insists that Paul's epistles 'are the bedrock of our Christian faith.' He teaches that you have to move into Paul's epistles to get a clear view of salvation by grace, through faith, plus nothing.
Les's clearest statement is: 'that's where the church has failed so miserably, is that they have not taught their people.' He asks listeners to ask the average Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Baptist, or Methodist what they believe, and says most cannot tell you 'because nobody teaches them.' Paul's driving point, Les says, is that believers are to be a well-taught people—well read in the Scriptures—and not left ignorant.
Les lists what Paul had to deal with in Corinth: divisions over which teacher they followed, believers taking one another to pagan courts, gross immorality in the church, and the tongues phenomenon. He summarizes: 'They had not grown spiritually.' He also notes that Corinth had a good cross-section of society who had become believers, yet Paul could ask, 'Is it so that there is not a wise man among you?'—showing that a large and varied membership does not guarantee spiritual wisdom.
Les warns that people are reading too many books instead of the Book. He dismisses books that tell you how to cope with problems, how to get along with your wife, and how to get along with the kids as 'hogwash. That's not where it's at.' His answer is: 'You get into the Book, and all these problems will take care of themselves.' He adds that the devil is using every ploy he can to deny the Word, and notes that when the disciples asked Jesus about the signs of His coming, Jesus began with a warning of deception.
Paul's Unique Calling — Born Out of Due Time
Les explains Paul's phrase 'born out of due time' as meaning Paul came on the scene before the nation of Israel's conversion, making him a sampling of what Israel will one day experience—showing Paul's unique apostolic role.
The Trap of Living in the Gospels
Les says spending all one's time in the four Gospels replicates the divisions of Corinth, where believers were split over Jesus, Peter, Apollos, and Paul; he emphasizes that Paul laid the church's foundation as a wise master builder.
Why Prophecy Is Greater Than Tongues - 1 Corinthians 14 Explained
But of all the spiritual things that we might want or like to have, the greatest at this point in time when Paul is writing to the Corinthians was the gift to prophesy or to speak forth the Word of God. And again, I'll have to define why. At the time that Paul is writing to these early churches, there is still no New Testament written.
The Powerless Church and the Devil's Ploys
Les directly says 'no wonder the church has become powerless,' blaming neglect of the Word and the reading of too many books instead of the Book—and notes Jesus began by warning of deception.
Many Members but Few Wise Men
Les observes that Corinth had a good cross-section of society who had become believers, yet Paul asked whether there was not one wise man among them—showing that membership size does not equal spiritual depth.
The Church's Miserable Failure to Teach
Les says the church 'has failed so miserably' because it has not taught its people, so average believers of every denomination cannot say what they believe—whereas believers should be a well-taught people.
The Corinthians Had Not Grown Spiritually
Les lists the Corinthians' divisions, lawsuits, gross immorality, and disorderly tongues as evidence that they had not grown spiritually, despite being believers.
Paul's Epistles as the Bedrock
Les teaches that although some despise Paul—even calling his conversion an epileptic seizure—his epistles are the bedrock of the Christian faith and essential for a clear view of salvation by grace.
1 Corinthians 15:8: And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
Paul's unique apostleship makes his teaching foundational for the church.
1 Corinthians 3:10: According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
Paul laid the church's foundation; how the church builds on that foundation determines its strength.
1 Corinthians 3:11: For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
The foundation Paul laid is Christ Himself, not Paul or any other teacher.
1 Corinthians 3:1: And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
Paul saw believers who had not grown spiritually.
1 Corinthians 1:12: Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
The divisions that weakened the Corinthian church.
1 Corinthians 6:1: Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
Believers' worldly disputes show spiritual weakness.
Matthew 24:4: And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Jesus began His end-time answer with a warning of deception.
No. Les uses the Corinthian church as the biblical example: it had a good cross-section of society who had become believers, yet the church was full of divisions, lawsuits, immorality, and disorderly gifts. Spiritual strength depends on being taught the Word, starting with Paul's epistles.
Les says 'no wonder the church has become powerless' because people are reading too many books instead of the Book. The church has neglected the Word of God, and the devil is using every ploy to deny it.
For Les, the root causes are two: neglect of Paul's epistles—the bedrock of the faith—and the failure to teach believers. When nobody teaches the people, they cannot even say what they believe.
Les's answer is to get into the Book, and particularly into Paul's epistles. He says 'you get into the Book, and all these problems will take care of themselves.'
Yes. Les says Paul had to constantly defend his apostleship because it was under constant, Satanic attack. Today, some people think Paul's epistles should not even be in the Bible.
Watch the Teaching: Why Paul's Letters Are the Most Neglected in the Bible