THE CHURCH AT WAR WITH ITSELF — HOW GREED, PRIDE AND RIVALRY ARE TEARING DOWN THE BODY OF CHRIST

By Sam Agogo

The Church of Jesus Christ, once the purest symbol of divine unity, has become one of the most fragmented institutions on earth. The sacred body that was meant to heal nations now bleeds from self-inflicted wounds. The altar that should echo one voice now resounds with a thousand competing tones — each fighting for attention, each seeking recognition, and each guarding its own small kingdom as though heaven were divided by denominations.

I was recently in a deep conversation with a sister who is also a pastor, and our discussion left a weight on my spirit. We spoke about what has become of the modern Church — the rivalry, the greed, the pride, the suspicion, and the cold war raging among ministers who were called to preach one Gospel. The more we spoke, the clearer it became that the Church no longer moves as one body. We have lost the power of collective vision. The unity that once gave the Church its unstoppable force has been replaced by ambition, jealousy, and spiritual politics.

Every church now fights to protect its members as though they were private property. Pastors now monitor their congregations more than they disciple them. If a member visits another church, the pastor’s first reaction is anger, not joy. Some go as far as warning their members never to attend another ministry again — as if salvation were copyrighted. We have made the Church a marketplace where souls are customers, and offerings are profits. The concern is no longer about the harvest of souls, but the preservation of empires.

I have heard stories that make the heart weep. Pastors deliberately blocking fellow ministers from using public billboards. Guest preachers being denied opportunities out of fear they might outshine the host. Ministers instructing advertisers not to accept another church’s poster. Even preachers warning their followers never to sow seeds in another ministry. And, painfully, pastors arresting pastors over matters that heaven must surely look upon in disgust. The holy altar has become a battlefield of egos, and we dare call it ministry.

The Gospel was never meant to be a competition. Jesus did not die for us to build private empires with His name as our brand. The cross was not meant to be a logo — it was meant to be a life. But we have turned it into a business emblem, trading spiritual authenticity for numerical success. We measure anointing by audience size, holiness by popularity, and divine approval by the weight of our tithes. We are busy counting money while losing meaning.

The Church that once terrified hell now terrifies itself. Ministers who should stand shoulder to shoulder in the vineyard now stand sword to sword. The body of Christ has become a divided body — each part struggling against the other, forgetting that when the hand fights the leg, the whole body suffers. We have replaced brotherhood with brand identity. We speak in tongues, yet refuse to speak to one another. We preach forgiveness, yet secretly envy those whose ministries grow faster.

And while we compete for crowds, darkness is organizing. While we guard our offerings, hell is expanding its reach. While we calculate membership statistics, sin is recruiting souls. Other religions are strategizing for the next fifty years — educating, financing, and influencing societies — while the Church is busy debating whose logo is finer and whose general overseer is greater. We have lost the rhythm of purpose and the melody of mission.

The lesson of Genesis 11:1–9 should have humbled us. The people of Babel were united — one language, one vision, one purpose — and even God testified that nothing they planned would be impossible to them because they were one. But the Church, which should be more powerful through divine unity, has chosen instead to scatter itself with pride. We have achieved the opposite of Babel — we now speak many languages, not of diversity but of division. We have succeeded in building towers of ambition, not altars of prayer.

If Jesus walked into many churches today, He would not recognize the bride He left behind. He would find denominations more loyal to their founders than to their Savior. He would see pastors who preach love but practice rivalry, who quote unity but defend division. The Church that should be the conscience of nations has become the competitor of itself. We are quick to condemn politicians for disunity, yet our pulpits are split by the same disease.

We cannot heal a broken world when the Church itself is sick. We cannot preach peace when our hearts are at war. We cannot call for revival while we are busy suppressing one another. Until the Church humbles itself, heaven will not move. Until we drop our crowns, God will not send His glory.

We must return to the simplicity of Christ — to the cross where pride dies and love lives. We must rediscover fellowship, not as a stage for performance, but as a table for brotherhood. We must begin to pray together again — not for publicity, but for power. Pastors must learn to celebrate one another’s grace instead of envying it. Churches must learn to collaborate rather than compete. And believers must stop worshipping denominations as if heaven were divided by doctrines.

But a deeper question now rises above all: Are we truly going to the same Heaven? Are we praying to the same God? Are we seeking the same Spirit, the same salvation, and the same eternal life? If the Church cannot answer these questions honestly, it will remain blind to the mission it has been entrusted to accomplish.

The Church of the Acts of the Apostles conquered nations without microphones, buildings, or billboards — yet they carried a power that shook empires. Their secret was not sophistication; it was oneness. They were one in spirit, one in prayer, one in heart. That unity was their strength — and it can be ours again.

But until we repent of this madness of self-centered Christianity, until we lay down our egos and return to the altar of humility, we will remain a noisy Church with no power, a busy Church with no direction, a famous Church with no fire. The devil is not afraid of a large Church; he fears a united one. He knows that when the Church truly becomes one, no gate of hell can prevail against it.

The Church must wake up. We must end the empire mentality and rediscover the Kingdom mandate. We must stop building towers that reach heaven and start building hearts that please God. We must stop fighting each other and start fighting the real enemy. Because if the Church continues to compete with itself, it will destroy itself.

The world is watching, heaven is waiting, and God is calling. The time to return to unity is now — not tomorrow, not next generation, but now. The blood that saved us is one. The Spirit that fills us is one. The heaven we seek is one. Then why have we become so many voices chasing so many directions?

The Church must remember: we are not corporations with customers; we are the family of God. We are not rivals in ministry; we are soldiers in one army. And the day we finally understand that truth, the world will once again tremble at the sound of our united voice.

May God have mercy on His Church. May He heal our pride, forgive our division, and restore His glory once more. Because until we become one again, we may keep building towers that rise to the sky — but none that reach the heart of God.

For Comments, Reflections and Further Conversation:
📩 samuelagogo4one@yahoo.