Lip Service

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Luke 12:34)

That which we feed upon in our daily lives becomes the treasure of our hearts, and we will quite naturally divulge the true spirit within our humanity to those around us.

We should not think we can cleverly disguise, by way of lip service, the spirit of the world we indulge in. Upon the tasting of the waters, the spring is well known.

"Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water." (James 3:11,12)

Children of God will stumble and backslide. If a fellow believer sins, admonish them in the word of God. It is important to recognize the true spirit of those around us and treat them as such; for by their spirit we will know whether to treat them as sinners and tax collectors (Luke 5:32), or to gently restore our brothers and sisters. (Galatians 6:1) But be certain of one thing: it is not possible for holiness to flow from an unbeliever. However, we should allow the Holy Spirit to work through us so that those who are not truly born from above will be exposed to everyone else for who they really are, in hopes of bringing Godly conviction upon them.

"But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, 'God is really among you!'" (1 Corinthians 14:24,25)

PJR

"Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel
are fervent lips with an evil heart.
Whoever hates, disguises himself with his lips
and harbors deceit in his heart;
when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
for there are seven abominations in his heart;
though his hatred be covered with deception,
his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly."
(Prov.26:23-26)

Fake Speech And False Spirits

Have you ever witnessed a conversation or circumstance, involving someone you felt to be a believer, that left you confused and in a state of bewilderment? If you find yourself in a quandary like this, it is because you have just witnessed a false spirit or the nature of sin having its way through someone who is deeply troubled by it.

When confronted about their behavior, those who confess their transgression, and acknowledge their struggle with it, must be dealt with patiently and with much grace and prayer, (forgiving them seventy times seven); for it is by God's Spirit they confess.

Others, however, refuse to even acknowledge their bizarre behavior, yet in an to attempt to appease your obvious disheveled state (while hoping to justify their actions), they will excuse their actions and redirect your focus from it in one, or a combination of two, different ways.

1. Being aggressive, twisting truth and speaking with exasperation, they defend themselves adamantly so that it causes you to cower, leaving you to doubt that you judged correctly. You come away feeling guilty for even addressing them for what you witnessed.

2. Being passive, by false explanations and rationalizations, they desire you to compromise your own holiness, striving to win your affections by befriending you.

There are a myriad of reasons for the presence of such a spirit, but the root of it is fear; that is, the lack of perfect love. (1 John 4:18)

The church should never disregard such a person. Maintaining peace without Biblical accountability, for the sake of avoiding confrontation accomplishes nothing more than our own human comfort. It affords the troublemakers the freedom to continue disrupting the peace because they have experienced previous confrontations that were never brought to a point of consequence, though it is this very thing they themselves ultimately pursue. Their actions are immature and rebellious, displaying no evidence of the Holy Spirit within.

However, after being given corrections and opportunities to recognize, confess, and repent of the spirit of rebellion, yet remaining defiant, the final act must be enforced:

"Reject a divisive person after one or two warnings. You know that such a person is twisted by sin and is conscious of it himself." (Titus 3:10,11 The Net Bible)

PJR
 

Deceit

Deceit is the attempt to rewrite God's word into something man is able to grasp with his own understanding, thereby diminishing the need for faith. It's presence in the church disturbs the peace of those whom the Holy Spirit is intimate with, though the exact cause may not be immediately discerned. The spirit of deceit always disguises itself as common sense and its effort is to thwart the life and work of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ. Its main goal is to appeal to the human senses, causing the desires of the mind to become lord of the assembly.

Seasons will arise that will expose the enemy at work, but Satan will fight back in an attempt to discredit any who challenge him. As we confront the worldliness that sets itself up within and against the church, we must remove ourselves from the emotional battle, and concentrate on the spiritual, which is the driving force behind the minds of those who incessantly disregard the Holy Spirit. While God's word is the ultimate victory over the enemy, during the heat of the battle it is faith, held as a shield, that we persevere. The 'worthy adversary' will continually bring subtle conflicts of interest that challenge one thing; God's word...and it is our faith in His word that becomes our shelter.

PJR

"Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add to his words,
lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar."
(Proverbs 30:5,6)

Philosophical Hypocrisy

Human reasoning alone may appear to answer Biblical issues in close context, but broadly, its theology will be found inconsistent in satisfying the questions yet to be considered. Even if we may be confident in one dynamic of our Christian walk, the blinders on our spiritual understanding prompts the Holy Spirit to challenge the sufficiency of that single wisdom regarding other areas we have yet to be enlightened to.

If we fail to embrace this challenge, our growth will remain stunted and are therefore unable to establish a sound theological foundation that is purely sanctified and intimately relational with God. We are then left to rationalize God's truths through the lens of our humanity, burdening ourselves and others with an inconsistent mixture of theology and philosophy. Our wisdom thus remains hypocritical.

It may be asked, why wouldn't anyone who has been enlightened by the Spirit continue to press in for the greater understanding that comes from God alone? The answer is this: it comes with the realization of having to surrender our mind's covetous desire to understand and plan its own way. This is the stumbling block set before all.

PJR

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones."
(Proverbs 3:5-8)

Idle Words

"I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,"
(Matthew 12:36)

Every word we speak is drawn from the heart within, revealing its true spiritual condition. As Christians, our idle words express those incessant realms of our own heart's desires that certainly reveal the unsanctified areas of our lives. If the devotion of our efforts, which should be asking God for His Spirit, instead professses more of an allegiance to the world, then our conversations will become as tasteless salt, a seasoning to no one. (Matthew 5:13) We should be bearing the life of the Holy Spirit that dwells within, not quenching it with idle talk.

PJR

"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit." (Matthew 12:33)

 

Avoiding Secularism In The Church

Jesus stated, with regards to the shrewd accountant, that the world is more clever in making lifetime friends than are the children of the light. (Luke 16:8)

 Jesus sent out his disciples as sheep in the midst of wolves, telling them to be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. (Mathew 10:16)

The Apostle Paul became all things to all men that by all means he might save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22)

 The message in these verses admonishes us to become proactive and creative in spreading the good news with the world, yet always being conscientious of keeping our religion pure and undefiled. (James 1:27)

The sources below give us insight into the physical world we live in.

Surveys

Marketing

Demographics

Psychology

Scientific Data

Historical Evidence

Research

Media

News Reports


However, the church should not utilize secular resources to:

• increase the numerical value of the church.

• befriend the world at the compromise of the purity of the gospel.

• equip believers with facts at the expense of faith.

• provide social counseling in lieu of Spiritual discernment and wisdom.

• determine its ministry.

• instill fear and fanaticism to maintain member dedication.

• encourage participation in worldly agendas.

• compare ourselves to, in order to achieve a sense of righteousness.

• become any part of its confidence.

PJR

"I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments." (Colossians 2:4)

Theatrical Churches

The architecture of an auditorium or theater immediately commands an instinctive human behavior from every person who enters.The audience knows their part, and those on stage know theirs. While any production is in progress, the audience becomes obedient in behavior to what the performers of the production have previously prepared for them. With the exception of an occasional audience response, the combined spirit within the auditorium is one of absolute self control. Whoever you may be naturally on the inside is called to a state of submission, thus rendering the utmost respect and behavior in order to facilitate an atmosphere conducive to a professional performance. This is the nature of the theater; and unfortunately for many churches as well.

While there is nothing wrong with church buildings that model auditoriums or theaters, there is a lot wrong with the dynamics of the fellowship within. It is constrained. There is a great quenching of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ that frequents this type of community. Rather than a design that enables the people the freedom to relate authentically and to release their gifts for the edification of others, the people become trained to conform to the protocol of the approximate one hour performance their theater demands. What is produced in the congregation is a spirit of good behavior and a deliberate practice of self composure that inevitably continues on through casual socializing. They are careful not to cause any distraction and have not the slightest desire to consider the things of God that might undermine the atmosphere of the theater they feel responsible for keeping. The elders and patriots come to embrace a conviction that it is their reverent duty and Godly service to come under the established authority of the theater to ensure everyone else respects the social architecture of such a church.

"So I exhort the elders among you ... shepherd the flock of God that is among you ... not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:2,3)

When the same familiar people inhabit the stage Sunday after Sunday, they are dominating the affairs of the church and have drastically limited the exercise of all gifts that belong to the body of Christ.

PJR

"For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body."
(1 Corinthians 12:14-20

Special Interest Churches

Why are Christian's rights being challenged? Why do Christians claim they even have rights? We are sojourners in a foreign land. We are called to witness to the lost, not go to battle against them. If we fight to keep the cross, the ten commandments, in God we trust, etc., and win, this will not make us exclusive. God is very clear about crafting things that resemble anything in Heaven or on Earth and coveting them.

If in our religious aggression, we utilize the law, then it is only fair that the law represent all citizens; and this will only open the door for other symbols and gods to be placed among ours. When we fight by the law of the land, we are unknowingly giving ground to the enemy. We are ignorantly setting ourselves up for social oppression because legalism is one of Satan's most effective weapons against the church.

Read this article to see how this is playing out in Oklahoma.

Our fight is not with flesh and blood, but in the heavenly realms. Christians are engaging in a battle of things, rather than focusing on drawing the hearts of the lost to the love of God. Honestly, what will Christians gain by protecting the stainless steel cross or the granite ten commandments? Isn't it the hearts of the unsaved that need change, not the laws that enable us to display our religious icons? All of these things we are to treasure in our heart, not on the playing field.

Who did Jesus rebuke? The religious leaders misleading the lost. Who did Jesus adjure and work patiently with? The lost.

Why is the church butting heads with unbelievers and special interest groups? We have been told that we live among the tares, aka, evil. Why then, do we behave like them? Were you ever enticed or lured by someone hammering their rights and morals on you? No, not at all. We all cringe at forced belief. Why then, do we think forced 'Jesus' would be any different than what special interest groups are doing?

Our testimony to the world should be the strength and love of God by denying ourselves the tangibles of our religion. Not our abilities in stacking up against unbelievers because, "We have rights just like everyone else!"; or because we have plenty of religious money and a powerful political wing. We are not to fight the world on its terms. Prayer and a loving intercession towards the lost....that is what we are called to.

With fellow Christians, we rebuke. (Luke 17:3) With our lost neighbors, we extend the same love, compassion, and patience that was afforded us from our Heavenly Father, when we were yet sinners. That, with prayer....that is our fight.

Get out of the secular boxing ring. Get into the Highest Court of love and intercessory prayer.

PJR

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit." (Romans 8:5)