There exists a spiritual narrative that is a construct in the image of man that is nothing more than a system of control. It controls the Church. It guides it. Shapes it. Even rewards it. But it is evil. And the sheep are blind to it!
Some time back I penned these thoughts in a journal entry. If you have not read it – follow it here: Exposing the Matrix
Religion has always been a system of control. Some might not like that statement very much but it doesn’t make it any less true. Some control is very overt and easily recognisable but the more sinister forms of control are subtle and often masquerade as something else: Something appealing and enticing. But then again deception is all about seduction!
Deception Precedes Defeat
A religious order is not bricks and mortar or even institutional religion.
In prophetic terms we describe it as: a system of thoughts and beliefs promoted and enforced by a prevailing ecclesiastical model.
These patterned (and popular) thoughts and beliefs become entrenched into the minds and hearts of people through persuasive, charismatic and commanding voices.
History is replete with revolution. Whether in economics, science, politics, and yes even in religion. The fires of revolution are stoked because someone, somewhere, somehow grows dissatisfied with the status quo and desires change. This is not a negative thing at all. Spiritual evolution through revolution is something I advocate as long as the result is the Will of the Father.
But sometimes change or revival at all costs is not worth the price!
Let’s Simplify This
Once upon a time the modern church was not so “modern.” It was steeped in man made traditions and dogma that suited the political and ideological disposition of a ruling class to exert control over the spiritual narrative. Various evolutions though revolutions brought the Church all the way into the current dispensation that you and I are a part of!
I was born at the time that God had designed to be a part of a spiritual revolution. The Word of Faith movement was in labour and being birthed. It faced (and still does) massive opposition within religious circles. The last great fight that I was a part of was in the 1990’s. It was the birthing of the Prophetic Expression. Yes what you take for granted now as part of your Church culture was once shunned, forbidden and even outlawed!
Those battles we fought and persecutions we bore paved the way for all the freedoms many experience today. But it was fought by a generation who perceived that God was and is still speaking today and that neither something as innocuous as dress code nor banal as religious piety could prevent God from bringing liberty of the expression of the Holy Spirit through His gifts back into the Church.
Today’s liberty in the Spirit was won by a generation who defied the religious order of the day and rallied to the Lord’s side! They were persecuted, ostracised, criticised and marginalised but they stood their ground and won a victory that you enjoy today whenever you see the gifts of the Holy Spirit (especially prophecy) in operation in your church!
The Hard Pill to Swallow
But now those spiritual liberties have become entrenched as a different kind of religious order that we now call the charismatic move. Or as I call the modern version of it – Hyper Charismania!
There is now a new fight against an old enemy. What was once a battle against old traditions has become a battle against new traditions that are turing sour. Hyper-Charismania leaves a bad taste in the mouth!
I champion spiritual liberty and have no hesitation to embrace that which is non traditional. I love the move of the Spirit and the expressions of His Gifts and callings. In short – God does unusual new things and even speaks in novel new ways and I completely accept and advocate anything that is of God!
But how much of what we see and hear in the modern church is of God and how much of it is the product of the imagination and agenda of man?
All Champions must also be Defenders! The usual cry of outrage is, “Oh! God doesn’t need defending!” That is true. God doesn’t. But the Church does! That is why God has placed Watchmen on the Walls.
Hyper-Charismania Must Fall!
We all know about it. We read the stories. We see the social media posts. We feel that little cringe in our spirits as we hear so-called higher dimension revelations that have no scriptural basis. We take it all in and think, “But they are so respected and so recognised! Surely it must be right?”
Charismatic leaders who portray the facade of humble, down to earth, everyday Joe’s, apparently filled with great insights and extraordinary revelations spew forth flattering babble of how great we all are and how you can have mystical experiences and spiritual adventures with angels and Throne Room experiences as we sit on the Lord’s lap and rest our forehead on His! I can go on but I’m tired of cringing.
You may have probably been to the conferences, courses and seminars that promise you supernatural encounters and super powers! You may have even bought the books, DVD’s, and CD’s that are supposed to enable you to live your best life! Many have probably made pilgrimage to the hotbeds of revival to receive the “new anointing” and “soak” in the atmosphere of supra natural experiences.
But how is that all working out? Has your life truly changed? Can you do what the seminar speaker claims they do daily? Have you been able to acquire this promised wealth, opened heaven, giftedness or whatever else is promoted? Or are we all still looking up starry-eyed at the world famous speaker wishing for what they claim to have and growing just a little jaded once the hype begins to settle down?
There are so many great orators and professional story tellers in the church whom we entertain, that we are confusing their anecdotal musings and braggadocios rhetoric for scriptural revelation! And the sheep are lapping it up without even the slightest sense of alarm. Beware the wolves!
We are prioritising personal experience as a validation for Truth rather than scripture itself. And then if anyone is called out on their “revelations” they (or their army of followers) throw and absolute frothy and indignantly declare that “no one is to judge them because it’s personal to the receiver!” This is nonsense.
I’m all for a personal encounter with God! I’m certainly an advocate for the people of God hearing the Spirit of Jesus whisper into their hearts things that are meaningful to them in a personal way. But God is never going to contradict Himself. God will never invalidate the logos in lieu of a so called rhema!
Take a Stand. Do it for You.
This battle is against the spirit of deception and error! Right now we have a culture sweeping through the church worldwide that promotes mystical personal experiences over depth in the Word of God.
It is a component of the spirit of the age that we have become self-centric and enamoured with self image. The heart of many churches has been infiltrated by this spirit and it is geared toward a compelling, motivational oration of how blessed you can be, how great a destiny you have, how much God can do for you and how rich and successful you will become. It is almost… bewitching.
Make no mistake God does bless us and promote us and care for us and love us and has a great future for us. That is the desire of His heart. In ministry I can testify that when God speaks to individuals, congregations, corporations or nations through me, He is mostly revealing His best plans for the Future to give hope and instil faith in His people.
God is benevolent and merciful and good. And God is also just, righteous and holy and wants you to come to maturity.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you
Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
It is time to take a stand against the deception that has crept into the Church. Perhaps its even in your church? I know none of us would like to consider that. Yet consider it we must.
But unless you’re reading, studying and searching the scriptures for yourself then you might not even be aware that a deceptive spirit has pervaded your church and is perverting it!
Don’t be fooled – deception invites its twin divination to the party, and together they bring a curse!
Get Back to the Word
I recommend a good study bible. Stay away from The Passion Translation and The Message Bible. They’re okay to read for context but worth nothing to study from.
Put down the catchy titled books and study the Word of God for yourself. I have a massive library of both hardcopy and electronic books. I’ve read them all. I’ve learnt from all of them. I’ve been misled by some of them. But if I had not been brought up studying the Word of God I would never know what was Truth and what was error! Because when the Spirit speaks to you He will remind you of what the logos says!
Reading for the sake of reading does little to none. Completing the Bible in a year might seem like a great accomplishment but unless you’re diligently searching the scriptures it really has no impact in creating maturation and depth in your life.
And that my friends is the goal! Depth. Depth of Scripture is the catalyst to depth of intimacy with the One who wrote it. If you want to know what an author is like get to reading his writings because it will convey his thought process and his heart.
Satan, the god of this world, has no fear of infant believers who lack depth and spiritual maturity. No babe at the teat is a threat to him. He is quite satisfied to leave babies and adolescents to feed on hype and catch phrases. But the one thing that he would never want to see is maturation and depth and the spiritual growth of a Believer. In that day, he knows he’s in trouble.
It’s not mystical encounters and gold dust clouds and imaginary visions that we must hanker after (whether they are authentic or not is immaterial). We must hunger after the Word of God. Everything else flows from that!
Does this mean that signs and wonders is not something we should desire? Oh yes we should! With all my heart – yes! But I’m not interested in signs that make me wonder if they’re really from God or not! When it’s God – you will know it! Why? Because you know what the Author is like and what His Eternal, Unchanging nature and character is like from reading Him.
Pray
It is very noticeable in churches wherein a spirit of deception is operation that the leaders do not pray. Because the leaders do not pray the culture of the church in general too is to not pray.
Yes the church might have a prayer and intercessory team. Yes they might even meet regularly at the crack of dawn. But you have only to listen to their intercession to know what the prayer climate of the church is. Most intercession teams nowadays simply regurgitate the pastor’s weekend sermon or some passage they came across in a book they’ve read. They end up preaching to God rather than interceding before His Throne!
Learn to pray again. Its not difficult although the art of intercession has been diluted over two decades to mean praying for our needs to be met.
When you pray, always allow the Holy Spirit to dictate the agenda. Not every prayer has to be your shopping list. Cry out to God. Appeal to Him. Weep. Laugh. Mourn. Celebrate. Plead your case. Listen for His perspective. Have a conversation rather than a monologue. Ask Him what’s in His Mind and on His Heart
We have to create an atmosphere and culture of prayer in our personal lives! Whether it’s five minutes or five hours. Dedicate time to pray! As you pray the Spirit of God will reveal things to you and open your eyes to what is good and pure and shut down an appetite for what is evil and deceptive.
Follow Christ Through His Spirit
There are so many charismatic voices in the church today. Gifted orators. They’re hip and cool and come across as so humble and engaging. They woo us with a clever turn of phrase and spell binding commentary. Their followings are massive and they are revered. Idolised to a point.
But in many instances, our leaders have become the substitute for the Lord and the Spirit. Congregations will rise to their feet and celebrate with thunderous applause a big ticket name, yet have to be coaxed and cajoled into giving God a “loud ovation” of praise – much less a standing one!
Enough my friends. Let’s get back to following Jesus the Lord and not famous names. Let’s get back to reading the red letters (for those of you who don’t recognise this – in some bible versions the words of Christ are printed red) and implementing them in our lives.
As a student of Church and Christian history, I look at the lives of the champion defenders of the faith of yesteryear. They did not revel in fame and celebrity status. They would be appalled to have followers and groupies. Jesus was and must be the centre of it all! Always.
A Final Word
I will not judge a man or woman of God lest I be held accountable by the same standard. We are however tasked with judging and discerning spiritual things. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. But we do wrestle with the spirits that operate through flesh and blood in our age.
Love is always the correct response! Love our brothers and sisters. Love them back into the righteous path of a Seeker of Truth. Speak the truth in love that their eyes might be opened from the stupor of slumber and the veil drawn across the minds of men and women. But you must raise your voice and take a stand against the spirit of the age: Deception.
To remain silent is tantamount to standing in agreement with the strategy and tactics of the enemy to destroy the Church and lead her into error.
There is a far greater, far more powerful Spirit on the earth. The Spirit of Truth. The Holy Spirit of the Living God. The Spirit of the Lord Jesus.
And this is why my prayer for all of us is the very one St Paul prayed:
… I cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe…
Ephesians 1:16-19 (KJV)
Take your stand.
