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The War for the Soul of the Church
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.
Even when we walk humbly with the Lord, someone is bound to get upset with us. The old saying is true that you simply cannot please all of the people all of the time. But if we are going to cause distress to someone, may it not be the Lord. The truth is, He has stepped into a vulnerability of relationship with us whereby we can be to Him either a blessing or a cause of grief. So if we are going to cause pain to anyone, may it be the devil.
It is also true that as different people view our lives, they will differ radically from one another in their conclusions about us. As noted in the previous chapter, to certain ones we will be worthy of honor and a good report, while others will speak evil of us. There will be those who see us as true, and those who regard us as deceivers (2 Corinthians 6:8).
The reason is because many people simply do not know how to evaluate according to God’s value system. But that should not stop us; it is the Lord’s affirmation, not the approval of people that we seek.
And make no mistake about it: it is only His value system that has eternal worth–what He considers important will endure forever. Sadly though, there is a great divergence of evaluation among Christians. But if we are learning His ways, we will increasingly experience the great convergence of perspective that will mark Christ’s work of unifying His people. He is gathering us together unto Him. In the end, our lives and ministries must contribute to this outcome.
One primary cause of the present divergence of perspectives in the Church is the fact that we have among us the value systems of two different kingdoms. To remedy this, God has called each of us to become a focal point and a challenge for those around us to make life–changing decisions. Our words and lifestyles should draw both believers as well as unbelievers to turn from their ways to learn God’s ways. But at the same time, if their hearts are hard and resistant to Him, our very existence will likely stir up their opposition.
Two thousand years ago, people in Israel were not neutral about Jesus. His very presence stirred them up to make conclusions about God, His kingdom, and His ways. And in the end, it got Him killed. But at the same time, it unleashed the salvation of God among men, changing forever the seeming inevitability of the destruction toward which all of humanity was hurtling.
In Christ, God had made life and light accessible; He revealed both the salvation of God and the wisdom needed to learn the values of Heaven. But just like in the first century, our present generation must pay attention. Many voices today are conveying divergent messages in the Church. The religious spirit is at work. Its primary effect is to confuse rather than to clarify God’s priorities for us.
To be clear, religion is not a bad word.
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
This word basically refers to the outward expression of an inward intimacy with God. Whatever we do concerning the Lord that others can see (e.g., raising our hands, kneeling when we pray, sharing our faith, turning away from sinful temptations, visiting orphans and widows, etc.) expresses the presence of faith in our hearts. On the other hand, when we continue these outward practices while allowing our hearts to slowly drift from being centered in the Lord, they quickly become activities done to impress people. It is at this point that the religious spirit infects our lives and the local church.
This insidious spirit lies at the heart of the conflict for the soul of the Church. Today the war embracing all of mankind is the struggle between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. First, we see that clash expressed visibly around us in the Church’s relationship to the world. We see believers preaching the gospel to unbelievers. Second, and simultaneously, we see the world system seeking to infect the hearts of God’s people with its priorities. But what we often fail to grasp is that the religious spirit is in fact the spirit of the world in its most subtle expression.
As a result, Satan’s kingdom has made many inroads into God’s house and we now have the value systems of two different kingdoms operating concurrently in our midst. We have people moving powerfully in various gifts of the Holy Spirit while at the same time reflecting worldly priorities (e.g., the attitudes of self-promotion and competition with others, the tendency to equate numbers and large budgets with success, the taking by Christian leaders of titles – a practice Jesus expressly forbade,[15] etc.).
The result is confusion both in the Church as well as in the world concerning the Lord’s values and priorities. In seeing the present condition of His house, many have thrown up their hands in despair and simply walked away. “If this is what God is really like, then I’m out of here.”
Since we are God’s people, we belong to Him. What defines us is what He thinks, not what certain people promote as normal Christianity. As such, we need to return wholeheartedly to Him to learn what pleases Him as well as what causes Him grief. Many are hearing this call and a great shift is beginning to occur.
As a result, we will see many begin to change who presently have much influence in the Church and yet propagate worldly priorities. A spirit of repentance is being released among us. This initiative by God is not for our destruction but for our salvation. But be assured of this – if we do not humble ourselves, honoring Him whose project we are involved in, then He will arise with greater intensity revealing among us His priorities with severe shakings if necessary.
In Paul’s day, the “super–apostles” were introducing among the believers, not simply false doctrine per se, but the values of the kingdom of darkness. In seeking to simultaneously promote themselves and disinherit Paul, they sought to intrude in on the very activity of God himself as He built His house. Such is dangerous business indeed.
And such activity comes out of an inherent unbelief that Christ is actively at work building His house. “Surely we must grab hold of this project and bring our strength to bear on it.” False ministry always brings an element of human control.
Just like we do today, the Corinthians had choices to make. In choosing for Christ, they would stir up the anger of some. Today we tend to think that when Paul challenged the church to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14), he was saying only to step away from the ungodly influence of those who had never been born again. But the false–apostles operated in unbelief as well and were preparing the ground among the believers for the religious spirit to flourish.
As a result, the temple of God was being opened up to lawlessness, the values of the kingdom of darkness, and idolatry.
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”
Therefore
“Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.
Indeed, Paul was in a war for the soul of the Church. His concluding thoughts in this section of scripture were that the believers were to cleanse themselves not only from a defilement of the flesh (the obvious sins of the world), but also from a defilement of spirit (the more subtle of the world’s influence).
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
When the values and priorities of Heaven flourish among God’s people, the desecrating sins of the heart such as pride and self–promotion will wither.
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