Don't Be a Dummy in the Devil's Playground

Our culture is becoming more intrigued by mystics; and its impacting believers of Christ, too. Some are being strayed away from the truth being led to believe that to know God supernaturally can be accomplished by going beyond the scriptures, doctrine, teachings and the church. While they claim that these four are important, they spend a great deal of time seeking a supernatural experience – almost paranormal and otherworldly.

Timothy tells us these people need to come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil. Indeed they do! They often engage in godless and empty chatter which leads to destruction of their very souls. These people even have the power to destroy the faith of others, sadly because others are not rooted in truth.  These others are week willed and saturated with the sin of SELF.

Timothy states so clearly that “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Notice the purpose of scripture: teach-rebuke-correct-train. What is the servant of God being taught, rebuked, corrected and trained for? Good work and that good work is to serve others – not themselves. The only service to us is to be equipped for God’s will. The greatest of God’s will (commands) is to love God and love others.

What I find interesting is how these mystics hide in small obscure places for their “church” services – a place to practice “their ministry” in secret. I also notice how small these gatherings are. The recycling of the congregants (where some go and come back) is perceived as growth when in fact all that is growing is a deceived body of followers. We are supposed to be a city on the hill, a light burning brightly not to be hidden.

Jesus rebuked the devil’s temptation with His value of the word of God, “…Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).  Bread is of the world; it sustains our temporary body; but our souls need to live off the word of God. We have been blessed with God’s words – the words He has granted us to live by. If there is more to come, which I am sure there is, we have not been granted this as of yet. We need to trust Jesus when he said to his disciples, “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (John 16:12). Seeking beyond what God has given us is a dangerous thing, because we end up with what the flesh or demons produce not what is of God. God has restricted us from knowing anything beyond His word. Trust Him with His word and what He has given! Going beyond His boundaries creates a tsunami of deathly problems.

God has also given us the gift of the church. The church serves the purposes of fellowship, accountability, support, prayer, and solid doctrinal teachings. The first church’s disciples were devoted to the Apostles teachings, to prayer, to fellowship and breaking of bread. (Acts 2:42) Being devoted is to heed our leader's leading and make this gathering a priority in our lives. The writer of Hebrews encourages us, “…to consider how we can spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together…” (Hebrews 10:25). If we neglect the church, we seclude ourselves and become susceptible to the twisting of truth by the devil. We cannot go beyond the church to find God – when we do we quench His Spirit whom lives in others.

Fellowship, growing in God’s word together, worshiping with one another bonds us to God, the Son and Spirit together as One. The very desire Jesus prayed for us is found in John 17:21-23, “Father, just as you are in me and I am in you, may they (we) also be in us so that the world may believe that you sent me…that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity.”  Jesus also prayed that we would each be sanctified by truth – not sanctified by experiences or other worldly aromas, environments, or psychic bizarre happenings. The latter gives a superficial power to people while the former glorifies God’s power on earth. The aim is to make Jesus evident to all on earth – not reveal how great we are.

God is Spirit. Jesus makes God known through human flesh. Jesus tore the curtain and allowed the opportunity for the Spirit of God to live inside us making God evident to others through our flesh. While, we are not God, we do bring Him glory by His Spirit living through us. Without Jesus, we would not be able to bring God glory. Jesus is God – He is the exact representation of His Father in Heaven (Hebrews 1:3). He is God with us (Matthew 1:23). He is Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6). He is God and Savior (2 Peter 1:1). He is the Word who was God in the beginning (John 1:1).

The difference between the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of mysticism is who is gaining glory. The Spirit seeks to glorify God and edify others; mysticism seeks to glorify and edify self. Mystics seek an atmosphere, they create channels for spirits that result in shaking and convulsing. Their minds become fuzzy, so they can be easily persuaded. They think their every thought is a word from God; they see no need to test the spirits. They simply fly forward with their internal leanings. They seldom look to the word for they think they have elevated above it and found a new pathway to who God is. This proves that mysticism has a very inward focus -  to the point of being senseless not serviceable. 

On the other hand, the Spirit of God produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23). All of this fruit serves others. This fruit magnifies God’s character; each explains Him. Each equips us for ministry to God’s people; by this fruit we are prepared to lead the lost to Christ.

Mysticism may be tempting and intriguing, especially living in world of stress.  It can temporarily serve our need to calm our nerves, but it is dangerous. You may have an encounter that makes you think, “I could not have had this without God!” However, you can have “otherworldly” encounters without God – you can have them with the devil. He seeks to deceive you through being a camouflage of light…but then he whams you with his evil purposes in the end. That purpose is to steal, kill and destroy you and any kind of representation you have of Christ. In essence, when you go the route of mysticism, you become a puppet in the devil’s hand. You are not in control, nor do you have power. You are a dummy in a demon’s playground.

Jesus says, “Sanctify them in truth. Your Word is truth” (John 17:17). Isaiah said, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Going beyond God’s teachings, His holy scriptures, His flawless doctrine and steering from the purpose of His church that equips us is to sell our soul to a multitude of sins. Don’t be a dummy in the devil’s playground! Be a useful vessel in God’s Kingdom and produce fruit that lasts!  

Don't Confuse God's Work with Man's

There is a teaching today that has bewitched our followers of Jesus. It is a teaching that is throwing our brothers and sisters of Christ into confusion and into spiritual stress. This teaching is actually perverting the gospel as Paul stated to the Galatian church many years ago. This is not a new teaching; it’s quite old, yet it has been resurrected into a new form. Its roots are deeply seeded in what the Judaizers of Paul’s day were teaching the Galatian church. What’s the teaching? Jesus plus something.

The Judaizers taught the Galatian church that in addition to faith in Jesus, they needed to also add the Law of Moses. They were focused on works instead of the gospel of grace. While most likely you may not find a church body arguing over whether they should be circumcised or not, you will find them arguing over other things that pertain to our present culture. A lot of energy is placed in the following teachings that have been added to Jesus: we should be attractive, enticing, entertaining, and serving. Those seem like really good verbs to be, but so was obeying the Law of Moses. Certainly the Law of Moses was holy and it provided boundaries for the people to live within. But its boundary was set before the Son of God came to teach us about God’s ultimate work of grace and love.

Take note: to be attractive, enticing, entertaining and serving has the tendency to focus on the works of man not the work of God. All of these are fruit of doing God’s work. However, most churches have this concept upside down or backward. The next question we must answer is “What is God’s work?”

Paul could not have put it anymore clearly, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatian 5:6). You could easily replace the word “circumcision and uncircumcision” with our modern day words. An example: “For in Christ Jesus neither attractive or unattractive has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” The reality is this, being attractive or not can’t be the goal. Likewise, nothing else can either. These modern day verbs may draw people to our churches, but they do not draw them to the heart of Lord. In time, when the attraction becomes dull and there is no love being expressed, you can count on these people disappearing and remaining as lost as they were when they first came. 

As I said before, attraction, enticement, entertainment (the wow factor) and service are only fruit of God’s work of faith being expressed through love. When we get this upside down, we humans have the tendency to set our efforts, agendas, ideas, and hard work as the god to follow. Suddenly God’s work of love is a secondary thought or confused with only being expressed through our work. In the end, we tire and have no energy to love anyone.

What is God’s love? There is a clear definition given in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8; instead of a list of works to do, use this definition as a list of love to express. One of the reasons a church family reaps the fruit of being attractional, is because of the love expressed. For example, I may have my list of things to do on a Sunday morning; and believe me, it’s a long one as I am the Children’s Minister, but I will say, none of them matter when a hurting soul approaches me and needs my listening ear and my grace. My joy is made complete when I can practice one part of the biblical definition of the love of God everyday. A listening ear practices patience and kindness. A helping hand provides protection and shows perseverance.

All the works of man mean nothing to the work of God if done without his love. If we need Jesus plus something, then we don’t need Jesus at all. Adding the something replaces Jesus in the end. When lived like this, we reap only as far as a human can go, which is quite limited by the way. But when we do God’s work of love, there is no measure in the fruit that God will bring. His love covers a multitude of sin; His love repairs the broken heart; his love replaces despair with hope; his love changes anger to understanding; his love brings peace to our anxious spirit; the list is limitless when it comes to the fruit of God’s love.

Beware of this false teaching: Jesus plus something. Jesus is enough! All the “somethings” we reap is the harvest of Jesus being enough. Yours and my job today is to express our faith in Jesus through love. Practice love today not man’s energy. 

Begin and End with the Spirit of God

Baby Christians are so inspiring! They are filled with such energy and passion for Christ. They see Jesus as their close friend. They are hungry for His truth and they just can’t seem to get enough of Him. They are enamored by the grace and power of God’s Spirit that lives inside them. They soak up what the Spirit teaches them and their lives drip with His presence.  It’s the same with church plants. The energy felt is like the excitement before vacation. You just can’t wait to see what God has in store for you and His church body. Their expectations are high and their faith strong! 

However, often times as the days, months, and years of being a Christian go by, or when a church grows, there are some who lose their saltiness-they lose their taste. They dry up. They will lay dormant the Spirit of God and quench His power. Those in this place seem to be unaware that they have changed. Nonetheless, even in their unawares they have noticed that the power once experienced has diminished. Suddenly they no longer see the influence they once had on others. They become stagnant and feel hopeless. In this condition, what are some of the ways these Christians (or churches) try to overcome their complacency?

Some work harder. They find more to do. In church ministry, they create community events, more church programs, compelling service projects, etc. These aren't wrong, but if activity is the fire that fans the flame, be assured it will eventually die. Feeling worn out, burned out, and overwhelmed begin to burden the Christian (and the church body). Often the questions posed from these individuals are, “Is this all there is,” or “Why do I feel so dead?” Soon they realize that they are just like the Jews who heard Isaiah say, “Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there – so that they will go and fall backward, be injured and snared and captured.” They aimlessly work and work becoming more tired and weak. They end up wasting themselves and God’s resources as they labor; in the end their endeavors are not winning anyone to Christ, just sapping their body and the body of Christ.

Some read more books and attend more conferences. They are running here and there learning how other churches make the impact on their community. They seek the answers to questions, “How to grow our church?” or “How to experience the “wow” in ministry or the Christian life?” They seek and seek, but soon realize the truth of Solomon, “of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body” (Ecclesiastes 12:11b). Yes, they learn a few new things and implement them into their own life (or ministry); it works for a time, but they eventually wind up back in that complacent place wondering how to revive their soul with the energy they once had in in their beginning with Christ.

Paul addresses this problem with a question in which we find the answer: “After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3). God never intended to give us His Spirit so that we can live the Christian life by our flesh. His Spirit is a gift to us; without Him controlling our lives, we will experience defeat, apathy, complacency and failure. It doesn't really matter how many “good” things we do or seek; if we are not seeking to do and be through the Spirit of God, we will fail, run in circles, and tire from our efforts.

If our flesh could live righteously, why do we need Jesus? Reading books, attending conferences, doing service projects, holding events are all good IF they are led by the Spirit of God. They cannot be man-led nor can they be man-inspired. Don’t make the mistake and believe the lie that what was Spirit-led by one church or one individual means it is for your church or for you. God works with each of us as individuals. That is one of the reasons I feel so loved by my Heavenly Father. When Jesus looks at me, He sees me not someone else He wants me to be. He desires to fill my individuality with His power. Likewise, each church body has their own individuality that He desires to saturate with His energy not our flesh. After all, our flesh has its limits, but God’s power through His Spirit knows none!  I ask you, if you have lost your fervor and feel dead, then recover your life by submitting to the Spirit of God and die to your flesh.

Experience Defined and Tested

Experience can be defined as our spirit being affected by the Spirit (or spirits) around us. These effects touch all of our senses. They are real and valid. For example, every day we are assaulted by the spirits around us. If we are filled with God’s Spirit, we encounter the Him moving in our life. But the real question that needs to be resolved is, “How do we know if our experiences are from God’s Spirit or from the spirits of this world?”

Since experience is the result of our spirit reacting to the spirits or the Spirit of God around us, it is imperative that we test our experiences by the word of God. All experience is not from God, it can come from evil spirits wrapped in a camouflage of light.

I have often heard from many good well-meaning Christians, “This was my experience. You cannot deny its validity.” My response, “True, but I can test your experience against the Word of God to determine what spirit is affecting your encounter.” We are commanded with great earnest from John to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Note: false prophets often come from among the body of Christ not outside of it. They know just enough of the truth to be dangerous to the flock of God. To know the difference between a true teacher of God and one who is false is to test their every word, experience, and teaching against the truth of God’s Word.

All experience is not to be embraced. James tells us clearly, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you” (James 4:7-8). A clear command is given: resist the experience that does not align itself with the Word of God! It doesn't matter if the experience is real. The devil works in the real, so he can deter us from the Lord. Those who embrace experiences for the sake of experience can dangerously walk into a spirit world that will destroy them in the end. Yes, like sin, the new phenomenon may give a sense of power, but that is how the devil works: power precedes ruin. Ruin is the prize a person seeking only experience wins.

This is why our worship must encompass the spirit and the truth. As Jesus said, “…true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23). It is also good to note, that just because we call ourselves Christians and just because we are filled with the Spirit of God does not mean we can’t be lured away from God by the evil spirits around us. The quickest way to be the devil’s prey is to dismiss the Word of God from our daily life and only embrace “feel good” experiences.

One of the ways I can tell if a brother or sister in Christ is testing their own experiences by the truth is when their experience is confronted by another believer. Their response says it all. If they respond with a humble grateful acceptance to the discussion, they have a heart that seeks the truth. If they haughtily defend their experience without proving it by the word of God – beware. You may very well have encountered one who is slipping into the realm of other spirits. Pray for them!

Now it is also important to take into consideration that testing the spirits by the truth is NOT testing experiences against our personal preferences- this would be judgment and slander against a brother or sister. There is only one Judge and Lawgiver James tells us – that is God, Himself. His Word is what we test all by not our own likes or dislikes.

Likewise, our worship is not to be sense (less) -without senses. “…true Spirit-led worship does not deny the five senses. We see other believers; we sing and hear the hymns; we taste and feel the elements of the Lord’s Supper. But these external things are but windows through which faith perceives the eternal” (Weirsbe). Our goal is to experience God in our life, not to experience experiences for the sake of encounters alone.

Impacting Our Own Corner

As Christians we can become quite overwhelmed with the command Jesus commissioned us with: go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19-20).

We can make the mistake believing that the whole world is on our shoulders. While this command was for all Christians, even Paul and Peter, the great apostles, knew who their calling was to and filled it intentionally. They did not go to all the nations. They each had a slice of this earth in which to spread the gospel.  Paul went to the Gentiles and Peter to the circumcised (Jewish).

Now let me ask you a question, “Why do you think God had 120 disciples gathered at Pentecost to receive the Holy Spirit who enabled them to speak many different languages?  At the same time this was happening every nation under heaven was represented in Jerusalem. Was that coincidence? Of course not. God does not work in the world of coincidence. He works in His sovereign, meticulous laid out plan for mankind. Each disciple was anointed with the Holy Spirit and given a gift of ONE foreign language, so they could speak the gospel to the ONE slice of this earth represented in Jerusalem. Once the gospel was received by that person, they in turn could go to their nation and share the gospel.  Each of the 120 disciples was faithful to their calling and to their gift. Result: the gospel spread like wildfire!

God has given you and me, and each Christian a slice of this world to share His good news of Jesus Christ. Some He has given a country (even in this, only a slice). Some, he has given neighbors, co-workers, or family members. Parents, God has given you your children. He did not give each of us the whole world, only a slice. When we start trespassing in the areas God has not given to us to reach, it keeps us from impacting those God has assigned to us. Sadly, when we don't focus on God's assignment, we constipate the process of the gospel being widely spread. 

I know too many parents who focus more on missions and serving their community than their own children. They forget the very young disciples in their home, or at best give them the leftovers (if there is any left). God does not just give us children to enjoy or to pass along the family line. We have a responsibility to make disciples of each one. This is our Jerusalem. We may find as parents we are in our Jerusalem more than any other place. It's a season, but one that is critical to the spiritual upbringing of each child. If we are not careful to disciple our children, we end up adding to the masses of the lost that need to be reached, when we could be adding to the ranks of disciple-makers who are leading those far from God to Christ. 

Let us be laser-focused on God’s calling for each of us. We all have one mission: share the gospel with the lost. But we all have different people, groups, and communities in which to fulfill that mission. Time is passing – let’s stop wasting it by playing in another’s corner and start impacting our own corner whatever that may be.