What tends to happen in the contemporary Church is that we received what God has said in His Word and we adjust it and suit it to our convenience and our own ways of doing things but we still continue to give it the label of the New Testament Church. But we have mislabeled it because the things that Christians labeled are not in line with the standard laid down by Jesus and the apostles.
Because of this we need to subject ourselves to self examination with Scriptural basis. Here are two passages of Scripture from the Peter's First Epistle:
1. "And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your father" (1 Peter 1:17, 18, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
a. Calling God "Father" ("Daddy" or "Abba Father") carries with it tremendous responsibility. We need to come to Him with fear and trembling and with a sense of awe, reverent and respect.
b. Grace is free but not cheap for we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus.
c. God judges you on the basis of how you live and what you do and not so much on what you say.
2. "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now 'If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?'" (1 Peter 4:17, 18, NKJV, emphasis added).
The question is this: Do all Christians obey the gospel of God? If not then we are scarcely saved.
Three levels of Judgment
God's Word gives us many privileges of judging ourselves.
Paul said, "For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world" (1 Cor. 11:31, 32).
There are 3 levels of judgment. The best level is to judge yourself, and then God doesn't have to judge you. If you fail to do that God will bring some kind of disciplinary judgment upon you to bring you to repentance. But if you fail in that, you will go through the lowest level - to be condemned with the world.
Paul's Epistle to the Galatians
There are a number of Scriptural standards by which we should judge ourselves. Paul's epistle to the Galatians is an excellent example.
In this epistle Paul primarily dealt with the problem with legalism in the Church. Paul's attitude toward the Churches of Galatia was revealed from his opening statements. Normally when Paul wrote to the Churches (Corinthians, Colossians, Thessalonians) he began by thanking God for what He did for them. But in the case of Galatians he did not do that. Paul was so disturbed about the condition of the Galatians that he didn't have time to thank God for them! Even when he wrote to the Corinthians, he still began by thanking God for His grace to that Church even though there were all sorts of problems there - immorality, drunkenness at the Lord's Table and even incest.
The sin of legalism
A single real problem in the Churches of Galatia is legalism. To Paul legalism was much greater threat for the well-being of God's people than some other obvious carnal sins like drunkenness and immorality.
Many of us don't understand that Christianity is not a set of rules. Israel was given a set of rules (the Law) 14 centuries before Jesus came. Jesus didn't come with a set of rules but with a different objective. And anytime we reduce Christianity to a set of rules we miss the purpose of God.
Paul said, "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith" (Gal. 3:1, 2, emphasis added)?
Here are some statements of truth:
1. What kind of Christians were the Galatians that they were bewitched? They were tongues speaking Christians who had witnessed miracles performed amongst them.
2. They were bewitched because another spirit came in and obscured what Jesus had done for them on the cross. In other words, they lost the vision of the cross. The cross was the place where all human needs were met, once and for all. But once we lose sight of the cross we begin to live with our needs again.
3. The cross was the place where Satan was finally and totally defeated. That is the main reason why he wants to obscure what was accomplished by Jesus on the cross. Satan's main purpose is to put Christians in the bondage of slavery again. We remain in bondage if we lose sight of the cross!
The Nature of Witchcraft
You may like to read my earlier message: "The Evil Work of Witchcraft" before you continue. But this message has deeper revelation.
Witchcraft is the attempt to control people and get them to do what you want them to do by the use of any spirit which is not the Holy Spirit. If any person has a spirit which he or she can use, it can't be the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is God and no one uses God.
Rebellion and Stubbornness
Our key text is 1 Samuel 15. Saul claimed to have obeyed God but Samuel said on the contrary Saul had actually disobeyed although he partly obeyed. In God's eyes incomplete obedience is disobedience!
Could this be true with some of us? When God wants us to do certain things we do as much that seems good to us and as much as we are willing to do. But we left some undone and then we carelessly claim that we have obeyed God. This was precisely what Saul did.
Samuel said to Saul, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord He also has rejected you from being king" (1 Sam. 15:22, 23, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. Samuel used two words, "rebellion" and "stubbornness". To me, "rebellion" says, "I won't do it"; "stubbornness" says, "I'll do it my way".
2. Why is rebellion equivalent to witchcraft? Because rebellion consists of, first and foremost, in setting aside the legitimate authority of God, whether God Himself, whether God's appointed ruler or God's appointed figure of authority. All true authority has one ultmate source which is God. Rebellion rejects the authority of God and rejects the person who represents God's authority.
Man is created to have some kind of authority. A rebellious person substitutes God's authority with an illegitimate authority. And that illegitimate authority has to be supported by some kind of power. This power is witchcraft! In other words, witchcraft is the illegal and evil power that supports illegal illegitimate authority - authority that is against the authority of God.
3. Why is stubbornness equivalent to idolatry? A stubborn person makes idols of his own opinion and he ignores other people's opinion. In other words, he worships his own opinion and rejects other people's opinion. That is idolatry.
A Study in witchcraft
In Galatians, which is a study in witchcraft, Paul pointed out various aspects of witchcraft.
Paul said, "The acts of the sinful nature (the flesh) are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rae, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like" (Gal 5:19 -21, NIV, emphasis added).
Just like what Samuel said to Saul, idolatry and witchcraft were also listed together by Paul. Witchcraft, amongst those words listed, is the work of the flesh - from our rebellious sinful nature.
The 3 key words that represent witchcraft are manipulation, intimidation and domination. God never manipulates, never intimidates and never dominates. Witchcraft is the way that the disobedient rebellious fleshly nature gets what it wants. Man was born to have dominion because he was created to have dominion. After the Fall, he lost the right to have legitimate dominion. As long as he is in rebellion against God he could not excercise legitimate dominion. He still has the desire to dominate but he can't use legitimat authority and so he uses witchcraft. This is prevalent all through cultures of the world.
Withcraft is actually the natural religion of the fallen man. It is the normal religion of man in his unregenerate rebellious state. The result is - religion makes man slaves.
The evidence of witchcraft in the Churches of Galatia
In Galatians 4 Paul was talking about the difference between the condition of the people under the Law of Moses and those who became children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Instead of being heirs of God they came under slavey of the Law. Paul said almost the same thing in Romans 8:14 -17.
Paul further said, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Gal. 5:1, NIV, emphasis added).
The "yoke of slavery" is legalism. Witchcraft was pressing the yoke of slavey upon the people of the Churches of Galatia.
When God's people lose the vision of the cross and what is accomplished by it, and come back again under the influence of witchcraft they will not be sons of God - but slaves.
Carnality and Legalism in the contemporary Church
The effect of witchcraft is to set aside the legitimate authority and to establish an illegal domination over the people of God. This illegal domination is established by carnality and legalism. The is contrary to God's plan and at the same time reverses the divine order. The result is slavery.
Here are some ways by which witchcraft could manifest itself in the Church:
1. We have placed theology above revelation. In other words, we have placed the mind above the Spirit. The majority of Christian groups are operating on the basis of theology which is the product of the natural mind. But Christianity comes by revelation.
You don't get to understand the Bible by reasoning. Even philosophers can't understand the Bible and make sense of it without the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Basically you will find that people who try to establish reason and intellectual processes as the basis for the order in the Church have set aside the moving of the Holy Spirit and ultimately the authority of the Scripture.
2. We have placed education above discipleship. How many of Jesus' disciples went through a theological institution? When a preacher or a teacher of the Word presents himself in a Christian circle we ask for his credentials, his education qualification - masters or doctorate degrees, his seminary qualification and the like. The general attitude of the Church is if he does not have that he is not worth listening to.
If this is the case Jesus Himself made a very bad choice based on the qualification of His first disciples. The fact is He did not take His disciples into a classroom. He trained them in action. So education is no substitution for discipleship. Education is the carnal approach, but discipleship is a spiritual process.
Products of the carnal mind
The illegitimate order that we are talking about put eloquent, method and program over supernatural direction and power. The majority of religious leaders in the Church today are afraid of anything that they can't control. But the fact is, anything they can control lacks the power to do the job.
What has happened? The carnal mind has been re-established as the ruler over the Spirit in the Church.
Paul said, "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:7, 8, NKJV).
Basically when the Church insists that the candidates for ministry have to attend a theological institution for a number years, what we are doing essentially, is to educate the carnal mind. But the end of that all you have got is an educated enemy of God! Can you imagine having enemies of God to lead the Church of Jesus Christ?
The root cause is that the Spirit taking precedence over mind and reasoning has been reversed by these so-called born again charismatic tongues speaking leaders in the Church. The divine order has been reversed in the Body of Christ!
What is the power that has done that? Witchcraft!
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