In The Cleft of the Rock Ministries, International
PO Box 498548
Cincinnati, OH 45249-9998 USA
Kathleen D. Mitchell
October 1, 2008
Shalom!
L'Shana Tova! Welcome to the rabbinical New Year on the Jewish calendar: year 5769! Just from what we have seen this week, it can be logically assumed that 5769 will bring immense changes and challenges, beyond what we can now imagine.
We are in a period of time, right before the Lord will show up to publicly demonstrate WHO is Lord, and to take His place of visible, undisputed, authority, so that everyone bows before Him. It is for this reason that the Lord has put upon my heart the topic of "Religion vs. The Kingdom of God". Let's consider this topic together; being led by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
All evidence suggests that the apostate church of the last days will be very religious. Religious spirits will run the show. For that reason, it would be really good for us to not to have any affection for, nor receive any power from a Religious spirit in our lives. It would be really good to never find ourselves enjoying any form of benefit from a spirit of Religion, nor having any affection for one. If we, in the Body of Messiah, still have operative spirits of Religion working in league with our thinking, feeling, acting, speaking, and perceiving, we could be easily seduced by the power behind the apostate church. We could easily become a cooperative tool in the hands of the anti-Christ. Now there is a scary thought!
In truth, we should have an allergic reaction to the spirit of Religion, in that it is totally opposed to the truth and to the heart of the Messiah. By allergic I mean that we should reflexively cough out any particle of religion that we might inhale. We should vomit it up, if it gets into any of our spiritual food or soul food, which we might eat. Our eyes should burn and our ears should ring in its presence.
The dangerous thing about the spirit of Religion is its nasty subtlety. It is a chameleon "¦ often looking proper and admirable "¦ often setting up the standard for proper and admirable "¦ when it is really a, wicked, selfish, evil entity. It quietly sneaks around and sets up operation in individuals, in families, and in institutions, to make them resist the Kingdom of God. It seems to accommodate faith, as it smiles and blesses those around it; but don't oppose it, or you will see another side of it. If undisguised Religion was boldly in our face, most of us would reject it on sight. However, it usually comes in little, nearly invisible, doses; seeding in its character and agenda very quietly. It often comes proclaiming the effective way for promoting the common good, along with the wisdom and the order of God.
We need more understanding of these things. As I was seeking the Lord for His list of characteristics, i.e. what He sees as manifestations of the spirit of Religion, what I received was the list copied below. Some of these characteristics may seem repetitive, but looking more deeply, there are some important, subtle, differences that can be understood.
(ADDITIONAL NOTE: If a spirit of Religion is operating in a person, many or a few of these traits will be experienced/seen in the individual believer. Keep in mind that not all these characteristic need to be present for a Religious spirit to be in operation. Also, many of these characteristics are not limited only to those people oppressed by Religious spirits. These traits are found in other oppressions as well. However, if any combination of these characteristics is seen in any of us, it would be good to have a God-scan of our lives, conducted by the Holy Spirit, to see how far the disease has advanced "¦ and to get the medication or surgery needed to remove it.)
TRAITS OF THE RELIGIOUS SPIRIT:
· The spirit of Religion has its loyalties based upon personal benefit or in personal comfort, rather than on the integrity of a promise or covenant.
· It is not generous or grace-filled when dealing with the frailties, and with human error found in others.
· It is very fault finding, rather than being up-building, compassionate, or encouraging.
· It uncovers the weakness and errors of others, rather than covering them in mercy and love.
· It is controlling
· It is demanding
· It is self-serving
· It will compromise for its own benefit, and will break a covenant at a whim "¦ at an opportunity to have something better, or at a moment of personal offense.
· It speaks of unity, while sowing seeds of division intended to keep itself in power.
· It's commitments are weak, while its betrayals are crushing for those who trusted in its favor and integrity.
· It requires a price for its services, and demands that glory be given to it for any of its accomplishments.
· It is full of Pride
· It rejoices in the failure of others, rather than weeping for the failure "¦ rather than arising to help the other succeed "¦ rather than having compassion for the one who has failed.
· It is legalistic and petty "¦ seeking to take the splinter of wood out of someone's eye while there is a major log in its own eye.
· It bears grudges toward others, and does not forgive freely or genuinely.
NOTE: The signs of TRUE forgiveness are these: (speaking of the one offering forgiveness, whether for a real or for a perceived offense)
#1. The one forgiving gives up the RIGHT TO PUNISH.
#2. The one forgiving gives up his/her DEMAND FOR AN APOLOGY
#3. The one forgiving gives up the ENTITLEMENT TO LAY BLAME
· The Religious spirit remembers the errors of other, and keeps records of these things to be mentioned at a later time.
· It enjoys punishing others for errors and failures, and does not highly value the restoration of the broken
· It loves symbols and traditions to the point of idolatry
· It is obsessive, and sometimes compulsive about keeping accurate rituals
· It loves embellishment in words, actions, and surroundings "¦ making a show of rituals and traditions.
· It self-justifies
· It is dogmatic and dictatorial
· It is judgmental and critical; accentuating and augmenting wrongs done against it
· It must win over others "¦ defeating others to feel secure
· It loves its own status quo, and hates interference or challenge to it.
· It is impatient.
· It is possessive, competitive, and territorial.
· It loves to look good, and is big on appearances.
· It is always aware of, and always seeks the admiration of an audience ... whether a real or imaginary one.
· It mocks true faith, attacks true holiness, depreciates true humility, discourages true obedience to God, and takes advantage of true grace and love for its own benefit.
· It silences, cuts off, and shuts down any competition against it.
· It is fearful of and often combative with anyone truly anointed, with genuine Godly authority.
· It is fearful of loosing control and of loosing power, so it contains or eliminates opposition.
· Its understanding of God is derived horizontally rather than vertically "¦ i.e. it seeks the things of the earth (the opinions, the endorsements, and the approval of others), rather than the pure revelation of heaven, and intimacy with Him, to establish its truth about God.
· It covers its insecurity, often with grandiosity.
· It has false piety projected to appear as a true piety.
· It makes insincere confessions, to give the impression of being gracious, conciliatory, or humble.
· It values externals more than internals
· It often bullies or uses passive aggression to undermine one of true faith.
· It is very self-defended, and will not yield its power
· It is often not teachable in the deep things of God, past an elementary level.
· It is empty of Spirit, but believes itself to be full of truth and wisdom.
· At its core it is dead, but it receives life from human flesh, and from satanic and humanistic power which is inspiring/comforting/feeding the soul.
· The fruit it bears is often more of the same lifeless religion, that leaves life empty, while giving the impression to the world that it is rich and full.
Does that list of descriptors sound as hideous to you as it does to me? Is there any portion or any manifestation of the spirit of Religion within us? Do we admire and defend form and appearance to maintain or to define our identity? Do we worship traditions and symbols? Do we suggest to anyone, "I want you to do thus and so" "¦ or "I want you to be thus and so", when we should be saying "God wants US to do thus and so." or "God wants US to be thus and so." The specific demands we require of others, must be what God requires of US "¦ ourselves "¦ not what we demand of others, to satisfy our own ego needs, to counter our lack of security, to feel powerful, to announce our worldly identity, etc.
There is no place for the spirit of Religion in the Kingdom of God. That spirit actually deceives people into thinking they are serving and representing the Kingdom of God well. In reality only this kingdom of the flesh is pleased, and being promoted.
At this point we need to shift our focus to that which is opposite to the spirit of Religion "¦ to the Kingdom of God. The guidelines for citizens of the Kingdom of God are found in the message, in the model, and in the character of Yeshua. Remember, He told us NOT to be like the Pharisees. Those men were consumed and empowered by the spirit of Religion. Yeshua called them whitewashed tombs, full of dead man's bones. The thought of Yeshua speaking that to us "¦ whether Christian Gentile or Messianic Jew is terrible!
Matthew 23:27-29 (NASB)
27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
28 "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
The counter character "¦ the nature of what defeats/destroys the spirit of Religion is outlined by Yeshua in the Sermon on the Mount, in what are often known as The Beatitudes. Let me give that statement more clarity. The outline of the Kingdom character/heart is found in the Be-Attitudes. Rather than BEing in a spirit of Religion, we are admonished to BE IN the mind and Spirit of Yeshua. Let's look at Matthew, chapter 5: 3-12. These words spoken by Yeshua are what I consider the "New Covenant 10 commandments for blessing". When we live in the manner and in the heart they describe, we bless both our God and all of His people. In the NASB they read
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (also weep with those who weep)
5 "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. (this suggests that we are to be gentle with what God loves, but not be gentle with evil)
6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (again, keep in mind that this is establishing God's holy peace, based upon truth; arising from love "¦ also helping people find peace with God through Yeshua's atonement. It does not mean making human peace with evil and with lies or by accommodating sin)
10 "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12 "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Sadly the church at large has adopted religion as its identity and power. That includes both Gentile and Jewish believers. DEFINITION: Religion is man's idea about God's order/reality, interposed upon a human power structure. Human interpretations, human designs are the construct of the religious government; manifesting themselves as doctrines, traditions, rules, etc. Human beings have a horrible tendency to establish institutions to propagate human power "¦ to keep things in their control. Humans also like to create opportunities to cover their sin, or to give them opportunity to have license in their conduct. They can legislate these indulgences through religious channels. Some of what humans established in Gentile Christian/Messianic Jewish religion has very little to do with the Kingdom of Heaven. In some cases, much of it is actually contradictory to the Kingdom. Somewhere in the process and over the years, the sovereign rule of the Lord became displaced. Remember that the Kingdom of God is a Divine Monarchy. We have one King and that King determines all truth, all law, all function and all order.
God's mandates are quite clear and quite simple. Yeshua came to teach and to illustrate the realities of His Kingdom. The rules are not negotiable when dealing with a King. They are mandates that super cede all human conventions and human ideas about how things should be done. The church governs by either human dictatorship or by human democracy. The human structures often assume the power to determine order, law, and doctrine by a single individual "¦ sometimes by a committee, by a leadership board, or by a vote of the membership. When a group within the institution doesn't like the way things are done, it splinters off to form a structure more in keeping with its own ideas. In this way we end up having a polluted Christian religion containing all sorts of human and world elements that God never intended to be connected with His Body "¦ certainly not a reflection of His Kingdom. We end up having denominations that say it's fine to ordain homosexuals and to embrace that lifestyle, when the King has clearly said that homosexual behavior/values are totally unacceptable under His rule. We have allowances being made for premarital sex, living together in sexual freedom without covenant, easy divorce and easy remarriage, same-sex marriage, abortion, etc., which are all clearly against the mandates of the Kingdom. These kinds of allowances are often politically, correct in the eyes of the world, but they are outside of God's standard of correctness.
Let's face it. The institutional church has become a Religious mess; being a hybrid of the fallen world system of men "¦ with a smattering of the Kingdom of God "¦ containing a large measure of human flesh "¦ along with a heavy to moderate dose of demonic deceptions "¦ all mingled in with a bit of God's pure truth. The word of God speaks clearly about mixtures "¦ things without purity "¦ about lukewarmness and about unholy compromise. We need to separate ourselves from the pollution of religion "¦ from the defilement of the world system "¦ and come into the reality of the Kingdom of God, as brought to us by Yeshua.
Wherever the assembly of the believers is infected by the world system, and controlled by the minds and moods of human beings, (beings that can easily be misled/manipulated by Satan), the Kingdom of Heaven scatters, to be replaced by a human institution considering itself to be the gathering of the select elect. Control and all sorts of manifestations of the fallen nature of man have come into power; maintaining its survival, and defending the institution against ever becoming the true manifestation of the Kingdom of God upon the earth which it was originally, eternally intended to be.
We forget that Yeshua didn't come to make a religion, but rather to bring a heavenly system for of living, with the power to restore our heavenly stewardship over earth; reflecting the divine realities of His Kingdom. The beatitudes are a short list of the Kingdom's operations and priorities. Servanthood is the chief operation, and love is the empowering force behind the Kingdom of God. Religion on the other hand, has become very complicated, and often oppressively legalistic, while the Kingdom of Heaven is so very simple that a child can discover it and live it. The Kingdom of God brings us liberty through our strict obedience to God's pure and simple order. "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The Body of Messiah is to be a manifestation of the life established in heaven, now revealed/lived upon the earth.
In this year of 5769, may God bring us all a fresh revelation of His holy freedom, of His perfect truth, along with an unshakable Kingdom unity, found only by living totally under His Kingship. May we then live and speak out of the truth found in His Kingdom's realities; transforming the world around us into His intended world for us! May we see the demise and the purging of the Religious spirit, from our individual and corporate hearts, minds, words, actions "¦ from all of our lives, and congregations "¦ before the end of this new year. Our Messiah deserves that from us. He is waiting to help us achieve that goal.
B'shem Yeshua Ha Mashiach!
Kathleen
In The Cleft of the Rock Ministries, International, is a non-profit, 501 C3 organization, established to prosper the restoration of Israel according to God's word and plan. The restoration involves leading Israel to her God, to her Land, and to her identity . Additionally, this is a One New Man work, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to bring the truth of God's plan and heart for Israel to the Gentile believers. We operate solely by the provision of God through individual gifts from readers and audiences. If it is placed upon your heart to send a supportive donation, please mail your tax-deductible donation to the address in the letterhead. If we can assist you by presenting a conference or teaching session to your group or organization, please contact us. Especially, thank you for your prayers under girding us for this work. Please write for permission before publishing any of our materials or writing on your web sites, so that we can give you safe instructions and permission to do that.
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The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. Zephaniah 1:14
פרץ
Sadly the church at large has adopted religion as its identity and power. That includes both Gentile and Jewish believers. DEFINITION: Religion is man's idea about God's order/reality, interposed upon a human power structure. Human interpretations, human designs are the construct of the religious government; manifesting themselves as doctrines, traditions, rules, etc. Human beings have a horrible tendency to establish institutions to propagate human power "¦ to keep things in their control. Humans also like to create opportunities to cover their sin, or to give them opportunity to have license in their conduct. They can legislate these indulgences through religious channels. Some of what humans established in Gentile Christian/Messianic Jewish religion has very little to do with the Kingdom of Heaven. In some cases, much of it is actually contradictory to the Kingdom. Somewhere in the process and over the years, the sovereign rule of the Lord became displaced. Remember that the Kingdom of God is a Divine Monarchy. We have one King and that King determines all truth, all law, all function and all order.
Amen!
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Elm River Hunt Club
Wayne County Illinois
www.illinoisdeerhunters.com
Excellent!! A message I wish all "religious" people would ponder, myself included at times. By the way everyone, the word "religion" is used five times in the NIV text, and four of those times are in a negative way. So if someone calls you religious, don't take it as a compliment.
Blessings.....Pastorjim
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Mere religion is just hanging around the cross.......True Christianity is getting on the cross.
For years I have been preaching, and teaching to all who will listen that Gods Word tells His People that they must flee the local churches, as they will be the seat of Satan in the last days, as we see in the 2nd chapter of Thessalonians.
While many agree with this, they contend that it is the other guys church, or religion, and not their church. The fact is, no local church, or congregation is immune. All will be under the wrath of the returning Lord, because Satan will be the head of these congregations.
Sadly, these churches, and congregations are growing wealth, and power, and influence. Millions are trapped within them, and many more are flocking to them, as Satan makes himself, and the men who run these congregation appear to be ministers of righteousness.
The good news is, is that God says His people who come out of, or who are driven out of these congregations will be rescued by Him on the Last Day. God will not leave His children to perish in the churches, but rather He will give them eternal rest in a safe harbor.
For years I have been preaching, and teaching to all who will listen that Gods Word tells His People that they must flee the local churches, as they will be the seat of Satan in the last days, as we see in the 2nd chapter of Thessalonians.
A messianic Message
