Last month I shared with you our adventures in a church we were in for eight years. I shared with you some traits of a church we came out of functioning in a abnormal state of being. This month I am going to add some things that I think are relevant within the church today but missing in the evangelical church. So buckle up and hang on!
God has a will and “If it be your will” is not a part of Gods will.
Matthew 6:9, 10
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Our Father in heaven always has a will and it is out job to find our what His will is in every situation and circumstance we find ourselves in. Nita and I heard “If it be your will” more times then we could imagine. Matthew 6:9, 10 gives us a absolute fact the Fathers will has already been established in His kingdom. It is our job to bring it into the natural from the supernatural by seeking Him in our prayer closet. Let me give you some classic lines I have heard in regards to this.
-Heal this person “if it be your will.” (this one really bothers me)
-Save this person “if it be your will.”
-Send us revival “if it be your will.”
-Provide this person with finances “if it be your will.”
I think you get my point. Once the church gets this into their mindset it is tough getting it out unless God supernaturally changes the natural in front of these believers. The church has already declared defeat before the battle ever began.
Well this is how my great grandma did it so I’m not gonna change it!
Have you ever heard this come out of someone’s mouth? I have! The fact is traditions and rituals are a part of many evangelical churches and nothing I mean nothing will change this line of thought.
Gal 1:14
And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
Paul speaks of the man made traditions that were handed down to him from his father, his fathers father and so on. He honored these traditions and in fact these traditions were a part of why he persecuted the church. Paul was zealous to honor those traditions and Judaism regardless of the cost. I can’t begin to tell you how many times the saints spoke against anything new in the church because it took them out of their comfort zone and away from established traditions.
John 8:36
“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Why place yourself in bondage when you have been set free from man made traditions to obey Jesus and His plan for your life. To be free is to have liberty in Jesus Christ without the shackles of the carnal mindset dragging you down!
We believe that the apostle and prophet are no longer relevant for today. They ended when the original apostles and prophets died.
Again the believer is placing his theology in a box that fits his belief system.
Eph 4:11, 12
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
If God never changes and I think we all agree He doesn’t then why would His word change? I watched as believers picked what their belief system was according to the doctrine that was taught by man and not necessarily the Holy Spirit. The church allowed only the pastor, the evangelist, and the teacher within the four walls they called a church and nothing else. This type of doctrine encourages abnormalities within the church body not allowing vision, call, and purpose to be fully integrated into the church by the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual warfare? Whats spiritual warfare?
The church did not understand spiritual warfare nor did they make a effort to understand it.
2nd Cor 2:11
lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
We watched as believer after believer died because of the lack of understanding of things going on in the supernatural. The disease of choice was and is cancer today in this church. It was unfortunate that the eldership did not comprehend the tactics and devices of (s)atan. I must share with you that there was a principality sitting over the churches sanctuary and it was very powerful. It is still there to this today and it is very comfortable there as the church refuses to acknowledge it and I was forbidden to talk about it. This is a defeated church and I weep over the believers there.
It is very important that the church stay in its corporate prayer closet and seek the will of the Father in the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. A church denying itself of a corporate prayer closet is frankly a dead church or soon to be a dead church. A fellowship not operating consistently in the supernatural but only acting in the natural is a defeated church in a comatose state. So my question to you is what state is your church in? Is it active and flourishing praying the will of the Father moving in signs and wonders? Or is it defeated, stagnant, in a comatose state on the verge of spiritual death? Think about it!
Until next month…
Lee
Christos Life Teaching 