The first time my wife and I stepped inside our local church we were pleasantly surprised and greatly impressed by the people and the freedom that most of them seemed to genuinely express before, during and after the service. Neither of us had been associated with a church since we were children, but the contrast between that time and this time was remarkable to say the least. In my case, Roman Catholicism had been my only church experience. Inside that church the atmosphere was always solemn – exactly as the dictionary describes that word: ‘grave, sober, or mirthless, as a person, the face, speech, tone, or mood.’
Not knowing any different, I thought that’s what all churches were like. And when it came to thinking about God, well, I didn’t dare think about Him too much for fear that He would strike me down. In those years growing up, I never heard one word from a priest that gave me any hope or assurance that God was one Who loved me so much that He became a Man and came to earth to die in my place for my sin so that I could then turn to Him, receive His forgiveness and become His follower and friend. Not only that, but neither was I told that being a friend of Jesus automatically made me a friend of His Father and the Holy Spirit – that is – a friend of God Almighty Himself.
I thank God with all my being that the god I grew up hearing about was not the same One who revealed Himself to me in such a dramatic way some twenty-three years later. See my About page and But they still have a god post. I had already spent nearly two years getting to know the true God of the Bible and I was experiencing Him in reality through much mercy, love and peace. Nevertheless, on the day we went to that local church I was still expecting some form of solemnity. That’s why we were pleasantly surprised and greatly impressed. None of that was to be seen. Respect or reverence for God, yes, but not solemnity.
The Bible tells us that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom/liberty 2 Corinthians 3:17. I did not know that at that time, but when I found out, it helped to explain to me the great difference between being religious and being a Christian. My early church days were not Christian experiences, they were religious experiences. Those old priests manifested lots of solemnity and no liberty, so I can only assume they had no Holy Spirit dwelling within them. They were religious, but not Christian. If it were otherwise, Holy Spirit freedom and liberty would have been demonstrated by them and the same would have been evident within the people under them.
It is also only in the Bible where one finds we are to test the spirits to see if they are from God or not. So one of the ways to test which spirit controls a church and its leadership, is to do just that – test by asking, “what spirit controls this place and these people? Is it the Holy Spirit? Or is it an unholy spirit of religion, or politics, or control? Or is it all three?” Being led by the Holy Spirit as we apply Biblical tests, we can find out. Sadly, most churches throughout the world are controlled by the latter – the unholy trinity. Jesus said we would know by their fruits what kind of people we were amongst. So what kind are they? Are they religious legalists, or Spirit-led, liberated people?
While the relatively new pastor of our local church faithfully taught the Scriptures with his expository preaching and systematic Bible teaching, God faithfully honoured His promises and that church began to grow spiritually and numerically. Just a couple of years prior to us joining, this same church was dying with only about thirty people in regular attendance. By the time we arrived there was three times that many and it was continuing to grow rapidly with new people in attendance nearly every week. Because the Holy Spirit was in charge of His church, He made sure our hunger for biblical knowledge of God was being satisfied.
Overseas Bible teachers came on a regular basis over three or four years and because their time was limited we thought nothing of attending mid-week night and all weekend classes, soaking up as much of God’s word as we could. Dramatic changes were resulting in people’s lives with lots of spiritual, mental and physical healings taking place, broken relationships being restored – both in the church and in the local community. Opportunities for ministry increased with a second and third pastor coming into the church, young men were being raised up as preachers who preached in other churches where a minister was lacking, as well as doing short-term overseas missionary work.
Multiple water baptisms by full immersion were a regular occurrence, resulting in people being empowered by the Holy Spirit to take up ministries in Bible teaching, youth ministries, music ministries, women’s ministries, street ministries and radio broadcasting ministries. It was an exciting and miraculous time. God was doing so much in that local church that people left other churches to come and join with us. The main pastor was regularly asked to go to other churches and give guidance and advice on how to replicate what was happening and he also was able to frequently spend some weeks at a time in the USA, studying and teaching.
Over the years this man constantly reinforced to us the need to know our Bible. He said that if we did not know our Bible and the doctrines within in their right context, then the cults would chew us up and spit us out as we faced them. I have found that statement to be an on-going reality among far too many people who claim to be Christians. He also constantly reinforced the need for us to know God and to know who we are in Jesus Christ and that if we didn’t, then we leave ourselves wide open for the devil to do what the cults will do. Following these warnings he often reminded us to look to no man, but the Man Jesus alone.
Then at about the end of the fourth year of our attendance, it became noticeable to me and a few others that this same pastor was spiritually declining. Because I was part of the ministerial team I noticed it first after his return from one of those USA trips. Money appeared to be now playing a role I’d not seen previously as he began to dress more fashionably. As well, money became a frequent topic in his conversation at our weekly staff meetings. He was always a strong leader who sometimes did not demonstrate the love of Christ to those closest to him, but by now he began to be intimidating and bullying to people whom he knew would not stand up to him.
The assistant pastor and his wife, who were there for over three years, left the church without really saying why. The man also appeared to enjoy the glory given him by far too many people, in spite of his earlier warnings to avoid giving to or receiving such glory from any man. Politics became a prominent part of his game. Added to that, this man began to compromise the biblical standard that he previously spoke up for. Not only that, but he once asked me to do something that both he and I knew would compromise that standard if I yielded to his manipulation.
When I said I would not do as he requested, it was not too long when I became his enemy – subtly at first, much less subtle later. His marriage and family life crumbled as well and it was not long before they separated. Here’s the saddest part of all. Among his many warnings to us as a church, he used to say, “Whatever is in the heart of a person will always get exposed.” With that he gave much admonition that we allow the Holy Spirit to reveal all in our lives that was ungodly. It’s known as the sanctification process and if we do allow the Spirit to reveal, then He can deliver us from whatever it is and empower us for holy living.
He also used to constantly teach that holiness was not the criteria for operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but rather, it was faith. See my post: By way of gradualism. In other words, he was saying that one’s character – or what is in one’s heart, can be filthy, but God will still use you, based on your faith in being open to receiving the Spirit’s gifts. That is very hard to believe, but it’s true. All over the world, down through history, “mighty men of God” have done mighty things in His name, but because their hearts were not right (willfully sinful), God eventually exposed them and they fell from great heights into great shame and disgrace.
That is what happened to this man; he preached it but he failed to live it. It has been said that when ministers fall into sin, it is in the area of the three “G’s”: glory, gold and girls. Well, it was those three things that appeared to expose the heart of this man. He demonstrated a love for glory. He demonstrated a love for money. And most devastatingly of all, he refused to allow God to deal with his “black heart.” He was warned privately that if he didn’t, then it would be all over for him. Sexual immorality was part of that blackness. Adultery was to follow soon after. The effects of that act are still rippling today, eighteen years later.
The man, by choice, turned out to be a true hypocrite. At no time would he admit his culpability in any of his behaviour. Although he fought hard to hold his position in that church, he eventually had to leave. He is still pastoring a church, but in another country. To this day he has not repented of his behaviour, otherwise he would have returned to put things right with all whom he destroyed. After he left, that church was to go on and further self-destruct. It seems he was not the only one who failed to heed his advice to allow the Spirit of God to show them their hearts. More about that in my next post. “……you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8.