The Religious Spirit: A Warning to the Church

A pastor once said, "When a saint (minister) gives ministry to believers (flock) in the church, it is a great privilege."

The religious spirit is a dangerous spirit that works in every church. The more it grows, the more it turns ministers and believers into cultists.

When Ministry Becomes Manipulation

A church crumbles when ministers claim exclusivity to sainthood. It is manipulative to present your own ideas as those from God. Not all ministries that come through ministers are of God. Imposing church duties using scriptural language is manipulative. Using fear, guilt, and shame to control believers — rather than encourage offerings — is a dangerous norm.

The Bible does not teach that ministers are spiritually superior to the flock. Yet this dangerous thinking prevails in the church because most believers are still carnally minded.

A Wake-Up Call for Serious Believers

While this poses a threat to the overall spiritual health of a local church, it is also a wake-up call for serious believers to seek God deeply in prayer and to desire a higher faith-life. The global church — the body of Christ — continues to grow as serious believers seek God daily.

Look to Jesus

Be part of the body whose head is Christ. Listening to whatever ministers say is not the same as listening to Jesus. There are many who turn away from God during ministry, yet remain because they have nowhere else to go.

They begin elevating their doctrine above Jesus' life. This is heresy — a terrible twisting of Scripture and a misuse of power.

Dear saint, don't be troubled. Look to Jesus. He is coming soon, and He will keep us until the very end.

Maranatha. Praise God. Amen.