Never before in the history of the church of Christ has there been a large counterfeit faith in Christ – as today.  Entire churches are filled with not the Spirit of the Lord but rather a religious spirit.  Lots of church activities, projects, and good deeds may be going on among them, but they lack one thing:  the Spirit of Christ!  Jesus also revealed to us that there are churches that have no use for Him despite all their activities and accomplishments they may claim in His name!  Rev 3.

I once belonged among such a group and was quite happy doing churchianity things and even felt fulfilled in doing them. We will not know the living God as our reality until we are under the Holy Spirit’s lead and it wasn’t until the Lord revealed to me that I needed to die (Romans 6:10-12) before I could experience His Spirit (working) within me.

The Pharisees and much of their congregation in the time of Jesus’s ministry were very religious yet never saw Jesus for who He was:  the Messiah they were waiting for!  Though they were devout and loyal to Judaism, they missed Jesus because they did not yield to the Holy Spirit who reveals what is true. John 16:13.  Likewise today, we have ministers teaching and preaching the Word of God but still not be ones who have the illumination that comes by the Spirit of God.  Anyone who speaks not on his/her own, but by the Spirit of Christ in them will be the Lord’s instruments in delivering His Word in power. I find nothing more gratifying than to hear this kind of messenger even it they speak a word of rebuke because I know it is from God.  Sadly, this is a hard find but definitely worth looking for. 

I have learned that just because we may call ourselves believers in Christ or are ordained pastors and leaders, or accomplished authors and notable influencers does not mean we are speaking on behalf of the Spirit and worse yet are even children of God!

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Romans 8:14

There is no greater pleasure I seek than to sit with a brother or sister to enjoy fellowship in our Lord.  The extraordinary thing about this kind of fellowship is it matters not who this person is, or his/her background- only one thing matters – who it is they belong to and serve. They can be saints of God for decades or just new to the faith and are equally enjoyed, appreciated and loved.   

We must not assume everyone who says they are saints of God is true.  The Lord warned us this is not the case in Matt 7:21-23.

Some things to think about:

There are two spirits at work in churches.  The Spirit of the Lord and the religious spirit.  The religious spirit works through our flesh. The Spirit of the Lord through faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 8:6-9.

There are two ways of living on this earth.  Carnally or by the Spirit.  When we live carnally we are led by our own desires and driven by fear, bitterness, jealousy, greed and so forth. We are of the World and under the sway of the wicked one. 1 John 5:18-20. When the Spirit leads us it is by a new heart that the Lord gives us and we will live to serve the Lord and do His will – without a new heart, we cannot ever hope to please the Lord. Ezek 36:25-27, 2 Cor 5:16-18.  

How many base their eternal security on a feeling and emotions? On one prayer they prayed? On their church loyalty and dedication? Or by believing? Did you know that the demons believe too – and even fear the Lord? James 2:19.

I was once a mere believer, but have come to realize through my own personal study of God’s Word that believing in Jesus is not enough and we must also follow Him.

The reason why we have churches that have been misled and even deceived is they are not filled with believers who follow Jesus. They are instead filled with believers who believe, but do not demonstrate their faith by following the Lord. This is not to say there are no followers at all but that they are most likely outnumbered.

The Lord looks for hearts that are true in faith. He sees those who are not. We on the other hand may think we are true but in reality are rooted in religion and all its trappings. Only until we are willing to see what is the truth will the Lord reveal to us our error.

Always be willing to see what is true.