Doing Battle with the spirit of Religion: Part 6

It's been awhile since our last posting. A lot has happened in the Gardner family since that last posting. My wife and I both underwent surgery, and much of our time has been devoted to recuperation and healing. My apology to our readers, and a special thank you to all of you who prayed for us.

We were discussing the spirit of religion and the diabolical attack he has launched against the Body of Christ, especially here in America. My focus is based upon the demographic of my ministry. I am in the South-East, and so much of what I relate is based upon ministry here in the South-East. However, what I am sharing with you is being confirmed in various other parts of the country, by pastors and lay-members who have communicated with me the similitude of battle elements they are fighting. It's simple Brothers and Sisters, we are in the last days before the return of Christ. Being in the last days, the plan of the enemy in preparation for these last days is one that was implemented many many years ago. It was initiated when the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement gained wide acceptance as a "respected" form of Christianity. This movement went from being the "odd-man-out" to being just another accepted form of Conservative Evangelical Christianity. The "frontal" resistance of the enemy, which spurred us on to deeper and more meaningful prayer, was replaced with a more subtle resistance. Infiltration, acceptance, peace, and respectability became the "bed-fellows" of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. What happened was nothing short of miraculous. Well,.... miraculous for the enemy and his purpose anyway.

The defining characteristic of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement was its members dependence upon the power of the Holy Ghost. We were people of the "FIRE!" People who were full of the Holy Spirit of God, empowered for a purpose! That purpose was to advance the Kingdom of God as we prepare for the return of the Lord! This was prophesied by the Prophet Joel in 2:28-29 --- “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike."

It was promised by Jesus in Acts 1:8 --- "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

And it was fulfilled by the Lord on the Day of Pentecost, in the Upper Room in Acts 2:1-4 -"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.²Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues^{a]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]} as the Spirit enabled them."

This power was what advanced the Kingdom of God, through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Believers became dependent upon that power, and mighty miraculous acts were done in the Name of Christ, to validate the Word they were preaching. This had to be stopped! As mentioned, the devil first tried the frontal assault, and it had some success, but it only spurred on the True Believers, as they prayed and sought more of God's power. The infiltration of the church came when acceptance, respectability, rest, and peace were decreed by the devil for the Church. Now, with little pressure, and the ability to sing the "songs of Zion," hold their Campmeeting, and prayer services, the church became less and less dependent upon the miraculous power of the Holy Ghost, and more and more .............. at peace.

Power, healing, and all kinds of the miraculous became less and less visible, and quite honestly, less necessary. The advancements we used to make in the spiritual realm, by the power of the Holy Spirit, was surrendered for denominational programs and religious jargon. We sang about power! We talked about power! We reminisced about power! We even got mad at the devil, yelled at him that we were going to his "camp" to take back what he had stolen, ...... then prayed the benediction and went out to eat. ........... SUCH POWER!

Without replenishing the oil in our lamps, many of our lamps began to flicker and some even went out. We lost a lot when that happened: We lost power. We lost interest. We lost relevance. We lost our respect. And we loss people! The plan was a huge success! The Body of Christ in America was weakened and splintered. The Last Days are here, and where is the Bride of Christ? Where is her voice? Where is the church?

A friend of mine recently gave me a little book entitled: "But God!" It has chronicled all the verses in the Bible where the situation looked to be doomed to one outcome,...... "BUT GOD!"

What the enemy didn't count on, was a sovereign move of God! The Holy Spirit has begun working in peoples lives and asking one simple little question, that has big consequences. That simple question is: "Where's the Power?" And with the asking of that question, a hunger has begun! Many are looking around at their churches, their ministries, and even their own lives, and asking the question: "Where's the Power?" Answering that question honestly, has started a movement! Not a revival, but a REFORMATION! The power IS coming back to the church! Well, ..... at least to "whosoever will" be reformed and refilled with the power of the Holy Ghost. There is ONE antidote to the spirit of religion, and that is the power of the Holy Ghost! We will talk more about this in another post!

Please take the liberty to forward this blog to anyone you think might be blessed by it. Thank You!