Stop calling holiness a religious spirit

by | May 5, 2018 | Christianity Today | 15 comments

 

Let’s be honest.   The modern church is not exhausting itself on devotion and sacrifice.  But you’d sure think so by the way some ministers keep telling them to relax, and quit trying so hard, because Daddy is so pleased with them.
Even when a congregation is a listless, flabby, biblically illiterate, club of moody consumers—preachers will heap on them yet one more message of pampered entitlement.  Kind of like handing a diabetic a case of Snickers bars.
It has gotten so bad that Sundays are a celebration of how much God lets you get away with.
They seem so easy going.  And why wouldn’t they be, after all the soothing guarantees of God’s unconditional approval. But don’t be fooled.  All that veneer of serenity explodes when they come into contact with holiness.  They must attack it on sight.
Gently suggest the church could go deeper—call for more prayer meetings—voice concern about inappropriately dressed women—tell them you don’t want to party with them, and they will scream, “YOU HAVE A RELIGIOUS SPIRIT!”
What was once normal discipleship, is now legalistic.  Anything that dampens their festivities is judgmental.
What have we done?  We have unleashed a counterfeit liberty.  These are not the features of a Spirit-led people.  These are the clear symptoms of people with sick souls deceived, and careening toward disaster.
Here is a chilling scripture that speaks to the evil that is twisting the church.  Isaiah 59:15 says, “So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice.”
How can it be that vessels chosen to uplift the righteous and equip the saints instead conspired to create a system that rewards carnality and shames holiness. How dare you punish a heart for wanting purity?
The greatest gift God can send a church is a holy child of God.  Their heart is revival.  They want the fire, glory and power of God to electrify the church.  Make them your enemy and you have also made an enemy out of God.
Woe is you if you have ever called holiness a religious spirit.   God bless you if you love holiness and understand what a treasure it is.  “1 Timothy 6: 6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.”

15 Comments

  1. Tracy
    Tracy on May 5, 2018 at 3:28 am

    I would love to find a local church that preaches holiness and teaches on the issues we face in everyday life. Alas, I’ll keep praying….. thank you for sending us TRUTH everyday in our emails. I send you blessings!

    • Roseann Brower
      Roseann Brower on May 5, 2018 at 12:04 pm

      This is my prayer for our ministry. Faith & Victory Fellowship, and the church. God gives us grace to empower us NOT to sin.
      He says BE YE holy for I am Holy.

      We can do all things through Christ.

  2. Michael A. Druckenmiller Sr
    Michael A. Druckenmiller Sr on May 5, 2018 at 3:35 am

    There was a time that Holiness was a legalistic and excessive bunch of man-made rules…

    But, when we rebelled against the man-made, we seemed to have forgotten that Jehovah remained Holy, and wants us to take on His Holiness…

    This is amply reflected in the carnival atmosphere and concert hall set-up in many churches these days…

    There was a time when the sanctuary was considered a place of reverence…

    Fellowship took place in the foyer or quietly in the sanctuary…

    One of the things that impressed me in the very early days of Rock Church Virginia Beach, was how people would pray for one another whether in the foyer or the secretary on the phone…

    While we may not have made the sanctuary a den of thieves, it sure isn’t The House of Jehovah anymore either…

    • Aaron
      Aaron on May 5, 2018 at 8:12 pm

      Please explain “There was a time that Holiness was a legalistic and excessive bunch of man-made rules…”

      Not sure what that is refering to.

      Boundries and rules are just a part of life I thought.

  3. Evan. Roger Culwell
    Evan. Roger Culwell on May 5, 2018 at 3:50 am

    Holiness mean’s clean living wanting to please God deny self, and we have a people today who want to Glorify self, and deny God what belong’s to him, I told about the song’s there singing now no mention of Jesus, God, Holiness, or the Holy Spirit, I said WHO YOU PRAISING, and some hollered at me on TV, but my God has aname YAHWEH, JESUS CHRIST, THE HOLY SPIRIT, not the UNKNOWN GOD, Paul spoke of in the book of Acts to the one’s on Mars Hill, and told if they take his name out, THERE IS NO POWER, and if your not praising him, it’s not his presence coming down, they are taking Mat 17:21 completely out of the bible or putting it down at the left hand corner, where it is not seen going from verse 20 to 22 not 21, which say’s this kind cometh not out but by prayer and fasting, and you notice Phil 4:13 I can do all thing’s through Christ who strengthen me, [ now it’s him who strengthen’s me,] not CHRIST they want to be politically correct, not knowing they have taken the power out, but of course the enemy does, that’s his plan, and if it is not stopped the next generation will have done away with the name, WHICH IS THE POWER, AND THE BLOOD, and the main weapon we have is the word, as is what Jesus defeated the enemy with, there polluting it, by TAKING THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAME’S OUT OF IT, IN WHICH ALL POWER IN HEAVEN AND EARTH IS GIVEN, NO HOLINESS NO NAME, NO WORD WITH POWER, AND OF COURSE NOW NO PRESENCE, AND THEY CAN’T SEE IT, ALL THEY CAN DO IS HOLLAR AT ME, LIKE I KILLED THEM, WHEN IN FACT THERE KILLING THERE SELF, I TOLD THEM TO GO OPEN A NIGHT CLUB SOME WHERE, BECAUSE WHAT THERE DOING HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CHRIST, OR A CHURCH BUT ABOUT SELF WORSHIP, like a lamb being led to slaughter is the church today. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BROTHER, YOUR ABOUT THE ONLY ONE NW I WANT TO LISTEN TO, THE LORD SENT ME TO CHANGE THING’S AND ALL THEY WANT TO DO IS CHANGE ME, I GET MANY E-MAIL’S WITH THEM WANTING TO CONFORM ME TO THEM, AND I AM ONLY CONFORMING TO THE ONE WHO SENT ME, EVEN UNTO DEATH. BE BLESSED

  4. Laura
    Laura on May 5, 2018 at 4:37 am

    This is why we are in desperate need of Mario Murillo’s ministry in this time of possibly the last days before Christ’s return. I am so very thankful for his preaching. He stirs me to return to that Holiness of my early walk with the Lord. I yearn for those days again.

  7. Aaron
    Aaron on May 5, 2018 at 7:12 am

    I always thought a religious spirit lurked in the corners of the lives of people who refused to allow God to convict there heart and change the way they conduct themselves who live in sin and call themselves christians.
    I know of people who smoke dope and fornicate who are attending churches here in so cal whith no shame.
    Some of these came to our church and they manifest in anger calling us religious for preaching deliverance.
    I pray your voice gets louder and louder.
    Mario you are a voice crying in the wilderness.

    2 tim 3:5
    Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

  8. Sheilah Garrett
    Sheilah Garrett on May 5, 2018 at 8:04 am

    Praise God for a righteous man who will declare these truths to a lukewarm Church! God is using you as an instrument of divine truth in a dark hour, Mario. The hyper-grace message in today’s churches has diminished holiness and the purity of God’s Word and opened the door for a self-centered gospel of deception. Where is the holy fear of the Lord? We buried it with a counterfeit gospel of unlimited grace that allows for sin and disrespect of God’s holy nature. I am a worshipper and I see that there is no respect for God’s presence even during worship. May the Lord shake His Church awake with undiluted truth and a holy fear.

  9. Judy Haga
    Judy Haga on May 5, 2018 at 9:15 am

    I want to scream this…to say what you said….they hate you when you say this …..Pastors say you are backslid when you dont go to THEIR church….cause its certainly not Gods church.. Me and my husband will not attend their social clubs….. Not going to attend a church where the pastors wife cant keep her body covered up!!!!!! And now … they say the old ways are wrong…..so I guess its wrong to actually have a prayer meeting. And its wrong to NOT drink alcohol , To NOT smoke stuff. Etc etc etc….. New age Bibles produce New age “christians” Oh yeh and of course whatever you do do nt let anyone hear you pray in tongues There is a church we used to attend here….but no more…..people are being healed …Ive seen it …BUT something is wrong!!!…

    Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

  10. Kent Scott
    Kent Scott on May 5, 2018 at 3:23 pm

    I agree to much is labeled a religious spirit especially when one sees things from a different viewpoint. I would make one statement, that being : “ be careful to not to label religious legalism as holiness”.

  11. Ananymous
    Ananymous on May 5, 2018 at 8:58 pm

    I remember the “old day”, back when I was a teen-ager, when you were taught the difference between walking in the Spirit and living carnal. I remember when they didn’t put a time frame on the service and we always ended up praying together at the alter. When the youth got together, it was because we were seeking God together. Now…too much of the time the pastor’s biggest concern is what can you do for him! All this talk about staying busy in his church, while marriages are falling apart. I am tired of the whole routine. I personally know a church worship director who can’t stay away from the alcohol and tours wineries with the other church ladies. Another worship team member I know is an alcoholic, is addicted to porn and sleeps with “whoever” outside of marriage. And these pastors see it and do nothing!

  12. Florence Klein
    Florence Klein on May 5, 2018 at 9:47 pm

    Humility precedes Holiness and Holiness precedes power. Do you see Power in most churches? Go back to the basics……seek God with your whole heart. I am a 91, year old beleiver….I PRAY, I live to see the church become Holy again.

  13. Laura
    Laura on June 26, 2018 at 12:20 pm

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    6525 Norwalk blvd.
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