I’ve been trying really hard to get my head round Mark Downham’s blog. I understand maybe 10% of what he writes but my heart just bubbles and pounds and simmers with what he’s saying. It takes me ages to read one of his posts because I’m continually having to look up words then work out what the sentence means. Or – the links he provides are like jumping into a diving bell and exploring the ocean floor…. heavily confined and yet able to observe hidden vistas of incredible beauty!
Anyway – having continued prayerfully sorting my stance on where I’m going and what I feel I’m called to, I read the following just today.
“I would like to share something more on the importance of overcoming a ‘religious spirit’.
A religious spirit can be a human heart attitude and associated mindset and it can also take the form of external oppression from a demonic spirit – which is why our struggles is NOT against flesh and blood BUT against principalities and powers.
Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
A religious spirit makes one become an accuser of the brethren and sisterine and the Bible is clear who the Accuser of the brethren really is.
- Accuser
Satan is styled the “accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:10. Comp. Job 1:6; Zech. 3:1), as seeking to uphold his influence among men and women by bringing false charges against Christians, with the view of weakening their influence and injuring the cause with which they are identified. He was regarded by the Jews as the accuser of men before God, laying to their charge the violations of the law of which they were guilty, and demanding their punishment. The same Greek word, rendered “accuser,” is found in John 8:10 (but omitted in the Revised Version); Acts 23:30, 35; 24:8; 25:16, 18, in all of which places it is used of one who brings a charge against another.
When we engage in ‘denomination bashing’ we are becoming an accuser of the Brethren and the Sisterine and placing ourselves under the influence and direction of the Accuser.
There are times when all denominations will be in turmoil with internal struggles between truth and error – BUT if we get people to focus on the LORD Jesus Christ above all other things through acts of LOVING witness – the outcome will lead to Evangelical Truth - which is the Apostolic Doctrine and the true Apostolic Tradition – and will be transformative as their theologies and ecclesiologies come back into alignment with HIM and the casting down of idols, false doctrines and all deception through taking every thought captive and bringing all such thoughts into submission to the LORD Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
We have to break the influence of a religious spirit in our lives – which in terms of heart attitude and mindset is breaking out from and breaking off wrong teaching – human conditioning, programming, indoctrination and ideology and in terms of principalities and powers – overcoming those ‘nudges’ and subtle temptations to engage in ‘denomination bashing’ and become an accuser of the brethren and the sisterine, who are in the LORD Jesus Christ, even if their spiritual formation, ecclesiologies and theologies are imperfect.”
I found Mark’s site whilst researching Graham Cooke. A true prophet in every sense of the word.
