The Peril of the Modern Church

Enoch B. Mnisi, DD2020 · Day 298 min read

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.
1 Timothy 4:1 (NKJV)

The Holy Spirit reveals a peril the Church will face in the end times: a departing from the faith, a deviation from a prescribed way of life. This exodus will be assisted by demonic spirits who begin to teach these believers doctrines of demons. The nature of these spirits is deceptive and seductive, luring the saints away from what they first believed. It is a sobering proposition from the Spirit, and a cause for concern for those of us who desire to stay on the path of salvation. It is a warning to examine ourselves continually, whether we are in the faith.

I want to highlight three things from the Spirit's address.

What is meant by "the faith." The word "faith" in this verse is clearly not used in its general sense; it points to a specific way. The Bible uses the word in several ways: there is faith as a law, and faith as a substance by which we receive answers in prayer. But here the Spirit uses the definite article to emphasise a way of life to which these believers had subscribed. The origin of this life is in Jesus; He is the author and perfecter of the life of faith of the saints. To be in "the faith," then, one must believe in Jesus Christ and confess His lordship, and this brings a person into the faith of the Son of God. Remember that it is the just who shall live by faith; it is impossible to live this way without the righteousness of Christ imputed to a person. This way is the set path of the Christian, and a Christian who departs from it will be regarded by God as an apostate. The word "faith," then, refers to a way of life in Christ which Christians are to follow, and to depart from the faith is to depart from the way of Christ.

The doctrines of demons. The nature of these demons gives a clue to their operation in the lives of believers. It is important to note that no one is exempt from this attack; anyone who is in the faith can depart from it if the conditions are met. These are deceiving and seducing spirits, well versed in the Bible, for they are able to lead the believer away from the truth. Deception and seduction do not happen in a day, just as departure from the faith does not happen in a day. It is introduced gradually, through demonic doctrines that appear truthful yet are full of poison. Demons can exercise a degree of wisdom, a wisdom that "does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic; for where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there" (James 3:15–16), and by it they entice vulnerable Christians away from the principles of Christ. This has become a reality in Christianity. We are seeing a rise in these strange doctrines, deceiving many sincere believers; it is the work of seducing spirits whose agenda is to undermine the integrity of the Word of God and cause an exodus from the life of Christ.

The conditions for apostasy. Several spiritual conditions must be present for apostasy to become a possibility, and then an experience, in the life of a believer. These conditions allow the demons and their doctrines to take root in Christians who are drifting. Jude admonished the saints to contend earnestly for the faith, and Paul told Timothy to fight the good fight of faith, perhaps because the Spirit knew that the faith of His people would be severely challenged in the end times, and was cautioning us about the posture we should hold in the Spirit in these last days. What follows is a list of the conditions that make apostasy a reality among Christians. I am not proposing that these are all the conditions, only what I found in my own study; you may find more as you seek the truth in the Scriptures. As we read, let us examine ourselves and our walk in the life of faith:

Not contending to protect the integrity of the faith (Jude 1:3; Philippians 1:27)
Practising unrighteousness (Galatians 3:11)
Weakness in the faith, a neglect of a life of fellowship in the Word (Romans 14:1)
Not walking in the steps, the principles, of the faith (Romans 4:12)
Disobedience to the faith (Romans 16:26)
Misplacing faith, resting it on men and on the acquisition of things instead of on the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:5)
A lack of perseverance (1 Corinthians 16:13)
A lack of self-examination (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Spiritual instability (Ephesians 4:13)
Being unstable and ungrounded in the truth of the gospel
Irresponsibility
The love of money
Resisting and straying from the truth
Not walking in love
A disregard for the authority of the Word of God

Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.
Hebrews 2:1 (NKJV)

The possibility of drifting becomes apparent when these conditions are evident in a believer. The Church of Jesus Christ faces a serious challenge, and I believe the Lord will hold the fivefold ministry gifts highly accountable for the apostasy. Jesus said to the Father that He had lost none of those the Father gave Him, except one. He was committed to those whom the Father placed under Him. He taught them the foundations of knowing God and walking with God, and in His ministry He taught essential principles for growing and living in the Kingdom. His messages always brought them closer to an understanding of God and His Kingdom. The apostles would be aghast at the spiritual content in the Church today, for they taught the churches the reality of Christ. Today there are so many strange doctrines that it is easy to be tossed about in confusion. I believe this is largely due to the fivefold ministry in the Church, to a misplacing of priorities and an abuse of purpose. I will return to this in a later chapter.

The value this generation has placed on gifting and anointing has undermined the training God requires to prune a vessel for His use. Somehow we have come to think that the ways of God have changed; our generation feels it is so special that God will overlook His processes for raising a gift for the world and for the body of Christ. This, above all, has harmed the body of Christ. Men have risen with callings and gifts, demonstrating power, but lacking the character that should accompany them. Jesus said, "Beware of false prophets. You will know them by their fruits." Their falseness may not be found in how they demonstrate power, but in the fruit, the character, of their lives. Jesus gave us the true way of discerning a gift: not the power it produces, but the character it bears. Power should never be used to measure how closely a man walks with God, for Satan and his ministers also appear as angels of light, deceiving many and leading them away from the path of righteousness. Love, righteousness and holiness are the true measures of the validity of a man or woman of God (Romans 1:17; 1 Timothy 4).

God's programme for raising men has never changed; it is the same in every generation. It takes time in His presence, time in the cauldron of God's furnace, to produce a ministry that reflects the nature of Christ in the earth. The word must be tried seven times and found pure. It is important to note, however, that it takes no time at all to demonstrate the gifts of the Spirit. The spirituality of a Christian does not determine whether the gifts flow; that right lies with the will of the Spirit, as He serves the edification of the Church. In Acts there were those who received the Spirit and operated the gift of prophecy without any previous experience in the things of God. Any child of God who has the Holy Spirit may operate the gifts of the Spirit, which are the supernatural expressions of the attributes of God's power toward His people. The church at Corinth lacked no gift, yet it displayed the worst carnality of any Christian community of its time. It is possible, then, to be gifted and immature, gifted and unpruned for service, gifted and not living in accord with the standards of God. Some may argue that this is unfair, but I believe it is equally wrong to want to exercise the powers of God without fulfilling the requirements that come with them.

The Giver of the gifts retains the right to set the guidelines for their use, and one characteristic of the Spirit stands above the rest: He is holy. It is natural, therefore, that alongside the consistent use of the gifts of the Spirit one should also pursue a holy life in God. Otherwise we are deluded, thinking we can continue in unholy lifestyles without corrupting the power of God in our lives.

In John 17, Jesus was so concerned for the sanctity of His disciples that He saw it as His responsibility to sanctify Himself for their sake. It is a spiritual principle that like begets like: an unholy or worldly minister cannot give birth to a holy church. Here we are given insight into how the spirituality of a church can be measured, for the inner life of its leaders will in some way be reflected in the spiritual lives of their followers. That is why we are cautioned about whom we follow.

Our generation has excused itself from the importance of sanctification (1 Corinthians 7); we have been deceived by the spirit of the world. Power has therefore become more appealing to this generation than the walk of the one who demonstrates it. Moses' rod became a serpent, and so did those of Jannes and Jambres; even the Antichrist and the false prophet will perform wonders to deceive (2 Thessalonians). The laws of the spirit realm allow almost anyone to access its possibilities, whether by godly means or diabolical ones. A generation that seeks after signs is a cursed generation (Matthew). A generation that has developed a tolerance for sin and worldliness will never see the true glory of God. It is not fashionable in this generation to be holy (Isaiah 4).

True power and glory can be experienced only when we learn to keep the right order: fruit must always be valued above power. This is a protection given to us by the Lord in the last days. We must maintain a balance: as we seek to experience the supernatural in God, we must equally pursue the walk that accords with it. The Spirit of holiness will always produce power (Romans 1). The fall of a minister or a church that relies solely on power is inevitable. The foundation of a strong spirituality is the Word of God, and a life given to prayer.