Haggai 1:3-9
Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while thishouse lies desolate?” Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, ” Consider your ways! “You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.”

Thus says the LORD of hosts, ” Consider your ways! “Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the LORD. “You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” declares the LORD of hosts, ”Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house.

At the end of Ezra chapter 4 we read that work on the house of God had ceased due to the signing of a decree by King Artaxerxes (Ahasuerus) which rescended a previous decree signed by King Cyrus. At the beginning of chapter 5 we read that as Haggai and Zechariah prophesied to the Jews, the spirit of Zerubbabel was stirred up and he, along with Jeshua, returned to building the house of the Lord. At the beginning of Haggai’s prophetic utterance we read the opening text above. It seems the people of God had shifted their efforts from building the temple to building their own individual dwellings. They no longer worked together toward the realization of that which testified of the kingdom, but instead chose to put their efforts into individual pursuits – the building of paneled houses. Indeed, they were still building – however, they were building the wrong thing. They even went so far as to proclaim that it was not yet the season to rebuild – but the Word of Lord reproved them.

In the midst of this situation a prophetic decree is issued that challenges the Jews concerning their behavior. So one named Zerubbabel, along with one named Jeshua, responded and stirred up the people to return to the Lord’s purpose – building the temple. Interestingly, Zerubbabel means “sown in Babylon” and of course Jeshua means “Jehovah is salvation.” So we see the co-laboring of one born in Babylon and one who is our salvation.

So it is today. Most church leaders are busy building their own paneled houses, leaving the temple undone. Rather than working together with other elders toward a common, kingdom-oriented purpose, they choose to focus on their own work (church, ministry, outreach, etc.) Many have heard and will assent to the need for unity and a true borderless expression of the body of Christ, but sadly, they continue to echo the Jews saying, “It is not the season.” Or the more common phrase “This is the Lord’s doing, not mine,” as if they have no part to play. Even the lack of harvest and spiritual potency cannot awaken them.

But God is raising up a seed which, although sown in Babylon, is now choosing to co-labor with the God of their salvation to return to the building of the temple. The hearts of the people are being stirred and many are hearing the Word of the Lord, “Set aside your paneled house and return to the work of My House.” So then let us be obedient to the prophetic word in our day and combine it with faith that we might be built together into a habitation of God in the Spirit.

I leave you with this thought. It is not now nor has it ever been about my church, my ministry, or my work for the Lord. It has always been about His church, His work and His purpose in the earth – which is far greater than what I am doing. Therefore I will be so bold as to say this. If your church, ministry or work does not find itself functioning within, contributing to and building towards the greater context of the Body of Christ, the eternal purpose of God and the Kingdom – then you probably need to review your materials list!

As is the case with institutions, the structure exists to facilitate the synthetic, programmatic growth of the organization – not the organic, interdependant growth of the family. The agenda of the few (or the one) dominates and subjugates the many. Under the pretense of “protection” & “covering” many saints are often led into the bondage of serving someone’s “vision” rather than being raised up and released to serve the all-encompassing vision of the Father.  Others, having become enchanted by incredible facilities, exorbitant lifestyles & charismatic personalities, are led down a path that steals, kills and destroys rather than imparts the life and peace of God – or worse they whole-heartedly embrace a theology that twists the truth of God to fit human ideals.

The result is all too typical: people are damaged emotionally, psychologically and spiritually, often to the point they disengage from any connectivity with other believers – effectively forsaking the assembling of themselves together. Due to innacurate teaching or the self-seeking motives of some leaders these precious saints engender mistrust leading to isolationism – the state I call being spiritually homeless.

Most of the spiritually homeless were once deeply imbedded in the life of the church, seeking to express their passion and gifting as functional members of the body. They continue to love Jesus and desire to serve people, but have recoiled from connecting for fear of being burned yet again. They know the institutional church system is wrong, but have yet to see through the haze of dissappointment and fear of repeated abuse. Praise God that He continues to lead us into all truth as we fix our eyes on Jesus, for there is a more excellent way.

We have this promise from Psalm 68:6 which tells us that God places the lonely in families. Let’s briefly consider the two words “lonely” and “families.”

The Hebrew word used for “lonely” is the word yachiyd, which is generally used to denote “the only.” Such as when God spoke to Abraham concerning Isaac calling him Abraham’s only son. In this context it depicts a state of loneliness wherein one feels alone – isolated – solitary. Now, in some instances and for certain seasons I have both experienced and observed the Lord leading saints into a solitary walk. However, such a walk is neither permanent nor impelled by hurt. I would venture to say most of those who are walking alone are doing so by way of reservation, not revelation. So then what is God’s remedy – families.

The Hebrew word for “families” is bayith, which is the common word for house, or in this context a household. It depicts relational wholeness within the context of a lineage or kinship, not merely a physical structure – as in the “House of Abraham.” In a household there is structure and safety. There are fathers, mothers and children who coexist within the context of relationship – not common agreement on a goal. In a household there is unconditionl love and grace for mistakes. In a household there is encouragement and impartation towards maturity.

Having worked in the educational sphere for several years as a teacher and principal I can clearly attest to the distinct difference between those children who are raised in solid, loving, intact families and those raised in institutional settings. Without question the former is superior to the latter. Children thrive in families – not in institutions.

As George Davis so aptly writes, “God places the lonely in families – not orphanages.” George goes on to say, “Institutionalization is as destructive to God’s children as it is to those natural children, who for whatever reason have been taken out of the home environment, and placed in an institution. The same principles, which are conducive to a strong natural family apply to God’s family.”

Mostly what we see in Christendom today are institutions, not families. Institutions are driven by an agenda (call it vision) – families are built by relationship. Institutions have care-takers – families have fathers. Institutions seek to retain all viable constituents to continue the furtherance of the institutions goals – families seek to mature and release their children into the fulness of their unique expression. God has never built an institution but rather has been building His family, His church, outside the camp.

Are you spiritually homeless? Then God has a family for you. For a season you may need to connect beyond the borders of your locality but I exhort you to make every effort to connect somewhere. Look for those with the heart of a father – avoid those with the agenda of a builder. Look for those whose desire is to serve – avoid those who desire to be served. Look for those who are releasing others – avoid those who seek to retain. Look for those being built together by relationship and the fellowship of the Spirit into a habitation of God by that which every one supplies, and there you will find family.

Although when I was younger I traveled a lot by car, plane and ship, a negative experience on a trip to Houston effectively sidelined my traveling as I allowed a spirit of fear to bind me. The details are too extensive but needless to say I had become fearful of flying and traveling in general. Not a good situation given the nature of my calling and work. For several years I have dealt with irrational fear and anxiety regarding travel – but the Lord is my deliverer. Here is the sequence of events in brief.

Originally I was not going to be on this trip, only my wife and sons were to go – mainly a financial issue, but fear on my part also gave me an easy out. But the Lord had other, much greater plans. Through a surprise financial gift my ticket and our entire family expense was paid and I was offically coming. In fact, the givers specified that we had to use the money for me to go. From this point forward it was a blur. Within a few hours of receiving the gift, I was booked on four connecting flights to travel an incredible distance – both of which struck at the heart of my fear.

As I began to pray I sensed the Lord was in it and had an incredible sense of peace about the whole trip – which really had me baffled because I was expecting fear to overwhelm me. But praise the Lord Jesus it never did! From the outset the Father has graciously showed His grace and power in delivering me from fear and anxiety. I cannot describe the freedom I am experiencing and am compelled to proclaim His goodness towards me.
So then as Paul, I boast in my weakness knowing that His strength alone allows me to accomplish His purpose in the earth. I have learned to place no confidence in the flesh but place all confidence in His ability and His overcoming. This is my current testimony of His grace. I have many from the past and expect to have many in the future.

My encouragement for you is simple: His grace is sure, steadfast and more than enough in every situation. The Lord our God is stronger than all our fears, worries and anxieties – and He desires to free us from them all. Praise God for His unfailing love and grace!

My family and I were part of a large church that had many activities and ministries. I jumped in the swirl and began to form relationships with others who were involved in the same things as me. We enjoyed each other, experienced intense spiritual moments together, spoke the same language, voiced the same longings. All the things that make up friendship. Except for one detail; our involvement was limited to a church building and a church ministry. Most of my church friends, probably 99 percent, had never been to my home nor I to theirs. The people I would pray with and cry with and have spiritual intimacy with did not know my children’s names or know that I am an avid rose gardener with over 20 rose bushes in my backyard.

It was like an illusion, the illusion of friendship and the illusion of community.

Alan then comments…

Yep. Busy-ness and projects can create the illusion of friendship and community. But, it could be just an illusion.

How can we tell? What happens when the project ends? What happens with the tasks are complete? Is there still a relationships and a desire (that is acted upon) to spend time together? No… then it was an illusion.

This illusion can cause the busiest, most engaged, most assimilated people within the church actually live a lonely life.

With the right formula, marketing and presentation it is fairly easy to amass a group of people. An edgy name, edgy worship music and Steve Jobs style message presentations seem to dominate many up and coming churches. A well-crafted vision statement, humanitarian-oriented outreach and service-projects are becoming a prevelant feature as well. But is this what being the Body of Christ is about?

I say no. Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with names, music styles and communication methods. And not that we shouldn’t attend to the needs others. But the Body is about being built together in love, by the Spirit, into a mature expression of Christ. For this to occur we must attend to matters that have little to do with the above-mentioned – or we become a synthetic organization rather than an spiriual organism. Here are three such matters I believe are fundamental to being the Body.

Engagement
We experience strength and the enjoyment of our individual uniqueness in Christ when we actively engage one another. The spirit of the age elevates individualism and independance whereas the Spirit of God causes us to be corporately interdependant. Therefore we must endeavor to engage one another at various levels such that our lives become intertwined. People are complex. Each one’s life-story filled with victories, failures, overcomings and disappointments. So to understand and appreciate my brother or sister fully, I must engage with them in all aspects of life. This requires time and intent – considering others as more important than ourselves.

Accountability
More and more I am realizing just how much we hear and serve God together. Indeed, there is safety when we submit to one another and allow others to speak into our lives concerning our lifestyles, words and even what we believe God has spoken to us. A disturbing trend I see is increasing isolationism and narcissism with every one doing what seems right in their own eyes. Many are so keen on not being judged they have become unteachable. Many leaders are so bent on doing what they believe “God said” they reject the counsel of others to their own demise and subsequently damage those under their care. May the Father return us to the place where we rely on one another and defer to one another so that we can serve one another rather than ourselves.

Transparency
Lastly, we must be a people who are honest with one another. So many saints want to deal with their issues in the privacy of their own mind or home hoping to hide from their brothers and sisters who they really are. So many are wrapped up in maintaining their own facade they lack the ability to see through someone else’s. Beloved we are encouraged to confess our faults so that we might be healed and to cease lying to one another. We are called to bear one another’s burdens and thereby fulfill the Law of Christ – the Law of love. But unless we are honest and transparent before one another we continue living a lie.

All these points require an atmosphere of trust and genuine love for one another. Until we are more committed to one another than we are to projects and programs we will fall short of God’s individual and corporate purpose, and fail to truly express Christ to the world. We will be alone in the crowd and an uncharted Christian island in a sea of lost humanity – when we are called to be in intimate fellowship with one another by the Spirit of the Living God, whose Kingdom has come to overtake the earth. Let’s return to the journey of apprehending Christ and one another.

“I’m pretty sure that when Jesus talked about the kingdom of God that was at hand, he had more in mind than a pending Christian sub-culture that could sell its own t-shirts and make its own music and movies.

After a quick google search I was able to see such shirts as “Abreadcrumb & Fish”.  A Reeses peanut butter cup looking shirt that says “Jesus” rather than “Reeses” who is our “sweet savior.”    As well as one that so aptly and lovingly reminds us that “stop, drop, and roll will not work in hell.”

With all my heart, I would love to see the Christian sub-culture in this country dry up and blow away to be replaced by a group (small if necessary) of people who take Jesus far more seriously than Christendom.

I say that because I think the Christian sub-culture is so freaking distracting.  It’s counterfeit.  It makes following Jesus harder to do for those of us that actually want to do it, because it perverts and poisons the language.

Imagine a world where “worship” wasn’t thought of as a genre of music but a state of the heart.  Imagine a world where Jesus was thought of as the Jesus that we find in the Gospels rather than the Jesus found in today’s religious sub-culture.  Man, that would be nice.”

One of the greatest challenges to an accurate, authentic expression of Christ is the ability for almost anyone to become the “expert” or “herald” of some fad or movement simply because they wrote a book, recorded a CD, started a blog or was blessed with great oratory skills. How sad it is that more believers seem moved by outward manifestation or gifting rather than inward transformation and a recognition of grace. Indeed, many believers have become sympathetic to and accepting of the ungodly lifestyles of “Christian artists” and “ministers” because they are enamored with the person’s gift.

Beloved, it is my conviction that the degree to which the counterfeit has become acceptable is directly proportionate to the lack of overall spiritual discernment and power in the lives of most believers. Having endured “worship services” that were little more than soulish, emotional experiences, and “spiritual awakening conferences” that spent more energy and space peddling the wares of the speakers – I am at the place where I must speak: both to contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints, and to protect the generation which is to come from the devastating consequences of adopting a cross-less, Christ-less, emotion-driven, merchandise-centered Christianity.

When did mimicking the cultures of the world become “evangelism?” When did believers have to resort to cutsie phrases and worldly methodologies to make Christ “relevant?” Answer – in almost every generation since the resurrection. I am reminded of one John Tetzel, who is infamous in his peddling of indulgencies during Luther’s days. One of his favorite jingles went something like this…

As soon as the gold in the casket rings; the rescued soul to heaven springs.

So then we find the ever-present need to express accurate individual and corporate expressions of Christ as a testimony against the continuous efforts of those who belive godliness is a means of financial gain.

A true representation of the Kingdom of our God reveals its irresistible ability to overtake the kingdoms of the world. So when we observe well-meaning but misguided believers using worldly techniques and marketing strategies to make Christ “appealing” to the masses it is time to encourage an honest evaluation of the depth and authenticity of our expression of Christ. He is altogether lovely, awesome and irresistible when He is revealed. But that level of expression requires a measure of personal transformation that many are simply unwilling to undergo. It is so much easier to create and market a t-shirt than to lay down our lives for one another, forsake all, and follow Him. But the words of the John cannot be ignored.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Positional leadership can create a platform of influence for an individual, and it can be organizationally effective. However, it is not typically transformational to the lives of followers. To the degree it is separate from relationship with followers, it is a perversion of leadership, no matter what you call it.

What I appreciate about this statement is how it speaks to the apparent effectiveness of Christian organizations in terms of getting things done. All too often organizational effectiveness is mistaken for validation from God that the organizations vision & goals are blessed of God. Not that a fellowship shouldn’t be effective in it’s organization. But the true validation of effectiveness is revealed in the transformation of lives rather than the ability to “get ‘er done.”

Indeed, our purpose as a fellowship is not to “get ‘er done” rather it is to mutually edify one another such that a mature expression of Christ is seen and the kingdom of God is advanced in the earth. This only occurs as the lives of those who make up a particular fellowship are transformed into the image of Christ, and the corporate man is built together into a habitation of God by the Spirit. This requires an investment of life on the part of leadership that goes far beyond a Sunday morning sermon and Wednesday night teaching.

True leaders are servants who willingly and joyfully lay down their lives for the flock; who invest time, tears and energy in the lives of those committed to their charge. It is all about relationship; being built together and spending our lives in service to the body with a view and commitment to their maturity. This was the example of Jesus and should be the example we set as well.

“The events of Jesus birth and early years of life were couched within political intrigue, murderous plots, acts of genocidal rage, state intelligence activities, issues of immigration and covert border crossings, a visiting delegation of foreign dignitaries and the census and tax decrees of an empire. We must be aware of the actual introduction of the King into the earth and the drama which unfolded in a political and social context.”

“Herod’s first action was to gather the leaders of the church and ask them for the location of the birth of Christ, and Matthew records that they provided this without reservation. This is a church which has a complete lack of discernment; they are so blind, unaware and spiritually dull that they willingly participated in a political process that resulted in a bloody assault against the Kingdom of God! We must wonder: where was the insight of the Church regarding this fresh new Divine initiative being birthed into the earth? Weren’t they aware that a new move of God was at hand and required their participation? Did they have no discernment regarding the true nature of Herod’s request for information?”

Syncretism Matthew 2:8
He (Herod) sent them to Bethlehem and said… Syncretism is a word that means a mixture of things that are opposed, and we see this when Herod tried to use the wise men for his political purposes. His arrogance is manifest when he joined his purposes (seeking to find and neutralize the child) to the divine mission of the men from the East. Politicians from all sides of the aisle commonly engage in this unholy mixture, and the church has so diluted the message of the Kingdom of God that many have come to believe that “God and country” are one. However, the Magi went to Bethlehem not out of obedience to Herod but because they had spiritual sight and were sent by God.

“The Church must have a heightened and more insightful view of the Word of God. Seeing the Bible as simply a plan for individual salvation is to strip it of all of its richness, and this limited view has produced a people in the earth who are narrow and whose lives are segmented into quadrants that produce internal conflict and separation. For instance, Christians today would look to the Word of God for answers about sin and salvation, but they would not have been taught to understand economic principles and political leadership from a Kingdom perspective.”

Click here to visit Scott’s website. (Opens in new window)

Needless to say Dr. Boyd was “struck with horrified grief” and asks the following question: “How could Jesus’ people applaud tragic violence, regardless of why it happened and regardless of how they might benefit from its outcome?” An equally griping question he later asks is “Didn’t Jesus die for Iraqis as much as for Americans? Don’t they possess the same unsurpassable worth that Americans possess?” Of course the answer on both accounts is a resounding – Yes!

In examining this incident Dr. Boyd makes this statement. “We have come to trust the power of the sword more than the power of the cross. We have become intoxicated with the Constantinian, nationalistic, violent mindset of imperialistic Christendom.” He goes on to assert,

The thinking is that America was founded as a Christian nation but has simply veered of track. If we can just get the power of Caesar again, however, we can take it back. If we can just get more Christians into office, pass more Christian laws, support more Christian policies, we can restore this nation to its “one nation under God” status.

He then provides an excellent critique of the problem considering two questions: 1) “Did Jesus ever suggest by word or example that we should aspire to acquire, let alone take over, the power of Caesar?” and 2) How do we take back for God a nation that has never truly been His?

To the first question Dr. Boyd responds,

Unlike America, Israel was, in fact, called to be a “nation under God” in a unique way. God was supposed to be her King and, moreover, most of Jesus’ Jewish contemporaries wanted to “take Israel back for God.” This is precisely why they continually tried to fit Jesus into the mold of a political Messiah.

Of course Jesus would have none of that. In John chapter 6 we read, “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.” Had it been His motive to take over the world through political means this would have been an excellent opportunity. And again in John 18:36 Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Clearly, the kingdom of God is separate from the kingdoms of the world and the former will not come through the exercise of the later.

To the second question, Dr. Boyd provides many examples that remind us just how un-Christian the founding and building of this nation truly was. From the covenant-breaking, massacre of this lands native inhabitants to the slavery and brutality unleashed on millions of Africans to the greed-driven, inhumane industrialization that catapulted America into financial dominance…

The way this nation was “discovered,” conquered, and governed was a rather typical, barbaric, violent, kingdom-of-the-world affair. The immoral barbarism displayed in the early (and subsequent) years of this country was, sadly, pretty typical by kingdom-of-the-world standards. The fact that it was largely done under the banner of Christ doesn’t make it more Christian, any more than any other bloody conquest done in Jesus name throughout history (such as the Crusades and the Inquisition) qualifies them to be Christlike.

The summation then of this chapter is that we, who profess the name of Jesus and who live in America, need to take a serious look at our internal position concerning nationalism and patriotism. For in continuing to believe the government of God will be achieved through political ends is as foolish as it is un-biblical. Consider Jesus’ words from Luke 17:20-21,

Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here {it is!}’ or, ‘There {it is!}’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (NASB)

Indeed, Jesus is the kingdom. And as this passage goes on to say, there will be no question as to when His kingdom is manifest in the earth. Until that day, we His people, are called to manifest the true kingdom by our individual and corporate expression of His dominion over sin, sickness, pride, anger, malice and whatever else is contrary to His character and nature. We are called to further His kingdom by love, not violence or political posturing. We are called to bear one another’s burdens – and there are many burdens being suffered throughout the world by our brethren. But until the patriotic scales fall from our eyes and the nationalistic veil is lifted we will continue to identify more with the culture and spirit of America than the culture and Spirit of the kingdom of God.

Let’s begin by considering the following passages and a few key words in each.

According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 1 Cor. 3:10 NASB (emphasis mine)

Grace
I believe Paul’s use of the word “grace” is a direct reference to his apostolic grace, according to which he “laid a foundation” having the wisdom of a “master builder.” It is by an outworking of his respective grace that he accomplishes the task set before him. Therefore we should look deeper into the words “master builder” and “laid a foundation.”

Master Builder
The word here is architekton, from which we get the modern word architect and it’s many derivatives. Dr. Renate Fruchter, professor of Civil and Environmental engineering at Stanford University says this regarding the role of a master builder.

“The Greek root of the word architect is architekton, meaning master builder. Historically, master builders understood the architecture or aesthetics, the structural engineering or mathematics, and the construction materials and technology necessary to design and build edifices. They had ateliers in which apprentices worked as a team and contributed to the execution of work bearing the master’s signature.”

This is instructive as it points to what was in Paul’s mind when he chose to use this word to describe the outworking of his grace. He could faithfully lay an accurate foundation because he was an architekton. He had divine understanding into the spiritual structure God was building in the earth and how to properly lay an accurate foundation upon which that structure could be built.

Laid a Foundation
The foundation can be described as the framework upon which a building is constructed and in this case the only legitimate foundation is Christ. The Body of Christ as the habitation of God cannot be built upon a man or a vision, it must be built exclusively upon Christ. So then we see that a key signiture of the apostolic grace is the wisdom to found and build. In the case of the Corinthians, Paul remarks that others are building upon the foundation he laid and that they should build “carefully,” a word that denotes discernment, insight and understanding (see the Greek word ‘blepo’).

The Apostolic Grace
So then we see that the apostolic grace is uniquely wired to lay an accurate foundation, carries the blueprint for accurate building, and will not attempt to build upon charisma, gifting, vision or anything other than Christ. Therefore, the suppression of this grace causes innaccurate building upon improper foundation – a tragedy we see throughout the Body of Christ. So often we see “churches” built upon personality or doctrinal cohesion or vision, because there is a lack of true apostolic grace. Simply put, the evangelistic, teaching or shepherding (or pastoral) grace is not wired to see the blueprint or build the structure, which is why so many communities of believers lack proper foundation and structure.

Let me emphasize. This is not about control this is about grace. We must learn to allow the various grace giftings to function complimentarily or the structure will be flawed. And in the case of the apostolic grace, the flaw is foundational – therefore the structure, no matter how accurate, is destined to fall. Indeed, there is much to say about individuals who carry a legitimate apostolic grace but fail to submit to their counterparts, but that will have to wait for another post. Suffice it to say, apsotles are not the end-all, be-all. However, the continued suppression of that grace causes churches to be stuck in religious ruts due to poor foundations and lack of spiritual impulse.

I want to further ellucidate this point through a careful consideration of Paul’s charge to both Timothy and Titus but that will have to wait. Indeed, this topic is so important and expansive there will certainly be several posts to follow.

Your thoughts & comments are welcome and encouraged.

First, I believe it is essential to recognize that most of us out-of-the-camp types were at one point deeply immersed in the Christian religion. By grace we were lead out as we sought the Lord for a greater revelation of Christ – but from Babylon we came nonetheless. I believe the tendancy towards religion is intrinsically bound up in the human heart and has been since Adam and Eve attempted to hid their nakedness. It is only by the washing of the water of the Word that our minds are renewed to see that we are accepted in Christ because of His sacrifice and no longer need to make coverings for our nakedness. Indeed, we have been clothed with Christ and are no longer naked before God.

I also think it important to recognize that any position, regardless of how “present-truth” it may be, is subject to becoming Babylon-ized. For even though we have seen more of Christ and His purpose in the earth – our sight still falls far short of His glory. So then we must remain a people of pursuit, like Abraham, living in tents, continually pursuing that city whose builder and maker is God.

I agree with Mark, that a time is coming and now is when a strong prophetic declaration of Exodus is sweeping the earth. Those who have ears to hear have but one response…”Come out of her My people.” Most believers have seen and experienced the futility of “church.” But bantering over the inadequacies of the Christian religion is equally as futile. The rehearsal of past hurts and offences is not the way forward. We must be faithful to build according to the pattern we have seen and walk in love towards those who would speak against us. In the end, the Lord is our defense. I do see a day approaching wherein a bold prophetic and apostolic voice speaks back into Babylon, but I think that time is still to come.

So then what of those still in Babylon? What is our position towards them? I am struck by the parable of the wineskins and the wine. Notice what Luke brings out.

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one, after drinking old {wine} wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good {enough.}’ Luke 5:37-39

This passage is quite instructive. Here are a few points in brief for your consideration.

1. Jesus is using common sense to make His point. For these people it was quite obvious that no one would put new wine in an old wineskin. That should be obvious to us as well.
2. Jesus is concerned primarily for the wine, but secondarily for the skin. So then, for whatever reason, he does not want the old skin to be ruined. Maybe it is useful for those who are content to drink the old. Indeed, once that wine is fully drunk the skin becomes useless.
3. New wine = Fresh wineskins – Enough said!
4. See how strong a pull the taste of the hold has in that no one wishes for the new. (It should be noted that some manuscripts contain a word that suggests no one “immediately” desires the new.)

I believe Babylon is a position of the heart that we can find ourselves in regardless of the form we inhabit. And though the outworking of Babylon is manifest in old forms and traditions that have rendered the Word ineffective, we must continually guard against an internal Babylonian position so as not to rebuild that which the Lord has destroyed.

There is much to say regardig the Christian religion, but this will have to suffice for now. Perhaps part three will be forthcoming.