The religious spirit and rebellion

I want to talk about something most churches will not want to talk
about. Part of the problem is we are more comfortable with church
than talking and thinking about the kingdom of heaven. The
question of recognizing religious spirit in our and other lives is
critical if God is going to use us. This question is so vital when
consider good passionate Jew of Jesus day resisted God for a past
revelation of God and a self-righteousness that cannot save
anyone. As part of the mark as they the Jews of Jesus day were,
people of today in church can be bound by false religious spirits
that bind us and take our passion and power of the gospel, these
religious spirits can take form is one person, a clique, church,
even a whole denomination.
Mathew strategically wrote in his gospel account to show how the
Jewish leaders rejected Jesus as their Messiah. Their debates with
Jesus increased until it reached a climax in the 12 th chapter. That
was a turning point in the first eleven chapters Jesus spoke openly
about the kingdom of God being offered to the Jews. After chapter
12 however, He only spoke in parables. Explaining himself to his
disciples, He quoted the prophecy of Isaiah 6:9-10, . When a
person reaches a point of hard heartedness it is hard for them to
humble themselves, repent and be forgiven, this sin is unconfused
and people at this point have decided in their hearts they do not
need to repent because in their eyes they have no sin. They keep
all the rules; its all those other guys who need to be forgiven.
Look at Luke 18:9-14
9
10
11

A unos que confiaban en s mismos como justos, y

menospreciaban a los otros, dijo tambin esta parbola:
Dos hombres subieron al templo a orar: uno era fariseo, y
el otro publicano.
El fariseo, puesto en pie, oraba consigo mismo de esta
manera: Dios, te doy gracias porque no soy como los otros
hombres, ladrones, injustos, adlteros, ni aun como este

12
13
14

publicano;
ayuno dos veces a la semana, doy diezmos de todo lo que
gano.
Mas el publicano, estando lejos, no quera ni aun alzar los
ojos al cielo, sino que se golpeaba el pecho, diciendo: Dios,
s propicio a m, pecador.
Os digo que ste descendi a su casa justificado antes que
el otro; porque cualquiera que se enaltece, ser humillado;
y
el
que
se
humilla
ser
enaltecido.
Consider the woman caught in adultery that was brought to
Jesus and the good moral men who wanted to stone her
wanted Christs condemnation. We find in John 8:3-11.
Christ reply stopped them in their tracks when he asked
the one without sin to cast the first stone. Jesus got right to
heart of the issue of self-righteousness, as the older men
walked away first as Christ wrote their sins in the sand as
well.
In the recognition of religious spirits and dealing with them
in our lives we need as mature Christians to not allow the
sin of rebellion to come in our lives. Most people that are
set free from a religious spirit, or religious ways, are not
actually walking free like Jesus. Instead they switch from
religious spirit. One heart begins to be rebellion toward
religious people and religious churches rather than the
religious spirit. The religious spirit always tries to get
people to camp in one place. It will hold on to that which is
familiar and comfortable rather than moving on glory to
glory. Remember Peter, under the inspiration of Satan, tried
to rebuke Jesus because he was going to the cross to suffer
and pay for the sin of mankind. But Jesus turned and
rebuked Satan in Peter because it was actually Peter
operating with a religious spirit. I believe we can walk in
freedom in any place that we are in. Jesus was in the same
places that the Pharisees and Sadducees were. He was
able to go into their church and be around the people,
without himself becoming a religious spirit. I have listed 10
indicators or having a religious spirit. But I want to say that

the wrong response is to be without a commitment or a

lifestyle of serving and seeking God, refusing to work or
lead people that are held in bondage.
1- The first characteristic of a religious spirit is
powerlessness.
a. 2 Tim. 3:5 que tendrn apariencia de piedad, pero
negarn la eficacia de ella; a stos evita. The
religious person has a form of godliness in outward
ceremony and ritual, but they offer no real power
for a changed life. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the
power of God unto salvation, healing, deliverance,
that is creative life changing power.
2- Another characteristic of a religious spirit is to always
focus on the negative things that are happening
around you, it is the tendency to see our primary
mission as tearing down what we believe is wrong.
The religious spirit has an inclination to see more of
what is wrong with other people other churches than
what is right with them.
3- The third characteristic of a religious spirit is
manifested in a person that is always trying to fix
what is wrong with other people as if they were
appointed by God with that mission.
4- The fourth characteristic of religious spirit is a sense
that we are closer to God than other people or that
our lives and ministries are pleasing to God.
5- The fifth characteristic of religious spirit is the
tendency to compare ourselves to other we think are
less spiritual, thus building ourselves up while tearing
others down others.
6- Jealously is the sixth characteristic of religious spirit,
this is the tendency to be suspicious or of new
movement, churches, or ministries.
7- The seventh characteristic of religious spirit is a
mechanical prayer life. When we start to feel relief
when our prayer time is over with the one we love, we
are being motivated by a religious spirit.
8- The eighth characteristic of religious spirit is doing

things in order to be noticed and accepted by men.

9- The ninth characteristic of religious spirit is glorying
more in what God has done in the past than God is
doing in the present. Their focus is on the past and
the present is aborted.
10The tenth characteristic is keeping score on our
spiritual lives. This includes feeling better about
ourselves because we go to more meetings, read our
bibles more, or do more things for the Lord than
others Christians.
I would like to share 4 majors characteristic of a religious
spirit. The major characteristic is an inflexibility to change
the time of the service, the day we meet, the color of the
carpet, or the length of the candle in the church. Many
pastor or staff member has been fired by a religious people
who refuse to change anything. There are many a religious
people who leave their church because they will not accept
change/
Take the origin of the Sunday school which was founded by
Robert Rakes, in Great Britain. He found orphan children
and got them off the street and began to educate them in
Sunday school. He used the bible to teach these children
how to read and write that would have had an educational
opportunity. In many churches if we stopped Sunday
schools they leave the church.
Secondly, perfectionism is a major component of a
religious spirit. Perfectionism cannot tolerate mistakes in
themselves or others. They are consistently sitting in
judgment of others because they have a spirit of judgment
or criticism that is at work in their own lives. John 7:24,
No juzguis segn las apariencias, sino juzgad con
justo juicio.
Luke 6:37, No juzguis, y no seris juzgados; no
condenis, y no seris condenados; perdonad, y seris
perdonados.
There is a freedom from a spirit of judgment and criticism

for the believer, who is established on grace and not the

law. When grace is received for personal failure it has the
tendency to make us gracious and forgiving to others. The
attitude of a real is always redemptive in nature and
forgiving. Our thinking must be that anyone can change if
there is honesty and there is a desire for greater
conformity to the image and likeness of God. There is no
sin or failure apart from blasphemy of the Holy Spirit that
cannot forgive. You cannot get too far for God to forgive
you, heal you, and change you and bring recovery and
restoration into your life. The more you receive from the
Lord the more you have to give to others. If you are a
perfectionist to give to others and the church.
Romans 8:1, Ahora, pues, ninguna condenacin hay
para los que estn en Cristo Jess, los que no andan
conforme a la carne, sino conforme al Espritu.
The next characteristic is legalism, these are people who
try to control, regulate, or cover their problems by
following a list of rules and traditions imposed on them by
other systems religions and beliefs. The best example
would be the Judadizers in the Galatians church.
Colossians 2:8, Mirad que nadie os engae por
medio de filosofas y huecas sutilezas, segn las
tradiciones de los hombres, conforme a los
rudimentos del mundo, y no segn Cristo.
The fourth major characteristic is excessive guilt which
motivates a person to work for God to be accepted by Him,
as a covering for his sin.