Focus: Spiritual Strangers

Text: Jer.51:51

"Strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the LORD's house."

Jeremiah declares the sad reality of his time. The sacred spaces in God's house designated for the priests have been intruded by ordinary men - a sad reality indeed. Just think of a natural man practicing spirituality! What does Paul say about the natural man? He says, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1Cor.2:14). 

The things of the Spirit are spiritually scrutinized. The natural man cannot handle it. Until he has encountered the rebirth of the Spirit he cannot be schooled by the Spirit of the Lord. A man must be born again before he could see the kingdom of God, and it is by being born of the Spirit that he could enter into the kingdom of God. So to see God's kingdom and to enter into it, one must be born from heaven, and that is only made possible by the operation of the Holy Spirit. 

Another thing to note is that the natural man has a carnal mentality, and Paul tells us that "the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be," and again, he says, "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit" (Rom.8:5,7). The sadder thing is that the sad reality of Jeremiah's time is also the sad reality of our time. The spiritual house of God is now occupied by spiritual strangers. Jude tells of those who "separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit." Jesus Christ describes those who came before Him as "thieves and robbers," and He says, "I am the DOOR of the sheep," meaning that the thieves and robbers broke into the fold by other means. Paul describes those "whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)" (Phil.3:9). Paul calls them wolves. He says, "For I know this, that after my departing shall GRIEVOUS WOLVES enter in among you, not sparing the flock" Act.20:29).

These people are all in the church today, doing ministry and standing behind the pulpit. They are very religious and well-certificated, but they lack the Spirit. There is no fire of God in their souls. They are acquainted with the letter that kills, but they are devoid of the Spirit who enlightens and enlivens the human spirit.

The Jezebels have infiltrated the sanctuary of the Lord, teaching their own doctrines, and we are tolerating them (Rev.2:20,24). Evil men and false Apostles have invaded the church (Rev.2:2). We are seeing the deeds of the Nicolaitans and imbibing their doctrine and that of Balaam (Rev.2:6,14-15). We are noticing those who say they are Jews, but are not (Rev.2:9). They are all in the church. The Lord Jesus Christ says, "I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan" (Rev.2:9). In Rev.3:9, the Lord says, "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee." Churches abound that could be described as the "synagogue of Satan," and they are involved in "depths of Satan" (Rev.2:9,24;3:9). John also describes those who "went out from among us, but they were not of us. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us" (1Jh.2:19).

The 'mixed multitude' phenomenon or syndrome is evident in the modern-day church. We are experiencing a reoccurrence of what happened to Israel in the desert. The gospel has been so badly adulterated. The gospel is now about the "the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick" (Num.11:5). The mixed multitude grumbled at the manna. They said, "But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes" (Num.11:6). Our appetite and greed inform the gospel we preach.

Wheat and tares are all mixed up among us, and to make matters worse, we have a lot of us, who like Ephraim, are like cake not turned. God says, "Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned" (Hos.7:8). That means half-baked cake. It is undone on one side and burnt on the other side, and therefore useless.

Concerning the future, Paul tells us about the Antichrist "who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" (2Thes.2:4). This is the height of desecration of the holy by a spiritual stranger.

Are we not having today those who parade themselves as believers in Christ, but whose ways of thinking and living say otherwise? We have very religious people in the church who have no idea of what it means to be born again. They lack any experience of spiritual rebirth or moral change.

The church has been invaded and desecrated by spiritual strangers who offer strange fires upon God's altars. They have a form of godliness, but they know nothing of the power of God.

A lot of us are not noticing or discerning enough about the strange fires that are being offered in our churches. Satan has transformed himself into an angel of light and operating in the church, and we are falling for it.

We live in the era of errors, and the ugly thing about error is that it must have truth in it to sell. The more truth error contains, the more it sells. So error becomes more dangerous and cancerous when it has plenty truth in it. Roger A. Davis said, "Part of the problem is that most error starts out with "truth." That truth then becomes a "message." The message leads to a "movement." The movement builds a "monument." The monument crumbles because of error."

Let us be wary of spiritual strangers; and make sure that you are not a spiritual stranger in the house of God! It is possible for one to be close to the kingdom without being in it. So close, yet so far away. I believe it is not your portion in Jesus' name!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter