Manipulating the Spirit

I Cor.1:18 - For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us that are saved it is the POWER OF GOD.
I Cor.3:7 - So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but GOD THAT GIVETH THE INCREASE.

In the early and embryonic church there was great power and much enthusiasm but very little knowledge as to many of the doctrines we take for granted today. They preached Christ and Him crucified but never entertained the thought of creative strategies to get the gospel to seem more attractive to all the Mediterranean cultures. They were message oriented fueled by the power of the Spirit which was given in direct proportion to their fasting and prayer. Trading Spiritual power for relevant interaction and softening the painful edge of the gospel would have saved many a martyr's life, but they counted not their lives dear in the cause of powerfully representing their Lord and Savior. It was experiential truth to them and they dare not sell a watered down version of what had changed their lives forever, and I‘m sure it just made common sense to tell EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. What else could make sense?

They were not interested in results, they were obsessed with glorifying and obeying their Master. The results were in His hands.

If a doctor could add some sweet tasting ingredient to his medicine he definitely could get his patients to take what they needed more readily. There would be no harm in that because people were getting the cure they needed even if they were taking it sometimes based on the taste. Now doesn’t that seem to be a good idea for the gospel message? I mean if you make sure to include the core message, what harm does it do a person if indeed the cure is somewhere in the message? Along with all the other things he is accepting, he receives the gospel too, right?

That might work for medicine but it doesn’t work for the gospel. Why not? Because you have left out one extremely important element that isn’t necessary in receiving the medicine that is essential in receiving the gospel, the intent and heart of the recipient. If a person doesn’t believe the medicine will help him but it is the correct medicine for his sickness, it will still work in spite of his skepticism or even his enjoying the great taste. But if a person enjoys the great taste that is presented to him about the gospel concerning all the earthly benefits but he doesn’t actually fully embrace the core truths and the implications it must have for his life, unlike the medicine the gospel will have no affect on him. You see, the heart is essential for faith and if the object has been altered then the faith that a person has is useless, having been placed upon a religious lie and not the Lord Jesus Christ.

What if a doctor handed a person a sweet tasting medicine and the patient was informed that this would cure his disease but in fact there was no medicine in the candy, would it cure him? The patient believed he was taking medicine but in reality he was taking candy and his faith was useless. The same thing is happening today when preachers all over America and other parts of the world are presenting an earthly and powerless gospel that if believed is useless. We wrap a pill inside a hot dog to fool our dogs, but the only thing that the Son of God should be wrapped in is His own breathtaking glory. Nothing, I said NOTHING, on this earth can be attached as a benefit in the presentation of the gospel. If God wanted to kill you the moment you believed that is up to Him, but he has not promised anything but that which comes from forgiveness, conversion, regeneration, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit. And that promise is eternal life.

Is that not enough for our self centered and lustful hearts??

To manipulate the message and the hearers is to attempt to manipulate the Holy Spirit which by definition is an insult to Him. Only the Holy Spirit can draw a sinner to the cross and illuminate his eyes as to who this Savior really is. Even a true believer in a free will should know that only the Holy Spirit knows Who Jesus really is and no man can figure it out, they just have a responsibility as far as it concerns response. One of the greatest miscarriages of the glory of God is to bring the Son of the Living God down to earth, adorn Him with the hedonistic lusts of mankind, and introduce Him as the Christ of God. And when self centered sinners, consumed with their own lusts, see this man made caricature and run to have Him come and adjust their lifestyles in a self aggrandizing way, their faith falls uselessly upon another Jesus.
Here are some evangelical colloquialisms that besmirch the truth:

1. Man says - Ask Jesus into your life.
The Scripture says - Take up your cross and follow Me.
2. Man says - Ask Jesus into your heart.
The Scripture says - Repent and believe the gospel
3. Man says - Pray this prayer
The Scripture says - Their lips draw nigh unto Me but their heart is far from Me
4. Man says - Do you want to go to heaven?
The Scripture says - The wages of sin is death.
5. Man says - Jesus wants to be your friend.
The Scripture says - That you might walk worthy of the Lord.
6. Man says - Just believe, nothing more.
The Scripture says - Faith without works is dead.
7. Man says - Jesus wants to bless you financially.
The Scripture says - But godliness with contentment is great gain.
8. Man says - Jesus can be found in everyone.
The Scripture says - when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Man continues to say a lot of things that are deceiving many and the church enjoys the rapid slide into heretical slumber because it is to her advantage and not God’s glory. The church had a problem reconciling her worldly lifestyle so she changed the Word to accommodate her choices and soothe her conscious. Some, a small remnant, are just beginning to see what has and continues to happen. We will have to look into the mirror first before God will trust anyone with the divine power necessary to part the Jordan and lead people into what God has promised, Spiritual warfare and ultimately the glory of the everlasting gospel.

The first step is to repent of attempting to manipulate the Spirit, stand still, and see the salvation of our Lord wholly by the Word of HIS power.