The Spiritual Deception in the Church
By the way they lived their lives; many strange problems came into the church. Demons attached to their evil acts brought strange fire, problems into the lives of weak members. Many evil spirits defiled the characters of the majority of the church members. The church was brought down by the devil spiritually. They were deceived and removed from God’s presence without their knowledge.
‘And he spake this parable unto certain, which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted’ (Luke 18:9-14).
Manipulation of the Faithful
Their health, business, marriages and job began to have problems. They ran to the pastor, church and they were deceived repeatedly. Instead of preaching to them, teaching them the way back to God, they told them to sow seed. When their problems increased, they told them to sow more seeds, pray more or go for deliverance upon deliverances. This continued until some head pastors made their members to lose all their properties. Others emptied their account and became poor. Some died in their poverty while few survived as poor members. They were thought how to live in poverty and make heaven without repentance and restitutions. Others were taught on how to pray violent prayers, live by faith without God in their lives. Others were told that why their business collapsed is because God called them into the ministry of deliverance.
Today, many of them with demons are delivering others while they are not delivered. They were taught on the principles of deliverance without being born again. They attend bible schools, school of deliverance, school of prayer and many others but they are not born again. Though they can pray, prophecy and see vision, their source is Satan who has deceived them. They do things in the extreme and practice witchcraft without knowing. Some of them go to the extreme to preach holiness but their holiness is not holy. They are not born again or know the way of Christ. The worst deceit or ignorance is when you are not aware of it. They are so confident in what they are doing without knowing that they were ignorant, wrong and rejected.
‘Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews’ (John 4:22).
Spiritual Death and False Confidence
So many church members in Sardis were happy in their riches, poverty, and deceit and confident without God. Some were without God. Some were happy because that is their father’s church. But all their confident in worship and whatever they have were vanity. They think they are better than others because of where they worship. They were deceived by multiple activities and fake assurances from the leaders.
Everyone struggle to obtain certificate to function, belong or recognized from school of prayer, deliverance, prophesy and others. They were ordained by men but rejected by God. They had names everywhere but no life from God. They were confident because they bore the name of Christians, they did not recognize the absence of the life, love and nature of Christ in them. They were self-satisfied church, merrily going along the broad way but they were walking corps before God.
‘And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead… Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee’ (Revelation 3:1; 3).
Some true believers among them were carried away, mixed up, backslide and joined them. They became formal in singing, praising, in worship and in deliverances without God. They had the written word but not living Lord and they were satisfied. God warned the true believers among them who were being carried away to look back how they started to remember how they started. To remember how they received Christ and His word. How they heard God’s word and hold fast and repent.
‘For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together’ (Jeremiah 48:7).
He warned them not to be carried away by the polluted riches and anointing of sinners among them. They were deceived to believe that riches, power can be gotten wrongly and enjoyed. They were satisfied without God’s presence. Their trust is in the multitude of their treasures without divine presence and approval.