Witchcraft In The Church

Charles Newbold

Chapter 14 - The Harlot Church System

What could the practice of witchcraft possibly have to do with the church? Much in many different ways. William's experience is one example.

William had been called by the church officials to pastor their little independent fellowship. After much prayer and consultation, he and his wife agreed. They left their home community to face the challenges of this new work. He tells about it this way:

I knew from the beginning that Stella was in control of this church, I guess I ignored the red flags. This little group of people had unanimously decided it was God's will for me to be their pastor and after much prayer, I accepted. It was deceiving at first, because my initial contacts were with her husband and another man. Then it happened. One incident after another. She came against everything I did. She resisted my preaching. She controlled the finances and the Christian school the church ran. She did it all through her husband. He was her voice.

Then the church officials called a meeting with me. I could tell something was wrong when I walked in. They said they wanted me to be at the church every morning by six o'clock to handle the daycare when the children came in.

"I thought you wanted me to pastor the church--to spend time in prayer, study, and ministry. The daycare was never mentioned," I replied.

They answered back, "There's not any men down here. We need somebody down here if light bulbs need to be changed."

"Wait a minute," I said, "I didn't come here to change light bulbs." I knew then they didn't want me around anymore. So I asked them if they believed God had sent me here. I challenged them to think about it before they answered. I asked each one in turn and they each replied, "No." "Then we don't need to carry this meeting on any further," I told them.

Stella's husband said, "Well I'm sure we can work out something."

"Brother," I answered, "you just told me that you didn't think God sent me here. If you don't think God sent me here, then why would you want to work things out?" This was the demise of that relationship. We were fired just one month after we had moved on the field.

Stella wanted William to pastor her church as long as she could control and manipulate him to do what she wanted done. Trouble broke out between them, however, anytime he did anything or said anything that threatened her hold on things.

She operated in the Jezebel spirit and her husband perfectly played out the Ahab role. When they brought their manipulations and control issues into the life and affairs of the church, they practiced witchcraft in the church--witchcraft being: anything we do to manipulate other people to do things against their wills in order to achieve our own self-centered desires. Wherever it is practiced, or however slightly it is practiced, witchcraft is still witchcraft.

WITCHCRAFT IN THE CHURCH

People practice witchcraft in the church as thoughtlessly as they do in everyday life. It is an abomination to God when it is practiced in any arena, but more especially when we practice it among one another in the family of God.

Jesus is the head of His body, the called-out-ones. The Holy Spirit is His administrator. Those who follow Jesus are obedient to His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit establishes the Kingdom of God. It can never be established by the hand of self-strength and the practice of witchcraft.

When men assume headship over Christ's body and people submit to that false headship, the flesh rather than the Spirit of Jesus is operating. The fact that such terms as ambition, impatience, competition, success, promotion, contention, contrariness, argumentativeness, divisiveness, and unyieldedness are commonplace among those who rule the churches and abide in them is evidence enough that they are operating in the flesh.

The flesh nature of man is controlling and manipulative--thus, it engages in the practice of witchcraft. When what you have is headed by man (or woman), it will always be under the rule of witchcraft--men building their own kingdoms under the pretext of being the Kingdom of God.

The structures of denominations and institutionalized churches are headed by man; therefore, they are out of scriptural order. Those who rule the churches may say that Christ is the head of their church, but He is not. He cannot be the head of many different bodies. He is the head of His body. There is only one body of Christ. If Jesus were in charge of these man-ruled organizations, there would be no need for men and women to politic for positions. If He were the head of the churches, there would only be one church because there is only one body of Christ. On the contrary, the churches are divided one against the other.

It is an alarming thing to realize that this Thing we call church is not ruled by the Holy Spirit, but by witchcraft. In the street-savvy words of Bob Hughey, "Everything that is called Christian and Holy Spirit, ain't. Be warned."

SELF-AGGRANDIZEMENT

Self-seeking people who rule the churches are typically fueled by the need to increase themselves in power, position, riches, and domination. They are Nicolaitans who are prodded by the Jezebel spirit.

They garner large sums of unrighteously gained tithes and offerings to build elaborate edifices for themselves rather than beautifying the Lord of glory and His bride. They seduce others to join them rather than joining others to Jesus Christ. They devise schemes, programs, and marketing plans complete with logos and slogans to entice people to join them. They inspire loyalty and commitment to themselves and their vision rather than to Jesus and His vision for the bride.

They bind people to their own laws and phony doctrines. They guilt-provoke people to sign pledge cards, causing them to make oaths that God has not asked them to make. They build their identities around their names, positions, clerical collars, titles, denominations, traditions, doctrines, and heritage. They deceive people into thinking that busyness is godliness. They use their power to endow other people with power, that they might ally those other people to themselves. They give the more honored seats to the persons who come in wearing the gold rings and costly apparel. James 2:2. People, their money, and their talents are rungs on the ladder they use to climb to the heights of their own ambitions which are fueled by their imaginations.

Personal Hidden Agenda

Self-seeking people who rule the churches have personal agendas. Self-seeking personal agendas conflict with God's agenda. Their agendas are often hidden. Different people have different agendas. Bishop Pete built a new sanctuary out of his need for identity. Father David entered the ministry to please his dad. Reverend Dan earned a doctoral degree to receive recognition and better positions. Dr. Anthony was committed to writing a new book every year just to maintain his popularity.

People with hidden agendas need supporters to carry out their plans. They may want increased church memberships, newer and bigger buildings, inflated reputations, or better salaries. They need noses and nickels to achieve their desired high standings. They know that "bigness" impresses people. They have taught each other that. So the bigger they get, the more impressive they think they will become. The more popular many ministers become, the more riches people lavish upon them.

Their agendas must be kept hidden from their supporters, for the truth would result in a loss of support; therefore, they seek to gain loyalty and support by provoking fear, condemnation, guilt, emotionalism, and by falsifying reports.

APPEALS FOR MONEY

Self-seeking people who rule the churches depend upon other people to make themselves and their churches successful. Naive and unsuspecting "partners" or members are deceived into believing that giving to these ministries or churches ruled by people with personal agendas are "as unto the Lord." These ministries often make people feel guilty if they do not give as much as they might freely choose to give. They extract tithes and offerings from their constituency, deceiving them into believing that they are "seeding" into the Kingdom of God when, in fact, they are empowering the kingdoms of men.

They appeal to their supporters' emotions in order to persuade them to give to their ministry or church. If they are TV personalities, they may promise to send their supporters a free gift for their donation: books, tapes, prayer cloths, anointing oil from Israel, or some other token. Their mail-outs are carefully, professionally designed to tug on the heartstrings of donors, manipulating them into giving money.

They falsely teach that their churches are the storehouses for those members who "belong" to them. Many of them accumulate wealth and lavish it back upon themselves in the building, maintenance, and preservation of their organizations and institutions while the poor around the world go without food, clothing, shelter, and the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Jesus never even slightly suggested that, "Inasmuch as you build your buildings and preserve your institutions, you have done it unto Me." Rather He said that inasmuch as we feed the hungry, give a drink to a stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, we are doing these things to Him. Matt. 25:35-40.

ANGER AND RAGE

Some of those self-seeking people who rule the churches may be insecure control addicts who need to maintain a sense of order in their lives to feel safe. They may be perfectionists who impose their standard of perfection upon others. When others fail to meet their standards, they become frustrated and rageful. Rage is part of their arsenal of weapons to manipulate others into conformity. Pastor Daniel was such a one.

Pastor Daniel's church--and I emphasize that it was "his" church--served as a showcase for his drive to perform. He was an accomplished orator, avid reader, and had a winning personality. His setting was exquisite and his staging was professional. He attracted crowds and multiplied members, but he could not keep them. "Why do people go out the back door as quickly as they come in the front?" he asked.

He did not want to hear the truth. He wanted it to be "their" fault, not his. People left because of his misuse of authority. He was spiritually and emotionally abusive. It was, after all, "his" church and no one was permitted to do anything unless invited to do so. His church was his theater, his pulpit was his stage, and he was the show. Those who had the slightest thought of contradicting him, especially if they had been given a place of leadership, became suspect. They had to be dealt with, usually tongue-lashed.

Leaving his church was not a pleasant option. Those who tried were often threatened by the suggestion that they would be out of God's will and bad things would happen to them. The loyalty of many within his membership was based on fear and intimidation.

His Jezebel wife fueled his feverish manipulations with her own. She ruled surreptitiously behind his throne. Most everyone knew that, but no one dared to speak a word. "Hush" was the operative rule in this extended dysfunctional family he called a church.

FLATTERY

Self-seeking people who rule the churches often flatter their prospects in order to win them in. "You two have so much to offer. It's a shame you aren't involved in a church somewhere." That one has been used on my wife and me a few times. We were said to be the poster couple for one church we attended. I think it was meant to flatter us, but it did not.

Flattery is enticing, seductive, and deceitful. When we fail to see what is happening to us, we are taken in by it. It has the deceitful motive of complimenting us in order to win favor from us. A true compliment does not have an ulterior motive, but those who flatter are putting on the charm in order to get something from us for themselves. They are like the adulterous woman in Proverbs 7:4-5 who preys upon believers who lack discernment: "Say to wisdom, You are my sister; and call understanding your kinswoman: that they may keep you from the strange [adulterous] woman, from the stranger who flatters with her words."

Flattery is an appeal to the flesh for greatness, grandeur, sensual pleasure, success, and riches--all having to do with things in the world.

POSSESSIVENESS AND OWNERSHIP

Self-seeking people who rule the churches are typically possessive and claim ownership over their constituency. If they own you, they can control you. If they cannot control you, they will disown you.

Membership in the churches is a claim of ownership that the churches have over a set number of people. All churches and denominations do it. Pick any. In 1997, the Southern Baptist Convention reported 15,891,514 members and 40,887 churches. 3 {22} Why do we need to know how many people belong to us? Why do we need to know how many people were in Sunday School and worship services? Why is it important to compare this figure with "this time last year"? Who are we counting for? We count because we measure our success with numbers.

I was in a meeting as a new believer and decided to count the attendance. A still, small voice in my spirit interrupted and said, "Don't count. You don't know who counts." I found out in time, as people came and went, how right that was. Besides, are we not counting the tares along with the wheat? Jesus told us that the wheat and the tares grow up together. Matt. 13:24-30. We do not always know who they are. If we need to count noses and know that we are including tares in that number, then we need to know that we are not counting as God counts. We are counting something for Self.

Perhaps we count to determine how strong we are. The Bible records three times when a census was taken of Israel. The first two times, God ordered it. God commanded Moses to take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel from twenty years and older, numbering their armies. Num. 1. The second time, the LORD told Moses and Eleazar to take the sum (census) of "all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers' house, all that are able to go to war in Israel." Num. 26.

The third time is when King David ordered a census on his own. 1 Chronicles 21 tells how Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel. 2 Samuel 24:1 reports this story saying, "the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, 'Go, number Israel and Judah.'" The key to what is going on here is found in verse two of both passages. David ordered the census saying, "that I may know the number of people." God was greatly displeased with David and sent a plague upon Israel killing seventy thousand men. David's desire to count his increase resulted in great losses. He put his confidence in the strength of numbers, rather than in God. It was good for God to count Israel. Israel belonged to Him. It was not good for David to count Israel. Israel did not belong to him. David sought ownership of the citizenry for himself. It was something Satan put in his heart to do.

We are fascinated by numbers. We build our significance upon how big we perceive ourselves to be. Size is a matter of opinion. In order to determine how big we are, we have to compare ourselves with others. Comparing ourselves with others is a prideful and competitive spirit which has no place in the Kingdom of God. Church rulers relate to "their" church members as extensions of themselves. They validate themselves by their statistics. They feel they must possess people in order to keep them.

Sonny was at the ball park with his kids one steamy, summer night and saw Pastor Gene. Sonny asked, "Do you have someone here?" "All of mine are here," he answered. Sonny was puzzled by his answer. Sonny knew Pastor Gene did not have children of his own playing ball that night. Pastor Gene explained, "If they are a member of my church, they belong to me." Sonny regretted later that he had not asked him at the time, "Do you really want that responsibility? They are not your sheep. They belong to Jesus."

Taking possession and claiming ownership of God's sheep is a very grievous thing to God.

HYPE

Self-seeking people who rule the churches often hype things up to make themselves look good. Hype in this context is trying to make the Holy Spirit "happen" in self-strength. Hype is what leaders do to pretend the presence of God. These leaders have to make their services look like God is moving in their midst whether He is or not. He is not, so they substitute hype for Spirit. They try to make things happen that are not happening, or try to make it look like things are happening when they are not.

Hype is the practice of witchcraft. We see and hear it in many "charismatic" church services, conferences, and meetings when the praise and worship leader prolongs the energized music for an hour or so, pretending that the Holy Spirit is present or hoping to invoke His presence. When the Holy Spirit chooses not to manifest Himself, the congregation may be brow-beaten for not singing loud enough, clapping their hands long enough, praying hard enough, or dancing in the Spirit wildly enough. "Put your hands together and give the Lord a clap offering." "Somebody give me an amen!" We are manipulated to do and say things that we do not want to do and say--things that are not in our hearts to do and say. We fake it anyway because we do not want to stand out in the crowd, to be thought of as rebellious, or to be accused of quenching the Spirit. When we fake something, that makes us a fake--Pharisees.

Those who practice hype, such as we often witness on so-called "Christian TV", falsely measure the Holy Spirit's presence by the loudness of the music, the emotional fervor of the audience, the fancy footwork of the preacher, the religious prompting of amens from the crowd, or the number of persons slain in the Spirit--"doing carpet time" as they say. Some ministries look to these things to validate themselves.

PERFORMANCE MENTALITY

Many self-seeking people who rule the churches have turned their churches and ministries into entertainment centers and seek ministers who are crowd-pleasing showmen. Their theater-designed church auditoriums and "entertain-me" hungry congregations demand this performance mentality.

"Christian" entertainment is big business today. The self-seeking, secular-owned executives within the so-called "Christian" music industry are driven by the corporate bottom line. If that which we call "Christian" can become an industry, it is not the real thing. Christian "artists" (the big ones are called "stars") are the product of this profit-driven industry and are themselves often driven by the need for popularity, money, and possibly winning the coveted Dove award. I suppose this award is considered Christian because of the dove which symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Why do so-called Christian entertainers even want a trophy? Who are they performing for? Do they have a special cabinet at home in which to display them? Is their motivation to gain fame and fortune the same as those in the world? Or is it a sacrifice of praise to the Lord without regard for personal gain?

Authors, Bible teachers, TV personalities, evangelists: Are your efforts entirely to serve the Lord, or to serve Self? If for the Lord, then they are Holy Spirit inspired. If for Self, then they are driven by witchcraft.

FALSE ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

Self-seeking people who rule the churches dispense a false assurance of salvation.

In spite of the fact that Christians own the churches, many who belong to them are Christian in name only. They have only a religious relationship with God. Their real relationship is with their religion and their church. God is distant to them. They go to these things we call church because it makes them feel righteous. They have performed their religious duty. This gives them a false assurance of salvation. Church leaders foster this sense of false assurance of salvation by making people feel they are okay because they attend and support their church. People are made to feel guilty when they do not.

Dennis Loewen wrote me:

Years ago I heard a tape by Leonard Ravenhill. He told of having lunch with a pastor who was one of the recognized national leaders of the American church. He asked the question, "When will the church start ministering the salvation found in Jesus Christ?" The pastor replied, "We are ministering salvation!" Ravenhill disagreed, "No, you are ministering the assurance of salvation."

Ravenhill had it right. "Assurance" is being dispensed weekly for an hour's attendance and a few dollars in the collection plate. This, by far, is the main product being sold by the present-day church. This is their bread and butter, and nobody better mess with it.

Had Jesus only cleansed the Temple of the selling of merchandise (our present-day Jesus junk, the equivalent), it would have made them mad. However, His ministry threatened to take away their main and most profitable product--that the people had to achieve rightness with God by coming to the Temple.

Jesus capsulated this message to the woman at the well. John 4:20-24. He told her that the hour comes when men will no longer have to go to Jerusalem to worship the Father. We have all seen the ugly jealousy of the modern churches in guarding their self-proclaimed commission as the modern Temple where people have to come to be "right." When the Jews saw and heard Jesus, they knew their scheme was over, so they had to kill Him.

So it is with this message. If we speak against the lesser physical and materialistic implications of the modern shameless merchandising of the gospel, we'll make some enemies and maybe even a few friends. But, if we speak to the spiritual root, look out, because most churches are dispensing assurance, and teaching that their organization is the place to receive it.

Jesus promised we would be hated and despised for the sake of the gospel. He knew the world would not be the main threat any more than it was for Him, but that our enemies would kill us thinking they are doing God a service.

American Christianity is no less apostate than the Babylonian (Talmud) mess Jesus encountered in Jerusalem. It's undeniable. Churches are doing a brisk business in the souls of men dispensing the assurance of salvation and making the process so easy that nobody has a chance to become poor in spirit or mourn for their sins. Paul said, "It is with much tribulation we enter" (Acts 14:22) and "without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness." 1 Tim. 3:16.

When we get into their faces and tell them they can no longer deceive the people with this false assurance of salvation, all of the promises of Jesus about being a persecuted disciple will be made manifest.

Of all of these ways in which we practice witchcraft in the churches--self-aggrandizement, hidden agendas, appeals for money, rage, flattery, possessiveness, hype, performance, and false assurance of salvation--legalism is by far the more cunning enemy to the body of Christ.

Footnotes

{22} World Magazine, 30 May 1998, 17.

www.meatindueseason.org/newbold/or/harlot/harlot14.html

For the rest of Charles' book go to www.meatindueseason.org