The religious spirit is the strongest opposing force against Christ' Church.
We need not worry because the Holy Spirit used religious persecution to launch the greatest spiritual revolution of all time, the New Testament Church.
One of your greatest opponents against transition into apostolic ministry will be the religious spirit. Religious spirits fear loss of position, new things and being wrong. They will oppose all whom they feel threatens their sense of importance. We discover the beginning of apostolic ministry and the apostolic Church in Jerusalem after the resurrection of Jesus. Shortly after His resurrection the Church was persecuted by the religious spirit and scattered throughout the entire region. scri pture says, “Now they which were scattered abroad because of the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the Word to none but unto the Jews only” (Acts 11:19).
Stephen was a disciple of Christ. He was man full of faith and power that did great signs, wonders and miracles among the people. Sometime during the course of his ministry he found himself being challenged by the leaders of a religious stronghold. The spirit of religion is always frightened by those who are anointed by the Holy Spirit because religious spirits sit in seats of governing authority that do not belong to them. To hold on to their usurped positions of authority they mounted up an offensive attack on a man that carried God’s true governing anointing.
As the testimony continues, “And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke” (Acts 6:8-10). Notice that these men formed a confederacy of religious leaders from at least three different synagogues that were unable to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which Stephen spoke. So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes to join with their opposition against Stephen. Religious spirits have a dark ability to inflict fear and strife as they motivate others against the things of God. Religious opposition and persecution is often evidence of entering into an apostolic dimension of ministry. The old always seems to resist the new and the dead always fear the living.
THE APOSTOLIC AND RELIGIOUS OPPOSITION
Religious spirits are murdering spirits. As these men conspired together against Stephen, “They furnished men, which said, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council” (Acts 6:11-12). Councils are religious courts that religious leaders use to defend their seats of authority and exercise territorial control over the people. Historically disciples of Christ regularly meet religious persecution or occult opposition as soon as they began to obey the Holy Spirit. That’s because the anointing activates spiritual authority that confronts anything that hinders the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Here, in typical slanderous fashion, the religious spirits set up false witnesses to build their case against Stephen, a man who was moving in the apostolic and doing a lot of good works among the people.
A key to remember is that Stephen stirred up trouble while ministering on the streets, not in any local church. Ministering outside the four walls of the local church and in the market place where the people are is one of the earmarks of apostolic ministry. Religious opposition and persecution is evidence of entering into an apostolic dimension of ministry. One time I took a team of believers with me to minister on the streets in a small town in Belgium. I will never forget the call one of our team members received by the town’s religious council asking by what authority were we preaching the Gospel in their village. I sent a message back to the caller, “We got permission from headquarters.” We never heard from them again.
The apostolic mantel of authority will expose a religious spirit every time. At Stephens’ meeting with these religious folks they, “Set up false witnesses, which said, this man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered to us. And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel” (Acts 6:13-15).
THE DAY A GOOD MAN DIED
The anointing on Stephens life was visible to those in this meeting but it didn’t matter. They wanted to stop him at any cost. But Stephen was bold and didn’t back down. He preached a powerful anointed message in his defense proving from scri pture that God does not dwell in houses made with human hands and concluding that these leaders were resisting the Holy Ghost and acting like religious leaders before them that persecuted and killed the prophets of old. They were cut to the heart, so much so, that they gnashed their teeth in furious anger. Imagine that, grown men and religious elders of the city unable to control their murderous emotions. scri pture says, “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their teeth” (Acts 7:54).
While Stephen was being pummeled with stones from these murderous religious leaders he had an open vision and saw the glory of God with Jesus standing at God’s right hand. “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55-56). Apostolic ministry has these kinds of prophetic operations. It’s of note that the Holy Spirit never abandons those who stand fast against ungodly religious opposition. Stephen, while drawing his last breath, and in a loud voice, asked the Lord not to lay this sin to their charge then he stepped victoriously from this world into glory.
Again, the religious spirit that Stephen faced was a murdering spirit. scri pture says that they stoned Stephen who “Calling upon God and saying Lord Jesus receive my spirit. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this he fell asleep” (Acts 7:59-60). This was the day a good man died.
As it was in the genesis of the apostolic Church so shall it be during its restoration. The religious spirit will be the strongest opposing force against your transition into apostolic ministry. Jesus spoke of religious spirits,
“Wherefore you be witnesses unto yourselves that you are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill you up then the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets and wise men, and scribes: and some of them you shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall you scourge in your synagogues and persecute them from city to city” (Matthew 23:31-34).
The religious church is a man-motivated, dead religious works oriented, carnal church that has a form of godliness void of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Little did Stephen know that God was going to use his death to launch a great apostolic revolution. After the vicious murder of Stephen the believers were “scattered abroad and went every where preaching the Word” (Acts 8:4). Religious persecution always results in the advancement of ministry. The Gospel of the Kingdom cannot be stopped.
© by Jonas Clark
