The Delusion Of Spirit-Filled Laodiceanism

Earlier, we studied the delusion that occurs when we strip the Holy Spirit's ministry of truth away from His comforting ministry. But when superimposed on the backdrop of religious laodiceanism, the delusion of Comforter worship compounds to become spirit-filled socialism. Perfectly suited to Laodicea's worship of the corporate man, the Comforter's need-centered and corporate-centered ministry is corrupted into an arch-tool for promoting worship of the church, amplifying group consciousness, and coercing the conformity of every individual to a corporate agenda.

- John the Laodicean?

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!"    Rev. 22:8-9

Now we would think that the presence of the Holy Spirit would automatically guarantee the breaking of the power of religious laodiceanism, not reinforce it. Especially in the presence of God Almighty Himself, we would think it impossible to worship anyone but the true God in Spirit and in Truth. But look again at this obscure story from the end of Revelation. Here, amid the rarefied air of glorified life, the one mortal who loved Jesus above all men is instead so dazzled by the powers of the world to come that he stoops to worship a man!

It just doesn't get any more anointed than where John stood. Yet the thing we believe should guarantee true worship becomes instead a tool for exposing a hidden gene of humanism in this otherwise untouchable overcomer. Astounding as it seems, it is possible to convert even the anointed heavenly presence of God into man worship. If standing then before God's heavenly glory can be twisted to bring out laodiceanism in us, how much more so amid the present earthly displays of God's glory?

- Spirit Filled Socialism Today

From the time that the Spirit was poured out in earnest, the mysterious iniquity of spirit-filled socialism has followed on its heels. With each wave of anointing that sweeps the earth, its face changes and intensifies. At present and for the last 5-10 years, the growing dominant form of this evil has been prophetic socialism. A subtle vein that rejects the Spirit of Truth underlies much of today's Comforter-based prophetic movements. As a result, the prophetic ministry has become an agent to reinforce the evils associated with the worship of corporate man, turning what under religious socialism was a "county jail" into a maximum security penal colony from which escape is nearly impossible.

Today, spirit-filled democracy, charismatic liturgy and prophetic humanism are all reinforcing man's place at the center of salvation. The Comforter's corporate healing and blessing has been twisted to magnify the power of herd mentality. Instead of breaking every yoke, the anointing has become a yoke for commanding unquestioning allegiance to human leadership and uncritical affirmation to the course of ministry. Each miracle generates greater control and manipulation from above, while from below every meeting becomes a cloak for escaping personal accountability to the Father. Against such a tide the voice of the individual questioning truth seeker is minimized, crushed, discredited, silenced.

Under the anointing, the laodicean church machine has become a "well-oiled" machine, but nothing more. The veil that prevents individual intimacy with the Father is now a steel door, accenting the hollowness of church relationships. For where personal intimacy with the Father is discouraged in favor of spirit-filled group activity, transparent relationship among saints is impossible. The spirit-filled believer never escapes that isolated feeling as a nameless number in a charismatic sea. Corporate meetings and conferences featuring worship, healing, and prophecy only produce a mirage of intimacy. Yet once the meeting is over, loneliness and emptiness are all that remain. To answer this, more anointings are sought. More meetings. "Let's bring in another big name to minister." But the unfilled hunger for reality is only intensified.

Part II cont..... A Pu-Pu Platter Of Spirit-Filled Laodicean Teachings

[Introduction] [Part I] [Part II] [Part III] [Footnotes]