Anyone in the Church knows issues always arise concerning the character of those represented within scripture. For example, when we look at the disciple Matthew, we see a guy who appears to have either been manipulated by the Roman government to be a tax collector or has taken aught against Israel. He sat daily collecting taxes for both Jewish and Roman leaders. His reputation was not considered trustworthy or honest among the Jews. In most cases, such individuals were looked upon in Jewish society as subtle thieves working in cahoots with the oppressors.
Yet Jesus appeared not overly concerned about Mathew’s past, present occupation, or social status but more about his future. He called Mathew to come and be alongside Him in the work ahead. I want to make a point concerning this; here is a guy utilized by the evil Roman government for their gain, not that of the nation of Israel. However, when Jesus asked him to give it up and said, “Follow me,” he didn’t hesitate; he threw a party that evening to celebrate the occasion.
Nothing in these scriptures, Math 9:9, Mark 2:14, and Luke 5:27, reveal that Jesus manipulated Mathew’s decision. Therefore, any growing distaste for religious manners developed over the centuries to manipulate congregants and leaders is warranted. Manipulative works are a mainstay in many churches. When applied, they help sustain statuesque opportunism, which is typically seen as the natural aspect of ministry. However, the spiritual side reveals that it is often used to uphold solidarity for pulpit authority in religious traditions.
Moreover, leadership has also been customary in building denominational egos to muster congregational obedience to pulpit authority. So, let’s investigate what many in today’s churches see as methodical manipulations and tactics used by pulpits and others to maintain an influence of ignorance to this. The place to start is the pulpit, which God views as the premier place of the authority of the word in the local churches. I have personal experience with this, so I’ll present issues regarding manipulations I have been a part of.
BAD HABITS OR RELIGIOUS ADDICTION?
The body of Christ is made up of individuals who, for the most part, are genuinely faithful participants in presenting Christ to the world by a spiritual body having access to truths for faith in Him. Concerning the child of God, no one has or ever will be manipulated to become a part of Christ by the Spirit of God. Thus, why do those fulfilling ministerial callings and those in authority manipulate congregants?
The answer is that power, whether of the world or the Church, is still seen as power. And it’s obtained by skillfully wielding control by scriptural ignorance over those willfully submitting to it. Now, that does not mean we are not to respect the authority of the pulpit or those who minister in it, but the authority expressed in its purpose comes directly from the Lord Himself by the word of God through the Holy Spirit, not from so-called councils of religious justices or ecumenical peers.
This desire to be in control, mastering power over ignorance, breeds a need for scripturally mastered doctrines homiletically narrated to manipulate others. I’m not making this stuff up; it is occurring all over the body of Christ, not just in denominational churches but also in charismatic and evangelical churches. All one must do is look around at the ministerial prowess occurring and the issues like those revealed in churches, and you will see that cultural pandering to appease is at work by a biased form of ministry. It is a social presentation that persuades parts of humanity to be the church.
This biased position is not the work of the Spirit of God but of those convinced they’re more qualified than He is to do the work of ministry. And though churches historically used manipulation to gain in the masses by those in ministerial positions, it was never as blatantly revealed as in today’s churches. It’s as if those who promote and provoke such things view everyone as spiritually lame or void of a conscious ability to discern whatever tactics give place to a new order of elites with an in-your-face ministerial prowess that disregards the character of the Spirit of God.
Let’s ensure that we know what manipulation is according to what is happening in the Church: [To manipulate here means controlling or influencing someone or something in a manner that is skillfully presented, most often in a deceptive way, to prevent any realization that it ever occurred.] Please don’t get your religious bristles all riled up, as we have more to review. The fact is everyone has been manipulated at some point in time. Most of us don’t know it occurred, so we are ignorant of any tactics and strategies used.
The enemy, the devil, favors manipulation as a viable tactic, using it skillfully by narrating lies through the deceptive words common to evil in his character. That’s why this blog is an excerpt from my book titled “What from Hell Is Going on in the Church.”
John 8:44 (AMP)You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar [himself] and the father of lies and of all that is false.
God, Christ, or the Holy Spirit will never promote any work common to the devil’s evil characteristics. That means the only way such manipulation occurs in churches is through pulpits and leaders influencing the hearts and minds of the congregants. Those already ignorant of truth are most easily manipulated and led about as if they were mere infants, unable to accept even the essential milk of the Word.
Heb 5:13-14 (AMP)For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a mere infant [not able to talk yet]! 14 But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.
These methodical manipulations, as I call them, are not solely the work of those who expound at the pulpits but often originate at higher levels of authority. Anyone who ministers at the pulpits is often seen as a mere marionette the religious hierarchy controls to do as written in an organization’s constitution and by-laws for structured control.
Every denomination has an indoctrination process of the traditions and customs enforced for membership so that everything done is from a position that actively supports the marketing label the hierarchy has adopted, regardless of factual truth to be proven from scripture. For many years, I attended and served in various denominational churches, and I remember diligently waiting each week for the truth from the pulpit. And yet those pastors were so committed to the traditions and customs of the denomination’s leaders that literal interpretation of scripture was totally out of the question.
Often, anyone who dared question anything they preached would receive a demeaning rebuke of their spiritual character and be openly humiliated. There are other control aspects of this subject, where pulpits submit to a manipulative authority of a ruling board of deacons, elders, and/or bishops who have endowed authority. Everything here is tethered to personal opinions or some so-called spiritually religious perception. This endowed authority constantly manipulates the pastoral office, and any rebuttal to the goings-on gets blamed on the pastor as they deflect accountability.
These are all forms of methodic manipulation that defer all working of the Spirit of God so that selfishly imposed controls will be in place. I know because I have been a member of these internal counsels, served on deacon and advisory boards, and understand what happens in many of these groups. There is a strategic emphasis on completing what those involved leaders want to do, typically without considering what the Lord wants. Now, please don’t get the wrong impression; most of the time, we had good intentions but lacked knowledge of His eternal purpose.
So, like us, many used manipulative tactics for the carpet color to the pulpit exergies of the Pastor. These groups earned bad reputations, garnering names like the Board of Demons and Council of Crooks.
MUSTERING THE WORKER BEES
The devil will supplant ignorance through spiritual manipulation, which he accomplishes by using varied tactics and techniques laced with scriptural content. Most denominations are intolerant of anyone unwilling to conform to the constitution and by-laws they place before them, drawing scrutiny and correction.
This is typically done by an interrogation that uses verses often taken out of context to justify it, rendering the member ashamed of nonconformity to a Christ-like lifestyle. Thus, to them, it’s about upholding an allegiance to the denomination’s doctrinal affirmation for manipulating the Lord’s sheep. Denominations that constantly conform scripture to a religious eschatological purpose to manipulate the masses are vying for a front-page spot in the Salvation Daily newspaper.
Some want control over the rules of salvation and how to live a righteous lifestyle. Yet, at the same time, others have taken up the architectural design of the Holy Spirit’s works by controlling narratives about the truth concerning speaking in tongues. And how about the Apostles Creed? This little overly narrated compilation of spiritual edits was designed for one’s justification by repeated testimony of belief in certain scriptures as it revealed. Nothing is wrong with the weekly testimonial of such things; however, when each denomination takes it and re-renders a version to fit only into doctrinal narratives that merit their authority, there is no spiritual intent.
Let’s not forget the most manipulative mannerism many church leaders and members love to use. It’s the one where they use salvation to manipulate and muster up worker bees. Here, they manipulate congregants into serving at an event or assisting in a ministry service by making them feel convicted or that they must participate or be a failed witness or testifier of Christ.
They use terms like, “Don’t you love what Jesus has done for you, so shouldn’t you do something for him?” or maybe this one: You know you can prove your love for Christ by doing this. Then there is this: God has blessed you so much that you should bless others. All of this sounds good, but it’s out of context with the truth that scripture reveals where we should as His children do as the Spirit of God instructs or leads us.
I saw pastors stand in the pulpit and purposely use phrases straight out of the social façade of the day to bring fear into the hearts of the congregants for control over their activities. They point their finger at everyone and say, you don’t want others in the church to think badly of you, do you? Thus, you had better be here for every service and pay your tithes. This creates emotional anxieties of association and preys on individuals’ human natures, so they will fear spiritual failure and how they appear to those around them.
Members are told never to attend another church, which disgraces the other congregants. Some pastors will use false accusations and even slanderous assaults on other pastors to diminish them, all to manipulate the congregants’ so they won’t be seen attending there.
I remember watching a pastor scold a member who had gone to another church, and he was mad. I mean, anger was in his voice. He acted as if they personally attacked his authority. In a viral tirade, he informed that member that no such thing would ever happen again, or they would be run out of the church. This kind of authoritative manipulation is rampant and void of the Spirit of God, as there is no way any of this is by God’s nature. The Spirit of God operates within the confines of truth and is totally of the exact nature of the Father and the Son, so there is no way anyone can say this is by Him.
1 Cor 13:4-7 (GW)Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous. It doesn’t sing its own praises. It isn’t arrogant. 5 It isn’t rude. It doesn’t think about itself. It isn’t irritable. It doesn’t keep track of wrongs. 6 It isn’t happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. 7 Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up. The love to be revealed in the church as in these verses is AGAPE, the God kind of love, and it is a love that is the very nature of the Spirit of God.
This love, however, is not the kind most churches present to their congregants or the world. The love presented is a façade of emotional bias that is placated by scripture, taught to uphold the justification of non-fellowship among other denominations. Agape love will never change; it cannot change, and no manner of manipulation present reveals a love the same as Him. Therefore, tactics designed to manipulate are not supportive of His ways but are commonly used by those who love money, power, positions of authority, praise of other peers, and spiritual prowess far more than God.
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