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, like many others, was thrust into a position by the Roman government to be a tax collector 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 their Roman oppressors.
Jesus, however, appeared not overly concerned about Mathew’s past, or present occupation, or social status, but more about his future. He called on Mathew, saying, ” 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. But when Jesus asked him to give it up and said, “Follow me,” he didn’t hesitate and threw a party that evening to celebrate.
Nothing in these scriptures, Math 9:9, Mark 2:14, and Luke 5:27, reveals that Jesus manipulated Mathew’s decision. Therefore, a growing taste for religious manners developed over the centuries to manipulate congregants and leaders is unwarranted. Manipulative works are a mainstay in many churches, and when applied, they help sustain statuesque opportunism, which is typically seen as the natural respect within ministry. However, the spiritual side reveals that it is often used to uphold solidarity for pulpit authority within religious traditions. Moreover, leadership has also been customary in building denominational egos to muster congregational obedience to a pulpit authority.
So, let’s investigate what many see as a spirit of methodical manipulation and tactics used to maintain an influence of ignorance concerning authority within the churches of Christ. The place to start is the denominations themselves, but eventually we end up at the pulpit, which God views as the premier place of the authority of the word in the local churches. Now, regarding this subject, I have personal experience, so I’ll present issues related to manipulations I have been a part of.
BAD HABITS OR RELIGIOUS ADDICTION?
The body of Christ is composed of individuals who, for the most part, are genuinely faithful participants in presenting Christ to the world, as a spiritual body with 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 use manipulative tactics on congregants? The answer is that authority 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, and is not designed to come from councils of religious justices or those appointed as ecumenical peers. This desire for control, mastery over ignorance, breeds a need for doctrines, homiletically narrated, to manipulate the faith of others.
I’m not making this stuff up; I don’t have to. 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 at work and the social issues like those revealed in churches, and you will see that cultural pandering to appease people is at work through a biased form of ministry. It is a presentation that persuades parts of humanity to become the socialized church.
This biased position is not the work of the Spirit of God but of those convinced that socialism is more qualified than Christ is to do the work of ministry. And though churches historically used manipulation to control the masses, those in ministerial positions were never as blatantly worldly as those in today’s pulpits. It’s as if those who promote and provoke socialism 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. Most of us didn’t know it occurred, so we remain ignorant of any tactics and strategies used.
The enemy, the devil, doesn’t just favor manipulation; he uses it as a skillful tactic, narrating lies through the deceptive words common to his character. That’s why this blog is an excerpt from my book titled “What from Hell Is Going on in the Church.” There appears to be a shift within certain churches toward world-oriented practices designed to appease humanity’s carnal nature. 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, and 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 influenced by some other spirit. And since those already ignorant of truth are most easily manipulated and led about as if they were mere infants, they remain unable to accept even the basic 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.
This spirit of methodical manipulations, as I call it, is not solely the work of those who expound at the pulpits but often originates at higher levels within the authority. In certain denominations, those who minister at the pulpits are often seen as mere marionettes controlled by the religious hierarchy to do as written in the organization’s constitution and bylaws, for structured control.
Every denomination has an indoctrination process that teaches its 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 the 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.
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, in which pulpits submit to the 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 spiritual or religious perception. Whenever an endowed authority constantly manipulates the pastoral office, any rebuttal to the goings-on gets blamed on the pastor to deflect accountability.
These are all forms of methodical manipulation that defer all the work 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 councils, 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 intent and concern. So, like us, many in leadership used manipulative tactics, from determining the carpet color to shaping the pulpit exegesis of the Pastor. Thus, earning these groups a bad reputation and garnering names like the Board of Demons and the Council of Crooks.
MUSTERING THE WORKER BEES
The devil supplants 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 constitutions and bylaws they impose, drawing scrutiny and correction. Typically done through interrogation that uses verses often taken out of context to justify it, rendering the member ashamed of nonconformity with 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 others have taken up the architectural design of the Holy Spirit’s works by controlling narratives about the truth of 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 or concern. So, 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 turn worker bees into drones. Here, they manipulate congregants into serving at an event or assisting in a ministry by making them feel convicted; if they don’t participate, they are 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 now you should bless others. All of this sounds good, but the fact that it is for manipulation makes it out of context with the truth scripture reveals, namely that we should, as His children, do as the Spirit of God instructs or leads us.
I saw pastors stand in the pulpit and deliberately use phrases straight out of the social façade of the day to instill fear in the hearts of congregants to maintain control over any 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 about association and preys on individuals’ human nature, leading them to fear spiritual failure and to feel faithless in the eyes of those around them.
Members are told never to attend other churches, because it disgraces those congregants who are committed to every service. 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 watched a pastor scold a member who had attended another church with a friend, and the pastor was mad. I mean, he was shaking, and anger was in his voice. He saw it as a personal attack on his authority. And 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 after they were brought before the members.
This kind of authoritative manipulation is rampant amid small congregations in certain denominations and cultures, void of the Spirit of God, as there is no way any of this is by God’s nature. The Spirit of God operates in the confines of truth and love and is totally of the exact nature of the Father and the Son, so there is no way anyone can say this is by His leading. Especially since the love to be revealed in the church, as in these verses, is AGAPE, the God-kind of love, that is the very nature of the Spirit of God. 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.
Agape love will never change; it cannot change, and no manner of manipulation present reveals a love the same as Him. Therefore, tactics that manipulate are not supportive of His ways but are commonly used by those who love money, power, positions of authority, praise from other peers, and spiritual prowess far more than Christ.
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