Satan In Church's Today
Before we even get started here JOHN 7:24 read it in Bible Hub ALL Translations:
You have heard it said in a song that the devil went down to Georgia, so why would Satan want to go to church?
So really, why won't Satan just leave you alone?
Let's start with this:
Question: Why doesn't the devil just leave people alone, instead of trying to win them over to his side? Doesn't he know he's going to be defeated? It seems to me he's giving himself to a lost cause.
Answer: Yes, Satan is devoting himself to a lost cause, for at the end of time God, not Satan, will win the struggle between good and evil. The Bible says concerning those last days that “the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur … [and] tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10)
I sometimes wonder if perhaps Satan actually believes his own lies, and has convinced himself that he will win. After all, his followers can be like that. The Bible says, “Evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13) Perhaps Satan is the same way—both deceiving others, and deceiving himself.
But don’t lose sight of what we do know for certain: Satan is absolutely opposed to God and His plans for the world. And that is why Satan works tirelessly to turn people away from God and draw them into his evil realm. He will use every device he can to deceive people and destroy their lives..
Don’t let Satan deceive you or tempt you into thinking it doesn’t matter how you live. Instead, make sure of your commitment to Christ, and draw near to God every day. The Bible says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him” (1 Peter 5:8–9) Reverend Billy Graham
This is a trumpet-call for us to watch over our own hearts. Satan’s goal is clear: pervert the church, and you lose the Gospel.
Satan's list of false worship can include anything that diverts devotion away from the true God, such as the worship of idols, materialism, or even self. This concept suggests that false worship can manifest in various forms, including the reverence of celebrities, consumer brands, or ideologies and false teachers that do not align with true spiritual beliefs. There isn't a specific list of "false worship music" attributed to Satan, but many critics argue that contemporary Christian music can sometimes prioritize emotional appeal over theological soundness. They suggest that some songs may lead worshipers away from genuine devotion to God, focusing instead on the performers or superficial themes.
Satan is allowed within constraints. You may recall that in the Book of Job Satan had to get permission from God before he was able to afflict Job.
Why was this allowed or, more specifically, why does God allow us to be tempted and afflicted in our own lives? Well, part of that is to test our faith and to wear away those aspects of our own self will that come between God and us.
How valuable would our faith be or how small would our development as people be if we didn't have trials to overcome and obstacles to climb? I imagine that we would value our faith very little if that was the case. Satan is only allowed to do what God allows him to do. He still actually has to obey God even though he has rebelled against him.
#1. Because the devil has always been religious.
Satan and his demons are even rather orthodox in some of their beliefs. A. W. Tozer said, "The devil is a better theologian than any of us and is a devil still."
Satan is often depicted as knowing the Bible well enough to twist its meanings for his purposes, as seen in the temptation of Jesus. This highlights the importance of understanding Scripture accurately to avoid being misled. Satan knows the Bible and uses it to trick Christians.
Of course, it’s not just what you believe that matters.
James 2:18,19 - But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe there is one God. Good! EVEN THE DEMONS BELIEVE THAT - and shudder.
The devil is monotheistic. He knows there’s only one God. Problem is, he doesn’t worship God. When he shows up at church, it isn’t for true worship but rather for false worship.
Satan’s religion is a false religion, but it is a religion nonetheless. He doesn’t even mind if we show up for worship - just as long as it's false worship. Satan is often believed to influence churches by promoting deception and leading individuals away from true faith, as seen in various biblical warnings about false apostles and counterfeit Christians. This influence can manifest in subtle ways, causing discord and undermining the church's mission.
He loves to see folks go to church to talk about other worshipers. He loves to see us go to uplift our own goodness. He loves it when we are preoccupied with other things—like who hurt our feelings recently, and what so-and-so thinks about us. He loves to hear our critical comments about the worship leaders and the pastor's preaching. Jesus made it crystal clear in John 17:21: "I pray that all of them may be one... so that the world may believe that you have sent me." Read that again. Jesus directly connected our unity to the world believing in Him. When Christians doubt and distrust each other, we don't just damage ourselves—we sabotage the Gospel. Research confirms what Scripture teaches. Barna Group studies reveal that 91% of young non-Christians view Christianity as "judgmental" and 85% see it as "hypocritical"—not because of theology, but because of how they've seen Christians treat each other (1 Corinthians 14:29). John warned believers in the early church that many false prophets were in the world and that they must "test the spirits" before believing what any self-proclaimed prophet said (1 John 4:1–3). Ephesians 5:11. So, where is all the love that is talked about? No, I don't mean the love that you are seeing today, which is the wrong kind of love. A reformed perspective is more pragmatic, playing a little loose with the word love: It makes sense that Luther would have such a strong experiential knowledge of the devil, for Satan loves nothing more than to attack the gospel, and Luther was at the forefront of the greatest recovery of the gospel. So Satan, if he does love, he loves doing evil. The meaning of the word love in that case would be about the basest possible meaning of love that I don't even know how it qualifies. Yes, read your Bible on that one; that's a whole other story.
The devil loves it when we don’t put our hearts into praising God. He likes seeing us just going through the motions. "He can stand anything but worship of God in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)
The devil is opposed to Christianity, but he isn’t opposed to churchgoing.
The demons know who Jesus is. The one in the synagogue did. He believed in the Incarnation of Christ - that he was both God and man at the same time.
The demon clearly identified Christ’s humanity by calling Him "Jesus of Nazareth". But he also identified with Christ’s deity by calling Him "the Holy One of God"
The church must surely be on guard against false doctrine. But the danger we are sometimes less aware of is false worship. We must always guard against dead religion.
We cannot afford to become complacent and nonchalant about our worship of God! We should consistently re-evaluate why we worship and how we worship.
The Word says concerning dead worship by dead churches and believers: "having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." (2 Timothy 3:5)
#2. The devil goes to church because he’s looking for prey.
Notice how the plural pronouns indicate just how closely the demon was identified with the man through whom he was speaking.
"What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? "Have you come to destroy us?
This may not have been a case of multiple demon possession. It may have been an instance of one demon making its host a puppet. The "us" was the demon and its host.
Satan's ultimate goal is to have control. He can possess those who don't have the Holy Spirit within.
He cannot possess true Christ followers, but he does want to manipulate us and hinder our work for God and the growth of our faith.
Remember what Jesus said to Simon Peter? "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you like wheat." (Luke 22:31)
Simon thought he would be able to go through all the trials with Jesus without cracking. Though his faith didn’t fail completely, he miserably flunked a major test. He disavowed all knowledge of Jesus when Jesus was being falsely accused and beaten.
Peter was given another chance, and he learned from his mistake, but we need to learn from it also. Satan is out to sift us.
That’s why Peter would later write in one of his letters to the churches this admonition: "Be self-controlled and alert. "Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8)
If you think the devil doesn’t do some of his prowling in church, you haven’t been around long. Satan even has control of the pulpits in some churches.
Listen to what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what they deserve."
#3. The devil goes to church because he’s seeking worship.
Remember what the devil said to Jesus? "All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me." (Matthew 4:9)
Satan's worship will characterize the Great Tribulation. (Revelation 9:20) Satan will even resurrect the beast and kill everyone who doesn’t worship him. (Revelation 13:15)
Satan will be able to accomplish for a short while what he has longed for all along.
But until that day comes, the true follower of Christ is involved in a struggle. Our great struggle is not with paying our bills or staying healthy. Our greatest struggle is a spiritual one.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)
Forget the war on terror for now, even though Satan is behind it. Let’s focus on the spiritual war that exists to hinder the work of God.
Martin Luther said:
The first duty of the gospel preacher is to declare God’s Law and show the nature of sin…. This now is the Christian teaching and preaching, which God is praised, we know and possess, and it is not necessary at present to develop it further, but only to offer the admonition that it be maintained in Christendom with all diligence. For Satan has attacked it hard and strong from the beginning until the present, and gladly would he completely extinguish it and tread it under foot.
After the Apostle Paul was converted on the Road to Damascus, Jesus said to him, But rise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness…to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins…. (Acts 26:16-18) So the question is where are all the good biblical preachers at today, no I don’t mean those New Apostolic Reformation, NAR, is an unbiblical religious movement and false teachers now some Local churches are brimming with people of all backgrounds and beliefs. However, we rarely think about the unseen world; the invisible war that takes place within the heart of the congregation. “It comes as a shock to some people to discover that Satan goes to church. Through his demonic forces, he is actually running some churches!
If you know this same Jesus, you too have the same commission—“to open their eyes, in order to turn [sinners] from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that . they may receive forgiveness of sins….” The way to do that is to do it the way Paul did it. The way Jesus did it. Learn to follow the biblical method of using the Law (the Ten Commandments) to show this sinful world why they need the Savior.
So lets look at 10 Ways the Enemy Infiltrates the Church
#1. Rivalry in the church (1 Corinthians 1:10-17) When groups compete against each other, and ministries fight for their turf, the enemy is winning.
#2. Immaturity among believers (1 Corinthians 3:1-4) When leaders are still essentially baby believers, the door is open for Satan’s forces.
#3. Tolerating sin in the congregation (Corinthians 5:1-13) The Corinthians not only knew about open sin in the church, but they also boasted about it. Even if we don’t go that far, ignoring sin is evidence of Satan’s influence.
#4. Believers turning on believers (1 Corinthians 6:1-8) The Corinthians apparently regularly filed grievances against one another rather than try to work them out in Christian love. Internal strife marked their congregation.
#5. Sexual immorality in the church (1 Corinthians 5:1-13) There’s a reason Paul so often spoke against sexual sin ( Corinthians 6:12-20, 1 Corinthians 10:8) and called believing couples to give themselves to each other physically lest Satan tempt them (1 Corinthians 7:5) This temptation is real and powerful.
#6. Misuse of Christian liberty (1 Corinthians 8:1-13, 10:23-30) This issue is often the result of our living in our freedom without regard for others—and the enemy finds working room when we’re self-centered.
#7. Idolatry in the church (1 Corinthians 10:7, 14) The demons delight when we elevate someone, something, or some action above the true God. Sometimes, our idols aren’t figurines on a shelf, but gods in our heart.
#8. Competition over spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14) When we think we’re more gifted than others, or that our gifts are more significant than others, we’re playing into the devil’s hand.
#9. Unwillingness to forgive a repentant believer (2 Corinthians 2:5-11) When we don’t forgive a returning brother or sister in Christ, we open the door to the enemy’s influence.
#10. False teaching in the church (2 Corinthians 11:1-15) From debates about the Lord’s Supper to questions of the resurrection to preaching about “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4) the enemy seeks to sow falsehood in the church—often through teachers who seem to be angels of light.
The Bottom Line
The antidote to believer-to-believer doubt isn't more information or better systems. It's remembering what Ephesians 4:3 commands: "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Paul was equally blunt in 1 Corinthians 1:10: "I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you." Paul didn't suggest this as a nice idea. He commanded it in Jesus' name.
One of the biggest problems in churches today is division. Many churches are facing internal conflicts, disagreements, and divisions among their members. This can lead to dissension, lack of unity, and distrust within the church community. It hinders the church’s ability to fulfill its mission and to be a witness to the world. Addressing and resolving issues of division through communication, conflict resolution, and prayer is crucial for churches to thrive and fulfill their purpose. Many churches have of human origin guidelines that are intended to help followers live according to their faith, but these rules can sometimes be seen as arbitrary or not directly supported by scripture. Critics argue that such rules may distract from the core teachings of Christianity and the importance of a personal relationship with God. This reminds us that the power of our faith comes from Jesus, not of human origin traditions. In fact, enforcing of human origin traditions as important to our faith is sinful. If we follow those enforced traditions, we run the risk of losing our reward. If we want to see God, we need only what Jesus told us and nothing more.
Remember we're fighting Satan, not each other (Ephesians 6:12)
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