“They [i.e., the false brothers and sisters] are zealous for you* [or, are trying to win you* over], [but] not rightly [or, for no good], _but_ they want to exclude us, so that you* shall be zealous for [or, be eagerly seeking] them.” (Gal 4:17, ALT)
In the last teaching we concluded the sub-theme of Korah’s rebellion. All three of Korah’s complaints were legitimate, but it was made clear that it fed the system of the church (read prototypically). Korah’s attitude of heart also disqualified him with God. Unfortunately these same conditions often prevail with us believers, especially since we have not been properly discipled in the Truth in the outer court of the tabernacle. Thus we are bound to false horns which hijack our walk with God (Zech 1:19-20)
In day 187 we explained how in the natural realm it is often found that sons who were not fathered end up going in one of two directions – they are either very rebellious or they are homosexual. We have learnt that this same pattern repeats itself in the spiritual realm. A person whom has not been spiritually fathered is often prone to spiritual selfishness and a spirit of rebellion or spiritual homosexuality. We have focused a lot of time on the rebellion aspect and will thus shift our attention to what Rick Joyner terms “homo-sect-uality”, used in his book Mobilizing the army of God.
In his radical book The radical Christian Arthur Willis investigates the dead-end the Charismatic movement (the book was already published in 1981) finds itself in. In order to find an answer to this impasse he investigates the foundations and development of the Christian church through the ages and shows how there has consistently been compromises made in the movement. In the Oxford dictionary the word ‘compromise’ is defined as “the partial surrender of one’s position, for the sake of coming to terms”! Because of this stance we have a legacy of accepted sects and these “hired lovers” (Hos 8:9) and the accompanying “profane and old wives’ fables” (1 Tim 4:7) prevent us from maturing in the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (1 Tim 4:7). Wallis relates it back to denominationalism, something we have already covered in depth: “It is a shock to find that the seeds of sectarianism were in the bosom of Christianity. The denominational spirit was incubating centuries before denominations appeared. Initially is was … a carry-over from Judaism, and found expression in that pressure group within the church called ‘the circumcision party’. Like yeast within a lump of dough it permeated the spiritual body, undermined the authority of the apostles, and impeded the growth and witness of the church.” On account of Gal 4:17 he makes this very accurate observation about the sectarian spirit: “They wanted to win them over in order to take them over. It was their own sectional interest that they were after. That is a characteristic of sectarianism.” (p. 149).
- Sela: Explain to someone the true meaning of sectarianism.
- Read: 2 Kings 23; Jer 24; 2 Cor 7
- Memorise: 2 Cor 7:10
