What Manner Of Spirit Are You?

ome have missed the pathetic spectacle of a small group of radical "believers" that were recently arrested after publicly disrupting a service at a Catholic Church in Decatur Georgia. Two couples in their twenties, apparently enraged at the apostasy within the Catholic Church, disrupted the service as their leader ran up to the front of the church, overturned a one hundred year old marble altar (which smashed into pieces), and shouted "This is idolatry, you are worshipping false ideas, and these are end times."

The zealots were arrested, and no-one was hurt, but children were crying, and many were shocked and terrified before the group was subdued by several men from the congregation. It is unknown at this time what their religious affiliation is, but it is clear their perspective is one of contempt for Catholicism -- and the terms they used are common to "Christians" that are outside the church. Regardless of what doctrinal stance these people have, the issue demands a response.

Jesus Christ actually addressed this very situation at a key point in His ministry. As He sought to indoctrinate the disciples concerning the Father's will for their lives as followers of His son, Christ was to visit the Samaritans as he was en route to Jerusalem. Luke tells the story:

"And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem."

"And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them" (Luke 9:51-55).

At this point in the LORD's ministry, the 12 had already been given spiritual power over the devils (Luke 9:1). He had already walked on the water (Luke 8:25), raised one young girl from her deathbed (Luke 8:2), and resurrected another that had already died (Luke 8:49). He had been transfigured in the presence of these same two disciples (Luke 9:28,29), so one might think they would have a fair idea of what "manner of spirit" was indwelling them.

Because we live in a time of great apostasy, many Americans that fancy themselves as followers of Christ have come to believe that God desires action of His people -- and in a very real sense, they are correct. However, the preponderance of Scriptural evidence pointedly instructs genuine Christians that we are not the reapers -- the angels are.

We are not the arbiters given a mandate to decide who is wheat and who is a tare (Matthew 13:29). Indeed, in the wheat and tare parable, the LORD flatly stated that role is not ours as "lest while ye gather up [read destroy] the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them" (Matthew 13:29).

While Catholicism (and so-called Judaeo-Christianity, and Islam, Hinduism, Mormonism, etc) is decidedly tare-like in terms of their belief structures, the LORD has not given us the role of reaper (or in the present case, harasser), but of those that bear witness to the light. "I will repay, saith the Lord" (Romans 12:19).

This is not a blanket call to a worthless passivity either, for Jesus, in a defensive context, allowed the disciples to be armed in order to defend themselves (Luke 22:38), and their families (I Timothy 5:8). However, those that would use force and coercion to press their theological view upon others clearly demonstrate they are not of the same Spirit of God which indwells the Remnant Church of Jesus Christ.

October 5 2005 -- James Lloyd

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