How Satan Got In: The Church Is Under Serious Attack!

By Robert M. Best Jr.

The attack has begun full scale against the integrity of the Church as an establishment. God has commisioned Pastor Best not to only point out the secret motives of the enemy in the Church, but also to bring resolutions to Satan's attack as well.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 7, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483511276

Book preview

SEE!

Someone Changed the Sermon

The enemy has always attacked the commands of God since the beginning of time. God set limits and boundaries for man at the creation of Eden, and immediately Satan challenged his word. Gen 2:8-17 explains how God created a wonderful environment for Adam and called it Eden. It had everything Adam could ever need, but there was always that one thing he couldn’t touch-the tree of Knowledge of good and evil. Could it be that God intended for us to live as children, never having a care in the world, and not being able to commit sin, based upon humankind having no knowledge of good or evil since that had not been introduced to them as of yet?

It’s a fact that we were taught everything we know either by someone or something. No one came into this world pre-programed except Christ. The question is who or what has been programming you? Since the beginning, Satan has interfered with the communication of God and man. (Gen 3:4-5) First by using Eve- a gift given to Adam to help him, support him and comfort him; but she only ends up causing mankind to take a major fall. This is so ironic because there are so many things we want to possess whether it is people or material things, and though the original intent was to use what we possess to better our lives, we now find ourselves in a compromising position or at a crossroad. The bad thing is you can’t even remember how you got there. Satan uses that thing to get to the man/woman to break trust between God and man.

The enemy is cunning, tricky and very convincing. Gen 3:1-6 says he uses the serpent who was more subtle than any beast of the field. (Subtle: meaning delicate, sharp or nice.) Satan chooses something to get Eve’s attention, something that would captivate her long enough to first, seduce then secondly to convince her. Satan uses the same strategy to this day! He comes to us as the picture of perfection that you have been praying for yet, you find out later that you were duped by your own fleshly, lustful desires.

What if I were to say that it was in Eve all along to taste of the forbidden fruit, and Satan only played off of her inward desire, never forcing her to sin, but only tempting or encouraging her to do so. Know that in everything that we do a choice is prevented before a call to action. Can we say that no one can make you do what’s not already in you? Make no mistake about it! Eve was not tricked by the devil! Satan used his power of persuasion against her to manipulate the instructions passed down to her through Adam. The reason we can’t say that Eve was duped or tricked is because Gen 3:2-3 tells us she told Satan/the serpent what trees they were able to eat from. This leads me to believe that somewhere not written in the Bible, Adam gave Eve a tour of her new home, and told her the do’s and don’ts! Remember that Satan is always on the prowl for the weakest link. Peter 5:8 say’s "he roams this earth seeking prey or weak minded subjects in whom he may use, and then devour." Now some thousands of years later he has the same attack with a slightly different strategy, and his target is the ultimate garden that we call the Church.

God has given us the gift of the church, a place where we can come together and pray. Heb. 10:25 says, Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; and all the more as you see the day approaching. There are many who say I don’t need to belong to a church. Some have many reasons for not wanting to attend church. Most of the reasons I’ve heard are only weak excuses for not making any type of commitment, whether physically or financially to a church. I could say that some reasons are legitimate, but at the end of the day a person can find fault in many different establishments, but the only one they boycott for half their lives is the church.

Many have had bad experiences in restaurants, malls, clubs etc., and they go back the very next week. I think that I can say with confidence that some go back the very next day! The problem with most churches is that they are to programmed. This wouldn’t be such a problem if our programs actually included the anointing instead of professional entertainment. I just heard something in my Spirit say, Don’t mistake the spirit of arrogance for the spirit of excellence! We say that church should have a certain format but (Is 55:8) tells us that his thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are his ways our ways. But I say how can you format what some of us don’t even understand, and most of us could never figure out unless the Spirit revealed it to us. I love the study of the depths of God’s word, but remember all these studies and doctrines and some church rules come from a man. Theology is great, but what if the greatest theologians have been inspired by their own thoughts, and the Holy Ghost never had anything to do with some of these teachings? This was just a question to provoke you to think. (Remember the Pharisees and the Sadducees!) It seems as if we have many different events in our churches, but Matt 21:13 tells us His house (God’s house, belonging to God) is to be called a house of prayer! Question-- if the church is supposed to be God’s house why do we have large chairs for our leaders, and segregated places for praise? It’s as if we’ve crowned ourselves kings and queens, but God doesn’t even have an elegant or segregated place dedicated as His abode.

All the great edifices that have and are being built—I wonder, was God sought for the sanctuary layout, or was an unsaved philistine/architect allowed to draw up a spiritually illegal plan for God’s house to suit the accommodation of man and the needs of a controlling people instead of waiting on the instructions for the formatting of GOD house? (I know...that one hurt. I just repented too. I felt conviction!) Prov. 3:6 says In all thy ways acknowledge him, (GOD) and he shall direct thy path. This principle goes for your own personal decisions as well, but back to the matter at hand. Many churches build exclusive stages to hold choirs, preachers, musicians and even stage plays, but no ALTARS! I had to pause for a moment for this almost brought me to tears...What if Satan is attempting to do what he did in the public schools, and silently he’s removing PRAYER from the CHURCHES! You say NEVER, but how many churches have you been to that don’t have a place to kneel and pray? Have you been where they dance longer than they stay on the altar, or maybe prayer is always a corporate thing because nobody feels like or is capable of doing altar work anymore? I guess when God finally shows up he has to sit on the step or maybe watch the show being called His Move, and He is not even in it.

I’m going to probably lose a few preaching engagements behind this next statement, but its ok, because most of our problems have been due to engagements and not Spiritual assignments! So what has Satan done some thousands of years later? Eccl. 1:9 tell us, What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. It is my personal opinion that we, the body, have lost control as well as the real focus of the church. We have created a different environment based upon the opinion of the body. Understand that God gave instructions to Moses-- a chosen leader. In Ex. Chap. 40, God gives precise instructions all the way down to the last detail on setting up the very first church! Everyone couldn’t be involved in the construction or works of Moses’ assignment. The original format of the church had nothing to do with choirs, ushers, praise and worship teams, jumping, dancing or even preaching. The first church was simply a place where chosen leaders were able to commune and offer sacrifices to God on the behalf of God’s people. Then some decades later after the consistent sins and disappointment in mankind, Christ is now sent to be the ultimate sacrifice for the atonement of sins. This gave us all direct access, not to God, but to Christ. Matt. 27:51 says, And, behold the veil of the temple was rent (torn) in twain (half) from top to bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent. At the point of completion of the crucifixion of Christ, which no priest, previous prophet or any leader that God had chosen upon this earth could accomplish; God then shows his disappointment with the church/priest by ripping the veil thereby disconnecting communication between man and Himself. Christ states this clearly! In John 14:6 He says, "I (Jesus) am the way, and the truth, and the life; NO ONE comes to the Father, but through me."

If we, the Church, are the bride and Christ is the Bridegroom (Matt 25:5); and numerous passages throughout the synoptic gospels refer to Christ, as being so, then why isn’t the focus of our churches on preparing for the great wedding with Christ? Most Sunday morning messages are written to inspire or encourage the body to believe in a God that is able to rescue them from having no money or taking care of their bills, or bringing about a (false) never ending peace to a relationship or a home they shouldn’t be a part of in the first place! In Matt. 21:12 Jesus cleans up the temple! Now, we have become the same church that He flipped over tables and beat the moneychangers out of in the beginning!

We can find many churches on many corners and just about all of them are classified under one of the churches spoken to in Rev. Chap. 2. Whether we condone the selling of cds, dvds, raffle tickets, pies, clothes, towels, suits, dresses, dinners, clicks, favorites, secret relationships, etc., -- if it’s in God’s house, we are all guilty as charged! The focus to restore God’s house is twisted. Many are screaming there’s no order in the house of God! This is a very true and accurate statement, but I also have an issue with this. I want to know whose order we are speaking of. It seems as if we’re in the era of Church people looking important. Some want the look of order meaning everyone in uniforms, robes, collars, clergy attire etc., but why put spiritual garments on saints if they are not even seeking deliverance! The problem with this type of order is that some churches aren’t using