There is a lot of talk in the body in recent years of forsaking “church” etc and how the “church” is toxic and harmful. God is doing a new thing and it’s not Church. Ok let’s talk!
May I suggest it’s the wineskin of religiosity, a focus on external works and customs that promote the flesh that is toxic and harmful.
Unfortunately, this has been a predominant culture in modern Christianity amongst communities of believers however it’s not the blueprint the Lord had envisioned for His body.
IF THERE IS A COUNTERFEIT IT MEANS THERE IS THE REAL DEAL
Just because you have experienced the counterfeit doesn’t mean there isn’t the real deal.
Just because you have experienced the counterfeit doesn’t mean you exit the gathering of believers and announce “church” in a corporate space is evil and God is going to destroy His church!
Some even go as far as to prophesy that in God doing a new thing He is no longer in the gathering of believers and he’s dismantling the church. What an absolute
load of hogwash!
This is the truth, the Lord ISN’T in the systems and structures that stifle His presence amongst believers and those systems and structures, yes He is dismantling. I didn’t say He’s not in systems and structures, I said He’s not in ones that stifle His presence. Or better put, any system can stifle His presence if His presence isn’t priority.
We need to FIND the blueprint of God! He says to gather and not forsake it. (Hebrews 10:25). The problem is the “gathering” has been without the pursuit of His presence.
It’s simple! Come back to the pursuit of His presence (which will require the fear of the Lord) and you will find rest (Jeremiah 6:16).
Of course you are “sick” of a wineskin that promotes man’s need. Whenever man’s need is promoted you will have an unhealthy and unsafe environment. It’s elementary dear Watson.
Don’t huff and puff and declare church as evil! Just go find a body of believers, small or large that is in love with Jesus and pursues His presence. Grow together, love together. It’s not going to be perfect, but maturity is developed in the imperfect. As long as He is the pursuit, growth and fruit will result.
Don’t swallow the pill of the enemy that “church” is evil. Church is the body of believers not a building.
CODEPENDENT LEADERSHIP OR BELIEVERS CANT EXIST IN A PRESENCE WINESKIN
In a presence focused, presence centred body, there is no room for codependent leadership or believers. A presence centred environment calls the believer into accountability for their own walk as the environment is centred on pursuit not consumption. In a pursuit environment or culture, His will and way are the focus not comfortability and complacent Christianity.
COUNT THE COST OF BEING A PART OF THE REAL DEAL
I would just like to exhort you dear brethren. Those who are fed up with the toxicity of the religious wineskin of Christian community, count the cost of being a part of the real deal. A religious wineskin will allow you to stay spiritually immature. In fact, it’s set up to encourage it.
Many expect a spirit led and spirit free environment to be easy on your flesh. It’s not. The liberty of the spirit and the beauty of His presence comes at a cost. And the cost is your will and way. The Word that comes forth in this environment challenges the soul to grow up. It challenges the soul to surrender to the lordship of Jesus. It’s a greater surrender than you have ever known, but the greatest reward and way of living you could ever imagine. When you are one who lives and walks in the spirit you won’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Romans 
).
TRUE SPIRITUAL MATURITY IS DEPENDENT ON HIS PRESENCE
Spiritual maturity in a congregation / community of believers is dependant upon the focus and willingness to pursue His presence first (the Holy Spirit’s leading) as this takes a surrender of the heart that denies personal need and agenda.
When personal need and agenda is sidelined the agenda of the Holy Spirit reigns and the people of God through His presence enter the MIND and HEART of God. The atmosphere is now pregnant with faith to be born in the hearts of God’s people. This is imperative as without faith it’s impossible to please him.
We need to remember the Lord’s ways in how He moves instead of consistently coming to God in our program formats, then demanding He come.
THE BLUEPRINT
If we remember the blueprint on how the Lord moves is found in the very beginning, it was the spirit of God that hovered and the Word of God was spoken (Genesis 1).
So many gather to hear the word without the pursuit of His presence, hence in this case we have intellectualism and philosophy masquerading as the infallible word of God.
Intellectualism and philosophy does not build mature believers, in fact it does the opposite. It develops a person who relies on the wisdom of men. It develops a people who seek stimulation of the soul rather than the Holy Spirit. It’s Holy Spirit’s job to stimulate the soul (Ephesians 5:18). When the Holy Spirit stimulates the soul, the game changes in the life of a believer.
COUNTERFEIT BLUEPRINT – ENTERTAINMENT
Entertainment does not poise the atmosphere to be pregnant with the heart and mind of God. Entertainment is for the need of man, not the gratification of the Father.
When the atmosphere is pregnant with the heart and mind of God, faith is born in the heart of the believer. Faith relies on the power of God (grace) and the integrity of His word. It is totally outside of our natural ability. It requires surrender and death to self to believe God, hence why it takes a humble person to walk by faith and therefore be pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:6).
DO YOU WANT TO BE WHERE HE IS?
To walk in the spirit and to gratify the Holy Spirit will require a heart posture that seeks to BE where He is.
This is also relevant in our corporate gatherings. If we seek to be where He is (in other words, follow His lead and obey and honour him instead of our programs that are set up to please the people), then we will be changed and transformed, and encountering Him in Word and Spirit will be the common occurrence. Maturity will be the fruit.
In our new covenant we have access to the presence of God that enables us the ability to enter the thoughts and ways of God that are higher than man’s even most intelligent intellectual mind.
If you are seeking to grow and mature in the Lord, gather and find a community with believers who honour God’s presence, as there you will have a people who will be desperate to hear the heart and mind of God, and the Word of God will come forth with revelation and challenge you to grow and build you in wisdom. It will be a word in season when His presence is prioritised.
If you are a leader and you are wanting your people to grow and mature then I recommend you ditch all your teaching programs that are void of His presence, pursue His presence and the word will come to build those you lead. Wisdom builds her house.
THE PRESENCE AND POWER ARE DIFFERENT
And just to clarify, I’m not talking about pursuing the power of God. I’m talking about the presence and the problem is a lot of believers don’t know the difference. The power of God will not develop maturity in the believer. We see this in the case study of the children of Israel who left Egypt by the might of God’s outstretched hand. I mean of all generations through the bible (other than the generation of Jesus), these ones experienced the power of God like no other. However, it only took a matter of days before the selfishness and unbelief of their heart surfaced and provoked the Lord. Power didn’t change their heart.
Presence is intimacy, in the intimacy of His presence you will encounter the fire of God. This is where you are changed. Not encountering his power.
His power is wonderful, amazing and NEEDED, however it’s the hand of God, not the face of God. If we seek first His face we WILL encounter His hand (Matthew 6:33).
To seek His face will produce the fruits of His spirit not the gifts. Two different things. Fruit is maturity and this is how Jesus said to know a person, by their fruit not gifting.
A RELIGIOUS SPIRIT VERSUS HIS PRESENCE
Without the pursuit of His presence in a community of believers, a religious spirit will prevail. This is a seeking of truth outside of the presence of God. This does not produce maturity in the believer as maturity is founded in surrender and humility.
A religious spirit will keep people in the flesh, posing as righteous by focusing on performance centred worship. Because the focus of pursuit is not His presence, the focus turns toward the person. Ambition and self-promotion is front and centre. This is the “cup being clean on the outside” mentality. This heart posture fosters a judgemental, critical, unhealthy and unsafe environment. As Paul clearly points out in 1 Corinthians 3, a people who are carnal are spiritually immature.
A presence centred community will produce a “cup being cleaned on the inside” type focus which 100% is the development of a mature believer. This heart posture fosters a loving, humble, pure and safe environment.
So my beloved brethren, don’t forsake the gathering of the believer because you have a sour taste of experiencing the counterfeit.
There is the real deal, it’s called His presence, it just might be like the pearl of great price you have to seek to find it and once you taste it, nothing less will ever satisfy.
IN CONCLUSION GOD LOVES HIS CHURCH and the gathering of believers and is committed to her development, maturity and relationship.
Much Love, Anita Alexander
