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Infiltration

Infiltration. of the Holy Spirit. The Book of Acts. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8. Disruptive. Exhilarating.

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Infiltration

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  1. Infiltration

  2. of the Holy Spirit The Book of Acts “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8 Disruptive Exhilarating Mass Movement! Energetic!

  3. Without: Organization Finances Political Backing Taxes or Dues Armies or Weapons(even persecuted!) Plentiful Leadership Burdened With Strangers Mixed Races Slaves with Masters Poor with Rich 10,000+ needy people! No Plans! No Buildings or HQ! No Charter! No Direction! A Mass Movement

  4. A Movement of Unparalleled Strength! • Of loving relationships… • An organic Body of Christ… • Driven by the Holy Spirit… • Unstoppable…. Invisible Body of Christ 4:32-33 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 4:34- 35 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. 4:36-37 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. “they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus…” (Acts 4:18-21) “great power…and much grace was upon them all” “one in heart…no needy persons among them…”

  5. Infiltration and Assimilation “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as everyone slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat…” Matthew 13:24-25 “…The good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the Devil…” Matthew 13:38-39

  6. Acts 5 1-2 There was also a man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, but he claimed it was the full amount. His wife had agreed to this deception. 3-4 Then Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself.  The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to God." 5-6 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. Then some young men wrapped him in a sheet and took him out and buried him.

  7. Acts 5 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, "Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?" "Yes," she replied, "that was the price.“ 9 And Peter said, "How could the two of you even think of doing a thing like this—conspiring together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Just outside that door are the young men who buried your husband, and they will carry you out, too.“ 10 Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear gripped the entire church and all others who heard what had happened.

  8. Why were they killed? • God took their lives (5:4). • Yet, they were probably believers. • It was a sudden and merciful death. • Death is not the same to God as it is to us. 5:4 “You weren't lying to us but to God.”

  9. Why were they killed? • God took their lives (5:4). • They didn’t have to give the money (5:4). • They pretended to sacrifice (5:4). the Sin of Hypocrisy 5:4 “The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was yours to give away.”

  10. What is Hypocrisy? • It is not defined as ‘having problems’. • It is defined as ‘faking it.’ • ‘upakretes – an actor under an assumed character (stage-player)…Expressed in idiomatic ways, for example, 'to have two faces,' 'to have two tongues,' 'to be two people,' or 'to have two hearts.' —Louw & Nida: NT Greek-English Lexicon • “I’m a Rough Boy!” • A governing principle of the Kosmos.

  11. The Problem With Hypocrisy • It spreads like yeast (Luke 21:1). • A springboard for elitism and power in the church (Matt. 23:5,6,25). • A Self-Righteous, Ego-Driven culture. • Assimilation into the world of human institutions and values (Acts 5:3). V4 They crush you with impossible religious demands v.5 Everything they do is for show… v.6 how they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the most prominent seats in the synagogue… v.7 they enjoy being called ‘Master.’ Don't ever let anyone call you ‘Master,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are on the same level as brothers and sisters. And don't address anyone here on earth as `Father,' for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. And don't let anyone call you `Master,' for there is only one master, the Messiah. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—beware of their hypocrisy!” Luke 21:1 “They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that.” - 2 Tim. 3:5 “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart?” - Acts 5:3 Man-made religion

  12. Destroys authentic spirituality. Unreal, ‘Super-Spiritual’, a falseness. Turns “Good News” into SOS. Worshipping the “Greatness of Man.” A Foundation of Pride. Opposed by God (James 4:6) Hiding Behind External Behavior. (Mt.23:6) Atmosphere of Despair. Simplistic ‘quick fix’ religious magic. The Hypocrisy of Institutionalized Christianity Utterly Unimpressive

  13. Authentic Christian Spirituality • Spirit-driven lives! • Kosmos baggage: • An Institutional-Driven Life: planned, budgeted, restricted, dreary, bribed. • Mindless Conformity: driven by the need for acceptance by adopting its values, goals, and dreams. • KOG: Refreshingly Relational! • This is why JC came to die on the cross. • Because of His love for you, He took your punishment onto Himself without preconditions or guarantees. • He wants a relationship with you

  14. Authentic Christian Spirituality • Spirit-driven lives! • Freedom-driven lives! • Kosmos baggage: a Performance Focus • “Just DO it!” and “PRODUCE! DELIVER! RESULTS! WORK!” • KOG: Hello Freedom! • “Wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom” (2 Cor.3:17) • “It was for freedom that Christ set us free!” (Gal. 5:1) • Called a Grace-driven life. • I am accepted just as I am by God! • I don’t have to prove myself like I do with the Big Boss at work!

  15. Authentic Christian Spirituality • Spirit-driven lives! • Freedom-driven lives! • Sharing burdens together! • Kosmos baggage: Defensive maneuvers, dodges. • Establish my own righteousness and worthiness. • KOG: mixing with mutual sinners. • “Let love be without hypocrisy.” (Romans 12:9) • “Why deny my problems when I’m surrounded by fellow-FUBARs?” • “You think you’re gross? Have I got a story for you…!” • “You think you’ve gotta change? Boy, SO DO I!!”

  16. Authentic Christian Spirituality • Spirit-driven lives! • Freedom-driven lives! • Sharing burdens together! • Sacrifice above praise or reward! • Kosmos baggage: “No pay, no work!” • KOG: “It shall not be so among you!” (Mk.10:43) • Do we really need the praise of others? • “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:32) • It’s not a desperate fight for survival in the BOC! • Instead: “Freely you have received, now freely give!” (Mt. 10:8) • A hypocrite would never agree they received anything free! • It’s all “deserved” and “my hard effort.” • “I’m already so rich! I can’t believe how blessed I am!” • “How can I possibly share all this wealth?”

  17. Authentic Christian Spirituality • Spirit-driven lives! • Freedom-driven lives! • Sharing burdens together! • Sacrifice above praise or reward! • Rejoicing at each other’s success! • Kosmos baggage: Success of others threatens you. • KOG: Success of others strengthens you. • I’m here to promote your success • “Let’s all pray for Levi this week…” • “I hear you’re teaching at CG this week – what’s it about? Can I help?” • I’m watching your back!

  18. Spirit-driven lives! Freedom-driven lives! Sharing burdens together! Sacrifice above praise or reward! Rejoicing at each other’s success! A Bribe-Driven Life:Dead Institutionalism. Performance-driven. Desperate Defensiveness Earn your own way! Threatened by other’s successes. The Body of Christ vs. the Kosmos Infilatrate It!

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