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"Religion can be the enemy of God. It's often what happens when God, like Elvis, has left the building." Bono
INTRODUCTION
If you subscribe to a dualistic theology, as many mistakenly do, you would probably say that the devil is the greatest enemy of God. However, make no mistake. There is no big showdown on the way between satan and God. The devil was already defeated 2,000 years ago. His present level of perceived power is totally dependent upon the church's lack of enforcing the victory that Jesus won through His death and resurrection. As long as the Gospel is not proclaimed, the devil can hold his sway over the minds and hearts of a gullible humanity.
CHANGE IS CONSTANT
There is a great paradox! Contrary to what many may think, throughout my Christian walk, I have had more attacks come from within the Kingdom than from without! The spirit of religion can do more harm to you than the world. This spirit inspires people to act 'on behalf of God' to keep things as they have always been. It is dedicated to preserving the status quo. However, when God's Spirit is on the move, as it continually is, change is constant. Revival will lead to reformation which can result in the transformation of a whole culture. Our whole Christian experience should be one of being continually transformed on a personal level to be more Christ-like on a daily basis. This means that a growing holiness will be the fruit that characterizes a real Christian.
A HOLY REMNANT
However, according to pollster George Barna, holiness is a matter embraced by the Christian Church, but it is not one that many Americans adopt as a focal point of their faith development. This is partially because barely one-third of Americans (35%) contend that “God expects you to become holy.”
“Realize that the results portray a body of Christians who attend church and read the Bible, but do not understand the concept or significance of holiness, do not personally desire to be holy, and therefore do little, if anything to pursue it. However, the data identifies a remnant that understands holiness, wants to live a holy life, and is engaged in its pursuit. The challenge to the nation’s Christian ministries is to foster a genuine hunger for holiness among the masses who claim they love God, but are ignorant about biblical teachings regarding holiness.”
 LACK OF SAVORY SALT
Barna also noted, “To initiate the education of people regarding holiness, we must arrest their attention and teach its importance. To align their hearts with the notion of being holy, we must move them away from a ‘cheap grace’ theology and replace people’s self-absorption with focus on God and His ways. To help them pursue holiness, we must help them comprehend and accept biblical theology regarding God, satan, the purposes of life on earth, the nature of spiritual transformation and maturity, and the necessity of bearing spiritual fruit.” It is sad to note that the responses of born again and non-born again adults were virtually identical. A church that has morally become mainstream is a church that has become an empty religious shell, incapable of setting a higher standard because of its lack of savory salt.
CHRISTIAN HEATHENS
When you have a form of Christianity that does not expect a growing holiness, you are left with nothing but a religious system that is more concerned with preserving itself than seeing people growing closer to God. You cannot get closer to God without growing in holiness.
Not a lot has changed since Booker T. Washington said over 100 years ago, "Unfortunately, the American church has lost its understanding of what holiness is. Many of our people, without knowing it, are Christian heathens, and demand as much missionary effort as the heathen of foreign lands."
The spirit of religion has a strong hold on the American church. Religion can be the enemy of God. We have entered a season where repentance should be seized while we still have a choice.
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