“Satan destroys the church from within. He doesn’t need to bring in any ‘bad’ people. Jesus ‘loving folks’ will work just fine. His mission: to tear apart the local body of believers using believers. He’s sly and subtle but his tactics are vintage. They’ve been around forever.”  –Julie Buchtenkirch

I’m about to tell you something mind-blowing and stultifying!

 “Satan goes to my church!”  And guess what, you might be surprised to know that he goes to yours, as well.  I say that rather matter-of-factly, as though, I were describing the identity of a person I know to a stranger in the check-out line in Wal-Mart^®.  Like, “yeah that’s Bob, he goes to my church!”  Now, it’s one thing to identify a friend who goes to your church, its quite another to make such a claim when it involves Satan.  Almost sounds blasphemous, doesn’t it?  Blasphemous because isn’t the church Christ’s body?  Isn’t he the head of the body?  So how could I make such an outrageous claim?

Well, have you ever been a part of a church before? 

Have you ever observed the “gossip sess” that masquerades as a prayer meeting? Ever been in a heated church business meeting where people fight and jockey for position to get what they want for selfish and hidden agendas?  Ever known that “Bible School dropout” who’s supposed knowledge of the Bible is just enough to be dangerous; who never comes to a Bible study, but who attends every business meeting with a copy of the church constitution in hand, ready to throw a spiritual wet blanket on anything led by the Spirit?  Ever watched a devious church member, plan, and scheme; politic and maneuver from behind the scenes in clandestine meetings with other disgruntled individuals, secretly plotting the demise of the pastor?  A person who will lie in wait to do evil towards his brother; who waits like a coiled serpent ready to strike at the opportune moment?  A man or a woman so proficient at spiritual puppetry and deception; who works from the shadows to get people to do what they want?  And yet this same person is somehow Satanically adept at remaining hidden behind a façade of fake spirituality, all the while claiming to “have the church’s best interests at heart”?

If you’ve ever had more than a casual involvement with any church, then more than likely, you’ve seen his work in your church.  You know, what I’m saying is true.  But you have to look with God-given eyes; a Spirit-given discernment that allows you to see with better eyes than most; to see what is imperceptible, walking the halls of our churches.

In my 29 years of ministry, I’ve recognized him many times as this unwelcome visitor who slips in among us.  Some years ago, our church was faced with a scandalous sin committed by a leader in our church.  A sin so horrendous that not only was it a sin that we, the church, had to publicly condemn; but it was a sin that was of a criminal nature.  Just before Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting, the father of the perpetrator called me, and in the course of that conversation; he tried his utmost to get me to compromise and back off on bringing his son before the church for discipline.  I was under great pressure, “for the good of the church”, to sweep this evil under the rug; to act as though nothing had ever happened.  To turn a blind eye, to a sin that had wounded an innocent girl and allow injustice for the victims to proceed under the hidden cover of darkness.

It was a 30-minute conversation, and as we concluded our talk; as I pushed the “end call” button on my phone, I knew…I had just had a 30-minute conversation with Satan.  Although I had been talking to a man who professed faith in Christ; and even though it was a man’s voice I had heard on the other end of the phone…it was Satan to whom I was speaking.  And I knew it!  I knew it, the moment the phone slipped from my grasp and on to my nightstand after that call had ended.

Perhaps, from time to time, you’ve wondered, “How could such things happen in a church with people who have been Jesus-followers for most of all of their lives?”  Certainly, we can see in these events the utter depravity of human beings…even saved ones.  But I think we must acknowledge that there is far more going on in situations like the ones I’ve described, than simply good people behaving badly.

It’s not only a lifetime of experience that has taught me this, the Scriptures themselves bear witness to this reality.  The Apostle Paul sheds light on the issue by stating in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 that

“…Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.  Their end will be what their actions deserve.”

In this passage, Paul is teaching something astounding.  Firstly, that if Satan were to show up in your church, you wouldn’t recognize him, because he would present himself as an angel clothed in righteousness and exuding the fake effulgence of holiness.

To the untrained eye, he presents himself in an altogether different light than the one we picture him as.  He does not come dressed like the ghastly and foreboding figure of the Ghost of Christmas Future in Dicken’s classic, A Christmas Carol.  Nor is he the scaly red dragon figure with the bifurcated tail.  No, the figure requesting entry into your church would be a mesmerizingly beautiful creature, of which no church usher would think twice about opening the front door for.

Secondly, that the place into which Satan seeks to gain entry is not the world…but the church.  How do we know this?  Because the men to whom Paul refers were false teachers who had gained entry into the Corinthian church claiming to be brothers, yet using the same deceptive technique as their dark lord.  They masquerade and present themselves as workers of righteousness in order to deceive the church, and subvert its mission from within.

The question is, however, are we spiritually in tune enough with the Holy Spirit to recognize a lie for what it is?  Are we able to see through the masquerade?  The Bible warns us about the enemy’s subtlety.  It refers to him as the “old serpent”.  He is compared in this way because of his craftiness, sneakiness, and stealth; because of his ability to slip silently into places unseen, who strikes without warning.

Now for a fun fact!  Did you know, that the majority of people who are bitten by actual snakes are bitten because they don’t see them; because they just happen to stumble upon them; and in defense of their territory or person, the snake strikes?  This is the nature of a snake.  It is also the nature of our enemy, for according to Paul, Satan comes to church on Sunday disguised in his Sunday Best as an average church-goer.  An angel of light.

Yet, Satan doesn’t simply come to church as a wolf in sheep’s clothing; as a false teacher intent on gathering a following of the weak-willed and gullible.  His wicked agenda is not limited only to using those who are pretenders within the church; even true believers can be used as unwitting pawns for his evil agenda.

The classic example of this is found in Matthew 16:21-23.  Having come to the watershed of his life, Jesus had taken his disciples to Caesarea Philippi, a godless place of idol-worshippers and human debauchery.  It was the Roman empire in miniature, the world into which Jesus would send these men with the good news of Gospel.  There, he asked them a final exam question, “Who do you say that I am?”

“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”, came the reply.  It was to be on this confessional foundation that Jesus would build his church, a confession that would bring hope and redemption to the world, as well as, suffering to those courageous enough to bear that confession into a world that is hostile towards God.

But none of that would be possible if Jesus didn’t fulfill the Messianic purpose given to him by the Father.  For the divine plan was for Jesus to be arrested, tried, crucified and ultimately to rise from the dead three days later.  It’s not hard though to wonder how horrifying and distasteful it was for Jesus’ disciples to hear this! To hear that their beloved Master, was to be expunged and discarded in such a way.

Peter, perhaps emboldened by his Lord’s commendation of him only moments earlier, did the unthinkable.  He took Jesus aside and rebuked him.  Really?  Who do you think you are to rebuke the Lord of Heaven?

Now certainly, Peter’s intentions were most likely good.  No one wants to hear that someone they love is going to die.  It makes sense to us, as human beings, to do whatever is necessary in order to hold on to and protect ourselves from any situation which threatens us with death. At all costs!  Yet, Peter was essentially saying to Jesus, “Lord, think of it in practical terms.  If going to Jerusalem will end in your death, then just, don’t go!  Save yourself!  At all costs, save yourself!  It seems to me to be the most logical thing a man could do, given the situation!”

Perhaps it’s logical according to human standards. This is the way human beings think, measure and value.  But it is not the way God thinks.

Jesus then gives to Peter the most off-handed and dramatically stinging rebuke ever given to one of his followers,

 “Get behind me Satan!  You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”           

In seeking to prevent Jesus’ resolute march to Jerusalem, either out of love or human practicality, Peter had become the unwitting tool of Satan.  For the enemy is always, like a stumbling block, seeking to thwart God’s plans in the world.

How often has this same scenario seemingly played itself out, time and again, within the workings of the church?  People who mean well, and even those who don’t, have been used by Satan to disrupt what God is doing within the church.  And you may be one of them!  Did you ever think of that?

Have you ever considered that your well-meaning desires, plans, and agendas are being used by the enemy to influence the church in directions which lead it away from God’s will?  It doesn’t take much for Satan to wield his influence; all it takes is for people to think the way they always have; to become selfish, self-centered and self-protective.  In the cultivated human soil such as this, the weeds of Satanic influence grow flourishingly.

“At the time, Jesus’ stern reprimand did not make sense to Peter. However, Jesus’ indictment presents a profound message for us. We can easily see that Peter had the wrong perspective of God’s plan for Christ’s suffering and death. But we must also see how easily we can become an unwitting spokesperson for Satan. This is especially true when we lose sight of God’s plan for us. This comes about when our focus is on our careers, our possessions, our security, the things of the world rather than upon sacrifice and service and the proclaiming of God’s message. When Peter’s focus shifted to his own desires and plans, Jesus rebuked him in order to get him back on track. May our focus always be on God and His plans, that we may never experience a similar rebuke from our Lord. “– gotquestions.org

It’s true.  “Satan goes to your church!”  In fact, he is probably your most faithful church attender! The question is, do you recognize him when you see him?  Can you pick him out of a crowd?  He plays on your hopes, dreams, fears, and ambitions, and he’d be happy to use even you if you’d let him have the chance.  But don’t be frightened.

Jesus also walks among you.

There are many voices inside the church today, can you distinguish between them?  Which voice is the voice of Jesus, and which is not?  Can you tell the difference?  Which voice are you listening to?

“My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”           John 10:27