RELEASE FROM SPIRIT OF CONDEMNATION

Rom 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

As I was driving in the rain a few days ago, I sense a word - "spirit of Condemnation."

I have not written a blog for some while now - but I sensed this is the word for us and a reminder to us as we end 2010.

I am constantly amazed at how God highlights some of the "invisible" deviant spirit that can contaminate a Christian's good life.
Some sins are easy to spot - like stealing, lying and adultery.
We or other parties can readily spot it and know it if we are committing it.

"Invisible" sins, on the other hand, are hard-to-discern evil influences that can change the course of our lives without us being even aware of it.
I had earlier commented on invisble sins like Greed (Sep 2008) and the Seduction of Glamour in a high flying Career (see Film Review & Reflection of "The Devil Wears Prada," Feb 2009).

The evil "spirit of Condemnation" is especially more so if we live in an environment where there are great expectations and great pressure to perform.

It dawned on me that in an environment and culture whereby there is great pressure to perform, there are at least two evil inclinations that we may not be even aware of.

1. WE ARE PRESSURED TO PERFORM AND PRESSURE OTHERS TO PERFORM

and its accompanying

2. SPIRIT OF CONDEMNATION

These twin influences seeps into many areas of our lives.
I'll look at the Child, Career and Church areas of our lives.

1. CONDEMNATION WHEN NOT PERFORMING - AS A CHILD

Children in Asian societies - e.g. China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore - encounter and can endure a high pressure to perform.
It starts from school.

In Singapore, children are under tremendous pressure to study hard so that they can make it for the EM1 and EM2 stream rather than EM3 stream (English and Mother Tongue at equivalent of 1st or 2nd or 3rd language standards respectively). Parents do not like to see their children streamed into the EM3 category at the end of Primary 4 (10 year old) since EM3 is designed for the less academically inclined.

Then at Prinary 6, the 12 year old takes a cliffhanger PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) that will determine whether the child enters the Special, Express or Normal Streams.

Most parents want their child to at least qualify for the Express stream because their child will take four years to complete their "O" levels rather than five years for the Normal Stream.

All these streaming are done with good intentions to channel an individual according to their inclinations and giftings.

However, there is a worldly and evil spirit that spoil good intentions.

Parents - with all our good intentions - sometimes get pulled along (some say "pushed along") the bandwagon to get their child to keep up with the rest of the cohort. They do not want their child to fall behind (good intentions).
They feel the pressure and they in turn pressure their child to study.
Sometimes the child wants to do well too and the child burns the midnight oil. their cohorts.

I was reminded by a Singaporean who was previously based in China that it is just as, if not more intensely competitive in China.
There are a number of Mainland Chinese studying in Singapore.
Some observe that when there is a Mainland Chinese student in a class, the Chinese student would likely end up topping the class.
So the Singaporean students feel the pressure or the challenge.

By right all the competition and streaming should challenge each one to be the best we are.

Unfortunately, there is something sinister in the spiritual realm that occurs.

Those who do not do so well academically - although they are in the Normal stream do not feel "normal."
Those who are not so academically inclined somehow feel that they are not so normal.
They may feel inferior.
They may feel depressed and even turn suicidal.

The failure to achieve results / perform sometimes produces a sense of condemnation.

Some parents like myself, may have unwittingly - whether by our words or even by just our body language - judged our own children and sent a message of condemnation - that they did not do well.

And even if we did not by our words or action or body language or even have the remotest inkling to condemn our child - the child may MISTAKENLY PERCEIVE that we are not happy with their results and condemn them.

The general society's perception may also be that those who fail to achieve a certain standard is not up to the mark.
And there is a sense of condemnation.
Hence, the "Normal" stream student feels condemned.

See the deviant evil creeping in - into our belief system and our children's belief system. In due course, the more people believe in this, this belief becomes the society's belief system or culture.

Now the pressure to perform is NOT LIMITED TO EXAM RESULTS.

There is a pressure to perform amongst second generation Christian in terms of good BEHAVIOUR

We, as Christian parents, want our children to behave like all godly Christians should.
We are like Moses to Israel - presenting to them the commandments and the many laws and conduct expected of them.
There are EXPECTATIONS.
There is PRESSURE TO PERFORM on our children - 2nd generation Christians.
My wife tells me that my "conversations" with the children are more about what they need to do (prescriptive) rather than just a conversation about what's happening in their lives (minus any prescriptive language).

REFLECT:
Do we as Chritian parents end up with this kind of prescriptive talk rather than a relational talk?

Unwittingly there may be a pressure to perform as church leaders or even as Christian parents - simply because other Christian parents are "watching" us.
There is after all 1 Tim 3:4
"He (the overseer) must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect."

Even though we may not feel the pressure to perform and even when we have good intentions for our children - that they walk in the Lord (for their own good to remain in God's blessings) - the child feels the pressure.
The child feels OBLIGATED to behave well.

Unwittingly we have got it all the OTHER WAY ROUND!!!
When we prescribe how they should be behaving, we are just hitting the external behaviours.
But have we engaged their heart for Jesus?
Have our 2nd generation Christian children - though they may accept Jesus when they are young - personally encountered and experienced Him so as to want to love and obey Jesus and behave accordingly?
Have they experienced an internal heart change so that it is no longer a pressure and an obligation to behave in a certain manner?

There is biblical and theological basis for this.
The Abrahamic covenant comes before the Mosaic covenant.
God's covenant with Abraham in Gen 12:1-3 is one whereby by His grace, God promises Abraham an inheritance.
Abraham's expected response is Faith.

Then to this people of the promise, God's covenant with Moses in Exodus 20 (also Deut 28) is the promise of Blessings and the Maintenance of Enjoying these blessings.
However, the expected response from God's people is Obedience to continue enjoying the blessedness.

Hence, faith and the heart change comes first (Abraham - Faith).
Then the obedience - the behavioral change (Moses - Law).
Not the other way around.

Reflect:
How have we got Faith and Behaviour in the wrong sequence in following up on our children and in our discipleship of believers?

2. CONDEMNATION WHEN NOT PERFORMING - CAREER

As we become more and more of a global economy, any company is open to competition from every company all over the globe.
There is a challenge to survive and thrive.
So there is pressure on all managers to achieve their quota and targets.
They in turn pressure the staff down the line to achieve their results.
If they do not achieve the results, the threat of retrenchment may be wielded and fear strikes.
After all there is a real danger that the company may be folded up if profitability is not achieved.

With many families taking on higher mortgages - both husbands and wives may be "forced" to work.
Actually they can start by buying a smaller unit or apartment so that there is not too much pressure or requiring a high double income.

Now, there is a pressure to perform even between husbands and wives.
If the wife earns more than the husband - would there be a spirit of inferiority or a spirit of condemnation?
What happens if the husband fails in business or loses his job and there is a foreclosure?

Many marriages are suffering in US with all the foreclosures.
There is a sense of failure and condemnation.

In Asian societies, there is a STATUS consciousness.
There are those who are up there - the doctors, lawyers and the professionals.
Then those who are not up there - may feel a sense of inferiority.

Our career and job seem to determine who we are.
Like in the child stage - the results and the career determines WHO WE ARE.

Those who are not up there may then feel a spirit of condemnation.

REFLECT:
Does my job and my results determine WHO I AM?
What determines Who I Am?

3. CONDEMNATION WHEN NOT PERFORMING - IN CHURCH

This is a subtle way evil can worm into a church.
Unwittingly we ask other Christians and other pastors - "How big is your church."

In my youthful zeal and exuberance, I would ask visiting pastors how big is their church. I came from a fairly large church and I think that all churches would be and should be large - after all God will always provide growth if we follow Him.

Immediately that subtly puts pressure on pastors to check themselves and ourselves - why are our churches small?
Is it our fault that the churches are not growing or growing ever so slowly?
We fail to realize that it is not about us.
We are just the minor gardener providing all the right conditions - and it is up to God to provide the increase - if the pre-believers and believers respond to Him in faith and faithfully ...

And then when the church is small or grows slowly, there is a spirit of condemnation.

The pressure to perform can impact pastors who in turn unwittingly pressure group leaders and members.

As pastors, including myself, challenge our congregation to do a number of things / programs, the congregation feel a pressure to perform e.g. to bring guests for harvest events like Easter and Christmas.
Then with the statistics, there is a pressure to see conversions and baptisms.

i. Pressure To See Conversion Results

The statistics gathering of the number of visitors and conversions from the Harvest and outreach events mean that group leaders and members sometimes feel the pressure to see results.
It is a subtle and not so obvious effect. But cell members sometimes feel the pressure to see results because their pastors feel the pressure too.

ii. Quantitative Statistics of Conversions vs Qualitative Heart Motivation

There is precedent in Acts 2:41 for statistics keeping - 3,000 added to their number. I too believe in statistics keeping - being a business and theology graduate myself.
However, any lop-sided focus on conversion numbers (perceived or actual) can corrupt our evangelistic motivation.

This can even lead to a very regrettable situation whereby a cell leader - meeting a person who is ready to receive the Lord - delays in leading this person to Christ until the harvest event so that there is a conversion statistic to show for the Harvest event.
The heart of cell leaders and members can be so corrupted subtly.

There is an invisible line when our evangelistic zeal is perceived as crossing over to become task rather than a love for people. Also when there is a leaning over towards conversions, we fail to appreciate every member who reaches out and brings people on the journey closer to the conversion point as well as on their onward discipleship journey.

iii. Pressure To Perform Makes Us Feel Like A Failure

Instead of feeling victorious in our Christian living, when a cell group doesn't see conversions, it may actually feel like it failed in its assignment.
It has not achieved its target.
Then with the target to multiply every year and if the cell does not win or attract enough members to multiply - then they feel like they have failed.

Then there is talk of closing a cell group or that the cell leader's leadership skills need to be upgraded - means that there is a sense of failure. This can lead to a feeling of condemnation.

iv. Pressure To Perform Spoils Love Relationship

The pressure to perform and task orientation (even in spite of our expressed desire for 100% task and 100% people orientation) can have an adverse impact on relationships.

When pastors meet group leaders and when group leaders meet members - the subtle talk of results can derail the efforts to build a love relationship with leaders and members. Members do not feel the love but the pressure.

v. Pressure To Perform Causes "Staleness" In Harvest Events

The pressure to perform contaminates the motive for outreach.
Outreach must happen out of our heart love for our friends and people.
Staleness in outreach events happens easily when we feel an obligation to reach out to friends rather than doing it out of love.


THE CHALLENGE - AMATEUR CHRISTIANS

I write this to caution all of us who desire to achieve so much with good intentions - but unintentionally fracture relationships or unwittingly unleash a spirit of condemnation.

The pressure to perform is evil and corrupts our Christian living and our desire to reach out to pre-believers.

I am back to being an Amateur Christian - doing it for the love of it - rather than a professional pastor or being pressured to show results.

We do good out of love knowing that "Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow" (1 Cor 3:7)

Continue with the Harvest Events and challenging ourselves to do our best for the Lord.

But be mindful that the heart of doing whatever we do is out of love and not the pressure to perform and to see the conversion or baptism or visitor numbers.

Reflect:
1. How would a knowledge of the above renew our zest for evangelism this Christmas?
2. Do we "judge" people releasing a spirit of Condemnation or Edification?
3. How does "WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST" counter the spirit of Condemnation?

Have a very Blessed Christmas as you and I be a Blessing to people around us bearing the gift of Jesus releasing people from all condemnation and rejection.