Now it's time for the dark, ugly side of the church or, to keep our metaphor going, the counterfeit holiness that has invaded most of our churches to one degree or another. Here we call it the religious spirit and it is a deep source of humiliation to God, Himself. Yes, you heard that right. The humiliation of God.

There is probably nothing more odious to the divine than the use of His name for the purposes of evil and sin. Of course, that isn't anything new. From the corruption and evil of the kings of Israel to the Crusades to the open corrupt politics of the church throughout the middle ages to the Inquisition of the Catholic Church. No, it's nothing new but we might be surprised that we still humiliate God in our churches today with the religious spirit that has so dominated church life in the modern age.

You may not recognize it too well yet but you will. To the degree that you understand what true holiness is, you will start to recognize the counterfeit holiness that surrounds you at every turn. And if you are truly vigilant, you may discover that you have a good bit of it inside you as well.

It's time to rip the weeds out by the roots in your own life and become the beacon of light to others that you were meant to be. If you focus your efforts on others or on the leadership of the church, you will fail and displease God. You must focus on yourself, especially if you are in leadership already and then pray for and influence others to do the same.

But the first step is to recognize the corruption within and bring honor once again to the name of Jesus in your life.

Outline

Introduction

Chapter One - The Humiliation of God

Chapter Two – The Parable of the Religious Slave

Chapter Three – The Religious Leader

Chapter Four – The Religious Church

Chapter Five – Toxic Faith in the Religious Church

Chapter Six - Spiritual Abuse by Religious Leaders

Chapter Seven – The Dangers of Communion

Chapter Eight – The Dark Side of Church Discipline

Chapter Nine – The Unattractive Church

Chapter Ten – Hell is a Joke (Story)

Conclusion