Babylon the Great is Fallen Pt 3 of 6
by David Orton
A Warning To The Church
Part 3 of 6
"Come out from among them!" - A Clarion Call to Holiness & Intimacy
Causing confusion among commentators Paul, seemingly out of context, in his second letter to the Corinthians, issued a clarion call to holiness and intimacy with God - a call to come out of Babylon.
"14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial…?16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
"I will dwell in them and walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
17 "Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. "And do not touch what is unclean;
And I will welcome you.
18 "And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,"
Says the Lord Almighty.
1 Therefore…let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor 6:14-7:1 NASB).
But what was the context of this call? Why did Paul issue it? The answer is found in the reason for Paul's whole Corinthian correspondence. It was centred in one thing - the underlying opposition of the so-called super-apostles.[1] Sandwiched in the middle of an energetic defence of his apostleship Paul issued this call to holiness and intimacy. But why here? Because a false apostolic movement had imbibed the spirit of the age, being driven by values contrary to the spirit of Christ. It was, in effect, pagan and demonic (v14-16). While the pop-apostles of Corinth "masqueraded as servants of righteousness"[2] they were, under the masks of their spirituality and success, sons of Belial (v 15).
Therefore, in a prophetic spirit, Paul called the church to come out from Babylon (v 17).[3] But this is only one half of the equation - the uprooting and tearing down of Jeremiah's prophetic commission. The other half is the call to intimacy - "And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me" - the building and planting of the Jeremiah call. God always calls us out of to take us into - out of Babylon and into the holiness of God.
The parallel with our generation is obvious. A false apostolic movement is in the process of emerging along with the authentic. Initially, like the Corinthian super-apostles, it will be very popular and appear to be highly successful. But in time as abuses become more obvious it will muddy the waters for the genuine. Because of this, it will so compromise the term apostolic that its use, rather than becoming easier, will actually become more difficult. It will be evident that many have appropriated an apostolic charisma without paying an apostolic cost - that they have merely implemented apostolic paradigms without living in apostolic purity. That they have created new wineskins only to fill them with the old wine of Babylon - the spirit of competition, self-seeking, and pride.
But at the same time, the Spirit of God is calling out a true apostolic movement to himself - to come out from the deceit and pride of Babylon and return to holiness and intimacy.
The sins of the spirit
So, how do we come out of the bondage and deception of Babylon? And how can we be sure we are part of the true end-time restoration of apostolic Christianity? As Paul explained, by "cleansing ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God".
We are not only defiled by the sins of the flesh, but of the spirit. The former are more obvious. But the latter - the sins of the spirit are hidden - they are the sins of motive, attitude, and affection - the things that make us do what we do. It is where the pride of life lives - where we worship the work of our own hands, taking pride in our own accomplishments and success. It's where we give allegiance to the false gods of success and power - the gods of ministry, position, and prestige - the false images of self. It is where we live and feel - and where we are most vulnerable. It is therefore, where we are the most defensive - where we have established fortified strongholds for our own survival.
The Stronghold of Self
As I have sought to highlight, the stronghold of self is our greatest single roadblock to spiritual breakthrough. When we allow God into this hidden realm - into the deepest parts of our spirit by surrendering self-will and self-justification, all heaven will break loose. When God has a people with whom he can entrust himself, through whom he can live and act, supernatural things will occur - heaven will come to earth. He is waiting for a people who will not use him - who will not use the gifts and the power of God for self-aggrandizement. As leaders reconsecrate themselves, laying down self-promotion and self-effort, God will have room to move again, to be who he is, not only in their lives but also in the church. False gods will fall to the ground. The product of our own hands - our images, our ministries, our plans and strategies - our egos, will be consumed as wood, hay, and stubble in the flames of God's presence. Pastors and leaders will not only surrender their positions and their possessions, but even their paychecks to obey God and move into their destiny in the emerging church.
Those who are not influential or powerful by human standards will arise from obscurity to lead what God is doing. Man will get out of the way. Christ will rule in the church. And the prince of this world will be cast down. There will be an open heaven over entire cities and nations. And what once took years of difficult labour will happen in days and weeks as new believers, children, and teenagers are used by God in supernatural healings and deliverances. God will break all the rules as underground youth churches and alternative forms of worship move in the power of God harvesting a new generation. Young apostles and prophets will emerge from this underground church and provide prophetic leadership for the work of God into the next era.
But how will all this happen - how does heaven come to earth?
Part 4 will start to point the way.
An excerpt from David Orton’s book, “Snakes in the Temple: Unmasking Idolatry in Today’s Church”.
[1] Refer to Chapter 5 of Snakes in the Temple for a discussion on the "super-apostles"
[2] 2 Cor 11:15
[3] Isa 48:20; 52:11; Jer 50:8; 51:6, 9, 45; Rev 18:4
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Copyright © David Orton 2006