Human Trafficking in the Church — Part 14
Recognizing the Six Characteristics of the Religious Spirit of Babylon
The six characteristics of the religious spirit of Babylon are the same today as they were when they were first recorded in Scripture in Genesis 11.
3. Building an Empire (continued)
“Then they said, ‘Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves’—Genesis 11:4 (NLT)
“Have you ever stood and stared at it? Marveled at it beauty? Its genius? Billions of people just living out their lives … oblivious … the peak of your civilization! And I say your civilization because as soon as we started thinking *for *you it really became our civilization, which of course is what this is all about.”—Agent Smith to Morpheus as he looked out over the vast city that was built by those who served the Matrix
God’s priority for every Christian leader is to feed the sheep, just as Jesus commanded Peter in the last chapter of John. This is the heart of God. This is Who He is. Jesus is the Good Shepherd every day; all the time. It is His nature, and He wants His leaders to have the same heart of love for His people that He has.
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His [own] life for the sheep. But the hired man [who merely serves for wages], who is neither the shepherd nor the owner of the sheep, when he sees the wolf coming, deserts the flock and runs away; and the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them.”—John 10:11-12 (AMP)
“He takes care of his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms. He carries them close to his heart. He gently leads those that have little ones.”—Isaiah 40:11 (NIRV)
“And I will give you [spiritual] shepherds after My own heart [in the final time], who will feed you with knowledge and understanding and judgment.”—Jeremiah 3:15 (AMPC)
“When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd [waiting], and He was moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd [lacking guidance]; and He began to teach them many things.”—Mark 6:34 (AMP)
It is very easy for Christian leaders to divert their focus from feeding the sheep to focus instead on fulfilling their vision for their organization. When this happens, leaders often will begin using people to develop their church programs, rather than using the programs to develop their people. Then people are trafficked in order to fulfill the leader’s vision for the organization. This incites God’s anger (See Zechariah 10:3.) and brings judgment upon the leader.
“Thus says the Lord my God: Shepherd the flock [destined] for slaughter,
“Whose buyers or possessors slay them and hold themselves not guilty; and they who sell them say, Blessed be the Lord, for I have become rich! And their own shepherds neither pity nor spare them [from the wolves].
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“So I [Zechariah] shepherded the flock of slaughter, truly [as the name implies] the most miserable of sheep. And I took two [shepherd’s] staffs, the one I called Beauty or Grace and the other I called Bands or Union; and I fed and shepherded the flock.”—Zechariah 11:4-7 (AMPC)
“Then I eliminated the three [incompetent, unfit] shepherds [the civil rulers, the priests, and the prophets] in one month, for I was impatient with them, and they also were tired of me and despised me.”—Zechariah 11:8 (AMP)
