Cleansing the Temple - Mark Cowart Ministries

by Pastor Mark Cowart

“It is hypocritical to want to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C. and not want to drain the swamp in the church.”

– Mario Murillo

In the Old Testament temple, beginning with the pattern given to Moses, there was a Court of the Gentiles. Clearly, God intended for all people to have access to him, to encounter His power. However, as when Jesus drove the merchants out of the temple in Jerusalem, wrong motives will corrupt and transform this divine appointment into a criminal encounter.

Likewise, what we call “church” in America is not what it’s destined by the Lord to be.

We see the command in the book of Haggai to build God’s house, which also applies to us. We also see the consequences of not listening and obeying. They were constructing beautiful buildings for themselves and their own pleasure, similar to the many elaborate church complexes in operation here. And now, the Lord is cleansing His Church.

“Faith is not the preaching of the Word. It is the obeying of the Word.”

– Bishop David Oyedepo

There is a price to be paid to truly build God’s house. The pain of dying to self, of subjecting the flesh to the Spirit, is necessary to dispel the deception that creeps in if unchecked, corrupting the house of God and, thus, the Church. We are called to build His house, not tear it down. Yet, many who have not paid the price are doing just that, and thinking they are serving God.

In a book written some years ago by Rick Joyner, The Final Quest, he describes a vision of demonic beings riding on the backs of Christians. He said these people profess biblical truth to appease their conscience, but they live in agreement with the powers of darkness. As they did this, they became more easily directed by their assigned demons.

They weren’t demon possessed – a born-again person cannot have a demon in their spirit, but they can be heavily oppressed by the presence of that wicked spirit. Satan, who is known as the accuser of the brethren, inspires the believer to accuse other believers. When they come into alignment with this evil, they come increasingly under that influence and control.

In this vision, the foremost divisions in this march were under the banners of pride, self-righteousness, respectability, selfish ambition, unrighteous judgment, and jealousy.

All of those are the works of the flesh listed in scripture. God has warned us. The weapons they carried were intimidation, treachery, accusation, gossip, slander, and fault-finding.

Does that sound familiar? How does this come to be? You know, I sometimes say, “Church hurts are the worst hurts,” and many people nod. You expect to be safe in church. When you feel betrayed, whether it is real or not, you can become one of these who, as in the vision above, are marching against the Body of Christ, tearing down the house of God.

You must be on guard against the forerunners of these agents of offense. In the vision, these were rejection, bitterness, impatience, unforgiveness, and lust, sent in advance to prepare for the main attack of corrupting influences. Once in place, these demonic forces will cause division and strife in every level of relationship they can access through the deceived person.

The power of demonic forces is rooted entirely in deception, Satan’s strongest weapon.

Once your eyes are opened, you remember he is a defeated foe. You are seated together with Christ in heavenly places! The reason some believers, truly born again, live such defeated, discouraged, and destructive lives is that deception has somehow crept in. They think they are serving God while they tear down His house.

If you are walking around with unhealed wounds, you cannot function in the priesthood of believers. Jesus heals.

To overcome demonic forces that have been tormenting you, you must break your agreement with them. You must accept the suffering of denying your carnal inclination to lash out at someone, for example. It is work to resist the devil.

You can do this. The pain of denying the flesh can be likened to working out at the gym. Your spiritual “muscles” require exercise and development that can be painful, just as your physical body does.

Jesus is cleansing His temple to build His Church. Through the prophetic words of Haggai, you too can be stirred by God’s Spirit, like Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the people. Like the Israelites who returned from exile, the forces against you can appear impossible, but that is where faith comes in.

When you get into divine alignment with the Lord, submitting your life and will to Him as your Lord, not just your Savior, He says your enemies are His enemies.

Who or what do you worship? To what do you sacrifice? To find out, simply follow the trail of your time, your affection, your energy, your money, and loyalty. Where those resources go will show you your highest values. To build the house of God and participate in the Church of Jesus Christ, your priorities must align with His. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

DIG DEEPER

Haggai
Mark 11:15-17
II Corinthians 2:10-11
I Peter 4:1
James 1:19-20
Romans 8:6
James 4:7-12
Leviticus 21:16-24
Matthew 22:37-40

PRAY

Thank God for His Word, which brings light to dark places and awakens His people.
Ask Him to bless the seed of this word to bring forth much fruit in you.
Ask Him to search your heart and shine His light there to expose any corruption.