15 Spiritual and Moral Errors in the Modern Church
Modern Church Errors have become a growing concern for many believers who desire to see the Church return to spiritual power, holiness, genuine faith, and intimacy with God. Crusades were once powerful, with thousands giving their lives to Christ and notable miracles taking place. The preaching of the fathers of faith went beyond language; it could enter and reconstruct your soul. During the Crusades of Oral Roberts, thousands of wheelchairs were lifted, and countless blind eyes were opened.
1) Error: We Have a Form of Godliness but No Power
The early preachers were known for power: power to transform and to work miracles. These men did not come to preach sermons; they came to show God. Miracles were normal in the Church of the 1990s and the early 2000s, even among ushers.
Our revival today is a revival of numbers and posture.
2 Timothy 3:5: “Having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”
Jesus said signs and wonders would follow those who believe. To receive power, there must be revelation, consecration, and yieldedness to the authority of the Holy Spirit.
Today, we are conference speakers. When the man of God comes, he prepares himself with five sermons and polished English. Today, many preachers are either relationship coaches or financial experts. This has become a major driving area of ministry in this century.
Hebrews 11:32-35: “…for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, …and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again.”
I was in Zambia for a crusade, and a man was literally down and tied in bandages everywhere. He might have been praying to God, “Let the man of God touch me.” I did touch him, but nothing happened. After the crusade, they still wheeled him back home. I almost ended my apostolic ministry.
Today, when somebody has a mental problem, the church recommends a psychiatric hospital.
2)Modern Church Errors: Error of Undermining Intimacy
Church sermons today get carried away by activities and religion. They undermine a personal relationship with God.
A pastor can be running to come and preach, ironing his suit, with his tongue already sharp to give speeches, but he has not taken 30 minutes to sit with the God he wants to speak for. Because he has done this for some time and has notes, comportment, charisma, and the ability to communicate almost impeccably, he thinks he can go on without God.
Somebody can be a singer, and because he sings everywhere, he begins riding on the gift and ignores his personal relationship with Jesus. In fact, he does not remember the last time he talked to God alone for 30 minutes. He doesn’t remember the last time he read the Bible.
These are some of the things that result in a dead church. This happened in the church of Ephesus, which was zealous for God but no longer walked with God (Revelation 2:4-5).
Jesus said, “You are fallen. Return to your first love.”
3) Spiritual Errors: Worldliness (Adopting the Ways of the World)
We are called the Ecclesia, which means “called out.” There is a dichotomy between the church and the world.
James 4:4: “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?”
Many pastors come under pressure to add flavor because of the youth. Christians get bored and ask the pastor to add jokes. Why wouldn’t they find it boring? They spend weekends TikToking and Facebooking. Churches now hire comedians to entertain Christians during church services.
Some pastors succumb and learn the dancing steps of the club. The music minister also changes the vibration of the song to align with the same frequency as the club. According to them, “If the Bible forbids us from going to the club, let’s bring the club to church.” We don’t bring the club to church; we destroy the ways of the club.
Why do we think we do not have power? We watch seductive movies and violent movies. We sit for hours, but when we go to pray, 30 minutes becomes a mountain. Don’t allow the world to dominate your soul structure.
Many Christians can’t remember five Scriptures. They can call the names of worldly actors and footballers; they show carnal-mindedness but no God.
1 John 2:15: “Do not love the world or the things in the world.”
If the love of the world has entered your heart, take a retreat. Jesus does not love it.
If God cannot trust you, people will share their problems with you, and you will devour them in their weakness. Someone might say, “My husband has not been paying attention to me for the past year,” and then you take advantage and become the side husband.
Worldliness has entered the church, especially in dressing. Some say it is legalism. Our appearance is for beauty and God’s glory. People should be able to trace God to you.
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4) Undermining Priesthood While Exalting Kingship
Some Christians say they are from the world of faith; they can quote Scriptures and make decrees but have no prayer life. Their altar is weak, yet they expect their throne to be strong. That’s why you’ll find three thousand Christians quoting Scripture, shouting the name of Jesus, decreeing in the blood of Jesus, and nothing works.
We have made Christianity look like it’s all about declaration and no relationship. Whatever you teach about faith is wrong if it does not begin with prayer.
Jesus said in Mark 11:24, “Whatsoever ye desire, when ye pray.” He did not say when you declare.
We believe and declare without “when ye pray.”
The Bible says Elijah prayed earnestly that there should be no rain. Before he went to the king, saying, “Before God, whom I stand,” he had prayed. There is no kingship without priesthood.
Today, when you talk about prayer, some people say, “Everything, prayer! Prayer!”
1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Pray without ceasing.”
Luke 18:1: “Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”
Acts 6:4: “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5)Modern Church Errors: Negligence of the Holy Spirit
Live in impurity, and your soul will no longer be able to ascend when you pray. You will be shouting, but nothing will happen. We don’t give the Holy Ghost His rightful position as Lord when we quench and neglect Him.
The Bible says that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. This means that where the Spirit is Lord, there is liberty.
So, it’s not just where the Spirit is, but where the Lordship of the Spirit exists, that there is liberty. If the Holy Ghost is in a place but people do not recognize Him as Lord, they cannot see His glory.
Many churches pay more attention to the broadcast camera and the size of the congregation than to the presence of the Holy Spirit. A pastor may even call to find out whether the church is full before he comes to preach. Yet, he may not pray until service time while complaining about the lateness of the people.
His soul is not in agreement with the Holy Spirit, yet he expects the church members to arrive early. His main goal becomes creating an impression on the internet rather than cultivating a genuine atmosphere of the Spirit.
6) Modern Church Errors: Neglect of Watchfulness
Matthew 25:1–13 tells the story of the ten virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom. Five of them were wise and carried sufficient oil, while the other five were foolish and unprepared when the bridegroom arrived.
We take the place of watchfulness in the spirit for granted: watching in fasting, watching in prayer, and watching in the Word.
1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
7) Departure From the Faith and Undermining of the Word
Jesus spoke in Luke 18:8, “When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on earth?”
We have stopped living by faith and now live by logic and strategy because we think we are so educated. The entire church operates by logic and strategy.
1 Timothy 4:1: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.”
Hebrews 2:1: “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.”
Many have lost their faith. They can’t even believe God for anything again. Their brains have taken over. The Bible says, “Woe to him that puts his trust in the arm of flesh.”
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word. If you don’t give heed to the Word, your faith will suffer, and you will drift away.
8) Levity in Handling Sexual Immorality
Today, a pastor can be afraid to confront somebody who dresses seductively because he doesn’t want to offend the members. There are all forms of immorality, even in words.
1 Corinthians 5:1–2: “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.”
They practiced immorality until people took their own fathers’ wives.
If you fall and the Holy Ghost convicts you, instead of repenting and stepping down from the pulpit, some people refuse to—probably out of pride and a desire to save face. Some even have supporters from within the church. While in leadership, they expect people to handle their immoral cases with respect.
Even when the Holy Ghost is compelled to make it public, people still try to defend themselves.
The Bible says the righteous man falls seven times, and seven times he rises again. In the state of your fall, you should be separated so that you can receive rebuke and restoration.
Such a person should be separated, and if he doesn’t choose to repent, he should be committed to Satan to buffet his body so that his soul will be saved. That means if he needs to die so that he can be redeemed, let him die.
Ephesians 5:3: “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints.”
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9) Legalizing Covetousness and Greed in the Name of Doctrine
Luke 12:15 declares, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Many Christians struggle with covetousness. Certain men of God cajole people into giving so they can purchase luxury items. Christians should give only when the Holy Spirit inspires them. They should give only when the Word of God convicts them or when their sense of Sonship and maturity places a demand on their faith.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 warns, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
If the Holy Ghost does not lead you to give, if the Word of God does not lead you, if the revelation of the Word does not inspire you to give, or if your sense of kingdom responsibility, Sonship, and maturity does not prompt you to give, then refuse to bow under any pressure to give.
Covetousness has eaten deep into the church. Many projects that churches embark on receive no inspiration from God. Instead, comparison drives them— “How can this apostle be doing this while I am not doing it?” Leaders then pressure the congregation until the money appears. Such financial pressure sometimes causes people to leave the faith.
Ministries also seek to prove that their work succeeds just as much as others. A pastor who should use a clean board as a backdrop instead installs a screen so he can appear modern online. If your faith can carry the blessing, it will come naturally. But if you must covet to obtain it, then you lack the faith for it.
10) Moral error: Hypocrisy.
We have given so much room to hypocrisy. Look at the early church. When Ananias acted hypocritically, God judged him.
Matthew 23, 27-28, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Today, when somebody is smiling with you, be careful. The moment you turn away, that person may say, “See this one. Who does he think he is?”
11) Lovers of Pleasure More Than God and His Ways
Today, so much time goes into dancing rather than worship through dance. There is time for dancing, but not enough time for prayer and the Word. Sometimes, the preaching of the Word feels as if we are rushing to finish.
A sermon can last 25 minutes, but people can dance for 40 minutes. We love anything that touches our emotions. Anything that tantalizes us becomes the major emphasis. That’s why those appetites that we have massaged and pampered become the power that draws us into iniquity.
2 Timothy 3:4: “…traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
Philippians 3:18-19 calls them the enemies of the cross.
12) Moral Failure: Deception and Dishonesty
Nowadays, people count offerings under the vigilance of CCTV because we depend on CCTV rather than on the character of Christians. Leaders, who should serve as custodians and overseers of the House of God, cannot count offerings, and we trust their testimony.
We cannot blame the pastors! They have preached everything they know to preach. They have prayed everything they know to pray. They have released every judgmental Scripture they know, but the hearts of the people have become like stone.
So, in order not to allow them to fall into temptation, they say, “Let us create surveillance. Let there be eyes watching.” Because if eyes are there, perhaps you will not be tempted. Let us put systems in place so that all of us can remain accountable.
Ephesians 4:25: “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another.”
Some Christians think they should tell the truth only in church. But at their jobs, they think they have the license to lie and deceive. Christians should serve as the conscience of society. When everybody is wrong, people should come to you and trust your testimony. Some teachers would come to school by 8:40 a.m. and write 7:15 a.m.
“If I perish, I perish.” Let it become your disposition. Everyone who has ever said that has never perished.
13) Pride and self-exaltation.
James 4:6, God resists the proud, but you give more grace to the humble
1Peter 5:5, Submit yourself unto God unto the elder, Be subject one to another, clothe yourself with humility.
14) Bitterness, Hatred, and Malice
Many people are enemies of themselves in church assembly, from different departments, for flimsy reasons. We trust God for His presence to rest upon us, but we have no love or unity among the brethren.
Ephesians 4:31: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.”
Forgive people before they ask for it.
1 Corinthians 3:1: “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.”
They had all the gifts of the Spirit, but Paul called them a church of babies because there was malice, hatred, jealousy, and envy.
A man can be gifted and operate in the nine gifts of the Spirit, but he can still remain a baby, carnal, and unspiritual.
15) Partial Obedience and Compromise
There are many believers who only respect those they think are qualified to give them instruction. Whatever you tell them, they will ignore you unless whoever they think has the stature to lead them talks to them.
This is why many never rise in the house of God. If God leads you to a place and you submit to the authority there, it is a sign that your character is in order, and that humility, love, and loyalty are in you.
Many people have polluted traits, and they may not verbalize them, but you can see them in how they find it difficult to submit to authority. There is also an ease of compromise with such people.
Some preachers think, “Imagine God gives me influence, and I am making 2 million per week, with three invitations a month to different nations.”
Such an imagination reflects the merchandising of the gospel, and many have merchandised the gospel. So, they do not have any reward in eternity.
Some people say, “I am going to preach for three sessions; give me 10 million. Or I will come with my band, I will sing in two sessions; give me 20 thousand dollars.”
After taking the money, during ministration, he stands on the altar singing, “Lord, I love You,” and even shedding tears. Is he crying unto the Lord, or crying because of the worth he charged? He is compensating for the bill he charged; there is no love for God.
No apostle charged money for the gospel. The same gospel they died for, people want to justify in the 21st century why they should charge for it.
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Inspired by Apostle Michael Orokpo
