Religious box building is a strange art. And, a bad thing. Did you know our early day Pentecostal fathers, upon receiving Holy Ghost baptism felt they were delivered from the box of denominationalism? They swore they would never be part of another, they did not like being boxed in by man's rules, theology and understandings. Then, early on, in order to protect themselves against one brother straying a little theology-wise, they met secretly in a back room and organized in order to get rid of that one brother. Thus, a box was born! Just as did the denominations they were delivered from, they soon had developed that box so well that nothing else, no other ideas, revelations, etc., was allowed. Walled out! In my early days of the charismatic move (60's), the boxes started coming apart. For a while, it was "wow"!!! We were ministering in Catholic basements, Episcopalian, Baptist, Methodist, Congregational and Pentecostal churches. The box walls crumbled and the message was simple, just as it was in the early days of Pentecost. "Be filled with the Spirit".
And, then! And, then! Religious leaders got busy re-enforcing their boxes and roping people back in. And, worse! Those charismatics scurried like little beavers building their own boxes. And, no one has done a better job! Those who believed in one thing a little stronger than others - no longer talked to the others. They built the deliverance box, the discipleship box, the confession box, the prosperity box, the healing box, etc., and locked the doors. They walled in our converts and walled out those with a different idea about anything related to their box. In their simple mindedness, they thought they had to protect their truth, as if truth needed protection. The only protection truth needs is to be free from those who seek to protect it.
Box-building is the end of learning and eventually the end of the true Spirit-filled and the Spirit-led life. Now, in our little box, we are sustained and led by that little box. No one from outside of our box can make an input to us or us to them. Are you in a box? One way you know you are in a box when the box-controllers tell you things like this, "If you leave this box, you are going to die early", or "Your blessing is connected to this box and this box only", or "God will never use you again if you leave this box", etc.
Several years ago I tried to tell a fellow who was sitting comfortably in his box about revival going on in other parts of the country. I tried to encourage him to go and see for himself, that he might get a fresh anointing and bring revival at his box. He responded "Oh, yeah, I've heard of those meetings...didn't go..don't want to..(and here is where he got real spiritual) "but if God wants me to have revival..he will just send it...I'm waiting for a sovereign move of God". In other words, he was not going to get out of his box. He was not really thirsty for revival, just something that would bless and enlarge his box. I have since really come to understand that people use the word "sovereign" as a way of protecting their box and it has nothing to do with wanting the will of God.
In closing, I can only say "Lord, deliver me from boxes, building boxes and box builders".
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