We hear the phrase “spirit of religion” quite frequently these days. Nobody has a clear-cut consensus on what this phrase actually defines. It is a bit of an unformed awareness that a person, a creed, a church or a movement is striving to assert something that appears like a Kingdom value, but actually is not. The spirit of religion is easy to see in those we differ with, but it is not always as quickly to recognized in ourselves or those with whom we run in God’s Kingdom. Jesus once encountered a group of men who approached Him in this ugly spirit. What He said to them will help us understand the two primary components which will always be present in any expression of the religious spirit.

In this episode of Mavericks & Misfits, we take an intense look at the foundational issues of the religious spirit. We are not called to appease the religious spirit. We must oppose it. We must expose it and, while continuing to operate in the Holy Spirit as we challenge those who are under the influence of the religious spirit, we are not called to play nice. Jesus helps us know what to say and how to say it.