Originally released February 22, 2014 – Download PDF:  High Crime Against the Spirit.02.21.14

According to the dictionary, the definition of “High Crime” is as follows:

1:  a crime of an infamous nature contrary to public morality but not technically constituting a felony; specif :  an offense which the U.S. Senate deems to constitute adequate grounds for removal of the president, vice-president, or any civil officer as a person unfit to hold public office and deserving of impeachment.  2 :  a crime of a serious or aggravated nature¹

In the context of this article, I am borrowing the term, applying it to those that hold places of authority in the Church, but have become rebels against the Kingdom of God.  Why would I go to such an extreme?  The reason is that this is how the Spirit has been describing the sin of pastors and Church leaders to me since 1996.  The Spirit has revealed that His leaders who do not welcome the move of His Spirit, but would rather attempt to control His reign, will be removed from power.

When the God of all creation and leader of the Church, the Holy Spirit, places a person in authority He expects them to be faithful stewards.  To be found faithful, one must be obedient to The One that commissioned them.  To walk in obedience to the Scriptures, and the Spirit that wrote it through men, one must follow the Spirit’s orders.  If a Church leader decides they would rather do their own thing on an ongoing basis, maybe for years that turn into decades, instead of following the commands of the Holy Spirit, why would they think they were being faithful?  No, rather, they are guilty of rebellion – a high crime against the Holy Spirit and His Kingdom.

The primary qualification of Church leadership is the ability to hear and see what the Spirit is doing and follow Him.  It isn’t complicated.  It’s simple stuff.  It is not necessary for a pastor, elder, trustee or deacon to read a hundred books on leadership to determine if they are being faithful to what He has called them to do.  There are numerous Christian authors that are glad to tell us what to do, but you and I aren’t called to be faithful to the authors of books!  We are called to be faithful to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Old Testament provides examples of leaders that were found guilty of high crime.  Korah, together with Ditham and Abiram, along with another 250 leaders, led a rebellion against the Lord by standing up against Moses and Aaron (Nu 16:1-2).  In their case, judgment was swift.  Having been found guilty of the high crime of rebellion, of “spurning” (Nu 16:30 NASB), i.e. rejecting, treating with contempt, and despising the Word of the Lord, they were not only removed from office, but the Spirit caused the ground to swallow up both they and their families (Nu 16:24-33).  The other 250 leaders that conspired with these three men were killed by fire from the Lord (Nu 16:35).  I think it’s safe to say that it is never a good idea to spurn or vex the Spirit.  High crime against the Spirit is never profitable business.

Speaking of Moses and Aaron, they were removed from office for disobeying the Lord’s command.  When Moses struck the rock twice, instead of speaking to it so it would yield water, the Lord held them both accountable.  It is instructive to note that Moses was the one who committed the sin, but it was Aaron who supported him in it.  Aaron was viewed as a co-conspirator.  This point was not lost on the Holy Spirit.  Both were guilty. The penalty was high; they could not enter the promise land (Nu 20:8-12, 23-28; 27:12-14, Du 34:4-6).  Both were judged and their positions were given to others (Nu 20:28; 27:18-23).

It really doesn’t matter who or how many there are that stand with a leader in the sin of rebellion.  Titles, diplomas, and positions awarded by men mean nothing to the Spirit.  Furthermore, it doesn’t matter if they are called of God, nor that they are anointed.  Disobedience disrupts a calling and short-circuits the anointing (I Sa 15:22).  Ultimately, they will find themselves in the hand of the All Mighty God who knows how to deal with rebellion, which Scripture classifies as witchcraft (I Sa 15:23).

Another example is King Saul.  His kingdom was given to another because he had rebelled against the Lord’s command (I Sa 13:13-14; 15:11-28).  He wouldn’t follow simple and clear instructions from the Lord.  When leaders rebel, they grieve the Holy Spirit, and He fights against them (Is 63:10).  This was certainly the case with Saul.  We find that the Lord sent an evil spirit to torment and trouble him (I Sa 16:14).  Where there is rebellion in the heart of a leader, there will be no peace.  The result is that they end up attacking those they sense have been called to replace them, as Saul did when he attempted to pin David to a wall with a spear (I Sa 19:9-10).  Seeing the anointing on those that are called of the Lord, they reject them, thereby adding to their high crime of disobedience.

It’s easy to discern the spiritual spear in the hand of a rebellious leader who refuses to follow the Holy Spirit.  Ever on the attack against the Lord’s anointed, having abandoned the path of righteousness, they operate in the flesh that results is chaos in the Church and, if left unchecked, can ultimately lead to their own destruction.  Their sin becomes one of an aggravated nature, a component of high crime.

What else can be learned from these and other notable examples including the prophet Eli (I Sa 3:11-14), David’s sin with Bathsheba (II Sa 11 & 12), and King Nebuchadnezzar (Da 4), which is far from exhaustive.  Leaders, who themselves, or lead others to spurn, vex, reject, despise and rebel against the Spirit, will be judged and removed from office.  And yet there are instances of restoration as in the case of David and Nebuchadnezzar.  There will be cases of restoration in the days ahead, but rebels dare not rest on the sin of presumption.  Lest some be tempted to say, “These are all Old Testament examples, they have nothing to do with leaders today”, I would submit the following teaching from Paul —

2 Timothy 3:16 (AMP) — Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action).

Paul also stated, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God’s own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).  Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind) (Ep 4:30 AMP; emphasis mine).

Further emphasizing this point in He 3: 7-11, Paul quotes the Spirit:

“7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, 9 Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, and saw My works for forty years. 10 “Therefore I was angry with this generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they did not know My ways’; 11 As I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”

Jesus also warns the Pharisees, and us, of sin against the Holy Spirit:

Matthew 12:30–32 (AMP) — 30 He who is not with Me [definitely on My side] is against Me, and he who does not [definitely] gather with Me and for My side scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy (every evil, abusive, injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things) can be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit shall not and cannot be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Spirit, the Holy One, will not be forgiven, either in this world and age or in the world and age to come.

Matthew coupled the above verses together because the Spirit Himself is making a point.  He who doesn’t cooperate with the Holy Spirit, is the one who has chosen to work against the Son of God, Jesus Christ.  He is one who scatters and works against the will of the Father.  He is at war with Heaven.

Disregarding, disrespecting, despising, vexing, grieving, or treating the Holy Spirit with contempt, is very dangerous business, which the Church today has embraced as a wholesale venture.  As has been demonstrated, the warning is rooted in Scripture.  It is also proclaimed by the Spirit in our day.  If current leadership in the Church does not allow the Holy Spirit to do what He wants to do, when He wants to do it, in the way He chooses by His presence and through the gifts He has freely given, they will find themselves arrayed against Him.  They will be guilty of the high crime of rebellion and will be removed.

The coming move of the Spirit in America includes judgment of the Church, its leaders and the nation of America.  While praying for revival, the Church has systematically, methodically and consistently refused to give the Holy Spirit the respect He is due.  Leaders that have decided to restrict the flow of the Spirit and thereby keep the flock of Jesus Christ from fresh bread and water must understand the futility and the danger of their position.  The Holy Spirit will not be restricted in any way, shape or form from entering His temple.  He demands complete surrender.  It is time to raise the white flag and let Him take possession of that which is his.  Surrendered or not, the Holy Spirit will take that which is his.

If you are a leader and you are convicted by what you have read, the time has come to repent and turn back to the Lord.  He will abundantly pardon and restore you.  The time to repent is always today…not tomorrow.  The Judge of Heaven and Earth is standing at the door.  In this case, He will come in – welcome or not…ready or not.

Mark C. Biteler

¹“High Crime.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high crime>.