Defending the Faith

  "Here is my simple offering of loaves and fishes--just plain diet, lacking the ice and spice of the wedding cake. Like a sailor I once saw pounding a solider "because," said the sailor, "he insulted my mother," so my Lord is insulted and His Church slighted. And, believe me, under this double injury, I smart. The Church has many adversaries. Can my sword sleep, then, in my hand? Never!"
~ Leonard Ravenhill: "Why Revival Tarries"

  It is no imaginary thing that the Church is under attack. That which represents and paints an image of God is anathema to the world that we live in. This has been seen throughout world history. The one group of people, starting with the Hebrews and now with the Church, have been hounded, harassed, humiliated, persecuted, tortured, and killed just for identifying themselves with God Almighty. While the severe persecution has not hit America...yet...it is fast approaching. Society used to tolerate Christian opinions and the Christian worldview. But not any more. Today, American society "tolerates" Christians only if we stay in our little circles and feed our own flocks. They don't want us in the public squares or preaching to the masses. And they think they can push us around. Why? Because we as a Church are letting them.

  We live in enemy territory. While God is ruler over all and is sovereign over everything that takes place, God gave the authority of this world to man when he created Adam and Eve. When they sinned, they stepped out from being under the authority of God, and under the authority they gave to the Devil. The issue of authority is very critical to understand faith and how this world works. The Centurion understood it. He had the very authority of Rome itself because he submitted himself to the authority of Rome. And Jesus associated that understanding with Faith. When we live under the authority of Jesus Christ, we are commissioned to represent him with his very authority. We need to understand that as ambassadors from the Kingdom of God, we carry the same authority that rose Jesus Christ from the dead. Jesus lived to be an example for us. Everything that Jesus did (with the only exception of paying the penalty of our sin), he expects us to do and more. We can perform the miracles he did and more. We can confront the leaders of the world like he did and speak with power and authority that the world has not seen in many generations. But we don't. Why? Because we are not living fully submitted to the authority of Christ.

  God's church is under attack and we are mocked and ridiculed not just because the Gospel we preach is foolishness to those that are perishing, but because we are living a very poor example of the message we carry. We preach living a life of holiness and we do not strive for it. We preach living a life transformed and having not just life, but abundant life, and the world cannot tell us apart from themselves. The church is being insulted and mocked. The Bride of Christ is being assaulted violently. And too many in the church are just standing to the side, watching this taking place and not acting because they think it does not affect them. When a man's wife is assaulted, the husband will not just go after the perpetrators. He will go after any who just stood to the side and watched, hoping to not get hit in the process, instead of making a stand and placing themselves between the wife and the attackers and taking the hit. That is what Intercession is all about. It is about standing in the Gap, taking the hit for another. We wear the Armor of God and that Armor can withstand the attacks of the enemy as long as we put it on and wield it. We can take the hit for another who can't. Where are the Intercessors? Where are the praying men and women? While the walls are being built, where are those who are willing to stand in the gap, gripping their weapons with the Chazak and Amats that sends them fearless into battle against ANY that would put themselves against the Bride of Christ? Chazak and Amats is the literal Hebrew of "Be Strong and Courageous" in Joshua 1.

  I am not saying here that God cannot defend his own name or defend his own Bride. But remember how authority works. God chooses to work THROUGH mankind, and often in spite of mankind. He wants us involved in his work. God wants to heal this land more than we want it healed. But God gave us, the Church, the authority to do his work and do his will. And God will abide by his word and work through the authority he gave man. God does not submit to man's authority; I will make that clear. But God is searching to and fro for intercessors. For those that will take up their sword and defend his Bride. We cannot do this on our own. We MUST submit ourselves to the authority of Christ. If we do not, we are actually placing ourselves under the authority of the enemy. No matter where you go, no matter what you do, you are under authority. You cannot and you will not be the ruler of your life. And you cannot serve two masters, especially two masters that are diabolically opposed to each other. James tells us plainly: "to be friends with the world is to be at enmity with God." We are in the battle whether we want to be or not. And we only have three positions to be in. 1). Be in God's army. That means taking fire from the enemy who seemingly outnumber us. But one praying man in God's army is worth more than legions of the enemy as demonstrated in 1 Kings 18 and 2 Kings 6. Option 2) is be on the opposing side. Join any side other than God's. You won't take much fire from Muslims, Hindus, atheists, or general society, but you WILL take fire from God's word. The Holy Spirit does a very good job at conviction and as long as we live in sin, the Holy Spirit will hound us, pursue us to get us to repent lest we fall into the doom our sin leads us into. The last position is #3, being "neutral". That is, standing in the middle of the battlefield either trying to make "peace" or not fight. You aren't on the sidelines. You are in the middle of the battle and you will take fire from both sides. Pick a side. God wants you hot or cold, but if you are lukewarm, he will spit you out.

  If you desire to be identified as a follower of Jesus Christ, will you make a stand? Will you submit yourself to the authority of the name you claim to follow? Are you willing to don the Armor of God, take up your sword, and go to battle for those who cannot defend themselves? If what you believe just something to believe in, or is it your lifeblood line? If you are not interesting in seeking after God with all you have, if you are not going to pursue following the commands of Jesus Christ (which includes denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following him), why do you bother trying to associate yourself with him? Because Jesus will not associate himself with those who only speak his name on Sunday morning and live a life on their own. If you don't work for the boss, you don't get the boss' benefits. Which side are you on? I strive to live a life where those around me KNOW that I am a follower of Christ by my lifestyle. And when those who come against my King or my brothers and sisters in the Lord show themselves, I will take up my sword, get my battle orders from my King and Commander-in-Chief, and I will go to battle. Will you?