In sports, there is one thing an athlete does not like but knows it is absolutely critical to performance during the game or event: Practice. The best athletes in the world practice and train for hours on end. The work-out is brutal, often more intense than the game itself. Why is this? The knowledgeable athletes understand that in practice, if they can endure the workouts that expend them beyond what a game-time situation will call for, then during that game, they will be able to pull out what they need when the game's end approaches. In football, much is said about the 2-minute drill. It is a drive where you may only have one or two timeouts and 80 or more yards to travel in just two minutes of time. The teams have already played 58 minutes of football which every down is stop-full sprint, stop-full sprint. A standard offense will snap the ball 60-80 times in a game. Every player on both sides of the ball need to be in tip-top shape so that when the 2-minute drill is needed, the offense can drive to score or the defense can make that iron-wall goal-line stand. And they way they do this is to practice for hours every week.
There is more to practice than just conditioning and endurance. The best basketball players will shoot thousands of free throws in preparation for a game. Some high school coaches don't allow a player to sign on until he makes 1,000 free throws. Why is this? The coach knows the player knows how to shoot. The coach wants the player's muscles to know precisely how to shoot, the angle for the shot, the strength needed to make that angle, etc. In drills, the coach knows it does not take long for the players to grasp and understand the play they are doing. But the coach has them do it over and over and over again, well past the point of "getting it". The coach wants the players to the point where all the players have to do is hear the name of the play and they know precisely what to do without thinking about it. They also practice is so they can execute it with little variations that come about due to the scenario or opposing teams set up. The coach wants his players to react to situation the right way without thinking about it.
The same principle applies to our spiritual lives. God is not going to be satisfied with us just "learning the lesson". Why do we keep facing situations that we KNOW we have dealt with before? Sometimes it is because we "have a lesson to learn", but not always. There are times where God puts something in our path because we need to learn something. But there are also times where God puts us in situations where we have already learned the lesson long ago. It is that God thinks we forgot, but it is that God wants our spirits to be put in a situation in game-time so we will react as he wants us to without us having to think about it.
The trials and temptations we face are often not because we have sinned. It is often because God is using those to PROVE our salvation and to prove our faith. Looking back to a very specific point in time when we said a prayer can be an indication of WHEN we got saved, but if we are depending on that moment to tell if we are saved, we are missing the point. A Christian life should bear the fruit of a Christian walk. If we have a significant difference between our Sunday morning in church and our Sunday afternoon-Saturday lifestyles, there is a very good reason to check out and see if you are saved. The trials and temptations we face, the spiritual practice and drills we face, they are there to show us that we are saved. I have been buffeted with intense spiritual warfare and I know I have more coming my way. But when those battles have come, I have stood strong, relied not on the prayer I said 22 1/2 years ago, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ to get through the battle. That one particular encounter was a test. That was a game-time situation. And if I did not have the practice I had in the years prior, I would not have been able to endure through the battle. As I look back, I can see how I could have handled the battle better. And that is what more practice is for. To learn from our mistakes in the game, to prepare new moves, techniques, and tactics, and to better carry out what we already know. Game time is coming. Will we be ready to face it? Will we be able to endure through to the end of the race? And will we be able to overcome all our enemy's tactics to slow us down, trip us up, or knock us down? If we don't practice, we won't make it. We will burn out before we really get started. We have the victory in Christ, but we must walk it out. And we can't walk it out if we don't practice for it.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
The Face of the Franchise
October is always a sport fan's favorite time of the year. Why? Because it is the only time that the four major US sports, Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Hockey are in season. Baseball is in it's playoff. Hockey and Basketball are just starting, and Football in part way through its season. Being a Colorado Native, I naturally root for the Colorado teams. Yes, even when they are bad. It's a great time to be a Denver Broncos fan. It hasn't been for being a Colorado Rockies or Colorado Avalanche fan (even though the Avs are off to a 3-0-0) start this year. Now why do I bring up sports to a Christian blog that often deals with spiritual warfare? Because sports have a perfect image that illustrates how we should live as a Christian. Let me explain.
Every sports team has one player that stands out. The Los Angeles Lakers have Kobe Bryant. The Miami Heat have Lebron James. The Denver Broncos have John Elway. The New York Yankees have Derek Jeter. The Colorado Rockies had Todd Helton (he retired a couple weeks ago). These players are known as the "Face of the Franchise". When you see their face on the sports headlines, you think of the franchise they play for. When you see Kobe's face, you immediately get a picture of the LA Lakers basketball team and a team that is perpetually in the NBA title mix (last year being an oddity). And in everything that Kobe does, on the court or off the court, it paints a picture of what the LA Lakers as a professional basketball team are like.
In Denver, after John Elway retired from football after winning back to back Superbowls, he started a car dealership and ran several throughout Denver. Even though he was no longer playing the sport, his face is forever cemented as the face of the Denver Broncos. Even though it was not a football related topic, what Elway has done has always pointed to the Denver Broncos organization. For good or bad. There have been some bad things that famous players have done. Kobe Bryant was caught in a scandal in a hotel in Colorado. Being the face of the franchise, everything he did was indicative of the LA Lakers organization, even though his actions had nothing to do with them.
The list goes beyond just sports. We had Steve Jobs as the face of the franchise of Apple. We have Bill Gates as the face of Microsoft. Mark Zuckerberg is the face of Facebook. Ken Ham is the face of Answers in Genesis. George Lucas is the face of Star Wars. Barak Obama right now is the face of the US. The list goes on. But here is the heart of the issue. As Christians, we are the face of the Kingdom of God.
Paul describes us as the body of Christ. We are ambassadors to this world. We represent Jesus Christ. Everything we say and do is indicative of who Jesus is and what Jesus does. We love to say that when God looks at us and our shortcomings, he sees Jesus instead of us because we are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. But we need to understand that when the world looks at us, they see the same thing. They see our representation of Jesus and think "this is what your God is like". And most of us are doing a poor job. Romans 7 tells us that as a Christian when we sin, it is not us who sins, it is not Christ in us who sins, but it sin in us who sins. Some use that as an excuse to sin. But do you allow a robber to kidnap you every day and force you to do things you don't want to be doing? Sin is an ENEMY. And we need to treat it like one. Everything we say and do represents Jesus Christ.
Jesus himself asks us "Why do you call me "Lord" if you do not do as I say?" Why do we associate our names with Jesus, why do we seek to be the "face of the franchise" if we have no interest in doing what the franchise is all about? There are many out there that seek to be the "face the franchise" for the purpose of destroying that image. That is because they are spies sent in from a rival franchise. A Denver Broncos fan loves it when the Oakland Raiders lose. Likewise, an agent from the Kingdom of Darkness loves it when a Christian does a poor job. Are we going to sit back at let spies from the Kingdom of Darkness come in, claim to be part of us, and let them represent what we are, when the whole time their agenda is to sabotage what we are trying to do? If we are looking at this from a military perspective, we would think that would be foolish to let an enemy do that. But we do this too often with so-called Christians who are only with us by name, but are actually allies with our enemy.
Who is the "Face of the Franchise" for God's Kingdom? Who will stand up and be such a person? I can think of several examples. William Carey, Charles Finney, William Booth, Amy Carmichael. Do we have such faces of the franchise today? I can't think of many who where if we were to say their name, we would think of all that Jesus Christ is. Are we known in hell? In Acts 19, we see the Seven Sons of Sceva try to be the face of Christianity. The demons replied "Jesus we know. Paul we know. But who you are?" Paul was a "Face of the Franchise". He wasn't just one of the average players in the game. He was the stand-out one. The one everyone looked for. The one everyone rooted for. And the one the opposing side wanted to stop more than anyone else. Any team opposing Lebron James and the Miami Heat are focused on stopping him. They don't care about the other players so much. They care about stopping him. Lebron is the Face of the Miami Heat. Paul was the Face of Christianity. The enemy was out to stop him more than anyone else. Are we going to rise up and be a Paul? Are we going to be a William Carey? A Charles Finney? An Amy Carmichael? I don't want to be a "Face of the Franchise" for my own glory. Because every Bible-believing Christian who lives it, knows everything we can do is only because of Christ who is in us. It is Christ who does it through it. When we really get it, we understand that it is Jesus who is the Face of the Franchise and we need to live our lives such that it is Christ living THROUGH us. It should not be Charlie Wolcott representing Jesus Christ. It should be Jesus Christ representing himself THOUGH Charlie Wolcott. I've got a long way to go. But I do believe I am heading the right direction. And if I draw the enemy's attention, bring it on. Because I serve a God who loves to specialize in the impossible. I want him to be himself through me and when that happens, I become the "Face of the Franchise" and all things are possible through HIM who gives me strength.
Every sports team has one player that stands out. The Los Angeles Lakers have Kobe Bryant. The Miami Heat have Lebron James. The Denver Broncos have John Elway. The New York Yankees have Derek Jeter. The Colorado Rockies had Todd Helton (he retired a couple weeks ago). These players are known as the "Face of the Franchise". When you see their face on the sports headlines, you think of the franchise they play for. When you see Kobe's face, you immediately get a picture of the LA Lakers basketball team and a team that is perpetually in the NBA title mix (last year being an oddity). And in everything that Kobe does, on the court or off the court, it paints a picture of what the LA Lakers as a professional basketball team are like.
In Denver, after John Elway retired from football after winning back to back Superbowls, he started a car dealership and ran several throughout Denver. Even though he was no longer playing the sport, his face is forever cemented as the face of the Denver Broncos. Even though it was not a football related topic, what Elway has done has always pointed to the Denver Broncos organization. For good or bad. There have been some bad things that famous players have done. Kobe Bryant was caught in a scandal in a hotel in Colorado. Being the face of the franchise, everything he did was indicative of the LA Lakers organization, even though his actions had nothing to do with them.
The list goes beyond just sports. We had Steve Jobs as the face of the franchise of Apple. We have Bill Gates as the face of Microsoft. Mark Zuckerberg is the face of Facebook. Ken Ham is the face of Answers in Genesis. George Lucas is the face of Star Wars. Barak Obama right now is the face of the US. The list goes on. But here is the heart of the issue. As Christians, we are the face of the Kingdom of God.
Paul describes us as the body of Christ. We are ambassadors to this world. We represent Jesus Christ. Everything we say and do is indicative of who Jesus is and what Jesus does. We love to say that when God looks at us and our shortcomings, he sees Jesus instead of us because we are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. But we need to understand that when the world looks at us, they see the same thing. They see our representation of Jesus and think "this is what your God is like". And most of us are doing a poor job. Romans 7 tells us that as a Christian when we sin, it is not us who sins, it is not Christ in us who sins, but it sin in us who sins. Some use that as an excuse to sin. But do you allow a robber to kidnap you every day and force you to do things you don't want to be doing? Sin is an ENEMY. And we need to treat it like one. Everything we say and do represents Jesus Christ.
Jesus himself asks us "Why do you call me "Lord" if you do not do as I say?" Why do we associate our names with Jesus, why do we seek to be the "face of the franchise" if we have no interest in doing what the franchise is all about? There are many out there that seek to be the "face the franchise" for the purpose of destroying that image. That is because they are spies sent in from a rival franchise. A Denver Broncos fan loves it when the Oakland Raiders lose. Likewise, an agent from the Kingdom of Darkness loves it when a Christian does a poor job. Are we going to sit back at let spies from the Kingdom of Darkness come in, claim to be part of us, and let them represent what we are, when the whole time their agenda is to sabotage what we are trying to do? If we are looking at this from a military perspective, we would think that would be foolish to let an enemy do that. But we do this too often with so-called Christians who are only with us by name, but are actually allies with our enemy.
Who is the "Face of the Franchise" for God's Kingdom? Who will stand up and be such a person? I can think of several examples. William Carey, Charles Finney, William Booth, Amy Carmichael. Do we have such faces of the franchise today? I can't think of many who where if we were to say their name, we would think of all that Jesus Christ is. Are we known in hell? In Acts 19, we see the Seven Sons of Sceva try to be the face of Christianity. The demons replied "Jesus we know. Paul we know. But who you are?" Paul was a "Face of the Franchise". He wasn't just one of the average players in the game. He was the stand-out one. The one everyone looked for. The one everyone rooted for. And the one the opposing side wanted to stop more than anyone else. Any team opposing Lebron James and the Miami Heat are focused on stopping him. They don't care about the other players so much. They care about stopping him. Lebron is the Face of the Miami Heat. Paul was the Face of Christianity. The enemy was out to stop him more than anyone else. Are we going to rise up and be a Paul? Are we going to be a William Carey? A Charles Finney? An Amy Carmichael? I don't want to be a "Face of the Franchise" for my own glory. Because every Bible-believing Christian who lives it, knows everything we can do is only because of Christ who is in us. It is Christ who does it through it. When we really get it, we understand that it is Jesus who is the Face of the Franchise and we need to live our lives such that it is Christ living THROUGH us. It should not be Charlie Wolcott representing Jesus Christ. It should be Jesus Christ representing himself THOUGH Charlie Wolcott. I've got a long way to go. But I do believe I am heading the right direction. And if I draw the enemy's attention, bring it on. Because I serve a God who loves to specialize in the impossible. I want him to be himself through me and when that happens, I become the "Face of the Franchise" and all things are possible through HIM who gives me strength.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
How the Kingdom of God Expands
"...and you shall reap 10-fold, 30-fold, 100-fold."
I love how on occasion God will show us some of the things he has been doing behind the scenes where we cannot see it. During church today, we had a guest speaker, Tom Henderson. Tom is a motivation speaker who started a ministry called "Restoration Generations" a few years ago. His ministry focuses on restoring relationships both horizontally and vertically. This weekend he spoke at numerous schools, coordinated by our youth pastor. Our youth pastor knew Tom from Sioux Falls, South Dakota where they did ministry together. What did they do? Sioux Falls is home to the LifeLight Festival, which is a very well known music festival that has been going on for the last 15 years or so with many Christian bands and events taking place. Tom Henderson started out working as one of the speakers during the early years of the LifeLight Festival and during his time there he saw the troubles many of the youth are facing: broken relationships. With parents, with family, with siblings, with friends, and even with self-identity issues. And Tom Henderson used his window of opportunity with LifeLight to launch Restoration Generations. So without being a direct offshoot, God used LifeLight to start Restoration Generations.
But how did LifeLight get started? The couple who started the LifeLight Festival were regulars with another mission organization: International Family Missions. International Family Missions, started in 1990, by being the only organization in the world that had a specific focus: teaching families how to do ministry as a family unit. IFM would take groups of 30-40 people for one week at a time to Juarez, Mexico. Juarez was chosen because it provide a 3rd-world culture, but was readily accessible to the US, being right on the border. The teams would stay overnight in El Paso and cross the border every day. The teams would do a "visit in Jesus' name". They would visit children's homes, rehab centers, elderly men's homes, colonia churches, etc. They would put on VBS Bible clubs, Bible studies, sport camps, carnivals, and simply spend time with them and visit with them. The couple that started LifeLight were frequent members of IFM outreaches. After a few years with IFM, the director of IFM told them they did not need IFM to direct them anymore. They said this couple could lead it on their own. So they did and after a few years of coming to Juarez on their own they started doing their own ministry in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. That is what launched LifeLight. LifeLight is not a direct launch of IFM, but it was a fruit of what IFM did.
Now here is the kicker. My parents worked for IFM for 20 years. We know the couple that started LifeLight very well. And today, we got to see the fruit of IFM, which we were a part of, come full circle with our youth pastor and Tom Henderson at our church as a fruit of LifeLight. IFM also has another fruit: my fencing ministry and this blog. It was through IFM, that I got the opportunity to use the sport of fencing as a tool for ministry While I have not had as many opportunities to do my presentation in the last few years, it was IFM that gave me that first chance to try it out and it has been a smashing hit every time I do it.
Many times we do not get to see the fruit of what we do. But God's Kingdom works exponentially. We rarely get to see how far God takes a work we do. And one reason of that is to keep us humble. We get the privilege of working with God by being available, but we must understand that it is God's work, not ours. When God gets all the glory, he can work far beyond what we can see. But every now and then, he gives us a small glimpse like I saw today of how he has worked beyond our reach. The principle of reaping and sowing is a concept every farmer knows. And when it comes time for reaping, we reap what we sow, we reap more than we sow, and we reap it later than when we sow it. IFM has sown many seeds in the 18-20 years they were most active in Juarez and today we got to see some of the harvest of that which was sown. And the harvest has been 30-fold, 100-fold or more. Keep doing what God tells you to do. You may not be directly winning souls for God's Kingdom. You might be. But as long as you are in the center of God's will, things will take place that you might not see that will have far-wider reaching effects than you can imagine.
I love how on occasion God will show us some of the things he has been doing behind the scenes where we cannot see it. During church today, we had a guest speaker, Tom Henderson. Tom is a motivation speaker who started a ministry called "Restoration Generations" a few years ago. His ministry focuses on restoring relationships both horizontally and vertically. This weekend he spoke at numerous schools, coordinated by our youth pastor. Our youth pastor knew Tom from Sioux Falls, South Dakota where they did ministry together. What did they do? Sioux Falls is home to the LifeLight Festival, which is a very well known music festival that has been going on for the last 15 years or so with many Christian bands and events taking place. Tom Henderson started out working as one of the speakers during the early years of the LifeLight Festival and during his time there he saw the troubles many of the youth are facing: broken relationships. With parents, with family, with siblings, with friends, and even with self-identity issues. And Tom Henderson used his window of opportunity with LifeLight to launch Restoration Generations. So without being a direct offshoot, God used LifeLight to start Restoration Generations.
But how did LifeLight get started? The couple who started the LifeLight Festival were regulars with another mission organization: International Family Missions. International Family Missions, started in 1990, by being the only organization in the world that had a specific focus: teaching families how to do ministry as a family unit. IFM would take groups of 30-40 people for one week at a time to Juarez, Mexico. Juarez was chosen because it provide a 3rd-world culture, but was readily accessible to the US, being right on the border. The teams would stay overnight in El Paso and cross the border every day. The teams would do a "visit in Jesus' name". They would visit children's homes, rehab centers, elderly men's homes, colonia churches, etc. They would put on VBS Bible clubs, Bible studies, sport camps, carnivals, and simply spend time with them and visit with them. The couple that started LifeLight were frequent members of IFM outreaches. After a few years with IFM, the director of IFM told them they did not need IFM to direct them anymore. They said this couple could lead it on their own. So they did and after a few years of coming to Juarez on their own they started doing their own ministry in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. That is what launched LifeLight. LifeLight is not a direct launch of IFM, but it was a fruit of what IFM did.
Now here is the kicker. My parents worked for IFM for 20 years. We know the couple that started LifeLight very well. And today, we got to see the fruit of IFM, which we were a part of, come full circle with our youth pastor and Tom Henderson at our church as a fruit of LifeLight. IFM also has another fruit: my fencing ministry and this blog. It was through IFM, that I got the opportunity to use the sport of fencing as a tool for ministry While I have not had as many opportunities to do my presentation in the last few years, it was IFM that gave me that first chance to try it out and it has been a smashing hit every time I do it.
Many times we do not get to see the fruit of what we do. But God's Kingdom works exponentially. We rarely get to see how far God takes a work we do. And one reason of that is to keep us humble. We get the privilege of working with God by being available, but we must understand that it is God's work, not ours. When God gets all the glory, he can work far beyond what we can see. But every now and then, he gives us a small glimpse like I saw today of how he has worked beyond our reach. The principle of reaping and sowing is a concept every farmer knows. And when it comes time for reaping, we reap what we sow, we reap more than we sow, and we reap it later than when we sow it. IFM has sown many seeds in the 18-20 years they were most active in Juarez and today we got to see some of the harvest of that which was sown. And the harvest has been 30-fold, 100-fold or more. Keep doing what God tells you to do. You may not be directly winning souls for God's Kingdom. You might be. But as long as you are in the center of God's will, things will take place that you might not see that will have far-wider reaching effects than you can imagine.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
The Gospel
I am going to take a short break from my spiritual warfare series of posts and talk about the most important aspect of living life as a Christian: The Gospel. This past Thursday evening, I gave a talk to the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship Chapter at my Alma Matter about the Gospel. Inspired by Eric Ludy's presentation "The Gospel", which I have displayed below, I spoke about how the Gospel means so much more than just salvation from sin and hell. It helped me realize that every aspect of Christian living is what the Gospel is. I knew I could not cover everything in 30 minutes, just like Ludy states that his 11 minute video only scratches the surface. But here is a glimpse of what the Gospel is.
In one paragraph, the Gospel is thus: God created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. He made mankind to have a relationship with him. Man sinned and rebelled against God. Because God is pure, holy, and just, he has to punish sin. And he found a way to punish the sin without destroying the sinner. He sent Jesus Christ to pay the price so that we might live and have eternal life. Jesus died to pay the Penalty of Sin.
There is a problem however. It's not with the Gospel itself but with what we do with it. Most people stop right there at the dealing with the Penalty of Sin. Jesus died for more than just forgiveness. Jesus also dealt with the Problem of Sin. We are no longer bound by sin. We no longer have to do it. I have heard this phrase many times. "I'm still a sinner. I'm just forgiven." NO! That is not the Gospel. That is not Bible. We are removed from sin as a Christian. We no longer have a sin nature. How does this happen? The Gospel is not just about the Penalty of Sin. It's not just about the Problem of Sin. It is about a new Identity.
When we become a Christian we have a new identity. We have a Change in Nature. Our old nature is bound to sin and to self. Our new nature is focused on Christ. We are created to eat, sleep, breath, live, Jesus Christ. Our every inclination is designed to point towards Christ. We don't do a very good job at maintaining it. But that is our nature. I believe it is possible to live a sinless life from this point on. And I say this fully understanding what James said "If we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves." And at the end of this, that idea on living sinless will be made clear. We have a new Nature.
There is more. We are Adopted into the God's Family. This is not based on the American adoption system. It is based off the Roman system. In Rome, a father could expel a rebellious blood son from his house and from his will. But he could not do that with an adopted son. Because an adopted son was chosen. God adopts us into his family. We are joint heirs to the Throne of Heaven and we are made Citizens of his Kingdom. The Gospel is not just about the Penalty of Sin, the Problem of Sin, the New Creation, the New Identity, the Adoption. It is also about a Job, a Task we are called to do.
God calls us on a Commission. A Job to do. We are to Represent Jesus Christ. Everything we say and do, every action we do, every word we speak, tells the world "this is what Jesus is like." If we are to associate ourselves with the name of Jesus, everything of who we are represents his name, his power, his authority. And we don't do a very good job at it. Jesus tells us, "Why do you call me 'Lord' if you do not do as I say?" We have a Job and that is to represent Jesus Christ. But there is more.
A good manager always equips his employees to do a task that needs to be done. He equips them with all the tools they need, the personnel they need, and the authority they need to get the job done. Same here. God gives us all we need to get the job done we need to get done. And authority is a big part of that. Aside from Jesus, no one understood this more than the Roman Centurion. He understood Jesus was a man under authority by how he exercised it. The Centurion was under the authority of Rome and in doing so, when he spoke, it was as though the Caesar himself spoke. And the men under him obeyed. The same is true for us. In order to carry the authority of the Name of Jesus Christ, we must submit to the authority of Jesus Christ. And if we do not do that, we will not be able to get the job done we need to get done.
But there is a challenge to our Commission. We are called to be Ambassadors from God to this world and this world we live in is enemy territory. God is not the only one who cares about the souls of men. So does Satan. God wants to save them and to dwell with them. Satan wants to destroy them and show them off as trophies. And we are called to Rescue the Lost and deliver them from sin by the power and authority of Jesus Christ. Satan will wage war on us for this and he does not fight fair. We must be ready for battle and this battle comes at a cost.
We must be willing to count the cost if we are to claim to be associated with Christ. Your job, your name, your money, your reputation, your friends, your family, your life. You can lose it all for following Christ. But God has shown me that there is NOTHING that we can lose for following Christ that we are not going to lose by the time we die anyway. Your job and money? You can't keep it. You will quit, retire, get laid off, at some point. Your friends? Your Reputation? If they aren't willing to stand by you, are they really your friends? You need to be concerned about what God thinks of you, not what man thinks of you. If your family doesn't know Christ, they are going to hell. You will lose them. But what you gain for following Christ is something you can never lose. If you lose your life for the sake of Christ, you will find it. Your friends and family? If they know Christ, you will find them again. There is a Cost.
But The Gospel is not just about getting hit. God sends us out as sheep amongst wolves but he did not send us out to get run over. The Gospel works completely against how this world thinks and turns it upside down. How? The weak are the strong. The poor are the rich. The foolish things of the world will shame the wise. And though God sends us as sheep amongst wolves, it is the lambs of God that will rise up and BEAT the wolf pack. We are not called to lose the battle. We are sent out to win.
Everything that I just described is absolutely impossible. We can't do it. We don't have the strength, the intellect, the endurance, the skills. We cannot do it. But Jesus can. And this is how it all works. Let Jesus be your eyes, your ears, your hands, your feet, your mouth, your tongue, your mind, and your everything. When God looks at me, I don't want him to see Charlie Wolcott. I want him to see Jesus Christ. We are being conformed to the image of Christ and when we let Jesus live his life through us, that is when it all works. Many of us will fail and stumble, but that is what the Gospel is all about. It is about Christian living and being who God made us to be: the Image of God himself. We are heading that way as we grow in our faith and in our relationship to Christ, but this is just the short roughly 30 minute version of the Gospel.
For reference on where this came from and what inspired it, see the video below.
In one paragraph, the Gospel is thus: God created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. He made mankind to have a relationship with him. Man sinned and rebelled against God. Because God is pure, holy, and just, he has to punish sin. And he found a way to punish the sin without destroying the sinner. He sent Jesus Christ to pay the price so that we might live and have eternal life. Jesus died to pay the Penalty of Sin.
There is a problem however. It's not with the Gospel itself but with what we do with it. Most people stop right there at the dealing with the Penalty of Sin. Jesus died for more than just forgiveness. Jesus also dealt with the Problem of Sin. We are no longer bound by sin. We no longer have to do it. I have heard this phrase many times. "I'm still a sinner. I'm just forgiven." NO! That is not the Gospel. That is not Bible. We are removed from sin as a Christian. We no longer have a sin nature. How does this happen? The Gospel is not just about the Penalty of Sin. It's not just about the Problem of Sin. It is about a new Identity.
When we become a Christian we have a new identity. We have a Change in Nature. Our old nature is bound to sin and to self. Our new nature is focused on Christ. We are created to eat, sleep, breath, live, Jesus Christ. Our every inclination is designed to point towards Christ. We don't do a very good job at maintaining it. But that is our nature. I believe it is possible to live a sinless life from this point on. And I say this fully understanding what James said "If we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves." And at the end of this, that idea on living sinless will be made clear. We have a new Nature.
There is more. We are Adopted into the God's Family. This is not based on the American adoption system. It is based off the Roman system. In Rome, a father could expel a rebellious blood son from his house and from his will. But he could not do that with an adopted son. Because an adopted son was chosen. God adopts us into his family. We are joint heirs to the Throne of Heaven and we are made Citizens of his Kingdom. The Gospel is not just about the Penalty of Sin, the Problem of Sin, the New Creation, the New Identity, the Adoption. It is also about a Job, a Task we are called to do.
God calls us on a Commission. A Job to do. We are to Represent Jesus Christ. Everything we say and do, every action we do, every word we speak, tells the world "this is what Jesus is like." If we are to associate ourselves with the name of Jesus, everything of who we are represents his name, his power, his authority. And we don't do a very good job at it. Jesus tells us, "Why do you call me 'Lord' if you do not do as I say?" We have a Job and that is to represent Jesus Christ. But there is more.
A good manager always equips his employees to do a task that needs to be done. He equips them with all the tools they need, the personnel they need, and the authority they need to get the job done. Same here. God gives us all we need to get the job done we need to get done. And authority is a big part of that. Aside from Jesus, no one understood this more than the Roman Centurion. He understood Jesus was a man under authority by how he exercised it. The Centurion was under the authority of Rome and in doing so, when he spoke, it was as though the Caesar himself spoke. And the men under him obeyed. The same is true for us. In order to carry the authority of the Name of Jesus Christ, we must submit to the authority of Jesus Christ. And if we do not do that, we will not be able to get the job done we need to get done.
But there is a challenge to our Commission. We are called to be Ambassadors from God to this world and this world we live in is enemy territory. God is not the only one who cares about the souls of men. So does Satan. God wants to save them and to dwell with them. Satan wants to destroy them and show them off as trophies. And we are called to Rescue the Lost and deliver them from sin by the power and authority of Jesus Christ. Satan will wage war on us for this and he does not fight fair. We must be ready for battle and this battle comes at a cost.
We must be willing to count the cost if we are to claim to be associated with Christ. Your job, your name, your money, your reputation, your friends, your family, your life. You can lose it all for following Christ. But God has shown me that there is NOTHING that we can lose for following Christ that we are not going to lose by the time we die anyway. Your job and money? You can't keep it. You will quit, retire, get laid off, at some point. Your friends? Your Reputation? If they aren't willing to stand by you, are they really your friends? You need to be concerned about what God thinks of you, not what man thinks of you. If your family doesn't know Christ, they are going to hell. You will lose them. But what you gain for following Christ is something you can never lose. If you lose your life for the sake of Christ, you will find it. Your friends and family? If they know Christ, you will find them again. There is a Cost.
But The Gospel is not just about getting hit. God sends us out as sheep amongst wolves but he did not send us out to get run over. The Gospel works completely against how this world thinks and turns it upside down. How? The weak are the strong. The poor are the rich. The foolish things of the world will shame the wise. And though God sends us as sheep amongst wolves, it is the lambs of God that will rise up and BEAT the wolf pack. We are not called to lose the battle. We are sent out to win.
Everything that I just described is absolutely impossible. We can't do it. We don't have the strength, the intellect, the endurance, the skills. We cannot do it. But Jesus can. And this is how it all works. Let Jesus be your eyes, your ears, your hands, your feet, your mouth, your tongue, your mind, and your everything. When God looks at me, I don't want him to see Charlie Wolcott. I want him to see Jesus Christ. We are being conformed to the image of Christ and when we let Jesus live his life through us, that is when it all works. Many of us will fail and stumble, but that is what the Gospel is all about. It is about Christian living and being who God made us to be: the Image of God himself. We are heading that way as we grow in our faith and in our relationship to Christ, but this is just the short roughly 30 minute version of the Gospel.
For reference on where this came from and what inspired it, see the video below.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Who are our Allies in Spiritual Warfare?
In my last blog post, I talked about how spiritual warfare should not be fought individually but in unity with other warriors in the Kingdom of Heaven. And amazingly enough, my pastor's sermon last week tied in perfectly to the next stage in this series I am working on. While we do need to fight together in unity, we need to know who our allies are, and just as importantly who are not allies.
To be able to function in the spiritual realm, on thing that must be understood is authority. The subject of authority is worthy of it's own post but for the purpose of this post, I'll simply say to be able to exercise authority, you must be under the authority you wish to exercise. This works in every arena from the spiritual side to business or even to family. And one group of people that are critical allies to spiritual warfare are spiritual mentors, the spiritual authorities in our life. It is important to have someone over you, someone you trust, someone you can rely upon to hold you accountable. Many people think they can get along fine without such a person. They have their pastor and they have friends but do they have that one person who is older, wiser, and will get to know them personally? The spiritual authorities in your life are among your strongest allies because they know you the best. They know your weaknesses and your strengths and they know how to build you up and how to cover your breaches.
Another group of allies are your Christian peers. Your fellow soldiers in the battle. The ones that are even with you on an authority basis. This is the group most people turn to when in a battle. They will help you fight, but are they close enough to stick with you through it? You may have allies that will help you for a time, but not all will stick around to see the battle through. How do you know? Know who your peers are. Know who you can rely on to cover your back. One area where you can find your best peers from this group is in a small group. Get involved in a small group. Many times, the closest friendships are found in these groups.
Another group of allies you have is your church leadership. Your pastor, your elders, your deacons. The key to understand here is that though these people will gladly fight at your side, they are often fighting at the side of many others in the congregation. They are human and have limited time, resources, and energy. I am not saying do not go to them and defer the resources they have to others, nor am I saying that they will not have time for you. I am simply pointing out to keep that fact in mind. But one of the jobs of the pastor, elders, and deacons is to aid you in your battles. Do not neglect them.
A very surprising ally that you can have are those you are mentoring. Those under you. It is not enough to get mentored, to get someone over you. You need someone under you. A key purpose of a Christian is not get fed, but to get spent for the Kingdom. What we are learning is not meant to feed us for for us to pay it forward and feed the next generation. And while the mentors you have know you very well, those you are mentoring also know you very well. And in mentoring them, you know their strengths and weaknesses. And what greater chance to gain experience for one you are mentoring than to enlist him/her to aid you in the battles you are facing?
Now, I don't want to forget the ultimate ally we have: Jesus Christ himself. Let's not forget that Christ is our Commander-in-Chief. He goes before us and he follows behind. He leads us in the battle, directs us in the battle, and he is the ultimate one fighting through us. One should never enter battle without first getting your orders.
Now, all that being said, there are people you need to be wary of. People that you think will aid you in battle but will actually harm you in battle. I don't need to cover those that are obviously opposed to you and to anything that resembles or represents God Almighty. We know they are not our allies. But we must remember that our battles are not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces behind them. So we must not just know who our allies are, we must also know who our enemy is.
I said above that some of our peers are a valuable resource and ally that we have. But some of these peers are not actual allies. Some of our peers that we ask to aid us in battle actually don't. In this spiritual battle, there are two challenges the Christian faces in these battles. One challenge is dealing with allies that don't fight. The other challenge is those who claim to be our allies but actually fight against us. If you have a peer that won't fight along side you, don't depend upon that person to aid you. Don't stand next to a soldier that won't raise his shield along yours or another's. Stand next to one who will.
One must be very careful about the proverbial "wolf in sheep's clothing". The tares planted amongst the wheat. God won't remove them until it is time for the harvest. We must be careful with who we trust to rely on in battle because some of them will reveal key intel to the enemy about you. Ever wonder how some people you know are your enemies know things about you that you never told them? It's because you told a wolf, a spy. Sometimes these wolves will fight along side you to gain your trust but in a critical battle, they will back off, exposing you to the enemy, or outright turn against you. These people are not to be trusted because they are puppets and plants of the enemy. And here is the most disturbing part of it. Some of these wolves do not hide in sheep's clothing but in shepherd's clothing. Some of these false allies are the pastors, the elders, the deacons, in our church. How can we tell them apart? Don't rely on their charisma. Don't rely on their personality. They may be very good and "moral" people. Do they know Christ? Do they preach Christ? Is he Lord of their lives? 1 Corinthians 12:3 tells us that no one who has the Holy Spirit (who is born-again) can curse the name of Jesus, but no one, except by the Holy Spirit, can call Jesus their personal Lord and Savior. Is Jesus their Lord? That is a big clue if they are to be someone you can trust in battle or someone you need to mark as untrustworthy.
I could go on but that is a simple description of what we can expect from potential allies or enemies. Always keep your guard up. The enemy is like a roaring lion seeking whomever he can devour. Who can he devour? Those who let up their guard. Those who won't fight. And those who isolate themselves and fight alone. But do not fear, do not tremble. Jesus Christ is our Commander and he has overcome Satan and his schemes. He has overcome the world and its system. He has conquered sin and death. We are more than conquerors because of Christ who lives and fights in us. And you do not fight alone. If you are in a battle, get help. Seek allies who are taking their battle orders from Christ. Seek allies who need your skills in battle. It is not just about them helping you. It is also about you helping them. And there are people who will not get victory if you do not join them in battle. And there are battles you will not win if you do not get help. Rise up and fight. You have the victory in Christ. Go out and claim it.
To be able to function in the spiritual realm, on thing that must be understood is authority. The subject of authority is worthy of it's own post but for the purpose of this post, I'll simply say to be able to exercise authority, you must be under the authority you wish to exercise. This works in every arena from the spiritual side to business or even to family. And one group of people that are critical allies to spiritual warfare are spiritual mentors, the spiritual authorities in our life. It is important to have someone over you, someone you trust, someone you can rely upon to hold you accountable. Many people think they can get along fine without such a person. They have their pastor and they have friends but do they have that one person who is older, wiser, and will get to know them personally? The spiritual authorities in your life are among your strongest allies because they know you the best. They know your weaknesses and your strengths and they know how to build you up and how to cover your breaches.
Another group of allies are your Christian peers. Your fellow soldiers in the battle. The ones that are even with you on an authority basis. This is the group most people turn to when in a battle. They will help you fight, but are they close enough to stick with you through it? You may have allies that will help you for a time, but not all will stick around to see the battle through. How do you know? Know who your peers are. Know who you can rely on to cover your back. One area where you can find your best peers from this group is in a small group. Get involved in a small group. Many times, the closest friendships are found in these groups.
Another group of allies you have is your church leadership. Your pastor, your elders, your deacons. The key to understand here is that though these people will gladly fight at your side, they are often fighting at the side of many others in the congregation. They are human and have limited time, resources, and energy. I am not saying do not go to them and defer the resources they have to others, nor am I saying that they will not have time for you. I am simply pointing out to keep that fact in mind. But one of the jobs of the pastor, elders, and deacons is to aid you in your battles. Do not neglect them.
A very surprising ally that you can have are those you are mentoring. Those under you. It is not enough to get mentored, to get someone over you. You need someone under you. A key purpose of a Christian is not get fed, but to get spent for the Kingdom. What we are learning is not meant to feed us for for us to pay it forward and feed the next generation. And while the mentors you have know you very well, those you are mentoring also know you very well. And in mentoring them, you know their strengths and weaknesses. And what greater chance to gain experience for one you are mentoring than to enlist him/her to aid you in the battles you are facing?
Now, I don't want to forget the ultimate ally we have: Jesus Christ himself. Let's not forget that Christ is our Commander-in-Chief. He goes before us and he follows behind. He leads us in the battle, directs us in the battle, and he is the ultimate one fighting through us. One should never enter battle without first getting your orders.
Now, all that being said, there are people you need to be wary of. People that you think will aid you in battle but will actually harm you in battle. I don't need to cover those that are obviously opposed to you and to anything that resembles or represents God Almighty. We know they are not our allies. But we must remember that our battles are not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces behind them. So we must not just know who our allies are, we must also know who our enemy is.
I said above that some of our peers are a valuable resource and ally that we have. But some of these peers are not actual allies. Some of our peers that we ask to aid us in battle actually don't. In this spiritual battle, there are two challenges the Christian faces in these battles. One challenge is dealing with allies that don't fight. The other challenge is those who claim to be our allies but actually fight against us. If you have a peer that won't fight along side you, don't depend upon that person to aid you. Don't stand next to a soldier that won't raise his shield along yours or another's. Stand next to one who will.
One must be very careful about the proverbial "wolf in sheep's clothing". The tares planted amongst the wheat. God won't remove them until it is time for the harvest. We must be careful with who we trust to rely on in battle because some of them will reveal key intel to the enemy about you. Ever wonder how some people you know are your enemies know things about you that you never told them? It's because you told a wolf, a spy. Sometimes these wolves will fight along side you to gain your trust but in a critical battle, they will back off, exposing you to the enemy, or outright turn against you. These people are not to be trusted because they are puppets and plants of the enemy. And here is the most disturbing part of it. Some of these wolves do not hide in sheep's clothing but in shepherd's clothing. Some of these false allies are the pastors, the elders, the deacons, in our church. How can we tell them apart? Don't rely on their charisma. Don't rely on their personality. They may be very good and "moral" people. Do they know Christ? Do they preach Christ? Is he Lord of their lives? 1 Corinthians 12:3 tells us that no one who has the Holy Spirit (who is born-again) can curse the name of Jesus, but no one, except by the Holy Spirit, can call Jesus their personal Lord and Savior. Is Jesus their Lord? That is a big clue if they are to be someone you can trust in battle or someone you need to mark as untrustworthy.
I could go on but that is a simple description of what we can expect from potential allies or enemies. Always keep your guard up. The enemy is like a roaring lion seeking whomever he can devour. Who can he devour? Those who let up their guard. Those who won't fight. And those who isolate themselves and fight alone. But do not fear, do not tremble. Jesus Christ is our Commander and he has overcome Satan and his schemes. He has overcome the world and its system. He has conquered sin and death. We are more than conquerors because of Christ who lives and fights in us. And you do not fight alone. If you are in a battle, get help. Seek allies who are taking their battle orders from Christ. Seek allies who need your skills in battle. It is not just about them helping you. It is also about you helping them. And there are people who will not get victory if you do not join them in battle. And there are battles you will not win if you do not get help. Rise up and fight. You have the victory in Christ. Go out and claim it.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Unity in Spiritual Warfare
Those who have gotten to know me pretty well know I am writing a fiction series with a major theme of Spiritual Warfare. I self-published my first novel and in the meantime, I have met a publisher that wants to take it and the sequel I am working on. I'm going to end up with a trilogy but to make a long story short, one of the comments I have received from my early beta-readers on my sequel is that they were impressed with how I address the spiritual battle from a perspective of fighting together. I've read a few books on spiritual warfare both fiction and non-fiction and while the idea of fighting together with your allies is never shunned or denied, the general emphasis is on the individual battles, that is what our job and role is individually in the battle. But many of us do not consider what our role in the battle does in conjunction with others doing their roles.
I want to make clear that the battles we face in the spiritual realms are not meant to be fought alone. We MUST be ready to be in position to fight alone, but we are not meant to fight alone. There are some epic battles that were one by an individual in the Old Testament. Look at 2 Samuel 23:11-12. Shammah, one of David's Mighty Men, defended a field when the rest of the army fled the Philistines. Shammah stood firm and would not relinquish the field. He stood his ground and defeated the Philistines alone. That's a great story, but why should Shammah have been put in that position? Should he have been alone? The answer is no.
The Spartans are often deemed as among the greatest warriors who ever lived. The Spartans, unlike many other soldiers in other armies, grew up eating, sleeping, living, breathing battle. And they had a tactic that no army was ever able to match: the Phalanx. In the Phalanx position, a group of Spartans would gather together and interlock their shields to form a solid wall of shield. Volleys of volleys of arrows could not penetrate it. Thrown spears would bounce off the bronze plating. And swords were too close range which would easily put them in range of a Spartan spear. And advancing Phalanx could not be stopped and through it a select few could take on armies of thousands. The famous Battle of Thermopylae pitted a few hundred Spartans against the Persian Army of hundreds of thousands and the Spartans halted the invasion.
This idea is what some of our spiritual battles are to look like. The key that made the Phalanx work so well was the unity of the Spartans. Each individual Spartan's survival depended on the location and position of his allies. And their survival depended upon that one Spartan. If one of them was out of place, the whole Phalanx could be defeated. As Christians, we are a body. Paul talks about this several places in the New Testament. If one part of the body is out of the place, the whole body suffers. The same is true in spiritual battle.
One of the biggest problems we have as Christians is we still struggle with sin. We don't have it all together. If we had walls around our lives, every one of us would have some massive holes in those walls. And we cannot fight because we are so focused on fighting the forces of evil that have easy access to our lives because of those breaches in our lives' walls. If we are to repair those breaches, we need an intercessor, someone who will stand in the gap and take on the battle we face in our stead. We need someone who will fend off the enemy to allow up to recover and repair their walls. Once their walls are repaired, they can then go and cover the walls of someone else. But notice this: those that are standing in the gap, ALSO have their own breaches. It is perfectly fine to go get help and support from our pastors and elders in our church. That is one of their jobs. But because of their job to not just lead us as Christians, but to fight with us and beside us, they have a big target on their backs. And they are not perfect. They need us to stand in their gaps, to fight in their stead so they can get a breather. We need them and they need us.
But the concept of the Phalanx works in the spiritual battle. Scripture tells us that a thousand will fall on our left and ten-thousand will fall on our right. We will get surrounded and we will be heavily outnumbered...or so we think. But one praying man is more dangerous than an army. Queen Elizabeth I of England, during the height of the Spanish Empire, said she feared the prayers of the preacher Edmund Burke than she did the whole of the Spanish Armada. And she was right to do so. The Spartans could drive out massive armies with just a few by working as unit. And that is just a picture of what we can do as Christians.
I am delving into this concept deeply in my second and third books of my spiritual warfare series that is waiting on a pending contract with a publisher. My first book "Call to Arms" introduces the concept of spiritual warfare and the battle against Satan and his minions. My second book "War Cry" (current working title) will address issues we face with our own sinful self as well as unity in the spiritual battle. My third book "The Mighty Gibborim" (working title) will add to all that addressing the battles we face against the worldly system and will continue the message of unity. But it will also deal with compromise and false doctrine in the church and how unity at the expense of sound doctrine leads to failure. We must be unified, but we must be VERY careful in whom we are unified with. There are a lot of wolves dressing up in both sheep's and shepherd's clothing and we must mark them, identify them, and have no intimate relationship with such people. We need to be unified that are completely sold and committed to the Gospel, the word of God, and the mission God has called out to do. We cannot be wishy washy and we must stand only for the truth. And if that means standing alone, then do so. The field that Shammah defended is being attacked. I am going to take up my sword, my hand claiving to it, and will defend it. Who will join me?
I want to make clear that the battles we face in the spiritual realms are not meant to be fought alone. We MUST be ready to be in position to fight alone, but we are not meant to fight alone. There are some epic battles that were one by an individual in the Old Testament. Look at 2 Samuel 23:11-12. Shammah, one of David's Mighty Men, defended a field when the rest of the army fled the Philistines. Shammah stood firm and would not relinquish the field. He stood his ground and defeated the Philistines alone. That's a great story, but why should Shammah have been put in that position? Should he have been alone? The answer is no.
The Spartans are often deemed as among the greatest warriors who ever lived. The Spartans, unlike many other soldiers in other armies, grew up eating, sleeping, living, breathing battle. And they had a tactic that no army was ever able to match: the Phalanx. In the Phalanx position, a group of Spartans would gather together and interlock their shields to form a solid wall of shield. Volleys of volleys of arrows could not penetrate it. Thrown spears would bounce off the bronze plating. And swords were too close range which would easily put them in range of a Spartan spear. And advancing Phalanx could not be stopped and through it a select few could take on armies of thousands. The famous Battle of Thermopylae pitted a few hundred Spartans against the Persian Army of hundreds of thousands and the Spartans halted the invasion.
This idea is what some of our spiritual battles are to look like. The key that made the Phalanx work so well was the unity of the Spartans. Each individual Spartan's survival depended on the location and position of his allies. And their survival depended upon that one Spartan. If one of them was out of place, the whole Phalanx could be defeated. As Christians, we are a body. Paul talks about this several places in the New Testament. If one part of the body is out of the place, the whole body suffers. The same is true in spiritual battle.
One of the biggest problems we have as Christians is we still struggle with sin. We don't have it all together. If we had walls around our lives, every one of us would have some massive holes in those walls. And we cannot fight because we are so focused on fighting the forces of evil that have easy access to our lives because of those breaches in our lives' walls. If we are to repair those breaches, we need an intercessor, someone who will stand in the gap and take on the battle we face in our stead. We need someone who will fend off the enemy to allow up to recover and repair their walls. Once their walls are repaired, they can then go and cover the walls of someone else. But notice this: those that are standing in the gap, ALSO have their own breaches. It is perfectly fine to go get help and support from our pastors and elders in our church. That is one of their jobs. But because of their job to not just lead us as Christians, but to fight with us and beside us, they have a big target on their backs. And they are not perfect. They need us to stand in their gaps, to fight in their stead so they can get a breather. We need them and they need us.
But the concept of the Phalanx works in the spiritual battle. Scripture tells us that a thousand will fall on our left and ten-thousand will fall on our right. We will get surrounded and we will be heavily outnumbered...or so we think. But one praying man is more dangerous than an army. Queen Elizabeth I of England, during the height of the Spanish Empire, said she feared the prayers of the preacher Edmund Burke than she did the whole of the Spanish Armada. And she was right to do so. The Spartans could drive out massive armies with just a few by working as unit. And that is just a picture of what we can do as Christians.
I am delving into this concept deeply in my second and third books of my spiritual warfare series that is waiting on a pending contract with a publisher. My first book "Call to Arms" introduces the concept of spiritual warfare and the battle against Satan and his minions. My second book "War Cry" (current working title) will address issues we face with our own sinful self as well as unity in the spiritual battle. My third book "The Mighty Gibborim" (working title) will add to all that addressing the battles we face against the worldly system and will continue the message of unity. But it will also deal with compromise and false doctrine in the church and how unity at the expense of sound doctrine leads to failure. We must be unified, but we must be VERY careful in whom we are unified with. There are a lot of wolves dressing up in both sheep's and shepherd's clothing and we must mark them, identify them, and have no intimate relationship with such people. We need to be unified that are completely sold and committed to the Gospel, the word of God, and the mission God has called out to do. We cannot be wishy washy and we must stand only for the truth. And if that means standing alone, then do so. The field that Shammah defended is being attacked. I am going to take up my sword, my hand claiving to it, and will defend it. Who will join me?
Thursday, September 5, 2013
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?
~ 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?
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