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Spiritual Warfare – The Strategy Of The Early Church

Apologetics, , , , ,

THE STRATEGY OF THE EARLY CHURCH

Immediately after Jesus’ ascension, the disciples followed His instruction and implemented the strategy He gave them.

“When the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and He sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His word with signs that accompanied it.” Mark 16:19, 20 (NIV).

The example of Ephesus

If ever there was a test case for the effectiveness of the strategy of the apostles, and in particular, the apostle Paul, it was the city of Ephesus.

The City Of Ephesus

“Ephesus once had a great harbour, but because of the lack of tides in the Mediterranean to clear out the debris, the harbour tended to silt up. It was probably from this harbour that Paul set sail for Macedonia after the Ephesian riot (Acts 20:1).

“The main street of the city was the Arcadian Way which led from the harbour to the theatre. The street was over 100 feet wide and paved with marble slabs. The street was often used for parades and ceremonies, and was flanked on either side by rows of columns 50 feet deep. The street was named in honour of the emperor Arcadius (A.D. 383-408) who enlarged and restored it. At night the street was lit by lanterns.

“The great theatre at Ephesus gives us some idea of the elegance of the ancient city in the time of Paul. The construction began during the reign of Claudius (A.D. 41-54) and was completed during the reign of Trajan (A.D. 98-117). This massive structure measured 495 feet in diameter and seated an estimated 25,000 people. The great uproar over Diana of the Ephesians took place here (Acts 19)…”

The Temple Of Diana

“The disturbance over Diana of the Ephesians is one of the most prominent stories in the book of Acts (Acts 19:23-41). There were 33 temples in the Greco-Roman world where Diana was worshiped. After Paul’s preaching in Ephesus had harmed the local silversmiths who made statues of Diana, Paul’s companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, were dragged into the theatre. The disciples would not allow Paul to go into the assembly.

“The Temple of Artemis (or Diana, according to her Roman name) at Ephesus ranked as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. As the twin sister of Apollo and the daughter of Zeus, Artemis was known variously as the moon goddess, the goddess of hunting, and the patroness of young girls. The temple at Ephesus housed the multi-breasted image of Artemis which was reputed to have come directly from Zeus (Acts 19:35). The temple of Artemis in Paul’s day was supported by 127 columns, each of them 60 meters (197 feet) high. The Ephesians took great pride in this grand edifice. During the Roman period, they promoted the worship of Artemis by minting coins with the inscription, ‘Diana of Ephesus.'” (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, pp. 345-346).

“The temple was four times as large as the Parthenon. Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23-79) said the temple was constructed on marshy soil to safeguard it against earthquakes.

“For over a thousand years this goddess with her temple provided a focal point for the rich religious, economic, and cultural life of her worshippers. Now hardly one stone can be seen of one of the most famous buildings in the world, the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. Built on marshy ground not far from the Cayster River, it arose on a site occupied from time to time by several temples of which at least one dates from pre-Greek days. It faced west, toward the sea and the setting sun. Pliny the Younger tells us that the columns in front of the temple were carved with notable events in the life of the Greeks and that the statue of Artemis stood in the inner sanctuary. Some of the statuary from this temple is displayed in the New Hofburg Museum in Vienna. This temple was the first in the world to be constructed entirely of marble.” (Everett Blake and Anna Edmonds, Biblical Sites In Turkey, p. 119).

“After years of archaeological research the ruins of the temple were discovered in 1877 by J. T. Wood. The platform on which the temple stood was 418 by 239 feet, and the temple itself was 342 by 163 feet and had over one hundred columns supporting its roof.” (Homer Hailey, Revelation, An Introduction And Commentary, p. 120).

“The Hellenistic temple which Paul saw was destroyed in A.D. 262.

“The original temple of Diana crumbled into the dust many centuries ago. It was rebuilt and became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was to this temple Alexander came. The Macedonian wanted his name carved on one of the 127 pillars. He offered all the riches of his eastern campaign for the privilege. The city fathers turned down the offer. But nobody refused Alexander. The Ephesians did. They talked him into a calm acceptance by saying ‘If we put the name of another god on her temple it will upset her.’ So the mightiest mortal on earth couldn’t even buy the privilege to have his name on a pillar in the temple of a god. Years later Paul wrote to a group of Ephesians telling them they were the temple (not of a god) but of the Almighty God.” (Jim McGuiggan, The Book Of Revelation, p. 44).

“The goddess who had largely given Ephesus its wealth and importance — so that it was a kind of Lourdes of the ancient world — was at the core of so much human thinking. She derived from those early manifestations of religious belief, the mother-goddess figures to be found from Asia Minor to the Cyclades, and westward to Sicily. The embodiment of the female principle, she represented not only fertility but resurrection in the shape of new birth, the eternal return of life to the earth and, as found in a number of early carvings, the ‘Tree of Life’. As Isis she bore the divine son, Horus; and as Artemis she was the Mother of Wild Things, the goddess of all animals. The Isis-Artemis conception embraced everything. It could be taken at any level; from the simple peasant’s conception of the divinity who would ensure that his beasts and land were fruitful, to the intellectual idea of an all-creating mother who sustained the whole universe.” (Ernle Bradford, Paul The Traveler, pp. 194-195).

Paul in Ephesus

“The apostle Paul first visited Ephesus on the return from his missionary journey where he “entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews” (Acts 18:19-21).

“On his second journey, Paul came to Ephesus and taught the twelve disciples who knew only the baptism of John (Acts 19:1-7) and “went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8). He later taught in the school of Tryannus for two years, and as a result, “all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:9-10).

“Ephesus was full of wizards, sorcerers, witches, astrologers, diviners of the entrails of animals and people who could read one’s fortune by the palm of the hand. And yet, after the preaching of Paul, the magicians publicly burned their books, “so the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed” (Acts 19:19-20). Timothy and Erastus were with Paul, but he sent them to Macedonia, while “he himself stayed in Asia for a time” (Acts 19:22).

“At the end of his third missionary tour, in the spring of A.D. 57, Paul stopped briefly at Miletus, “for Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost” (Acts 20:16). Paul met with the elders of Ephesus at Miletus (Acts 20:17-38). In his final words to these elders he told them of his deep sorrow that they would see his face no more (Acts 20:38).

http://www.biblelandhistory.com/turkey/ephesus.html

There is no evidence in the book of Acts of any of the modern practices of so-called “spiritual warfare” that preceded or accompanied the preaching of the gospel in Ephesus. Yet so great was the power of the gospel that the city was transformed, and the power of Artemis so weakened that it took humans (Demetrius and the silversmiths) to defend her, when in actual fact it was their business of selling silver images that was affected and that bothered them more than the majesty of the goddess!

(Incidentally, Paul often asked the churches to pray for believers and for him, not for the places he visited and the unbelievers to whom he preached. What was the burden of his requests?

Ephesians 1:15-19: that believers will know who they are and what they have in Christ;

Ephesians 3:14-21: that believers will know and experience the fullness of Christ’s love in order to come to fullness in Him;

Ephesians 6:19: that he would have the right words fearlessly to make known the mystery of the gospel.

Paul was concerned about the effectiveness of the messengers and the message and not the power of the opposition).

The outcome of Paul’s time in Ephesus was the spread of the gospel throughout the province of Asia (Acts 19:10); healings and deliverance from evil spirits (Acts 19:11); the fear of God and the name of Jesus held in high honour among Jews and Greeks in Ephesus (Acts 19:17); the destruction of the scrolls of witchcraft and sorcery by new believers (Acts 19:18-20); and the riot instigated by Demetrius and the silversmiths because Diana’s influence was waning and they were losing business (Acts 19:23-40).

There is not a word mentioned about principalities, powers, strongholds, altars or intercessory prayer to deal with the opposition.

THE BOOK OF REVELATION

I do not propose to write a commentary on the Book of Revelation in this section, but just to examine the way in which spiritual warfare was conducted on two fronts – on earth and in heaven.

First of all, Jesus’ appearance to John on the Island of Patmos sent a clear message to him and to his readers – Jesus is in charge of the churches (ch 1-3) and of history. He has the right to open the scroll (ch 4, 5) while all the creatures in heaven are engaged in perpetual worship.

As the Lamb opens the seals on the scroll, there is evidence of warfare on earth between those who worship God and those who worship the dragon, but always under God’s authority and while the multitudes in heaven worship Him. Whatever happens on earth, happens by God’s permission and always works towards His ultimate purpose – the victory of the Lamb and His followers and the final overthrow of Satan and the vanquishing of everything evil.

In chapter 12 comes the triumphant cry after Satan’s defeat and overthrow:

Then I heard a loud voice from heaven say:                                                                                     Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,                             and the authority of His Christ.                                                                                                       For the accuser of our brothers,                                                                                                         who accuses them before our God day and night,                                                                           has been hurled down.                                                                                                                           They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb                                                                 and the word of their testimony;                                                                                                they did not love their lives so much                                                                                                 as to shrink from death.                                                                                                                   Revelation 12:10, 11

Again, no mention of intercessors and pulling down strongholds – only the power of the cross and of lives that bear witness to its power.

Throughout the book of Revelation, history is played out on earth under God’s supervision while worship continues ceaselessly in heaven until the final overthrow of the world system – called Babylon – and the counterfeit woman. The unholy trinity of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet are dispatched and God’s restoration plan consummated when heaven comes down to earth and the Bridegroom returns to be united with His bride and to set up His reign on earth.

To be continued…

Come To The Table

Bible Study, , , ,

COME TO THE TABLE

“‘I AM the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world.’

“The Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, ‘How can this man give us His flesh to eat?'” John 6:48-52 (NIV).

Jesus’ words sound bizarre, don’t they? What in the world is He talking about and how can He expect His hearers to believe what He is saying?

Once more a literal interpretation of His words leaves us with the idea that He is advocating cannibalism! But we know that He cannot possibly imply that, so what is He saying?

We have to turn again to the Hebrew way of thinking. Where the “western” Greek-orientated mind-set is to interpret His words literally, the ancient Hebrew mind would recognize something different in His meaning.

Middle-eastern people were very hospitable but they never ate with anyone with whom they had issues. To eat with someone meant much more than sitting down together and sharing a meal. They only ate a meal with someone with whom they were reconciled.

This practice arose from the origin of the ancient concept of a table. The Paleo-Hebrew word for a table – shulkan – was also the word for reconcile and lamb skin, depending on the sense in which it was used. The connection between these meanings was like this: where there was no table available, for example, when they left Egypt in haste and they had to eat the Passover meal in readiness to leave, the skin of the lamb that was eaten at the Passover was used as a “table”, a sort-of picnic blanket.

The members of the family had to eat a sacrificed lamb as a symbol that they had set aside their differences and were one with each other. They could not travel together on a long journey if they had issues. Hence a meal – shul – was eaten at the table – shulkan– as a symbol of reconciliation.

Was Jesus inviting the people to be reconciled to God through His flesh? It sounds very much as though that was what He was getting at. There is certainly no hint that He was implying that, in some mystical way, the bread eaten and the wine drunk at the Last Supper literally became His body and blood. That would make Him the advocate of cannibalism which is unthinkable.

It also denies the clear teaching of Scripture that His death was a once-for-all, never-to be-repeated, all-sufficient sacrifice which reconciled us to the Father. To insist that, every time we participate in the memorial feast of “Communion” or the Lord’s Supper, we are re-sacrificing the Son of God and eating His actual flesh and drinking His actual blood is to turn it into a satanic ritual rather than a symbol of what He did on the cross for us.

“Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.'” John 6:53-55 (NIV).

When we read His words with the understanding that He was talking about reconciliation, not cannibalism, they make a whole lot of sense. To be reconciled to the Father through the sacrifice of His Son brings us back into union with the source of life. Physical death cannot separate us from Him because He has conquered death. Just as bread sustains and energizes our physical bodies, so also, as we “feed” on Him, our spirits are nourished, and our life in Him grows.

Jesus was not instituting a new, cannibalistic religion, but teaching God’s people that the sacrificial lamb they ate when they celebrated the Passover was only a picture of what He would do on the cross. His death would bring them back into fellowship with the Father and reconnect them with the source of life.

Do you have this life?

Don’t Panic

Bible Study, , ,

DON’T PANIC

“On His return, Jesus was welcomed by a crowd. They were all there expecting Him. A man came up, Jairus by name. He was president of the meeting place. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his home because his twelve-year-old daughter, his only child, was dying. Jesus went with him, making His way through the pushing, jostling crowd.” Luke 8:40-42 (The Message).

This is part one of a twofold story.

The first person introduced was a man with a name and a pedigree. He was Jairus, an important person in the community. He had a title and a function – he was in charge of the local synagogue where the townspeople met every Sabbath for worship and the reading of the Word of God. It was also probably the venue for the local school where the boys were taught to read and write and study the Torah.

Was Jairus part of the group of religious leaders who rejected Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah? Was he one of those who were quick to jump on Him for breaking the Sabbath? We don’t know. Luke not only identifies him as a religious ruler but also as a desperate father. Whatever religious scruples he had, fell away when his circumstances spun out of control.

His only child was dying. He knew that there was no doctor who could do anything for her. There was only one man who could help him, who had the reputation for having authority over demons, disease and death and who had healed many sick people in his own town. When Jesus, to his great relief, put in an appearance just when he needed Him, he wasted no time in hurrying to get help.

At the very moment when Jairus was putting his urgent request before Jesus, there was another needy person in the crowd, pushing her way towards Him.

“In the crowd that day there was a woman who, for twelve years, had been afflicted with haemorrhages. She had spent every penny she had on doctors but no one had been able to help her. She slipped in from behind and touched the edge of Jesus’ robe.” Luke 8:43-44 (The Message).

The contrast between these two people could not have been greater. Jairus was an important man; the woman was not even named. Jairus was a religious man; she was a despised and unclean woman. His little daughter was the child of probably the most important man in the town; the woman was nobody. Strangely enough, for every day that the little girl was growing up in her parents’ home, healthy, cherished and no doubt pampered, the woman was living a lonely life of suffering, an outcast and unclean; twelve years of living lives that were worlds apart.

Now the little girl was on the brink of death while the woman was dying slowly. Both she and Jairus needed Jesus. Which one needed Him the most? Which situation was the most critical? Which one would get His attention first? Had it been one of us who had to make the choice, we would probably have told the woman to wait while we attended to Jairus’ child because her need was the most urgent. The woman was alive and walking; the child was dying.

This story is a masterpiece of revelation. Although Luke may have borrowed the record from Mark, the story itself is a mirror of the heart of Jesus. He did not have to make a choice. As we read on, Jesus took the events in His stride. He did not stop and weigh up whose need was greater. He dealt with each situation as it arose. To Jesus, neither need was a crisis, not even the child’s imminent death.

In our lives, situations arise which we view as crises and which throw us into a panic. We rush off to Jesus and breathlessly beg Him to come immediately, forgetting that He is already there and that He is fully aware of every detail, even more than we are. What should be our attitude when we call on Him in desperate moments like these?

Jesus Himself gives us the answer: ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe…'”

Forgiven

Christian Life, , , ,

FORGIVEN!

“Two others, both criminals, were taken along with him for execution.

“When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified Him, along with the criminals, one on His right, the other on His left.

“Jesus prayed, ‘Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.’

“Dividing up His clothes, they drew dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, ‘He saved others. Let’s see Him save Himself. The Messiah of God — ha! The Chosen — ha!'” Luke 23:32-35 (The Message).

Luke’s story has very little detail. It’s almost as though he deliberately pulled the curtain on Jesus’ suffering. He was sensitive and discreet about his descriptions, writing only about those things which related to the character of Jesus and the fulfilment of prophecy — although he didn’t mention that fact in his story. He was writing about the Son of God, not a sensational tabloid account of a criminal’s last hours. Even Jesus’ criminal companions come in for the same kindly discretion.

Right in the middle of this tragic event there stands a shining light of hope for all of them; soldiers, perpetrators, unfeeling crowd, and even the two guilty men hanging on their crosses beside Him. One sentence echoes down through time, embracing everyone, from the first pair who set the ball rolling to every other person who has lived, and will live, to perpetuate the first pair’s rebellion against their Creator.

“‘Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.'”

Jesus encapsulated in His prayer the reason for this heinous deed, the responsibility for which sits squarely on the shoulders of every person who has lived. “They do not know what they are doing.” He extended forgiveness, then, to all of us now, since we have no idea of the implications of our stubborn rebellion against God.

Do you know how far-reaching one act of selfishness can be in your life? One careless word, one lie, one act of treachery or betrayal, one night of lust, one stolen kiss, one impulsive decision, can ruin a life, a family and even an entire community in a split second. We are left with a lifetime to regret what we did in a moment.

The spilt blood of Jesus speaks up for you even in the situations that leave you helpless and condemned. You did not know what you were doing! That does not excuse your behaviour. Jesus’ sacrifice does not remove the responsibility for our sin. He paid the debt by giving His life for ours, blood for blood, so that the Father’s justice would be fully satisfied.

The implications of Jesus’ gift are huge. Not only has the debt of our sin been paid but also the debt of those who have sinned against us. We no longer have the right to punish those who owe us because it is illegal to punish a person twice for the same sin.

This makes the sin of unforgiveness unforgiveable. It would be morally wrong for God to clear our debt if we refuse to clear the debt of someone who owes us. That makes unforgiveness an “unpardonable” sin which can take even a believer into eternal separation from God.

Jesus lived out His own teaching in the midst of His cruellest suffering. He was innocent, yet He forgave those who were responsible for putting Him there. He was there because He chose to be there, willingly submitting to His Father’s will. There was no other way to reconcile God’s wayward sons and daughters to Himself.

Jesus does not expect us to do what He did not do first. He taught us and showed how by His own impeccable choice to obey the Father to His last breath. He led the way and calls us to follow. In that there is life!