Tag Archives: spiritual warfare

THE BOOK OF ACTS – DON’T MESS WITH GOD

Bible Study, ,

DON’T MESS WITH GOD

“Provoked mightily by all this, the Chief Priest and those on his side, mainly the sect of Sadducees, went into action, arrested the apostles and put them in the town jail. But during the night an angel of God opened the jailhouse door and led them out. He said, ‘Go to the Temple and take your stand. Tell the people everything there is to say about this life.’

Promptly obedient, they entered the Temple at daybreak and went on with their teaching.” Acts 5:17-20 (The Message).

When would these religious leaders ever learn that no one can mess with God and get away with it? They tried it with Jesus and lost, and now they were at it again.

It seems that the High Priest had the ear of the Sadducees. They were a wealthy and powerful political sect whose main religious claim to fame was what they did not believe, not what they did believe. They vehemently defended their denial of the supernatural in general and the resurrection in particular. Why would the High Priest be in bed with them – money, power? Support them and they would support him.

But they had a serious problem. The man they killed was alive again, or so His followers were saying, and to prove it, supernatural things were happening. The very things they conveniently believed so that they would not have to have dealings with a supernatural God were happening under their noses. To stop it was like trying to put a cork in a volcano!

But they were trying!

Step one — silence the leaders. If they abused them enough, they might silence them, so they thought. Put them in jail, threaten them, and intimidate them enough to shut them up. They had already tried that once but it only resulted in another wave of miracles and an influx of new believers,

Step two — increase the pressure. The apostles had taken no notice of their bullying tactics the first time. They were accountable to a higher authority. They had their instructions and they were not about to renege on their commitment to Jesus as rightful Lord, not any Jewish council or political power.

The one ally the High Priest and his cronies had not reckoned on was the army of heaven. It only took the action of one angel to unravel their plan. Jail the apostles and an angel had the key. In fact, he didn’t need a key. No jailhouse door could keep an angel out or the apostles in! How was that for civil disobedience!

The angel’s instructions fall strangely on the ears of a modern western church bent on preservation rather than propagation. “Go back and teach in the Temple,” he told them. Sitting in jail for a night was an unforeseen interruption in their assignment. There was no time to go home and lick their wounds.

This was spiritual warfare at its best. Paul understood the truth about “spiritual warfare” — not the idea that we have to engage the enemy by all manner of futile activities like Jericho marches, prayer walks, binding and loosing, taking authority, rebuking the devil, identifying and pulling down strongholds etc. It all sounds very “spiritual” but amounts to nothing since Jesus has already exposed and made a fool of him at the cross.

Paul said, “Stand!” That’s all! Peter said, “Submit to God!” That’s all! Just keep declaring and living the truth regardless of the interruptions. The battle is the Lord’s. If as much time were spent preaching the Word of God as is spent on all these useless activities in the name of spiritual warfare, the lives of many more would be changed, bringing the kingdom of God where it is needed most.

The Power Of The Cross – They Overcame Him By The Blood

Gospel, , , ,

THE POWER OF THE CROSS

THEY OVERCAME HIM BY THE BLOOD

Spiritual warfare is big on the agenda of Christians today. Many “weird and wonderful” teachings abound about spiritual warfare – most of which originate from the Old Testament, as though the death of Jesus means nothing when it comes to the devil.

People do prayer walks and Jericho marches; we are taught to identify the principalities and powers that hold countries or regions in their power (the “Jezebel spirit” is a big one); we have to identify and pull down altars; we must “bind” the evil spirits and “take authority” over them; we must “loose” the power of God and we must “pray against” whatever it is that we must pray against!

Now all of this sounds very “spiritual”. It gives us something to do when we are discouraged by the situations and circumstances around us. We feel better when we have done “spiritual warfare”, even if nothing changes. We do it again and again in the hopes that it will eventually “take” and give us immunity – like a measles vaccine!

But where in the world do we see the apostles doing this in the New Testament? Even Jesus, who should have known better than anyone else how to do spiritual warfare, didn’t do all this stuff. After all, wasn’t the devil after Him? The most Jesus ever did was to send His disciples ahead of Him into the villages and towns where He was to go, not to do prayer walks and Jericho marches, but to proclaim and demonstrate the presence of the kingdom of God. It was the reality of God’s presence and power in the person of Jesus, not their ritualistic prayer efforts that sent the devil and his squatters packing.

Another glaring problem lies in the fact that we don’t understand how God works. When stuff happens in our lives, we blame the devil and go to “war” against him. We are “under attack”, so we declare, almost triumphantly as though being “under attack” somehow makes us important in Satan’s eyes. We must be a threat to him, or he wouldn’t “attack” us!

But that is not what the Bible says.

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined – and everyone underdoes discipline – then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all . . . They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in His holiness.  (Heb. 12: 7-8; 10)

Satan may be responsible for the hardship, but God uses it for our good. So why fight the devil? James and Peter said that we must resist the devil by submitting to God. (James 4: 7; 1 Pet. 5: 8-9)

As a matter of fact, the very hardships we go through, which we so eagerly attribute to the devil, are the evidence of our sonship and the means of God’s grace. If we understood that, would we so enthusiastically launch into spiritual warfare against Satan, using all the tactics we have learned from the self-proclaimed “generals” of spiritual warfare? By doing that, we are actually fighting, not the devil as we may think, but the very means God uses to purify our faith in Him.

Take Peter, for example. Jesus warned him of what was to come and even said that Satan would do it. He promised to pray for him – not that God would get him out of it but keep him through it because there were important lessons Peter had to learn.

Did you notice, for example that Jesus did not pray that God would stop the devil from sifting him. Instead He said, “I have prayed for you, that your faith will not fail.” Did you get that? Trials and hardships are not “attacks” from the devil, as though God were powerless to do anything about it. No! They are God’s means of strengthening our faith in Him.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. (! Pet. 1: 6-7)

How do we overcome the devil? Not by fighting him but by trusting in God. What guarantee do we have that we have the right to trust the Father?

They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Rev. 12: 11)

It was the cross that made all the difference. Jesus dealt with our sin – the very reason for the devil’s power over us – and He exposed the devil as a liar and a thief. He is not Lord; Jesus is.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? (Rom. 8: 31-32)

The devil loves the limelight. He wants to be noticed and he’ll get attention by any means as long as he can take our attention away from Jesus. God gave us weapons – faith and truth, all directing our attention away from the devil and onto the One who gave us the victory by His blood.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Spiritual Warfare – Two Misunderstandings

Apologetics, , ,

TWO MISUNDERSTANDINGS

There are two errors of interpretation that have contributed to the misunderstanding about spiritual warfare.

Binding and loosing

The first misunderstanding comes from Jesus’ words to His disciples in Matthew 16 and arises from a misinterpretation of the rabbi’s yoke.

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19.

Although this statement does refer to a form of “spiritualwarfare” it has been mistakenly interpreted to mean that Jesus’ disciples have to engage the enemy by binding him and his demons and “loosing” the Holy Spirit (God forbid – since when has the Holy Spirit been bound?) into situations where strongholds have been identified.

The correct interpretation has to do with the rabbi’s yoke which has already been explained in a previous section.

“We know that folks called Jesus Rabbi, but what is the significance of this title, beyond simply meaning “teacher”?

“Jesus was not the first, or the only, teacher to roam the country with Talmidim (students or disciples) The itinerant teacher (rabbi) was part of the system in first century Jewish religious life. Disciples would aspire to the role of rabbi once fully trained. Notice though that Yeshua was also regarded as a prophet and healer – signs of the power of God at work in him by the Holy Spirit. Notice the questions from the establishment questioning Yeshua by the cohanim,

“Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?’ they asked. ‘And who gave you this authority?’” Matthew 21:23

“Authority here is s’mikhah – a commissioning involving laying on of hands. We know where Yeshua’s s’mikhah came from. (http://www.wildolive.co.uk/Rabbi%20Jesus.htm)

“S’micha is Hebrew for leaning of the hands, and derives from a Hebrew word with means rely on, or to

be authorized. It is roughly equivalent to the English word ordination.”

“When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching

them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.” Matthew 7:28-29

Jesus’ authority is from God…(http://bellatorah.com/Lessons_files/Jesus_is_a_Rabbi.pdf)

But Jesus’ authority did not only come from God. He was God.

“Rabbis with s’mekah could make their own interpretations of the Scriptures because they were anointed by God to do so. They would say, “You have heard it said, but I say to you” and then make a new and different interpretation of a passage in the text. This was a very special authority and was only conferred on a very few of the most brilliant rabbis of the day.

“These rabbis with s’mekah referred to their own unique collection of interpretations of Scripture as their “yoke”. They travelled around the countryside showing their students how to understand and obey their “yoke of Torah”. (http://www.dodsonlumber.com/Acts242/jesus-a-jewish-rabbi-part-4/)

It was a disciple’s duty, not only to adopt his rabbi’s yoke but to teach it to (bind it on) new disciples so that they would be loosed from all other yokes.

Hence Jesus issued His invitation:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.

Jesus was offering His followers a yoke of freedom, not only from the bondage of religious rules and regulations, but also from the bondage of guilt, fear and shame coming from a life of slavery to sin. When He took His disciples to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He wanted them to see what went on there so that they would understand what binding His yoke on people who were held captives to idolatry and the terrible sin it produced, would mean. By teaching people to follow Jesus, they would be set free from the destruction of sin and brought into the kingdom of God’s love and light.

Is that not the most powerful and effective way to release people from the devil’s clutches, to teach them the yoke of Jesus and release them from all other yokes of bondage?

The weapons of our warfare

  1. The second misunderstanding has to do with interpreting Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:10-18 and 2 Corinthians 10:4-6.

Paul speaks of weapons and war. We have to ask three important questions: Where and with whom is the war we are engaged in, and what are our weapons?

Contrary to what we may think, the war is not between us and the devil or even between God and the devil.

“So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the deeds of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other so that you do not do what you want.” Galatians 5:16, 17.

Paul expands on this in 2 Corinthians 10:4-6. We are not engaged in a worldly war; we do not fight with worldly weapons and the site of the war is not in the world but in our minds, our thought life where the battle rages between our old fleshly nature and the Spirit.

It is our responsibility, when our thoughts are in conflict with what God has said, to “demolish strongholds. We demolish every argument and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ,” 2 Corinthians 10:4, 5.

What are the weapons at our disposal and how do we fight?

According to Paul in Ephesians 6:10-18, there is a range of demonic forces against us, trying to lure us away from our knowledge of and confidence in the truth by sowing lies into our thoughts. When difficulties and adversities come, particularly through people, we can either interpret them from the perspective of our old sinful nature, mistrusting and blaming God and reacting like unregenerate people, with fear or anger against the perpetrators, or we can believe the truth and stand on what God has said in spite of what appears to be.

This has got nothing to do with the so-called principalities and powers over groups of people and nations. Jesus has already dealt with them at the cross. This has to do with the way we react to people (flesh and blood – Ephesians 6:12) when the enemy uses them to harass us. There is nothing anyone can say or do that will change the truth of who we are in Christ and what He has done and will continue to do in us and for us.

We have powerful spiritual weapons which protect our minds and demolish the lies that the enemy would sow into our thinking so that we believe him rather than the truth of God’s word. Everything God has said about righteousness, peace, faith and salvation comes from the truth which is found in God’s word. The only way we can defeat the enemy and sent him fleeing is by exposing his lies by standing on the truth. We do not need to be rescued by someone else. We need to take responsibility for our sin and believe and declare the truth.

To be continued…

CONCLUSION

Spiritual Warfare In The New Testament

Apologetics, , ,

SPIRITUAL WARFARE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

The New Testament Model

The New Testament church was born into an environment no different from anywhere in the world today. In the Roman Empire, idolatry, witchcraft, immorality, greed and every kind of wickedness was the order of the day. Added to this was the cult of Caesar worship, punishable by death for those who refused to comply, and the religious fervour of the Jews who had rejected their Messiah and did everything they could to stamp out the infant church, targeting the apostles and persecuting the believers wherever they could, headed up by Saul of Tarsus until his dramatic encounter with the living Christ.

If there was ever a reason to identify and deal with powers and strongholds, it was then.

Jesus sent His disciples into all the world with a commission to make disciples. What were their weapons and what would their strategy be?

  1. The gospel.

Paul declared to the Roman church in the heart of the Roman Empire:

“I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” Romans 1:18 (NIV).

But Paul, what about the powers of darkness that hold sway over the whole Roman Empire? The power of God lay in the preaching of the gospel, not in intercessory prayers and pulling down strongholds.

  1. The truth

Jesus stated categorically, principalities and powers or not, that it is the knowledge of the truth that sets people free.

“To the Jews who believed in Him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” John 8:31, 32 (NIV).

“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’” John 8:34-36 (NIV).

  1. The word

How much power does the Word of God have to effect change in the lives of people?

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.” Hebrews 4:12, 13 (NIV).

“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” 1 Peter 1:23 (NIV).

  1. The Holy Spirit

To play down the efficacy of the work of Jesus is to empty the Holy Spirit of His power. According to Jesus, the Holy Spirit has the power to convict the world of sin (without the necessity of dealing with demons or strongholds).

“Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go I will send Him to you. When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin…” John 16:7b-8a (NIV).

  1. The cross

For the apostle Paul, it was the message of the cross that brought people to faith in Christ.

Jesus said, “But I, when I am lifted up, from the earth, will draw all me to myself. He said this to show what kind of death He was going to die.” John 12:32, 33 (NIV).

And so it was Paul’s passion to proclaim the power of the cross.

“When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NIV).

  1. The resurrection

The power of the cross stands or falls on the resurrection of Jesus.

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:16-20 (NIV).

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God – the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding His Son, who as to His human nature was a descendant of David, and who, through the Spirit of Holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 1:1-4 (NIV).

  1. Jesus’ yoke

The concept of a yoke in Scripture is an interesting one. The Israelites were an agricultural people and their ancient script (called paleo Hebrew), and language grew out of their originally nomadic lifestyle. Their understanding was based on their senses rather than abstract ideas like love, faith, etc.

The name of God (El) was made up of two pictures, aleph being an ox head and lamech being a staff. An ox head denoted strength and a shepherd’s staff, authority. Hence God was the strong one who had authority, the mighty one.

“The ancient Hebrews considered the yoke as a “staff of the shoulder” (see Isaiah 9:4). When ploughing a field, a farmer would place two oxen in a “staff” – one was the older and more experienced and the other the younger and less experienced. The younger was to learn from the older. Again the two pictographic letter, the ox and the staff, are found in this image of action. This concept of “learning through association” can be found in the Hebrew word, alaph, (H 502) and contains the same pictographs.

“The Hebrews did not perceive God as some might omnipotent entity but as “the mighty one,” the older ox in the yoke who teaches them, the younger ox in the yoke.” (Benner, Jeff, The Living Words – Volume 1, Published 2007 by Virtualbookworm.com Publishing Inc).

This was the thinking which lay behind the association of a rabbi with his disciples, young men whom he selected and called to follow him with the understanding that they would be so closely bonded to him, like two oxen in a yoke, that they would learn to be just like him and imitate him in everything they taught and did.

The implication of Jesus’ yoke

Jesus took His disciples to the “red light district” of Israel – Caesarea Philippi – where two of the most powerful religious cults in the Roman Empire were being practised.

“Caesarea Philippi is a large archaeological site containing elaborate building projects erected by Herod Philip and Agrippas II in the area of Dan, at the foot of Mount Hermon in northern Israel. In addition to magnificent Roman structures, Caesarea Philippi is also known for Banias, a collection of springs and pagan worship sites linked to the cult of Pan. The centrepiece of this ancient worship site is a huge cliff and grotto, which contains the remains of numerous altars, caves, temples, and courtyards. This is the location at Caesarea Philippi where Jesus met with his disciples and finally asked the question, “Who do you say that I am?”

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. (Matthew 16:13-17)

“Caesarea Philippi’s location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed. At one time, the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff.

“The pagans of Jesus’ day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring. They saw water as a symbol of the underworld and thought that their gods travelled to and from that world through caves.

“To the pagan mind, then, the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld. They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld – the gates of hell. In order to entice the return of their god, Pan, each year, the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds, including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats.

“When Jesus brought his disciples to the area, they must have been shocked. Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there.

“It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell.”

Jesus’ Challenge

“Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples “Who do you say that I am?” Peter boldly replied, “You are the Son of the living God.” The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus, the true and living God, and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in “dead” gods.

“Jesus continued, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (see Matt. 16:13 – 20).

“Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words, it seems clear that Jesus’ words also had symbolic meaning. His church would be built on the “rock” of Caesarea Philippi – a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols, where ungodly values dominated.

“Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world. By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome, Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked.

“Standing as they were at a literal “gate of Hades,” the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus’ challenge. They had studied under their rabbi for several years, and now he was commissioning them to a huge task: to attack evil by binding His yoke on people held captive by every “yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1), and to build the church in the very places that were most filled with moral corruption.

“Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi: He didn’t want his followers hiding from evil: He wanted them to storm the gates of hell.”

http://www.followtherabbi.com/journey/israel/gates-of-hell/

From this background it is clear that Jesus saw His church as a counter-culture based on the solid rock of His identity as the Son of God and His teaching that presented God as Father and God’s character as gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and full of love and faithfulness (Exodus 34:6).

This was the “yoke” Jesus modelled and taught, in contrast to the strict legalism of the other rabbis of His day. He gave His disciples authority to “bind” His yoke of mercy and compassion on all His followers and to “loose” them from the yoke of pagan idolatry which made them slaves of sin, and the religious legalism which strangled God’s life out of them and made them into slaves of law.

His church would infiltrate the culture of its day and, like yeast in a lump of dough, slowly transform society through the transformed lives of its people, bringing God’s will and the standards of His kingdom to earth, and reflecting Himself in the lives of His people.

Not even the spiritual darkness of paganism and power of hell would be able to withstand the compelling witness of people transformed and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to live like Jesus (John 2:6),and to do the works that Jesus did (John 14:12), reflecting the nature of God’s loving rule over His people.

This is the vision Jesus had for His church which He imparted to His disciples over the course of three and a half years. He taught them how to do the works of the kingdom by example and by giving them opportunity to practise under His supervision.  He gave them power and authority over disease and demons and sent them out to do the work in preparation for their worldwide mission.

On this occasion Jesus also gave His mandate to His followers – “I will give you the keys of the kingdom.” Before He ascended to heaven, He gave them this instruction, “Go…make disciples of all nations…” He would use the building bricks of the disciples we make, to build His church, blending diverse people into a unity that reflected His intimate unity in the Godhead, an impossible task outside of the power of the Holy Spirit.

Even when Jesus sent His twelve disciples, and later the seventy two, ahead of Him into the towns and villages where He was planning to go, it was not to do spiritual warfare but to preach the gospel and to heal the sick (Luke 9:1, 2; Luke 110:1-16). They were to interact with the people, and show and announce the kingdom by their gracious attitude towards those who gave them hospitality and those who received their message.

The outcome was astonishing.

“The seventy two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’”

“He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’” Luke 10:17-21(NIV).

If anyone were to teach the disciples how to deal with demonic powers it would have been Jesus. After all, He was the one who bore the brunt of the enemy’s attacks. Yet He did not instruct them on how to deal with the opposition except to cast out demons and to preach the kingdom of God.

He unmasked and dispatched the devil and His minions once for all at the cross.

“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle over them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:15.

To be continued…

Spiritual Warfare In The Old Testament

Apologetics, , ,

SPIRITUAL WARFARE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Galatian Church syndrome reworked

One of the areas where the “Galatian Church syndrome” seems to have re-emerged, i.e. that the cross needs our help to be effective, is in the modern world-wide prayer movement in which altars, strongholds and powers over localities and countries are being “identified” and intercessors raised up to deal with these powerful spirits who hold people and nations captive.

There is no denying that such powers exist and that people are held captive to their deception but I question the way that the problem is dealt with by this movement. Is it Biblical?

What is “spiritual warfare”?

Let’s first examine what is meant by “spiritual warfare” in the understanding of today’s church and the way in which it is currently being handled.

In some parts of the church it is assumed that it is the responsibility of believers, and in particular a special group of believers called “intercessors” firstly to identify the “altars”, the idols, the specific powers and strongholds over towns, cities, regions and countries and the spirits operating in those areas that keep people in bondage. It is then their task to pray these demonic powers down, to break their power over towns, regions etc., so that the gospel will be effective. This requires a great deal of effort, denouncing and declaring until they are satisfied that the spiritual warfare has been effective.

It requires time and effort by specialised people who not only have to identify the particular spirits they have to deal with and spend time interceding, but they also have to go around training “ordinary” believers in the art of “spiritual warfare”.

Another area of “spiritual warfare” relates to curses in general and to “generational” curses in particular.

There is a belief among some believers that many of the trials and hardships that we experience are attacks of the devil. People are vulnerable for various reasons, some of which are identified as “curses”. If your father, for example, was involved in witchcraft, ungodly practices or, heaven forbid, Free Masonry, then you are vulnerable and anything that goes wrong in your life means that you are under a curse. You are a victim and you need someone who has a deliverance ministry to rescue you.

You may have sinned and now God is punishing you by allowing you to suffer adversity. You need “powerful prayers” to break the curse and get the devil off your back.  “Spiritual warfare” is, therefore, the task of the intercessor or the person with a deliverance ministry to deal with demons or strongholds over people or groups of people by “powerful” prayers invoking the name of Jesus, or carrying out rituals like prayer walks, praying on site, or discerning and pulling down strongholds, principalities and powers or breaking curses over individuals or families.

Examples from the Old Testament

Now let’s examine this model against the backdrop of the Scriptures; first the Old Testament which seems to be the pattern from where some of these practices come, and then the New Testament.

Abraham

As a brand new believer in Elohim, Abraham moved to the land of Canaan at God’s command, a land riddled with idolatry and wickedness. How did he cope with the situation?

As he moved from place to place in the land, he established a network of altars and worshipped the Lord God who had appeared to him in Ur. The writer of Genesis made sure that every reader was aware that the Canaanites were in the land (Genesis 12:6-9; 13:7). What was the implication? In spite of the fact that the Canaanites were evil and in charge, Abraham worshipped God publicly wherever he went.

After he had parted from Lot, God appeared to him with this promise:

“Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever… Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you. So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great tree of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.” Genesis 13:14-18 (NIV).

How did Abram respond? He believed God’s promise and worshipped Him.

The children of Israel

How did the Israelites respond when they received the report of the ten spies regarding the strength of the Canaanites in the Promised Land? Instead of listening to Joshua and Caleb, believing God’s promise and obeying His instructions, they were afraid of the Canaanites, complained about their leaders and wanted to return to Egypt. Instead of worshipping God, they rebelled because they thought it was up to them to win the battle.

“That night all the people of community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ And they said to each other, ‘We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.’” Numbers 14:1-4 (NIV).

They did not believe God’s promise, they grumbled and rebelled and eventually died in the desert. Their offspring were the ones who conquered the land through the power of God.

Elijah

Elijah was God’s prophet in Israel at a time when Ahab and Jezebel reigned in the northern kingdom. Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. She brought with her the worship of Baal with its evil practices. God judged the nation with a severe famine. Elijah emerged from hiding from the murderous intention of King Ahab to challenge the prophets of Baal to a contest to determine who was God in Israel.

The story is well-known but what interests me is how Elijah handled his part in the contest. It was not his responsibility to deal with the power of Baal. He repaired the broken altar of the Lord, and created an impossible situation by dousing the sacrifice, the altar and the surrounding ground with water. Then he worshipped the Lord and prayed that God would reveal His power. The fire fell from heaven and consumed everything including the water. There was no contest because the power claimed by the prophets of Baal was a lie.

Conclusion

Even in the Old Testament the way in which spiritual warfare was conducted was to unmask the devil’s deception by believing God, obeying His word and worshipping Him.

This pattern is repeated over and over again in the Old Testament. Whenever Israel as a nation received God’s promise and worshipped Him, acting in obedience to His instruction, they were victorious. Three examples come to mind;

  1. The conquest of Jericho:

“Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘See I have delivered Jericho into your hands along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men…Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams horns in front to the ark…On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse…’” Joshua 6: 1-5. (NIV).

They obeyed and Jericho fell.

  1. Victory of Judah and King Jehoshaphat over Moab and Ammon:

Jehoshaphat was faced with a coalition of fighting men from Moab and Ammon. He prayed to God in the presence of the people at the temple in Jerusalem. One of the Levites, Jahaziel, prophesied:

“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid. Go out and face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17.

Jehoshaphat and all the people bowed in worship before the Lord. The next day, as the people went out to meet the enemy, Jehoshaphat encouraged them:

“’Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in God and you will be upheld; have faith in His prophets and you will be successful.’ After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the splendour of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

                        ‘Give thanks to the Lord,

                        For His love endures forever.’”

2 Chronicles 20:20b-21.

We know the end of the story very well. God defeated the enemy and all they did was to gather the spoils. The outcome was amazing.

“The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of   the countries when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for the Lord had given him rest on every side.” 2 Chronicles 20:29-30 (NIV).

  1. Hezekiah and the Assyrian threat

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was on the march. His predecessor, Shalmaneser, had already overrun Samaria and carried the Israelites into captivity. Now it was Judah’s turn. Hezekiah paid the tribute Sennacherib demanded but Sennacherib was bent on capturing Jerusalem. He sent officials to intimidate the king and the people of Jerusalem. He sent a threatening letter to Hezekiah via his messengers which Hezekiah took into the temple and spread out before the Lord. He worshipped the Lord and laid his case before Him.

God spoke through the prophet Isaiah in response, promising His miraculous deliverance without an arrow being shot. That night the angel of death passed over the Assyrian army camp and wiped out the entire army of 186,000 soldiers. Sennacherib withdrew and returned to Assyria where he was murdered by his two sons.

The common denominator in these victories was twofold; obedience to God and worship, the essence of spiritual warfare! They did what God told them to do and there was no contest.

To be continued…