Spiritual Warfare in the Life of the Church

I would like to share this part of a writing by T.A. Sparks.  It is entitled Spiritual Warfare.

We meet spiritual antagonism in seeking to win souls for Christ, because it is only in this way that the Church is born. When, however, the full thought of God is brought into view, then the greatest challenge of the forces of evil is registered. This is because it is in the Church and in relation to the Church's destiny that the whole kingdom of Satan is to be met and overthrown. Hence, of course, the tremendous significance of corporate life. Even by small and seemingly insignificant means, moodiness or trifling disagreements, Satan breaks up the flow of fellowship among the saints. It seems strange that the vital power of the Church should be weakened by the moods and temperaments of God's people but so it can be. If the Devil cannot succeed by such simple methods he has many other ploys and complex strategies, all aimed at the destruction of the relatedness of God's people. So spiritual fellowship becomes a real battleground.

Some think that fellowship is a kind of picnic, a religious festival. We praise God for all the joys of fellowship, but the matter is more serious than that, and is so important that it can become a matter of real battle. The exercise and preserving of true heart fellowship with all other Christians - not just with those whom we like but with all - is a field of constant conflict. Fellowship is not just something that happens. We must fight for it. It is a great factor in the spiritual battle.

The whole article can be found here.  

Brothers and sisters, this is key.  Spiritual fellowship is a real battleground!  Let us open our eyes.  It's important to realize that there is something real, something important, something vital about corporate life, about the fellowship of the saints.  And the enemy knows that, so he WILL come against it.  A HUGE thing here is forgiveness.  Fellowship is hindered, I would venture to say vitally hindered, by unforgiveness.  So, let us let go of every little thing we're holding against our brothers and sisters, for the sake of the church.  I certainly know as well as anyone how easy it is to let Satan break up the flow of fellowship among the saints by my mood.  But I must make a decision that what the Lord is building (His church!) is more important than my mood or whether I feel like loving a certain person at a certain time.  

 

Brothers and sisters, when was the last time you read the book of Matthew?  We think we know everything that's in there from Sunday school.  But I bet you never heard these passages (things Jesus Himself said) in Sunday school:

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. But beware of men, for they will had you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles." Matthew 10:16-18

"Do not think I came to bring peace on earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household.  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 10:34-39

"But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.  Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.  But the greatest among you shall be your servant.  Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." Matthew 23:8-12

We must take the words of our Lord literally.  Perhaps you have heard these words explained away by religious leaders.  Perhaps you have found yourself explaining them away.  Are you willing to be scourged in the synagogue (the religious gathering place of Jesus' day)?  Do you love father or mother more than Jesus?  Do you seek to be called teacher, Father (in terms of religious leadership), or leader?  Do you call others these things?  Do you recognize that we have one Teacher, one Father, one Leader and that we are all brothers?

People pleasing

"Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils; For why should he be esteemed?" Isaiah 2:22

Am I the only one who struggles with trying to please people?  I always want people to be happy with me.  I always want people to agree with me.  But guess what?  People are fickle.  Trying to please people will leave you tired and unfulfilled.  Because you are never going to please everyone all the time. 

Brothers and sisters, I have been very much impressed by the fact that we MUST let go of our people pleasing.  A time is coming and is already here in which we will have to choose between pleasing God and pleasing men. 

Jesus said, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master.  If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!" (Matthew 10:24-25).

Let us ask our God to rid us of needing to make people happy with us because that is detrimental to our walk with God.  Because my identity is still somewhat tied to what people think of me, when they accuse me of whatever they're going to accuse me of (I feel like we can pretty much expect it, based on Jesus' statement), I feel wrong and confused.  Maybe no one will accuse us of having a demon.  But maybe they will.  Or maybe they will accuse us of being "too radical."  Or maybe they will accuse us of being judgmental or closed-minded.  Whatever it is, it will happen.  The question is how will we respond when it does. 

Thoughts

There have been a lot of thoughts running through my head over the last few days.

First, I have been thinking more about how we were designed to function within a body.  There are certain qualities I do not possess that I see in brothers and sisters.  For example, there are certain brothers and sisters I fellowship with that tend to operate in the gift of discernment much more than I do.  For all of my years following the Lord, this has caused me much distress.  I think, "What is wrong with me?  Why did I not immediately sense that what that person said was not from the Lord?"  Then I hear my brother Paul saying, "If the whole body was an ear, where would the sense of smell be?"  If what God was after was a bunch of individuals who could seek Him perfectly separately, it would not make sense for there to be different gifts.  But, if what He is after is a body that is built up by what each part supplies, it is perfect for each of us to fulfill a different function.  So, now I see that I was designed to be in fellowship with believers who operate in the gift of discernment.  And so, just as a hand submits to what the ear hears when someone warns, "Don't touch that, it's hot," I submit to my brothers and sisters who are seeking the Lord and hearing from Him. 

Another thought in regards to being designed to function within a body is that we each have our own tendencies in certain ideas.  It has really been bothering me lately how brothers and sisters that are seeking the Lord have differing opinions on certain things, even important things.  For example, I have noticed that people seem to either know more of grace and love or more of holiness.  While both would agree that we are saved by grace and nothing we can do is good and God loves us and accepts us and that sanctification is a process, one talks a whole lot about how God only has love and compassion for us and the other talks a whole lot about how God hates sin and living a holy life.  For a while I was very concerned about this seeming discrepancy.  However, I have come to see that this is another reason we were designed to function within a body.  Again, if God were after a bunch of perfect individuals, I believe He could not let us have these differences.  But He has designed us to balance each other out.  The closer fellowship these two believers have, the more they realize the other is absolutely right, and they each are moved to the center, where the Lord would have them be.

And my last thought is "How do we guard ourselves against becoming religious, following a certain form or certain rules rather than the person of Jesus Christ?"  I believe the best, and perhaps the only, way is spending time in the secret place, alone with God.  As we gaze upon the face of Jesus and meditate upon the truth in His Word, we are transformed, and we will accept no cheap imitations.

I'm a control freak

The Lord has been speaking to me this morning on being controlling.  I have to have things my way in my time or I freak out.  I have to control every little detail so that the result is perfect.  This is often seen when I cook a meal for people.  I have to start it at exactly the right time, I have to have all the ingredients, it has to be perfect.  I also try to control my life.  I plan out my day, and I feel off-balance if things don't go as I planned.  I get frustrated when I can't get everything done.  I feel like a failure if dinner is 15 minutes late, I forgot something, or I didn't get around to everything on my mental checklist. 

The Lord is calling me to let go of this need to control everything, to make everything perfect, to be prepared for any possibility.  It is exhausting.  But letting go of it is terrifying. 

I read this verse this morning, "For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.' "  Of course, in this case the Lord was speaking to Pharaoh, not His children, but the same is true for us.  The Lord desires to demonstrate His power through His children.  And He uses weak vessels to make His power known.  But it those weak vessels keep insisting on looking strong, His power is not as clearly shown. 

So, even though I feel like if I let go everything will fall apart, I choose to believe that God can and will demonstrate His power through me when I am willing to be weak and out of control. "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?"