»Spiritual Warfare
Christ-centered, Battle-focused, & Team-oriented
- In Christian doctrine, spiritual warfare teachings should not be separated from the Christ-given mission to make disciples of all nations. Every aspect of modern culture is engaged in the midst of a spiritual battle for the eternal souls of all humanity. Christianity is not about merely securing a place in heaven after death, but redeeming this lifetime by yielding our lives to the work of Jesus Christ continued in us and through us in our generation. Our enemy, the devil, fights against us doing so every moment.
- The term battle focus refers to a concept used in the US Army to determine peacetime training requirements based on wartime missions. Most popular spiritual warfare books focus on the individual Christian's personal struggle with the weaknesses of his own flesh and his egocentric spiritual battle against demons, and promises deliverance from the weariness of the conflict. That is in stark contrast to the training a soldier receives in our nation's armed forces. Although each individual soldier must be trained to survive on a battlefield, the vast majority of his training concerns accomplishing the mission, defeating an enemy, by fighting as a member of a team under the orders of his chain of command.
- The Lord of Hosts won our eternal victory on the cross at Calvary, but He gave His Church the mission to take the fight to the gates of hell, and the Gospel to the ends of the earth... regardless of personal costs! Step into your place.
- The purpose of this evangelistic ministry is to teach Christian soldiers how to secure victory in our spiritual battles through personal evangelism, discipleship, and teamwork (in the local church) in order to destroy the works of the devil in our generation... and to show this evil world the great salvation God our Father has given us through Jesus Christ.
Scripture
References
- This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience... (1 Timothy 1:18-19 NKJV)
- We are human, but we don't wage war with human plans and methods. We use God's mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil's strongholds... break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God... conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NLT)
- You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Timothy 2:1-4 NKJV)
- Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10-12 NKJV)
- Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. (Revelation 12:10-11 NKJV)
Christian Spiritual Warfare - The Battle of the Ages
- Billy
Graham wrote the following about spiritual warfare in his book Angels:
We live in a perpetual battlefield ...The wars among the nations on earth are mere popgun affairs compared to the fierceness of battle in the spiritual unseen world. This invisible spiritual conflict is waged around us incessantly and unremittingly. Where the Lord works, Satan's forces hinder; where angel beings carry out divine directives, the devils rage. All this comes about because the powers of darkness press their counterattack to recapture the ground held for the glory of God...
Since the fall of Lucifer, that angel of light and son of the morning, there has been no respite in the bitter Battle of the Ages. Night and day Lucifer, the master craftsman of the devices of darkness, labors to thwart God's plan of the ages. We can find inscribed on every page of human history the consequences of the evil brought to fruition by the powers of darkness with the devil in charge. Satan never yields an inch, nor does he ever pause in his opposition to the plan of God to redeem the "cosmos" from his control.
- It is this "Battle of the Ages" that I refer
to when I write of spiritual warfare, and the war that I am focused
upon fighting and winning, not merely my own personal struggle with my flesh
or even individual encounters with evil forces. Certainly, just as a soldier
must endure physical fatigue and survive hand-to-hand combat with the enemy
in order to play a continuing role in the larger war, Christians need victory
in close quarters battle as well. In the closing paragraphs of Angels,
Dr. Graham gave this testimony and reveals the key to personal deliverance
:
As I look back over my life I remember the moment I came to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The angels rejoiced! Since then I have been in thousands of battles with Satan and his demons. As I yielded my will and committed myself totally to Christ - as I prayed and believed - I am convinced that God "put a hedge about me", a hedge of angels to protect me... Thank God for the ministry of His blessed angels! (emphasis added)
- I humbly join him in praising our Father for the ministry of angels and I am sure that we couldn't survive without their interventions. But, just as when Dr. Graham has shared the Gospel with live audiences totaling over 210 million around the globe, the primary source of victory in the Christian's warfare which he advocated in the above passage is Jesus Christ. It is the work of the Son of God throughout the ages: before the foundation of the earth, when He walked among men, when He hung on the cross bearing the sin of all mankind and rose from the grave defeating death, as He sits on the right side of the Father interceding for the saints, and when He returns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
- We must submit our will and commit ourselves totally to Jesus as our Savior and Lord. That fundamental step in Christian Discipleship is the key to winning the spiritual warfare our Lord has committed to His Church. Our lives should imitate and manifest the life of Christ. Our churches should imitate and manifest the ministry of Christ.
Next: Kingdom of God or Visible Battlefield or Power of Darkness