For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. – Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)
So, I’ve been stuck on this concept of spiritual warfare for a while, and I think I’m just starting to piece together something bigger. There’s a deeper truth in here somewhere, and I’m trying to find it. We all know that scripture from the book of Ephesians, it comes in the middle of Paul speaking about putting on the entirety of God’s armor. I feel like there is so much more that Paul is saying in this entire passage. When you think about armor, normally it is thought of as a defense. You put on the armor to protect yourself from being attacked. Verse 13 continues,
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. – Ephesians 6:13 (NLT)
Paul warns of being attacked, he warns to be prepared, so that “after the battle you will still be standing firm.” Here is the part that I think we always overlook; standing firm literally means to offer resistance to somebody or something, or to refuse to abandon one’s opinion or belief. It’s more than just surviving the attack; it’s more than just being defensive. Standing firm is resistance, it is being stubborn, it is fighting for what you believe in.
To completely embrace the armor that God gives us, we have to embrace war. We have to step into the fight, truly step into it. This isn’t just being a Sunday Christian. The warfare that Paul preaches about is in the spiritual realm. He preaches about warfare against “authorities of the unseen world,” against “mighty powers in this dark world,” against “evil spirits in the heavenly places.” This battle that we will be standing firm in is a battle for our very souls, and the souls of the billions of people on this planet. It isn’t a war that we can be willing to fight half-heartedly.
“Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.” – Gen. George S. Patton
Now Patton most likely was not talking about spiritual warfare, but there is a glimmer of truth in his words. How often is a man willing to die for what he believes in? The man who believes in his leader, will follow him into the pits and out the other side in victory. On average 171,000 Christian martyrs die every year. That would be like the entirety of downtown Grand Rapids (190,000) dying this year alone. These martyrs understand what Paul is preaching about. They are willing to completely embrace what it means to stand firm against the princes and principalities of this world. They are willing to sacrifice life and limb to resist the world. In its most basic definition, the original Greek means witness. As Christianity has grown, to be a martyr has become synonymous with death, as often is the outcome of “witnessing” to ones faith. A martyr often suffers persecution for refusing to renounce a belief or cause. And there it is! There is a deeper truth. There is that something bigger that I was looking for. Paul is preaching for us to be martyrs to this world. Before you think that I’m off my rocker, remember that the most basic definition of a martyr is a witness. Look at the scripture again:
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. – Ephesians 6:10-13 (NLT)
Paul tells us that we can be victorious. Paul proved that we can be victorious. Look at his encounter with Elymas the sorcerer in the book of Acts. Lets put it into context, Paul was on his first Missionary Journey with Barnabas, they sailed to the island of Cyprus and went town to town across the island. In one of the cities, Paphos, they met a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet. The governor invited Paul and Barnabas to meet with him, but Elymas interfered and urged the governor not to believe what they said, this is where Paul takes up his armor.
Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time.” Instantly mist and darkness came over the man’s eyes, and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him. When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord. – Acts 13:9-12 (NLT)
Paul stood against the warfare of Elymas, and he witnessed to the governor. Paul martyred himself to preach the Truth. He could have easily just turned away and gone the other direction. The path that honestly we all choose to take most of the time, as Christians we usually prefer to not “ruffle any feathers.” We fade into the background instead of standing firm to what we believe. To be a martyr doesn’t mean that you must go preach the Word in face of unquestioned death, it means to daily witness to those around you. Paul tells us to become like martyrs, look at what he writes to the believers in Phillipi:
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it. – Philippians 1:27-30 (NLT)
Paul understands the deeper truth of what it means to be a martyr. A martyr is a man after Christ’s heart. He is willing to stand firm to what he knows to be Truth. He is willing to struggle, willing to fight, willing to suffer physically and emotionally. There is something deeper inside himself that is worth protecting, something that is worth ultimately dying for. The war for our souls is an all-out assault, Satan will stop at nothing to cripple us, he will not let up, until we decide to stand firm. Once we decide to stand, he loses his foothold in our lives.
We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down strongholds and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. – 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NLT)
We are given the authority of Christ in our lives, through His strength we are able to fight. It is not our own strength that allows us to join into this spiritual warfare. It is through a constant and deeply intimate relationship with Christ that we learn how desperately we need Him, and we learn how much we are willing to refuse to abandon our belief and our relationship.
Our authority comes out of who we are in Christ, and our capacity to intimidate the enemy comes out of our intimacy with God. – Graham Cooke
Are you willing to stand firm in what you believe?
Are you willing to martyr your life for Christ?
Are you willing to do something? Anything?
Are you willing?
No comments:
Post a Comment