rwederfoort
16-06-2009, 10:40 PM
The Spiritual War
After nearly forty years of ministry, I am still surprised that people know so little about Satan. When he brought evil into the world, it changed the course of human history. Arguably, next to God, Satan is the most important being to learn about. During the past few years, though, when people have asked me questions about Satan and I wanted to recommend a book that dealt with the subject comprehensively, I could think of none that fit the bill.
For instance,
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis is excellent, but it is fiction and leaves much biblical teaching uncovered. Warren Wiersbe’s book The Strategy of Satan is also good but relatively limited in what it covers. Many key questions are not addressed. A number of recent books dealing with Satan reflect an extreme perspective that is not biblically based. Authors who attribute too much to
demonic activity do a poor service to believers by assuming matters that are not revealed in the Bible. Hermeneutic restraint—sticking to what is actually written—is in short supply when it comes to books on Satan.
Believers need accurate, balanced, biblical information on Satan, not exaggeration. Exaggerated or distorted versions of spiritual warfare have created suspicion on the whole subject in the minds of many Christian leaders. At the other extreme, there is deafening silence on this subject from many evangelical leaders today. Pursuing my interest in matters of ministry, I have visited many churches in the United States, including most of the well-known mega-churches. Yet for as many services and conferences I have attended, I don’t recall ever hearing a teaching on Satan
or spiritual warfare—one of the major themes in the New Testament. Personal discussions with leaders from these churches reveal that they do believe in Satan. But for some reason it doesn’t seem to get much
“airtime” in modern mainstream evangelical churches. Most liberal and emergent village churches reject the reality of a personal Satan. So too do the majority of Americans who say they believe in God. According to a 2008 Barna Group survey, the majority of both Catholics and Protestants in America reject the reality of a personal Satan.1 Verbal Kint, the narrator in the 1995 film Usual Suspects, says, “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” While most Bible-believing Christians do believe in Satan, confusion often reigns. Our question today should be, “What are the facts?”
Warfare Is Real
A spiritual war is raging. The apostle Paul says, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world” (Ephesians 6:12 nlt).2 You are in the middle of that war. Whether your heart is peace-loving or warlike makes no difference. You can’t get out of it. You can only choose whether to fight or to be mowed down as a civilian casualty.
If you are a pastor, a Christian who actively shares your faith, or you lead Bible studies or disciple younger believers, you need to learn about Satan for the sake of your ministry. You need to be able to answer
important questions that come up and to anticipate his moves in the lives of your people. This book is for both Christians who need to learn about Satan for their own survival and for workers who need the ability to explain his ways and face him in battle.
Where We Stand
When the allies invaded France on D day, allied leaders knew it was all over for Hitler. With the Russian juggernaut hammering in from the east, and now the powerful allies coming in from the west and the south, Hitler’s only possible future was absolute defeat. But the soldiers on the ground didn’t feel like anything was over. Bitter battles lay ahead and blood would be shed. Many would die. This is a partial analogy for our situation today in the church. Jesus won the decisive battle at the cross, as we’ll see. But we still have a vicious enemy rampaging all over the world. Satan is just as dangerous as he ever
was, even though his ultimate doom is assured.3 Battle is a common theme in the New Testament. Our battle today is part of a dramatic struggle that has gone on for thousands of years.
As God’s plan rolls up to our own day, we take our place as combatants in the struggle. Many Christians prefer to see the church as the family of God or the loving community, and both are valid pictures. But we are also at war—a war we could easily lose in our locality, in spite of the fact that Satan was defeated in the final sense at the cross. And in war, people must either be willing to fight or face death or captivity. Satan’s ultimate defeat will be small comfort, here and now, if we allow our lives and churches to be shattered in the meantime. Whether Christians see their lives in the context of spiritual war
becomes quickly evident. Before considering how this war works, and how to fight, consider how our outlook should change just from knowing that we are engaged in a spiritual war.
Wartime vs. Peacetime Mentality
The last time America fought an all-out war was World War II. During that struggle, the country had to devote its whole energy to win. The need for sacrifice and effort profoundly affected every person in the country. Although America has fought wars since then, none of them has been large enough to drive the whole country into a wartime mentality. Life went on as usual for most people during the smaller wars since. Most of us have grown up without ever knowing the need for a true wartime mentality. The Bible tells us the church is locked in the grip of all-out spiritual warfare. But many of us in the church have never seen a spiritual wartime mentality either. Too often, today’s church functions in a mentality suitable to peacetime, but utterly inappropriate during war.
Namaste
After nearly forty years of ministry, I am still surprised that people know so little about Satan. When he brought evil into the world, it changed the course of human history. Arguably, next to God, Satan is the most important being to learn about. During the past few years, though, when people have asked me questions about Satan and I wanted to recommend a book that dealt with the subject comprehensively, I could think of none that fit the bill.
For instance,
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis is excellent, but it is fiction and leaves much biblical teaching uncovered. Warren Wiersbe’s book The Strategy of Satan is also good but relatively limited in what it covers. Many key questions are not addressed. A number of recent books dealing with Satan reflect an extreme perspective that is not biblically based. Authors who attribute too much to
demonic activity do a poor service to believers by assuming matters that are not revealed in the Bible. Hermeneutic restraint—sticking to what is actually written—is in short supply when it comes to books on Satan.
Believers need accurate, balanced, biblical information on Satan, not exaggeration. Exaggerated or distorted versions of spiritual warfare have created suspicion on the whole subject in the minds of many Christian leaders. At the other extreme, there is deafening silence on this subject from many evangelical leaders today. Pursuing my interest in matters of ministry, I have visited many churches in the United States, including most of the well-known mega-churches. Yet for as many services and conferences I have attended, I don’t recall ever hearing a teaching on Satan
or spiritual warfare—one of the major themes in the New Testament. Personal discussions with leaders from these churches reveal that they do believe in Satan. But for some reason it doesn’t seem to get much
“airtime” in modern mainstream evangelical churches. Most liberal and emergent village churches reject the reality of a personal Satan. So too do the majority of Americans who say they believe in God. According to a 2008 Barna Group survey, the majority of both Catholics and Protestants in America reject the reality of a personal Satan.1 Verbal Kint, the narrator in the 1995 film Usual Suspects, says, “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” While most Bible-believing Christians do believe in Satan, confusion often reigns. Our question today should be, “What are the facts?”
Warfare Is Real
A spiritual war is raging. The apostle Paul says, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world” (Ephesians 6:12 nlt).2 You are in the middle of that war. Whether your heart is peace-loving or warlike makes no difference. You can’t get out of it. You can only choose whether to fight or to be mowed down as a civilian casualty.
If you are a pastor, a Christian who actively shares your faith, or you lead Bible studies or disciple younger believers, you need to learn about Satan for the sake of your ministry. You need to be able to answer
important questions that come up and to anticipate his moves in the lives of your people. This book is for both Christians who need to learn about Satan for their own survival and for workers who need the ability to explain his ways and face him in battle.
Where We Stand
When the allies invaded France on D day, allied leaders knew it was all over for Hitler. With the Russian juggernaut hammering in from the east, and now the powerful allies coming in from the west and the south, Hitler’s only possible future was absolute defeat. But the soldiers on the ground didn’t feel like anything was over. Bitter battles lay ahead and blood would be shed. Many would die. This is a partial analogy for our situation today in the church. Jesus won the decisive battle at the cross, as we’ll see. But we still have a vicious enemy rampaging all over the world. Satan is just as dangerous as he ever
was, even though his ultimate doom is assured.3 Battle is a common theme in the New Testament. Our battle today is part of a dramatic struggle that has gone on for thousands of years.
As God’s plan rolls up to our own day, we take our place as combatants in the struggle. Many Christians prefer to see the church as the family of God or the loving community, and both are valid pictures. But we are also at war—a war we could easily lose in our locality, in spite of the fact that Satan was defeated in the final sense at the cross. And in war, people must either be willing to fight or face death or captivity. Satan’s ultimate defeat will be small comfort, here and now, if we allow our lives and churches to be shattered in the meantime. Whether Christians see their lives in the context of spiritual war
becomes quickly evident. Before considering how this war works, and how to fight, consider how our outlook should change just from knowing that we are engaged in a spiritual war.
Wartime vs. Peacetime Mentality
The last time America fought an all-out war was World War II. During that struggle, the country had to devote its whole energy to win. The need for sacrifice and effort profoundly affected every person in the country. Although America has fought wars since then, none of them has been large enough to drive the whole country into a wartime mentality. Life went on as usual for most people during the smaller wars since. Most of us have grown up without ever knowing the need for a true wartime mentality. The Bible tells us the church is locked in the grip of all-out spiritual warfare. But many of us in the church have never seen a spiritual wartime mentality either. Too often, today’s church functions in a mentality suitable to peacetime, but utterly inappropriate during war.
Namaste