Christians Are Losing the Battle for
Civilization Because They Are Using the Wrong Weapons
When I was in school a history teacher
showed a documentary film of Ethiopians using spears to go out and fight
tanks. Ethiopia lost. Her warriors were brave and valiant, but they
never had a chance. Obviously, the
Ethiopians fought with spears because they had no better weapon. There was never any question regarding who
would actually win that war.
Christians today seem to be losing the
war to maintain a form of Christian civilization. Now why do you suppose that is? I think we are told what is wrong in 2
Corinthians 10:3-5
3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not
war after the flesh:
4.
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strong holds;)
5.
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against
the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians
10:1-5
Verses 3-5 should hold our undivided
attention. If you want to know why
Christianity seems to be on the losing end of almost every battle then pay
strict attention to verse 3. Christians
are obviously living people just like anyone else on the planet. We definitely do walk in the flesh because we
are living human beings. However, we are
not supposed to war after the flesh meaning we aren’t supposed to use normal
weapons of war in our battles. (Not
speaking of national warfare arms.
Christians and nations are allowed self-defense.) Our weapons are
supposed to be those provided for Believers through Christ and His word. If the Ethiopians I mentioned at the
beginning of this article had had weapons by which they could have won the war,
don’t you think they would have used them?
Today Christians have jumped into the middle of political and social
injustice with the weapons used by people of the world. They are fighting with protests, and law
suits, and marches, and whatever they can get away with. All they are
succeeding in doing is degrading society and civilization as a whole. Isn’t it about time Christians brought out
the weapons that have power to win? Some
earthly battles can be directly won now, and ultimately the war between our
Perfect God and evil will be won. What
are the weapons available for the use of Believers by which we may win great
and small battles? Actually Ephesians
chapter six gives us the rules by which we are to live. Don’t trivialize God’s blueprint for facing
the trials of life. Be obedient to the
Lord and set your heart to do the things He tells us to do.
Ephesians begins by telling us how to
get our minds ready to face the challenges ahead. Our actions follow our minds. Once a mind is set to obey the Lord, then
doing the things He says to do becomes more automatic.
Ephesians chapter 6:
Verse 1 - Children, obey your parents
in the Lord: for this is right. OBEY –
as children we are to obey our parents.
As adults Christians are to obey the rules God gives us. They are for our own good. Also, they are not a heavy burden to
bear. They are to keep us from
harm. God didn’t randomly write a bunch
of rules that are just busy work. His
instructions are for our personal good.
Verse 2 - Honor thy father and mother;
(which is the first commandment with promise;)
Honor – giving moral allegiance to the
Biblical principles taught by parents – while giving outward and inward respect
to parents.
Verse 3 - That it may be well with
thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
The life a committed believer may have
effects that live on after them for generations.
Verse 4 - And, ye fathers, provoke not
your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord.
Parents – be consistent in teaching
your children the things of the Lord.
Let them see you practice what you teach. This goes for your children and
those over whom you have any authority. Be
as gentle and kind as circumstances will allow.
Discipline may be required, but do what you can first with love and
gentle persuasion.
Verse 5 - Servants, be obedient to
them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in
singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
Pay attention to your own task
masters. Do with care what is required
of you. It is shameful to the Lord to
see so called Christians spending more of their time trying to get out of work
than actually doing work. Christians
should go about their daily chores with a mind that is set on doing a good job.
Verse 6 - Not with eyeservice, as
menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the
heart;
This means that you are doing your
best to do a good job whether the boss is watching you or not! You are working to please God and acknowledge
that He sees what you are doing whether the boss is watching or not!
Verse 7 - With good will doing
service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
You are cheerfully seeking to please
God.
Verse 8 - Knowing that whatsoever good
thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond
or free.
Ultimately, people do reap what they
sow. If you are doing good according to
God’s definition of good, you will receive good treatment from the Lord.
Verse 9 - And, ye masters, do the same
things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in
heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
I you have authority over others,
treat them with gentleness and kindness.
Don’t ‘lord it over them’, but remember that you have a great
responsibility to represent the God you serve.
Verse 10 - Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord,
and in the power of his might.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, be
strong through God’s power. All people
are beset by ills and woes. But no
matter our weakness or strength, the Lord has power beyond what we can
imagine. Plead for His strength to carry
you through whatever is happening.
Verse 11 - Put on the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Christians are to put on the complete
suit of armor provided by God. No
soldier would go to battle only wearing half a suit of armor providing he had
an entire suit of armor available. How
foolish of Christians to only make use of only part of the armor God provides.
12.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places.
This verse reminds Christians of
exactly who the enemy really is, and why they need the armor of God.
The chief fight of Christians is not
chiefly with the living men and women we see in politics and society or even
the fleshly things of this earth. It is
against the powers and rulers of darkness – or the angels who fell from heaven
with Lucifer. These evil beings, though
unseen, are very powerful and have armies of fallen angels at their
command. How ridiculous is it for
Christians to not take this seriously?
Verse 13 - Wherefore take unto you the
whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand.
This verse tells us how to face warfare
with these fallen angels. No, I don’t
mean some sort of face to face combat.
But there will be combat with those who are tools of the devil. It is imperative that the Christian always
remember that while the weapons of the devil are often people who serve him,
the enemy is the devil and his followers.
To forget this something like thinking a military tank is the enemy
instead of the powers that are manning and driving the tank. Evil days are scary days. You do not want to face them without God. Then just stand still, and keep
standing.
Verse 14 - Stand therefore, having
your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of
righteousness;
Entangle your thoughts with the truth
given to you in the Bible. Think
Biblically. Ask yourself what the Bible
has to say about EVERYTHING. And ask
yourself what the bible says to do in all situations. You KNOW what the commandments are including
the new commandment to love others as Christ loved us. To a large part it is simply determine what
the commandments are in your situation.
If all else fails go by the rule ‘treat others the way you want to be
treated’. Knowing and doing what is
right according to God gives you the breastplate of righteousness.
Verse 15 - And your feet shod with the preparation of the
gospel of peace;
The gospel is the ultimate gospel of
peace because it brings makes available peace between God and man. The shoes have a grip on the soles as though
you are crossing an ice field. The shoes
are tough enough to take you through whatever rough terrain you must cross in
order to get where God is leading you.
You cannot overstate the importance of proper shoes either spiritually
or physically.
Verse 16 - Above all, taking the shield of faith,
wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
More than anything else, you need the
shield of faith. Faith ignores
circumstances and knows God is with you whatever mess you might be in at the
moment. When the devil throws a fiery
dart of doubt at you regarding prayers not yet answered, or wicked temptations,
or fear of the future, the shield of faith bounces them off.
Verse 17 - And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Well – you need to guard your head
because if the devil knocks you coco then you are not able to function well
anywhere else. Don’t let things of this
world capture your mind. Don’t let the
love of money, or the material world, or the fleshly world, or the world of
power capture your mind. Christians are
saved by grace to enter the kingdom of heaven.
They are safe from worldly lusts by guarding their minds from evil.
Now the sword of the spirit is the
word of God. It is a mighty tool. An excellent companion verse to this one is Psalm
149:6 which says, ‘Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a
two-edged sword in their hand;’. The
word of God is a mighty two edged sword.
Verse 18 - Praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and
supplication for all saints;
THEN, when you are all decked out for
battle it is time to start to pray continually with perseverance and pleading
for all the Christian brothers and sisters. Pray continually, urgently as need
arises, and with eyes watching for answers from God and to guard against the
enemy. Be steadfast to the end of your days.
You will not regret for one second of eternity living for Christ today.
Verse 19 - And for me, that utterance may be given unto
me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
When you are ready for battle, the
Lord gives you a word to speak. He opens
your mouth to tell others about Jesus Christ.
THAT is the real battle, and you are ready to join in.
Verse 20 - For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that
therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Paul was compelled to tell the Gospel.
He wasn’t as an ambassador of one country to a different country. He was a heavenly ambassador to the entire world. Christians today are heavenly ambassadors to
every person with whom we have contact.
I think we have all heard terrible
stories of ambassadors to different nations who are disrespectful to the laws of their host nations? They have diplomatic immunity, and they
certainly use it. Christians are not
so. We are subject to obey the laws of
the land and the laws of God. The
exception is that no rule or law of man breaks a law of God, Christians are to
obey God above all earthly rules.
Verse 21 - But that ye also may know
my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in
the Lord, shall make known to you all things:
.Verse 22 - Whom I have sent unto you for the same
purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.
Verse 23 - Peace be to the brethren,
and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 24 - Grace be with all them that
love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
Sincerely and obediently follow the
instructions in this book of the Bible.
Do not forsake weapons that work for weapons that the world has
designed. Christians who choose weapons
of the world over weapons provided by God are choosing defeat and
disgrace. It is time to get ready for
the real battle using the powerful weapons that God has provided.
Memorizing Christian music that is relevant to the faith is an extremely easy way to encourage yourself in the Lord and remind yourself of important lessons the Bible teaches.
Obedience and faith are crucial, so I
put in links to two songs.
Trust and Obey/On Christ the Solid
Rock
Faith is the Victory
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