2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NKJV) 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
In our last post we asked the question, “Are we living in a time of War or peace in the spirit.” We began by looking at what God said to the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 13. In this chapter God is speaking against prophets who were prophesying things that God had not shown them. The northern Kingdom of Israel had already gone into captivity. Ezekiel knew by revelation of God that Judah was going to go into captivity as well. This is not what Ezekiel wanted nor what God wanted. It was the result of choices Judah made which brought them to that place.
Ezekiel was not a popular prophet. He told Judah the truth about what was coming. There were many who were saying, “God says there is peace. There is nothing to worry about.” They were seeing visions of what they wanted, and the bible says they were “hoping the words would be confirmed.” God wanted peace for his people, but God will not declare something through his prophets that is not true.
God did not destroy Judah. God allowed destruction to come on the wall the prophets built with weak building materials. When they declared peace when there was no peace, they made the people weak not strong. The wording is interesting. God described a storm that would cause the false walls of protection to fall. This is very similar to what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7.
Matthew 7:26-27 (NKJV) 26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
Neither Jesus nor Ezekiel is saying this to cause people to fear and lose hope. They both want us to understand that we have a great ally in our times of war. His name is God almighty and if he is for us, we cannot lose no matter who the enemy is or what the battle may entail (Romans 8:31.) However, people react very differently in times of war than in times of peace.
I am 68 years old which means I did not live through WW 2. I was born very late in my parents lives so they did live through that terrible time. America during those years was far different from America today. I remember their stories of rationing. Most things were in short supply and each family had coupons for gasoline, milk, butter and most other staples. Meat was especially difficult to obtain. Cars were not manufactured so there were no new automobiles available during the war years.
It is hard to imagine an America like that. I am sure there were those who complained and took advantage of the situation. By and large, everyone was part of the war effort. They understood what was at stake. They knew that a great evil was present in other parts of the world and that our men and women were dying to keep that evil from coming to our shores. There were few if any protests. People saved cans, tires and anything that could help with the war effort. If it could be used or converted to war materiel, it was collected and given to the government. Even women saved their worn-out stockings so they could be converted into the material from which parachutes were made.
There was a military draft, but many simply volunteered. Even the draftees, though they may not have liked being drafted, largely understood the necessity of their participation. The United States of America had one focus during that time. They were committed to winning the war against evil and oppression that bound and destroyed so many people. They were fighting for humanity.
There have been some parallels in our time. The attacks of September 11, 2001 produced a wave of patriotism and unity that was similar to that of the WW2 years, but far shorter in duration and with little real sacrifice, except for those who served in combat and their families. It is hard for us to imagine an America where we have such a focus on accomplishing a goal that we will gladly sacrifice our surplus or prosperity and our comfort. That is the difference between a people in a time of war and in times of peace.
What does the New Testament have to say about the church in relation to war or peace? If we read the book of Acts, there is no doubt that we are reading about a wartime people. They were hunted. They were persecuted. They were dying for the sake of the Gospel. Yet we see them continuing in the faith. We see them preaching the Gospel to the degree that their testimony was they turned the world upside down.
In my most recent study of this book I was looking for keys to having the kind of ministry they had. I expected to see the gifts of the Spirit in operation, and I wanted to know how they operated in them. I expected signs and wonders and I wanted to know the things they did to unlock them. I found gifts of the Spirit and miraculous signs. I did not find a method for how to achieve them in my ministry. I found a people for whom nothing was more important than the mission. I found a people willing to sacrifice everything to tell others about their relationship with Jesus Christ. They were even willing to die if necessary. I found a wartime church.
What about today. Times have changed. At least in America we are not suffering persecution. We can preach when we want to. I know that culture and society is against the preaching of the Gospel outside the walls of our churches, but there is really very little stopping us compared to what those in the first church faced. Nevertheless, do we need to be as committed to the goal as they were? No one is killing us for preaching Jesus. They may not like us, but they are not firing us nor taking our homes or businesses for sharing our faith. I know some have lost a great deal for taking biblical stands on morality or righteousness, but that is just a few.
If we are not at war, I might agree that we do not need to be as dedicated as those in the book of acts. If we are not at war, it makes sense to be less extreme so people will be more willing to listen to us. If we are not at war, we do not need weapons. We do not need to speak in militant terms. Jesus was not militant, was he? I think you will find that the Bible does not support that kind of thinking.
Our scripture today uses terminology that you will find throughout the New Testament. In our next post I am going to quote many of these verses with as little commentary as possible. Paul says that he wars, not in the flesh but in the spirit. Nevertheless, Paul was warring. He goes on to say that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. Our warfare is different from the natural warfare we saw in WW 2, therefore, our weapons are different. That does not change the fact that we, the church, are at war.
Once again let me say that our fight is not with people but with evil. Our fight is not for territory but for the souls of people, all of whom God loves with an everlasting love. Jesus said in Mathew 16:18 that the gates of hell could not prevail against the church. Gates are defensive structures not offensive ones. We are called to break down these gates. Why? Because people are bound behind them. We are at war with those who keep them bound. We must fight Satan and all he represents so that the people in our immediate world can be set free. We must once again answer the call and become a wartime church. The war will only end when everyone that God knows can be saved, is saved. Then Jesus will come, and we can all celebrate.
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