1451. TAKE IT TO THE ENEMY Part 1

It’s time for the Church to stop playing defense.

TAKE IT TO THE ENEMY
Part 1

IT’S WORTH CONSIDERING

For too many years, the Church in America has failed to understand that there’s a war going on. Of course, it’s impossible to win a war if you’re not convinced there is one. Occasionally some will be drawn into it, but the response is almost always defensive. Someone’s rights are infringed upon, and he must defend himself in court. The enemy strikes and Christians are forced to respond. This is no way to fight a war, let alone win one. In these last of the last days, believers must learn to utilize every weapon and piece of armor we have been given and devise a strategy not just to survive, but to take it to the enemy.

Paul is our General

Since the battle belongs to the Lord, He is the one to set the strategy, and He has laid it all out for us. He has assigned His top General to direct us (the Church). His earthly name is the Apostle Paul. His mission was to alert the Church (all true believers, whether Jew or Gentile) to its heavenly calling and present earthly mission. That mission has become paramount in the days that are upon us. Before continuing, please read my article “Paul’s Unique Message.” Without the background it provides, you will miss most of what I am trying to convey here.

Our Twofold Mission

The mission is twofold. First, we are to hold the ground we currently control. In other words, occupy. This requires a strong defense. Secondly, we are to reclaim what the enemy has taken. This refers to people, not territory. This requires a strategic offensive strategy. Fortunately, our General has already outlined and described this strategy in a series of letters he wrote to several Churches in the First Century. They are known as the epistles (letters) of Paul.

Warfare Strategy

Chances are, you never thought of Paul’s letters as warfare strategy, but that’s exactly what they are. Considering the nature of the war we’re in, military strategies can be utilized, but not depended upon for victory. I see a day in the not-so-distant future when churches will be meeting in secret small groups, supporting one another, and disrupting the opposition as the French Resistance did in World War II. Yet, the greatest victories will result from the obedience of the churches to Paul’s “marching orders” in his letters.

Paul goes to great lengths to prove that the gospel he preaches and the messages he brings resulted from heavenly revelations (Gal. 1:12). Thus, they carry the same weight as the words of Jesus. Jesus said that if we love Him, we will obey His commandments (John 14:15). The more we obey, the greater the likelihood of success in battle. The more we obey, the more we can know that Jesus is fully with us. If the sin of disobedience is absent, the victory of obedience is certain.

AS I SEE IT

The Church is in its current sad state simply because it has failed to heed Paul’s clear directives and warnings. This is why we don’t need some new high-tech or “latest thing” strategy. The Church simply needs to start acting like the Church. The first casualty of this war must be our old man (our old self before we were born again). One of the ways Paul’s message was unique was his focus on our identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. This was new information never preached before. It is unique to the Church. It is also essential if we are to be successful in the coming warfare. Since it has seldom been preached and taught, most of what happens in most churches is driven by the flesh and doomed to failure.

Not I But Christ

I highly recommend my book Not I But Christ which is available on my website. This 56-page booklet explains the part of the gospel that has been ignored at great cost and includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter. In it you will likely find the peace, freedom, and power you have been seeking. It drastically changed the way I view and share the gospel.

Next week we’ll discover how the Plague of Cyprian in the Third Century offers insight into how the Church should respond to the Covid mandates today.

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ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

Joe Biden’s version of old sayings:

While the cat’s away, the mice shouldn’t throw stones.

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