As one who spends a lot of time behind enemy lines, as it were ~ that is to say, undertaking a wide range of research and gathering intelligence on multiple fronts whilst trying in every way to advance the kingdom of Christ, I understand what is meant by that well known phrase, "the fog of war." It is sometimes hard to discern your own position on the battlefield, when it seems you are fighting on every hand and the battle is raging ~ especially, when it seems as though your fellow soldiers (with rare exceptions) are not as close at hand as you would like for them to be. Spiritual warfare is very real ~ and deadly serious business.
Yet, I also know that my experience is not altogether unique; the reality of spiritual warfare is the common lot of every true Christian. I am sure that as we are now drawing very near unto the coming of the Lord, the scope and intensity of our warfare is increasing with each passing day. And I feel it is needful to take every opportunity to strengthen and encourage one another in the Lord.
It is not my intention in this essay to write romantically or theoretically about spiritual warfare; there is far too much at stake to be anything other than sincere and honest about that.
I shouldn't need to tell you that the spiritual climate in America is rapidly changing. The video I recently posted ("reaping the whirlwind") is a glaring example of that fact. Yesterday, a man who appeared to be in his late twenties violently cursed me to my face, when I tried lovingly to speak to him about Christ. As he stormed away, laughing and mocking, together with a teenager whom I supposed was his younger brother, all I could see in my mind was Jesus hanging on the cross for them. And their rejection of him. It was a horrific experience.
The whirlwind of wrath is gathering more and more strength, the longer that Revival waits.
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about a certain prophecy given out by A.W. Tozer ~ which I have more than once mentioned on this blog. Although his prophecy, as such, was right on the money; yet, I am beginning to be very concerned that Tozer might have been wrong about something else that he suggested (but did not exactly prophesy), in connection with that. Here is what he said:
"Let me go out on a limb a little bit and prophesy. I see the time coming when all the holy men whose eyes have been opened by the Holy Spirit will desert worldly Evangelicalism, one by one. The house [worldly churches] will be left desolate and there will not be a man of God, a man in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, left among them.... As the church now stands, the man who sees this condition of worldly evangelicalism is written off as somewhat fanatical. But the day is coming when the house will be left desolate and there will not be a man of God among them. I would like to live long enough to watch this develop and see how things turn out. I would like to live to see the time when the men and women of God--holy, separated and spiritually enlightened--walk out of the evangelical church and form a group of their own; when they get off the sinking ship and let her go down in the brackish [sic] and worldliness and form a new ark to ride out the storm" (AW Tozer)
I want to draw your attention to the parts highlighted in yellow, above. I have witnessed the occurrence of that 'Exodus' which Tozer alluded to in his prophecy, largely come to pass. Not only did I come out from amongst "worldly Evangelicalism" (as Tozer accurately described that). But I have tried to be instrumental in helping others to separate themselves from that, too ~ and not merely from apostate churches: but even more broadly and more importantly, to separate themselves from all apostate ideas and practices.
Nevertheless, I have yet to see anything like a real effort, on the part of sincere Christians (who have come out of the worldly churches), to "form a group of their own," or to "form a new ark to ride out the storm," as Tozer suggested would happen. The lack of which effort, I sincerely believe, continues to severely hinder the ability of the true body of Christ to wage (much more) effectual spiritual war. One of history's best known war-fighting strategies is to "divide," in order to conquer, one's enemies. As long as the body of Christ remains substantially un-united, we cannot be as strong or as effectual as we should be, or as we very greatly need to be, in the face of what we are up against in America.
From a practical perspective, the time to organize ourselves (though not as in organized religion) is not during the heat of battle in the midst of the fog of war. In other words, we should not wait until that society is in worse condition than it presently is, before that we begin to take seriously our need to function more cohesively as a body of Christian persons ~
who are perceived as antagonists by and amongst a God-hating culture.
Stop! Let that soak in for a minute. We have now arrived at the point, in American society, such that true Christians are widely perceived as antagonistic to everything that "ordinary" Americans approve of. Considering how quickly that American society has been transformed throughout the past few years, Christians in America almost certainly are going to suffer more overt and severe forms of persecution in the coming days.
I am sometimes astonished by the realization of how nonchalantly that even most well meaning Christians, evidently, view spiritual warfare. If, for example, the American homeland were attacked by a foreign invader, no one would doubt the wisdom and necessity of organizing and strategizing for the purposes of achieving mutual protection and ultimate victory against a common foe. Why, then, do not Christian persons ~ especially, those who have received sufficient enough light to recognize the Apostasy and, also, to have come out from among the apostates ~ I say, why do such Christians not then purposively seek to organize themselves, as well as to strategize concerning how to provide for their own mutual support and to labor effectually together for Christ's sake? Is it because that spiritual warfare is less tangible than physical warfare? Or is the reason, instead, that we may not be devoted to Christ in the way, or in the measure, that we may suppose that we are? Do we yet love our own lives, more than we love Christ and his kingdom?
Even unenlightened sinners are much wiser in their dealings amongst the world. They organize themselves together with intense effort and purpose ~ in order to be more competitive in the marketplace. They strategize; they educate and train; they consciously seek to create optimal policies and practices, and to nurture a culture within their own organization that is conducive to the success of their intended goals. The Girl Scouts! for heaven's sakes! is a better organized group than is any local (much less regional) body of Christ that I know of.
I said, "body of Christ;" not the Southern Baptist Convention. We'll leave it at that.
This is not some novel, hair-brained idea of mine. Jesus himself demonstrated the necessity (if it weren't necessary, he wouldn't have done it), and wisdom, and power ~ of a well organized ~ and well directed ~ ministry team. Which lessons were not lost on those disciples (who later became apostles), who continued to organize themselves in ministry teams. They were also careful to organize their converts, in the context of what we too thoughtlessly refer to as "churches." (I think it would be wise to stop using that term ~ so that our minds would be open to think differently about how that local bodies of believers could be organized.) In fact, those early "churches" were established in individuals' homes.
God truly has laid great responsibility upon our own shoulders, as Christ's disciples and ambassadors. Consider the following passage of Scripture ~ which, obviously, is very relevant to the subject matter:
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 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" (Ephesians 6:10-13).
"Put on." "Take unto you." "Having done all." "Stand against...the devil." "WE wrestle."
God provides us with that "armour." But we have much to do ~ much more, indeed, than merely to "hang in there till Jesus comes."
America is being "turned into hell" (Psalm 9:17). And it is a hard-boiled fact that the vast majority of churches are not doing anything to help the situation; rather, they are a huge part of the problem.
Where is help going to come from ~ if not from you and me?
But we are raw hypocrites, if we point our fingers accusingly at others who may actually be doing more than we are to win souls and to minister to the needs of fellow Christians. No, I do not mean that merely carrying on with even a complex program supposedly identified with being a "church" is actually doing anything at all to further the cause of Christ. I did just say that the vast majority of churches are actually a huge part of the problem in America.
But I mean that we must be about our Father's business. His business is soul-winning! His business involves "fervently" loving and caring for one another in Christ. Our Father's business calls us to be bold witnesses of the truth of God, amongst an evil world that hates the truth, because it hates Christ, and therefore hates us. When Jesus said that he must be about his Father's business, he went about that intelligently, wholeheartedly, and with great determination and purpose. He studied the Word. He prayed. He personally organized and trained a dynamic and dedicated ministry team (Judas excepted; though he played a necessary role in Christ's plan). Jesus ~ and his ministry team ~ went about everywhere destroying the works of the devil! and otherwise doing much good.
Are we similarly doing our Father's business? Or do we largely content ourselves with going to church once or twice a week?
I'll leave you with the following quote (unattributed ~ for good cause): "Standing firm in the armor of God doesn't stop spiritual warfare from raging. It stops it from defeating you."
Actually, I've got a better saying even than that. It is what I teach my own children, namely:
"We're in a war not of our choosing.
There's only one way out of this war, alive:
that is, you've got to win it!"
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