Month: April 2012

Spiritual Warfare 101

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God’s Sovereignty in an Evil World God uses evil for his glory and the comfort of God’s people. EMM advocates simply do not articulate this understanding of God’s sovereignty in the mist of evil. Consequently, their understanding of spiritual warfare becomes skewed. The demons become increasingly autonomous; sin becomes demonized; the world gains the look and feel of superstition rather than biblical wisdom. EMM advocates rightly seek to reestablish a worldview that recognizes spirit beings, both good and evil. But the drift in EMM thinking toward demonological explanations creates a world more precarious and spooky than the Bible’s world. Ironically, in the end, the EMM worldview has more affinities with the occult worldview than the Bible. The Bible gives an opposite, theocentric explanation. There the love of God—love for his name’s glory and his people’s welcome—strikes the deciding blow in the battle. Psalms and Proverbs are the supreme manual for spiritual warfare, for fighting both flesh-and-blood and spiritual enemies. Knowing that the devil is God’s devil brings us incalculable joy and confidence in battle with our adversary. A Different …

Sprirtual Warfare 101

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Part 4 Cultures Dark with the Occult There are three important features of the occult worldview and its degraded existence. Demonological explanations for all events and actions—good or bad—predominated. Occult idolatry and practices were the norm. Nations that practiced the occult also pursued other generic addictions, such as gluttony, drunkenness, varied forms of immorality, greed, blood thirst, and power. All the contemporary “causes” are in place in the OT, but the Scriptures never identify or address spirit inhabitants as the problem nor cast them out as the solution. The OT, as a voice into these demon-filled cultures, exhibits two striking features. It minimizes Satan. The OT maximizes human responsibility. Lifting the Curtain Every so often in the OT God lifts the curtain to show the spirit realities at work behind the scenes. Six major passages: Genesis 3:1-15 1 Samuel 16:13-23 1 Samuel 28:3-25 1 Kings 22:6-28 Job 1:6-2:10 Zechariah 3 Reblog from Between Two Worlds

Spritual Warfare 101

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Part 3 What Is Spiritual Warfare? Three competing visions vie for our allegiance: Capitulation to the spirit of the age by radically reinterpreting the Bible’s “spirit” realities as mythical projections of psychological, sociological, political, and medical phenomena. (Inadequate for all serious followers of Christ.) The demon deliverance ministries The “classic” Christian mode of spiritual warfare The “Ekballistic Mode” [EMM] of Spiritual Warfare An invented term to describe the demon-deliverance movement that might seem awkward at first. It is a grassroots practical theology that finds varied expression both in pastoral ministry and in methods of personal growth. It envisions the warfare of Christians as a battle against invading demons, either to repel them at the gates or eject them after they have taken up residence. Obviously based on the key assumption that demons of sin reside within the human heart. The “Classic Mode” of Spiritual Warfare Evangelism, discipleship, and personal growth. Follows the pattern of Jesus facing Satan in the desert. The textbooks are the Psalms and Proverbs, the ways that Jesus addressed moral evil, and …

Spiritual Warfare 101

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Part 2 Powlison’s Intentions Truly all Christians believe in spiritual warfare; we all believe that Christ delivers us from evil. Powlison seeks to answer two crucial points of confrontation regarding spiritual warfare. The first question engages how we understand the Christian life. What are we fighting? How does the evil one actually work? How does he exert—or attempt to exert—his dominion? The second question engages our practice of the Christian life. How should we fight? What is the way God delivers us—and tells us to deliver ourselves and each other—from bondage to the devil? What is the mode of warfare? Our Common Ground The large majority of Christians give assent to four propositions, whatever our other differences. We are involved in spiritual warfare. Jesus Christ is the triumphant Deliverer and King. The modern age deadens people to the reality of spiritual warfare. Errors and excesses occur in deliverance ministries. If deadly rationalism saps spiritual vitality on the one hand, the exorcistic mentality spawns mutant spiritualities on the other. Both the disenchanted world of modern rationalism and …

Spiritual Warfare 101

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Part 1 Reblogged from Between Two Worlds Several years ago I read David Powlison’s book, Power Encounters: Reclaiming Spiritual Warfare. (Sadly, no longer in print—though I believe a second edition may be forthcoming.) I found it extremely helpful and persuasive. I took notes, and thought it might be worth posting them here. Reclaiming: Spiritual Warfare “A great deal of fiction, superstition, fantasy, nonsense, nuttiness, and downright heresy flourishes in the church under the guise of ‘spiritual warfare’ in our time…. But the warfare we need to wage engages and implicates our humanity, rather than bypassing it for a superspiritual, demonic realm.” Reasons for the Urgency We live in a society where the modern agenda has largely failed. We live in a society that has become increasingly pagan. Missions, anthropology, and modern communications make us aware of the practices and beliefs of animistic cultures. We live in a society of high-profile bondage to “addictions.” Bizarre or troubled behavior, often related to experiences of extreme abuse, seems to be appearing more frequently. Many people have sometimes experienced an …

Mentor – Mentee

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Five things I was reminded of in three days from my mentor: Over the last three day one of my mentors in the Lord came to spend three days with me, my family and church. The following are either things I picked up fresh from him or things I was reminded of in a fresh and brand new way. 1. A steadfast and continued hunger for God… I saw him in the word, in prayer, in worship continual. Now, I realize that some people can fake these things… And I know he was here just for three days, but you can tell that this was a life style. He talked passionately about just being with the Lord… And not using prayer as a tool to get things from God… 2. A high level of compassion… I saw him weep, I saw him go from door to door in the neighborhood, I saw him pray for people, I saw him write names down in a prayer book for continued prayer way after he left. I saw …

The CHARGE

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Part 2 There are some important things in life, more important than making a buck or being popular or having the latest fashionable things. There is a God in heaven who cares about everything we do, and wants to point us to the most important things, the things that really matter. Here are some of those things Paul the mentor outlines for his son in the Lord. Things he wants Timothy to persist in: 6. Endure Suffering persist in it when life becomes hard and difficult… When persecution begins to happen because of the word, when personal problems like sickness, and loss and disappointments begin to happen… There are plenty of wonderful “highs” in serving God, but there are also afflictions to be endured.  See verse 5 7. Share your faith Persist in it even when people try to shut you out… Not everyone is called to be a pastor or a preacher, but everyone is called to share their faith…be bold, step out, tell your story as for you do the work of the evangelist… Verse 5 …

The CHARGE

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I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom. 2 Timothy 4:1 Part 1 “Charge” is a strong word (diamarturomai), usually translated testified (such as in Acts 8:25). The idea is that Paul is giving solemn testimony to Timothy, testimony that Timothy must heed if he will be a godly pastor. The verb diamartyromai has legal connections and can mean ‘testify under oath’ in a court of law, or to ‘adjure’ a witness to do so. The members of the court where Paul gives this testimony make it all the more significant: before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead. As Paul sits in his cold, damp prison cell, he understands there is a spiritual reality present that goes beyond the walls of his cell. Spiritually, through a letter, he is giving solemn testimony to his young friend and associate, and doing it in the presence of the God who will judge us all. …