Author: petebeck3

Pete Beck III ministered as a pastor and Bible teacher in Burlington for over 35 years. He is married to Martha, with whom he has four children, ten beautiful grandchildren, and five amazing great grandchildren. He ministers in his local church as a Bible teacher and counselor. He has written several books, including two that are available on Amazon - Seeing God's Smile and Promise of the Father - as well as a wide variety of Bible-related articles.

Defensive Warfare

spirit

When a soldier is sent into war, he is issued protective gear. In modern warfare this may consist of a helmet, boots, a belt for carrying a canteen, mess kit, ammunition, basic medical supplies, grenades, a knife, and a gun of some sort. In some cases, a flack jacket may be included, especially when shrapnel from exploding shells and grenades is expected. At other times, gas masks and haz-mat suits might be included. It depends on what he is expected to encounter. Roman soldiers, which were the norm in Paul’s day, carried different weaponry, which is mentioned in Ephesians Chapter Six. Some equipment is also for offense, but all of it can be used defensively. In war, soldiers are expected to defend the ground they already have conquered and to take new ground as directed. The general objective is to stay alive in the process, but at times one may be expected to sacrifice his life to save others or achieve victory. Spiritual warfare has similar goals.

The Bible teaches us that Satan roams the earth looking for people to devour. (1Peter 5:8) His desire is to kill, steal, and destroy by any means possible. (John 10:10) He is after men, women, and children. He does not care whether we have declared ourselves as official combatants or not. The more naive, vulnerable, and unprepared we are, the better. He loves to use “should be” protectors, such as parents and teachers, to betray little ones and open them to attack. He is vicious, unscrupulous, and unrelenting.

As soldiers, our first order of business is to learn how to protect ourselves.

Chapter Six of Ephesians contains a classic passage on spiritual warfare quoted below.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:10–20 (NASB95) —

God has given us spiritual armor and weapons that we use to protect ourselves, defend ground, and advance against the enemy. Whenever new ground is taken, we must always be prepared for a counterattack. Flanking, or coming around behind, is an age old tactic used to encircle and destroy an enemy. We cannot afford to make advances without watching our backside, so to speak. We must realize that the enemy loves to attack us when we have just won a victory and have let our guard down.

Here are some salient points about each part of our armor, mainly from a defensive standpoint. I plan to address the offensive nature of warfare more extensively in the next article.

The Battle Is the Lord’s

The first important principle is for us to realize that this is, at its core, not really our fight at all. It is God’s.

We fight in the strength of his might, but we do fight and put our lives at risk. When David went up against Goliath, he understood that his victory over that giant would be through God’s help. Nevertheless, he had to face him and risk death to experience God’s victory. We do well to adopt this great warrior’s mindset as illustrated in the passage below.

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. 46 “This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD’S and He will give you into our hands.” 1 Samuel 17:45–47 (NASB95) —
Stand Firm against the Devil’s Schemes

The next thing we need to keep in mind is that we are up against a superior tactician. He lacks wisdom but is very cunning.

He has observed and plotted against people for millennia and knows what works. Therefore, we must rely upon God’s wisdom when we go to battle. This wisdom is found in the Bible and is directly available to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Therefore, we must know the scriptures and be alert to the Spirit’s guidance.

Since the devil cannot bring a curse against us for no reason, he schemes to bring God’s judgment and discipline upon us by leading us into sin.

Some of the devil’s schemes involve luring us into sexual sin, idolizing riches over God, loving power and prestige over being God’s servant, bitterness, pride, envy, etc. He also likes to spring traps on us when we presumptuously venture outside of God’s will. Another scheme of the devil is to attack at the beginning of our ministry or even when we are mere children. We see this in the life of Jesus and other key figures such as Moses and King David. As someone wisely said, the best time to kill a bear is when it is a cub. Here are some wise words from the apostle Paul.

But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11 so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes. 2 Corinthians 2:10–11 (NASB95) —

We need God’s wisdom and good counsel from others to achieve victory over the devil’s schemes.

Prepare plans by consultation, And make war by wise guidance. Proverbs 20:18 (NASB95) —

If we keep in mind the cunning treachery of the devil, we can set up defenses that thwart his plans.

God is always wiser and more creative than the devil, who lacks wisdom and the ability to foresee God’s creative counterattacks.

During Absalom’s rebellion, King David understood that Ahithophel’s counsel could be his undoing; so, he sent his good friend, Hushai the Archite, to persuade Absalom to reject Ahithophel’s counsel. By appealing to Absalom’s vanity and desire to assure himself a victory, he led Absalom to reject Ahithophel’s counsel which led to Absalom’s ultimate defeat.

Identify the Combatants

Friendly fire is always a hazard on the battlefield. In spiritual warfare, it is important for us to know who is and who is not the enemy. Paul wrote that we do not battle against people, but against an implacable spiritual enemy. People always have the possibility of switching sides before death. Fierce enemies can become strong proponents of the gospel, as happened with Paul. This is one reason Jesus told us to love our enemies, meaning other people who align themselves with wickedness and against us. We are never supposed to love evil spirits, however. We hate them with a perfect hatred, as did King David.

Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. Psalm 139:21–22 (NASB95) —

When humans give themselves over to evil and harden their hearts against God, they may become enemies with whom we must fight. This often happens when nations go to war or when our families need defending. In WWII, Hitler aligned himself with abominable lies and drew power from occult sources. He and his henchmen used the German people to help carry out their evil scheme to subjugate the world. Many of the German foot soldiers had no idea what they were doing spiritually, but they became enemies which had to be destroyed in order to keep evil from prevailing in the world. Absalom gave himself over to evil when he turned against his father, King David, and tried to wrest the kingdom from him. God used General Joab to put an end to his life, which was the only possible solution with such an evil and implacable enemy. Such punishments are in the domain of governments. We are not to take vengeance into our own hands. However, self-defense is always justified, except perhaps in the case of when we are persecuted for our faith in Jesus, when we are told to “turn the other cheek.” Being able to forgive a persecutor because we recognize he or she is deceived and being manipulated by Satan takes great faith and courage.

We are encouraged to direct our warfare at the real enemy – spiritual wickedness in every form, from principalities and powers to demons oppressing individuals.

Stand Firm

We put on the armor of God in order to be able to withstand enemy assaults. Those of us who are born again are able to stand because we are seated with Christ on God’s throne (Ephesians 2:6). God has invested us with Christ’s authority which is enforced by the power of the Holy Spirit. God has given us authority over the powers of darkness and promised us that nothing can harm us. (Luke 10:19) We war against Satan and his minions in the authority and power of God. The battle is the Lord’s.

God permits us to be tested whether we will allow Satan’s lies and attacks to move us away from our faith in God’s love and faithfulness.

Satan tries to force Christ’s followers to blaspheme and deny their allegiance to Christ. Retaining our confession of faith in the face of tribulation makes us overcomers who will be richly rewarded.

And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Revelation 12:11 (NLT) —
The Spiritual Armor
  • Truth is the first piece of armor mentioned, which is not surprising since Satan’s main weapon is deception. Unless we learn to rely on God’s truth more than on anything else, we are liable to be duped. Eve trusted in what she beheld and felt more than upon God’s words, leading to her downfall. If we determine to put our faith in God’s Word, we will have to learn to ignore what seems to be contradictory evidence. Jesus trusted in his calling and identity as the Messiah despite being ridiculed, tortured, and nailed to a cross, knowing that he would be raised from the dead. (Hebrews 12:3) We are encouraged to adopt the attitude of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who declared that God would keep them from dying in Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace, but even if he did not, they would not worship his image. Trusting in God’s Word against the pull of contradictory evidence makes us overcomers who refuse to commit Eve’s sin of disloyalty to God.
  • Righteousness is the second piece of armor. Satan accuses us before God day and night. Our sin earned for us condemnation and death, but Jesus took that upon himself, liberating us from all guilt and punishment. This is called justification. Only God has the authority to condemn us, but he is now the one who justifies us. Nevertheless, Satan seeks to drag us away from our place of faith and confidence and convince us that we are still unacceptable before God in order to destroy our confidence and boldness. We must learn to stand in the truth of justification if we are to be overcomers.
  • The gospel is our third piece of armor. Understanding, believing, receiving, and sharing the gospel is both a defensive and offensive weapon. The gospel is a proclamation of freedom through Christ from the devil’s tyranny. We first believe and receive its message. Then we pass it on. This is one of those cases in which the best defense is a good offense. If we actively share the gospel, we will be insulated to a great extent from the devil’s attacks upon our minds and hearts. We will experience push back in other ways because the devil will always resists the gospel.
  • The shield of faith negates the attacks of the enemy. When evil words are spoken over us or evil circumstances befall us, faith enables us to see things from God’s perspective and keeps our focus on him and his love and faithfulness to his promises. A shield keeps the arrows of the enemy from penetrating to our heart where faith resides.
  • The helmet of salvation protects our minds from fear and hopelessness. The battle is primarily fought in the mind (a part of the soul, which also includes our will and emotions). If Satan’s lies reside in our minds, we will have difficulty believing God and his promises. Once we cast down such logical strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4), we can fortify our minds against lies ever again getting a foothold by wearing the helmet of salvation, which is related to prayer. Paul promised that if we take everything to God in prayer, he will guard our hearts and minds. (Philippians 4:6-7)
  • The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. It is both a defensive and an offensive weapon. The Word of God includes the gospel and all of God’s promises. There is a prophetic element to the Word of God. When it is authoritatively proclaimed through confession, preaching, prayer, and prophecy, it releases the power of God to fulfill God’s purposes. (Isaiah 61) It will not return without accomplishing everything God intends. (Isaiah 55:11) Jesus used it to defend himself against the devil’s temptations and lies, and so can we. Every time the gospel is preached, the Word of God advances the kingdom. The gates of hell shall not be able to withstand it. (Matthew 16:18)
  • Prayer is the final piece of armor. Jesus told us that the “flesh is weak,” which is a big reason for us to pray that we might not enter temptation. (Matthew 6:13, Mark 14:38) Prayer keeps us in right relationship with God and reminds us how dependent upon him we are, which is a key to our strength. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Conclusion

Whether we like it or not, we are at war with the enemies of Christ. Even though he rendered Satan powerless at Calvary, he did not annihilate him. Rather, he left our spiritual enemies in place for the time being so that we can share in the final victory. In unity with Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the church will arise to crush Satan under our feet, thus fulfilling the prophecy given in the Garden. (Genesis 3:15)

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20 (NASB95) —
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Chapter 60: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit Differs from the New Birth

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The baptism in the Spirit is a second experience with the Holy Spirit which can take place concurrent with the new birth, but usually afterward. The Spirit comes to indwell every person who is born again to impart Christ’s life, provide an interior witness that we are God’s children, provide guidance, and to teach us the meaning of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit is poured out on believers in the baptism in the Spirit to empower and equip us for service to God, especially to be his witnesses.

Now that we have introduced the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and defined it, let’s try to answer a very important question: is the baptism in the Spirit included as part of the new birth and received automatically at the time of justification or is it a separate experience with a different purpose?

With, In, or Upon?

The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit can be with, in, or upon us. In the Old Testament, the Spirit was said to be “with” God’s people. He came alongside them to encourage, strengthen, equip, and generally help them. King David illustrates God’s being with his people in the following verse.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…Psalm 23:4 (ESV)

But in the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit lives inside those who believe. Jesus promised his disciples:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17  even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17 (ESV)

One of the big secrets of the Christian life is that the Spirit lives Christ’s life in and through us.

After forgiving our sins, Jesus did not leave us on our own. When a person is born again, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in that person. Our human spirit is joined to God’s Spirit and becomes one with him, a remarkable and wonderful mystery.

But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17 (NASB)

The Spirit of God within us gives us life and develops within us peace and the character of God (the fruit of the Spirit). He affirms that we are indeed Abba Father’s children.

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, Romans 8:16 (NASB)

But here is a very important point! Every born-again person is one with the indwelling Spirit, but not every child of God is baptized in the Holy Spirit.

If your experience resembles mine, it might be difficult to imagine that you did not receive it “all” when you were born again. My new birth experience was amazing, as was my ongoing relationship with God afterward. When I first started reading and hearing about people who said they were baptized in the Spirit, my first response was, “I don’t need that. I already received everything.” This is a common reaction that reveals two things. First, we tend to mold our theology around our experience rather than asking God to conform our experience to his Word. Secondly, we don’t like to admit that we lack something. But I, as you are most likely, was hungry for more of God.

Herein lies a danger: if we convince ourselves that we already have something, we may stop seeking it and never find it.

Sadly, just such thinking will send many to hell, who have convinced themselves that they already have everything they need from God, despite never having been born again. Thankfully I kept pursuing the baptism in the Spirit and eventually received it by faith with the evidence of speaking in tongues, which opened the door into a new dimension of serving our Lord. This can happen to you, too, if you have an open mind and a hungry heart.

The baptism in the Spirit is when the Holy Spirit comes “upon” us to equip and empower us for ministry.

Jesus received this baptism at the inauguration of his public ministry. If he needed it, how much more do we!

Then Jesus *arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. 14  But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" 15  But Jesus answering said to him, "Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he *permitted Him. 16  After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17  and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." Matthew 3:13-17 (NASB)

Later, after being tempted by the devil in the wilderness for forty days, he went back to his hometown, full of the Spirit.

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17  And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, 18  "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, 19  TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." 20  And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4:16-21 (NASB)

Jesus clearly instructed his disciples not even to begin their Great Commission ministry until they received the same empowering.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 (NIV)

When God poured out his Holy Spirit on the Feast of Pentecost, it was to empower Christ’s followers to be bold witnesses to his resurrection. Today his people are baptized in the Spirit for the same purpose. And here lies a very important distinction between the indwelling Spirit and the outpoured Spirit.

The Spirit lives within us for our sake, but he is poured out upon us for the sake of others, many of whom do not yet know him.

The Record of Acts

All scripture is useful for doctrine.

What the early apostles believed is clearly seen by what they did.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.  2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NLT) —

Acts is especially significant because there we see what the apostles believed lived out.

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. James 2:18 (ESV)

Peter and Paul both understood that the new birth did not automatically include the baptism in the Spirit. In Acts Chapter Four, Peter and John made a trip to Samaria to lay hands on the new converts for them to receive the baptism in the Spirit.

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15  who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16  for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 8:14-16 (ESV)

If the baptism in the Spirit had already taken place at the new birth, Peter and John would have simply taught the Samaritans this truth. However, they instead laid hands on them that they might receive the baptism of the Spirit.

Similarly, when Paul was in Ephesus, he encountered some followers of Christ, but he could tell that they had not yet received the baptism in the Spirit. What he asked them is revealing.

And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Acts 19:2 (ESV)

Paul was an apostle, who had the responsibility of laying a foundation of sound doctrine in the early church. (Ephesians 2:20) Surely, he understood whether or not the baptism in the Spirit is automatically received at the new birth! Of course, he did; so, when he asked them if they had received the Spirit when they believed, it shows us that the first does not necessarily include the second.

The Illustration of the Three Major Feasts
outpouring
The outpoured Spirit can be likened to standing under a waterfall or the large bucket in this picture.

The three major feasts of Israel – Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles – also reveal that the new birth and the baptism in the Spirit are distinct.

Jesus fulfilled Passover to the day by being crucified as the Lamb of God and shedding his blood for the remission of sins. This feast also must be personally fulfilled in our lives through the new birth, if we are to be saved. The blood of God’s Lamb must be applied to our sins.

The Old Testament Feast of Pentecost, which originally marked the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai, was also literally fulfilled to the day when God poured out his Spirit on the disciples in the upper room. Whereas the giving of the Law brought judgment, the giving of the Spirit gave life. Three thousand people died on Mt. Sinai for their rebellion, but 3000 came into the kingdom of God when Peter preached his first Gospel message on Pentecost. God also intends that each of us have a personal fulfillment of Pentecost as well, by receiving the baptism in the Spirit.

Just as Passover was a separate feast from Pentecost, the new birth is separate from the baptism in the Spirit.

Tabernacles, the final harvest, the last major feast, has yet to be fulfilled. I believe that Jesus will complete that feast at his Second Coming. Hallelujah!!! We will all need to have a personal fulfillment of that one, too, by participating in the resurrection of the dead. It is easy for us to see that one cannot be a child of God without having a personal Passover (new birth) and Feast of Tabernacles (resurrection from the dead). Should it not be just as clear to us that we must also have a personal fulfillment of Pentecost? It was to Peter and Paul.

Three Baptisms

3baptisms

The New Testament speaks of three distinct baptisms: into the body of Christ, into water, and into the Holy Spirit. Each of these baptisms has a different baptizer, a different medium, and different evidence, and a different result or purpose, which the chart above illustrates. I encourage you to study this to gain greater understanding.

ourpouringThe baptism into the body of Christ is what happens when we are born again. The Holy Spirit plunges us into Christ, and we become one with him. The evidence is a changed life. Baptism into water by immersion is what another believer does to us, giving us an opportunity to publicly proclaim and acknowledge what God has already done in the Spirit and is our public declaration of allegiance to Jesus. The evidence is that we are wet. Jesus is the One who baptizes us into the Spirit by an outpouring to empower us to be bold witnesses. This outpouring may be likened to standing under a waterfall or a large bucket of water as in the picture above. We are effectively immersed, but its purpose is not identification. Instead, we have the Spirit upon us in power for ministry. The evidence of the baptism in the Spirit is speaking in tongues and prophecy. The Holy Spirit baptism is also God’s declaration to the world that we are his children.

Questions for Further Study and Discussion
  • Is there any part of the above teaching that needs further clarification?
  • Do you agree that the baptism in the Spirit is distinct from the new birth and is for all disciples?
  • Is there any reason you would not wish to receive this gift?
POTF front coverWant to know more? I have written a book on this very topic, 
which is available on Amazon. Click here to find out more.
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The God of Peace Leads Us into War

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victory

War and peace seem to be polar opposites, but the Bible puts the two together more than once. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), but he is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5) who leads us into battle. In order to bring peace, our Lord had to go to war against and defeat God’s and our archenemy, Satan, the tyrannical prince of darkness.

Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. 15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. 16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords. Revelation 19:11–16 (NLT) —

God first revealed himself as the God of peace (Jehovah-shalom) to Gideon the same night that he called him to provoke all the worshipers of Baal by ripping down the symbols of their idolatry (Judges 6:24-25).

We should never assume that being a peacemaker requires us to retreat from conflict with the enemy.

The God of peace commanded Gideon to begin the process of bringing peace by angering the entire local populace. The Baal worshipers wanted to put him to death, as they always do, but God rescued him from their hands (Judges 6:30-32). Soon after, the God of peace commissioned Gideon to lead the fight against a vast horde of Midianites who had invaded the land and terrorized the populace. This man, who was so intimidated by these conquerors that he threshed wheat in a hidden wine press in the valley, was put in charge of leading God’s army into battle! Once God convinced Gideon through two signs that this commission was real, he reduced his army to 300 men, just to make it obvious that victory would come from the Lord, not man.

Victory always comes through the small “remnant” who fearlessly follow God despite their small numbers.

The night before the battle, God reassured this reluctant hero that victory would be his through a dream. The rest of the story is part of Israel’s glorious history in the time of the judges. God conquered Israel’s enemies through a most unlikely leader in a seemingly impossible fashion, just to prove that he is God and to bring peace to the land.

So Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel, and they did not lift up their heads anymore. And the land was undisturbed for forty years in the days of Gideon. Judges 8:28 (NASB95) —

But why would God reveal himself as our peace while simultaneously calling us to war? Perhaps the answer can be found in these famous words of another man God called to war. God commissioned Jehu to destroy the family line of King Ahab, who led Israel into the terrible sin of worshiping Baal. Once again, we see that Baal worship is Israel’s worst sin and those who led her into it her worst enemies.The same is true today. The evil spirit behind that false God is still with us. His goal of destroying God’s people is still paramount. His followers must either repent or eventually be destroyed by God.

Queen Jezebel was the chief influencer behind the throne and the ring leader of Baal worship in Israel. Jehu fearlessly carried out this assignment of carrying war to the followers of Baal, even though he was not what most would consider to be a godly man. (Can anyone say Trump here?) As he approached the city in which Queen Jezebel lived, he was asked by those aligned with her if he came in peace. His answer is revealing.

King Joram demanded, “Do you come in peace, Jehu?” Jehu replied, “How can there be peace as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother, Jezebel, are all around us?” 2 Kings 9:22 (NLT) —

The evil spirits behind Baal worship, including Satan himself, cannot be tolerated at all because they relentlessly strive to dominate and stamp out the worship of the true God. There can be no compromise or “just getting along.” Jesus made it clear that this is the case.

But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 ‘I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 22 ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. Revelation 2:20–22 (NASB95) —

There can be no peace until Baal worshipers either repent and turn to the true God or are destroyed.

Peace can only come through total victory over Satan and those aligned with him. That is why the God of peace calls us to war.

Elijah was another man God called to confront the spiritual darkness behind Baal worship. On Mt. Carmel. following God’s awe inspiring demonstration of  his preeminence over every pretender to the throne, including Baal, Elijah put to death all the priests of that evil deity. (1 Kings 18:40) Elijah did not finish the work, however, because Jezebel still lived. Her demise was left to Jehu. Interestingly, the final act of killing her was done by the emasculated eunuchs who served her.

When Jezebel, the queen mother, heard that Jehu had come to Jezreel, she painted her eyelids and fixed her hair and sat at a window. 31 When Jehu entered the gate of the palace, she shouted at him, “Have you come in peace, you murderer? You’re just like Zimri, who murdered his master!” 32 Jehu looked up and saw her at the window and shouted, “Who is on my side?” And two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 33 “Throw her down!” Jehu yelled. So they threw her out the window, and her blood spattered against the wall and on the horses. And Jehu trampled her body under his horses’ hooves. 2 Kings 9:30–33 (NLT) —

If we consider that Jehu is a type of Christ, in the sense of being prophetically commissioned to conquer Jezebel, it is instructive that he asked those previously under that woman’s power to assist him in taking her down. Paul reveals that we who have been previously enslaved by Satan will assist Christ in his final victory over that enemy and his followers in this remarkable promise.

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20 (NASB95) —

Once again war and peace are joined together. This verse is linked to the first messianic promise in the Bible, which God gave to us via what he told the serpent in the garden.

And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NLT) —

The offspring of Eve are those who are born again by faith in the promised Messiah (Galatians 4:28-29), our Lord Jesus. The offspring of the serpent are those who are spiritually aligned with Satan through Adam’s fall (John 8:44). Every person is in one camp or the other; although, some children of Satan are blissfully unaware of their allegiance, while others are fully devoted to him and his plan for world conquest and the enslavement and destruction of humanity. This messianic promise was partially fulfilled when Jesus, Eve’s ultimate promised descendant, was struck by his tormentors, who were inspired by Satan, and put to death on the cross. After Jesus triumphantly rose again from the dead, he disarmed Satan, rendering him powerless to stop the advancement of his kingdom. (Colossians 2:13-15)

After Jesus’ resurrection, he commissioned his church to go into the entire world making disciples and planting his kingdom assemblies everywhere (Matthew 28:18). He promised that the gates of hell would not be able to resist it.

“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:18–19 (NASB95) —

This promise aligns with the book of Daniel, where we are promised that Christ’s kingdom will prevail over every other.

During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. Daniel 2:44 (NLT) —

Paul’s assertion in Romans 16:20 reveals that God chose to use his church, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to finish the job that Jesus began. Even though Christ’s work was “finished” through his death and resurrection, the outworking is still in the future. This is the way God often does things. His kingdom is here but not yet in its fullness. Before God is finished, Christ’s kingdom will come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Revelation 12:10)

Since God’s purpose is for us to reign with him forever (Revelation 3:21), he will use us to deliver the final blow to Satan himself and his ugly horde of rebels.

Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life. 1 Corinthians 6:3 (NLT) —

Spiritual warfare and the crushing of Satan are connected to our destiny to share the throne with our glorious Savior, the Prince of Peace!

We are currently engaged in warfare that will bring peace to the earth by the elimination of God’s enemies by those who have chosen to bow their knee to the Lord. This warfare by and large is spiritual; although at times it will include physical combat. What is described in Revelation and the prophets includes bloodshed and death. In the present, however, we battle primarily against spiritual wickedness using spiritual weapons.

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 (NLT) —

As was Gideon, we are called to go up against a formidable enemy, one over which we cannot possibly win without God’s help. Even though God promised Gideon victory and was with him in battle, he still had to put his life on the line. So do we. The following verse explains what we are called to do.

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. Revelation 12:11 (NASB95) —

The early church overcame by fearlessly proclaiming the gospel and laying down their lives when necessary. We do not know what lies ahead at the close of the age, but we do know that Christ will be triumphant and God is going to crush Satan under our feet one way or another. With that confidence, we can fearlessly face the future in anticipation of Christ’s complete victory that will usher in eternal peace.

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The Great Deception behind Spiritual Warfare

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victoryIn order to properly understand the nature of spiritual warfare, it is necessary for us to come to terms with the enormity of the deception that has been perpetrated on us by the father of lies. (John 8:44) Jesus told us that Satan has no ability to abide in the truth because he is a liar by nature. He detests truth because that is a defining characteristic of God and reveals his own horrible character. Jesus also told us that Satan’s desire is always to kill, steal, and destroy, even when he promises otherwise. He was the first “bait and switch” con artist. He is not some reformable “Grinch” who is out to steal Christmas. He is a malevolent being who wants to hurt God somehow by destroying us, the crown of creation. (Psalm 8:5)

We humans were always meant to be children of God who would not only fellowship with him but also co-rule with him. (Romans 8:29-30) God’s plan for humanity was to bring us to the throne of God, where we will function as co-heirs with Christ and participate in governing the universe. (Ephesians 2:6, Colossians 3:1) This was more than Satan could bear. The Scriptures indicate that he tried to usurp God’s throne (Isaiah 14:13), but was cast out of heaven instead, taking with him one-third of the angels (Revelation 12:4,9). We are not told when this happened, but we assume it was before the creation of man. When God created Adam and later Eve, Satan determined to do everything within his power to thwart God’s benevolent intention and destroy his creation.

The Bible tells us that Satan can only do what God allows; so, mysteriously, God allowed Satan’s plan to come to pass in order to accomplish a greater purpose, which Paul referred to in his writings.

God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. Ephesians 1:9–11 (NLT) —

God always surprises with unanticipated creative ways to accomplish his purposes, which are always far more glorious than we suppose.

The most powerful weapon in Satan’s arsenal is deception. He is the Great Liar, who is self-deceived and deceives others. The most effective liars have first deceived themselves. He promised Eve that she did not need God but could be like him in her own right, knowing good from evil, as if this defined godhood somehow. The promise was empty because humans were created to be God-dependent. Jesus said it beautifully. He is the vine. We are the branches. Apart from the vine, the branch is incapable of staying alive or bearing fruit. Adam’s and Eve’s sin of disobedience, which was a declaration of independence from God that betrayed an ugly disloyalty to their Creator-Sustainer, introduced death and destruction into their lives and somewhat crippled the entire creation, exactly as Satan planned.

Nothing quite so clearly indicates man’s relative importance in God’s plan than what happened to creation when he renounced his dependence upon God and ceded his God-given authority to Satan!

God gave Adam authority over creation (Genesis 1:26, Psalm 115:16). When Adam aligned with Satan, his authority was stripped and ceded to his new “god,” the Great Liar. Now that Satan had mankind under his evil thumb, he began his campaign to pervert and destroy what God so lovingly created. Over the years he developed a two-pronged lie with which he shrouded humanity from God’s truth. One segment of society has fallen for the lie that they can be “gods” simply by declaring allegiance to the father of lies. Many of these people willingly embrace death in order to enjoy the temporary benefits of power, pleasure, and wealth. Many of those in power or who have gained fame have made this trade off. The rest of us have been told, by a variety of means, that we are relatively worthless, “useless eaters,” climate destroyers, descended from apes via evolution (thereby having no eternal significance or destiny), and deserving of being eliminated from the earth.

Yuval Harari is a chief guru for the godless globalists who work for Satan. Here is a quote of his that reveals how anti-God and anti-God’s plan these people are.

“I strongly believe that given the technologies we are now developing, within a century or two at most, our species will disappear. I don’t think that in the end of the 22nd century, the Earth will still be dominated by Homo sapiens.”

God created us to rule, but Satan wants to reduce us to abject slavery, irrelevance, and elimination through sin and deception.

The beginning of our standing up against Satan and his schemes is to embrace Truth and reject lies. Jesus’ claim to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life strikes a dagger at the heart of the devil’s plan.

Jesus came into this seemingly hopeless situation to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and rescue for God a people who would fulfill his original plan with this added bonus. Because of Jesus’ sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, those who put their faith and allegiance in him are forgiven of their sins, declared “not guilty” in the court of heaven, restored to a right relationship with God the Father as beloved sons and daughters, and given all the privileges or being heirs of God through our Lord Jesus the risen Messianic King and coming Judge of the all who ever lived.

Instead of just being humans, through the new birth we become part of an entirely different species, Humanity 2.0. The Second Adam has given rise to a redeemed and remade edition of man that is conjoined with the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). This elevates humanity even higher than at creation!

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NET) —

The first installment of this great salvation is called the new birth by which we are recreated in our spirits and become joined to the Holy Spirit. This makes us sons and daughters of our heavenly Father. The second installment is called transformation, the process whereby the Holy Spirit changes us in our thinking and doing so that what is true because of the new birth becomes more and more lived out in our daily lives. The final installment will be the resurrection from the dead. When Jesus finally returns to judge the living and the dead, he will raise all people, some to eternal life and others to eternal destruction. At that point, those who follow Jesus will receive glorified bodies to complete what was begun at the new birth. We will co-rule with Christ over all creation for eternity.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 (NLT) —

The glorious truth which is foundational to spiritual warfare is that human beings have been elevated by God to a place of great honor, authority, and significance through Christ.

Sadly, many in the church remain somewhat ignorant of our true identity in Christ and the authority that has been placed at our disposal as Christ’s representatives. The entire creation groans in anticipation of being set free from satanic bondage when we are resurrected from the dead (Romans 8:22)! The angels have been assigned to help us, the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14). We can become more effective in spiritual warfare when we wake up to who we are in Christ and begin to use the authority God has given to us. The battle still rages even though victory is assured. Soon God will crush Satan under our feet. What a magnificent promise that begs for us to step up to the plate and hit it out of the park.

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20 (NASB95) —

God’s grace will see us through.

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Destined for the Throne

Destined

Destined

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Paul E. Billheimer

In his foreword, Billy Graham wrote:

Every Christian who feels impelled to find a deeper dimension of Christian witness should not only read this book, but study it prayerfully, and apply its principles to his life.

Destined for the Throne is one of those books that is like a smoothie drink made from extremely healthy and delicious ingredients that not only satisfies the taste buds but also nourishes the body. It is packed with scriptural insights, powerful logic, and faith building conclusions. For the most part, I agree wholeheartedly with Billheimer’s statements and conclusions; although, I was uncomfortable with a few of his positions. I will summarize it chapter by chapter.

The Ultimate Goal of the Universe: The Church

In Chapter One, Billheimer convincingly shows that God has a definite purpose for his creation and that…

There is only one philosophy of history that makes sense and that is the Biblical philosophy. (p.21)

He argues that God created the entire universe to provide a suitable habitation for mankind, out of which he would choose an eternal companion or “bride” for his Son.

The church, then – the called-out body of redeemed mankind – turns out to be the central object, the goal, not only of mundane history, but of all that God has been doing in all realms, from all eternity. (p.22)

Using Romans 8:28, he argues convincingly that

As the Lord of history, God is controlling all of its events, not only on earth but in all realms, to serve his purpose of bringing to maturity and eventually to enthronement with his Son, not angels or archangels, but the Church, his chosen Bride. (p.23)

The author opines that the Marriage Supper of the Lamb pictured in the Book of Revelation is the culmination or goal of history. He concludes this thought provoking chapter by writing:

Up until then, the entire universe under the Son’s regulation and control is being manipulated by God for one purpose – to prepare and train the Bride. (p.27)

The ultimate goal is for the church to share Christ’s rule and glory for eternity. This is the theme of the entire book.

God’s Purpose for the Church: Supreme Rank

Billheimer further develops his thesis that the church is the focus of God’s eternal plan in Chapter Two.

Created originally in the image of God, redeemed humanity has been elevated by means of a divinely conceived genetic process known as the new birth to the highest rank of all created beings. (p.33)

He develops this idea by pointing out that angels are created beings, but not “generated” through divine conception, as born again humans are. The new birth elevates humanity to become part of God’s own family, having God’s “seed” and Spirit.

This is God’s purpose in the plan of redemption – to produce, by means of the new birth, an entirely new and unique species, exact replicas of his Son with whom he will share his glory and dominion, and who will constitute a royal progeny and form the governing and administrative staff of his eternal kingdom. (p.37)

It is no wonder that Satan hates the church so greatly. The church, through no merit of her own, but entirely according to God’s incomprehensible mercy and grace, has been elevated to such a high rank that we share in the nature of God and are part of his family.

By these means God has exalted redeemed humanity to such a sublime rank that it is impossible for Him to elevate them any further without bringing them into the inner circle of the Godhead itself. (p.38)

At this point the author introduces an important corollary regarding prayer. He posits that prayer is part of God’s training program to teach the church how to wield Christ’s authority to overcome evil in preparation to exercise sovereign rule through eternity.

The Mystery of Prayer

This chapter is worth the price of the book. The author begins by asking a question many others have posed: since God is sovereign, why did he set up a system that requires his servants to participate through prayer?

God’s promises to answer prayer are so sweeping… as to constitute a veritable carte blanche, that is, a blank card bearing the authority of His own signature. It is as though God handed us His scepter and begged us to use it. (p.45)

Billheimer shows how prayer is God’s means of training his church to participate in his sovereign rule.

Independently and of His own will God makes the decisions governing the affairs of earth. The responsibility and authority for the enforcement and administration of those decisions He has placed upon the shoulder of His Church. (p.46)

In heaven and for eternity, the Church, Christ’s “bride”, will co-reign with him. Here on earth we learn how to rule in our prayer closets. The author proposes that God will never “go over the head” of his church because that would abort the training process and stunt the church’s growth. Billheimer makes a wonderful analogy when he compares prayer to how a safe deposit box is opened. The bank holds a key and the owner of the box holds the other. Neither can open the box without the other. God’s promises constitute one key to the release of his authority and will on the earth. Our prayer is the other. When our prayers align with his will, God’s will will be done. (1 John 5:14-15)

Heaven holds the key by which decisions governing earthly affairs are made, but we hold the key by which those decisions are implemented. (p.52)

He concludes the chapter by stating that prayer has eternal consequences for the world and us. What a challenge to pray more fervently!

Christ’s Gift of Authority

I cannot fully endorse the contents of this chapter. It begins well with a quote of Luke 10:19,  but then Billheimer makes a big leap by stating the following.

This is the church’s Magna Carta in her conflict with Satan… It is clear from this and other passages that God intends the true church…to be the controlling factor in human affairs. (p.57)

Although the church is organically unified with Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17), has already been elevated to Christ’s throne (Ephesians 2:5-6), and shares in our Lord’s authority as his representatives (Luke 10:19), I cannot make the leap to our being the “controlling factor in human affairs.” I believe that is reserved for Christ and the Holy Spirit; even though he privileges the church to participate. Otherwise, the weight of responsibility would be impossible to bear. The government is upon Christ’s shoulders, not ours. (Isaiah 9:6) He is the King.

Quoting Wesley’s words, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer,” the author makes another unsupportable leap when he makes the following statement.

God will not go over the head of his church even to save a soul without her cooperation. If she will not intercede, the Holy Spirit, by his own choice, cannot do his office work of convicting and persuading [the lost]. (p.65)

I do accept that followers of Christ have an important role to play by praying for the lost, both for individuals and for people groups, but I can find nowhere in scripture that specifically says that God will only save those for whom the church specifically prays. How then were the very first disciples saved, since there was no church to pray for them? Is our salvation not because our Father God sovereignly chose us? (Ephesians 1:4-6) Every child of God was chosen by God before the foundation of the world. The Son came to die for those Father God chose. The Holy Spirit is God’s agent to seek out those who are called, chosen, and purchased by Christ’s blood. He works inside us to draw us to Christ. The church is privileged to work in partnership, after we come into our sonship, by preaching the gospel and praying for the lost.

We have a part to play, but our shoulders are not big enough the carry the weight of being responsible for the salvation of every human. Only Christ can carry that.

The Legal Basis for the Authority of the Church

Billheimer addresses what happened with regard to authority at the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. He posits that when God gave Adam and Eve authority and dominion it was a bona fide gift in that it was theirs to do with as they saw fit. Sadly through disobedience they ceded that authority and dominion to Satan, becoming Satan’s slave in the process. This gave Satan the right to mistreat, oppress, and even kill his slaves, who now had no legal rights. In order to redeem mankind and turn this situation around, a man, a Second Adam so to speak, who was born of God so as to escape the terminal fault of having an inborn sin nature, had to perfectly serve the Creator / Father God with unblemished loyalty. This God-Man would also be required to make a perfect sacrifice for our sins in order to pay the just penalty for our rebellion against God. This is why the Incarnation is absolutely critical to our salvation.

The battle of the ages was between Satan and Jesus. Satan leveled all his malevolent power against our Lord in order to seduce him into forsaking his life of obedience to the Father.

The temptation of Gethsemane was to refuse to drink the “cup.” The decision He [Jesus] had to make was whether He would retain the fellowship which He had with the Father before the world began or whether He would accept this unjust, yet genuine identification with [our] sin. (p.78)

In his attempts to compromise Jesus’ obedience, Satan pressed our Lord all the way to the cross, where he died an innocent man while maintaining complete obedience to his Father. This was Satan’s undoing. He murdered an innocent man, which made him a transgressor of God’s justice and gave Christ a complete victory over his foe. (Hebrews 2:14) This victory also belongs to the church.

Christ’s Dynamic Victory

In this chapter Billheimer argues that for Christ to pay the just penalty for our sin he had to be sent to hell, as we would have been. He also points out that the immense cost paid by Christ to secure our salvation was shared by the Father and the Spirit, since they are one. He states that Christ in his “dead” state of three days duration was subsequently “justified in spirit” (1 Timothy 3:16) and “made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18) by the Father, after he was satisfied that his Son had fully paid our debt (Isaiah 53:10-11). When Jesus burst the bonds of death and rose again, it made him the “first born from the dead” (Revelation 1:5).

Death did its utmost to shackle Him, to keep Him permanently in its grip. All of the resources of the underworld were mustered to prevent his resurrection, but in vain. It was impossible for death to “keep its prey.” (p.87)

When Christ rose again and forty days later ascended to the right hand of God, through the miracle of the Incarnation and Resurrection, “an authentic human being [now] sits on throne of the universe, wielding all the authority of the Godhead.” (p.88)

What is perhaps even more remarkable is that God included his church in this exaltation.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5  even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6  and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:4-6 (NASB)

We are not surprised that all things have been put under his [Christ’s] feet. What we have failed to comprehend is that as part of Him, His Body, all things are also legally beneath our feet… We have underestimated the supreme importance of the Church in God’s economy.  (p.89)

The author makes the case that Christ’s victory over Satan is our victory, since we are in him and seated with him on his throne.

When He (Christ) defeated Satan, it was our victory. He did not conquer Satan for Himself. The entire substitutionary work of Christ was for His Bride-elect, the Church…Instead of his (Satan’s) having power over us, we have been given authority over him. This is the meaning our enthronement with Christ. (p.91)

The final two chapters are an attempt to reconcile an apparent lack of congruity between Billheimer’s theology with unanswered prayers and unrequited faith. I always find these sorts of lists rather frustrating and tending toward legalism, but his points are worth pondering.

Destined for the Throne clearly lays out the importance of the church in God’s plan. Since we share in Christ’s victory and authority and have been elevated to become sons of God, we should live as if we believe it.

We are in training for co-ruling with Christ for eternity, an eternity which has already begun. It is entirely reasonable to believe that the church should already be engaged in every area of society, functioning as “salt and light.” It goes against our calling for us to retreat into our church “bunker” while ceding every natural realm of influence to Satan’s legion of followers, which is exactly what we have done by and large. Satan has done his level best to convince followers of Christ that we have no right to voice our opinions or take part as a Christian voice in government, education, or science. We are taught that we are descended from apes by a natural process called evolution, thereby stripping us of any eternal importance at all. Worse than that, Satan has convinced hordes of people that they have no significance apart from having pleasure and wielding power. Existentialism teaches us that life consists of experiences and nothing more, consigning mankind to a pointless existence. No wonder more and more young people are committing suicide. In addition, the Great Liar has convinced many that man is actually the earth’s worst problem, setting the groundwork to justify our eradication through depopulation schemes. We must reject these Satanic lies and, from here forward, fully accept who we are in Christ and start acting congruently with our position as God’s children and Christ’s representatives. This first and foremost involves preaching the gospel and making disciples who will go and do the same, but it also includes raising up sons and daughters who will enter the world of politics, education, the arts and media, finance, medicine, science, and society, including the family.

Until Christ returns, we must use our influence to expand God’s benevolent kingdom here on earth in anticipation of his glorious return.

Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 (NASB95) —
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Maturity through Warfare

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Spiritual warfare is a reality, whether we think so or not. It affects us whether we acknowledge it or not. We are in the battle whether we are actively fighting or passively hiding our heads in the sand. We see it clearly played out in the Bible in the lives of kings and prophets. We have a clear reference to it in the Book of Daniel when that prophet was told by an angel that his prayers for Israel’s restoration to the land were heard immediately, but an evil spirit hindered the response from getting to him.

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. Daniel 10:13 (NASB95) —

Jesus told a parable about kings going to war and the need for his followers to count the cost of entering the warfare involved with being his disciple. (Luke 14:31-32) Paul wrote about our warfare in greater depth in his letter to the Ephesians.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:12–13 (NASB95) —

Satan managed to seduce one-third of the angels to follow him into death and destruction. Then he came after Adam and Eve who were created to co-rule with God. Since our first parents were able to reproduce (co-create), Satan took down the entire line of descendants in one fell swoop. Since then, every one of us is born into this world marred by a sinful proclivity to live in isolation from God, the source of all life and happiness. By doing this, our adversary negatively affected creation in general.

For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  Romans 8:19–22 (NASB95) —

This shows us how significant man is in God’s economy. The physical creation was made for man’s benefit and is connected to our existence. It was meant to bless us, but, when we sinned, part of God’s just sentence was for the creation to cease to function as originally intended.

God could have left us to his own devices, but according to Paul, love never gives up. (1 Corinthians 13:7) God did not give up on us. He sent his Son. We probably understand why Jesus had to fight to obtain our release from Satan’s despotic rule. Just as the Egyptian pharaoh refused to release the Israelites from slavery until he was forced by God’s mighty hand, Satan would not let us go until he was forced to do so by the resurrection of Jesus as Lord of Lords. Our Savior recaptured the authority Adam had ceded to Satan, undid the sentence of death upon the entire human race, reconciled us to God the Father, and made us children of God, heirs together of Christ’s glorious riches and honor.

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Colossians 2:13–15 (NLT) —

victoryPerhaps it is less obvious why we born again children of God must continue the struggle after Christ’s magnificent resurrection sealed the victory. To get a better understanding of why, we should consider that God’s purpose in redeeming us was to elevate us to his throne as his mature sons (and daughters) to allow us to share in his glory.

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. Romans 8:29–30 (NASB95) —

I think few of us have come to realize just how great an honor it is to be God’s son or daughter. By sending Jesus, the eternal Logos who became a man, to die and rise again, God made it possible for those who put their trust and allegiance in him to become one with him through the indwelling Holy Spirit. This means that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing there is because we are in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3) This means that we sit with Christ at God’s right hand. (Colossians 3:1, Ephesians 2:6) This means that what King David wrote so long ago is absolutely true.

What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? 5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! Psalm 8:4–5 (NASB95) —

Satan absolutely hates us because God graciously gave to us what he tried to take for himself – the throne of God. Of course, we are not divine, even though we are indwelled by God. This is part of the mystery. God’s glory inhabits what the Bible calls “earthen vessels.”

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NASB95) —

Even the angels, who are greater in strength and power, have been assigned to serve us!  (Hebrews 1:14) Taking all this into account, it becomes clearer why God requires us to grow in maturity as we prepare to take our place at his side.

Since we are destined for the throne, we must learn to govern and rule, and that involves learning to gain victory through spiritual warfare over the enemies of God through the authority of Christ and his Word and the power of the Holy Spirit.

God promised Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Joshua and all Israel that he would give them the promised land, but that did not mean they would be able to simply walk in to take it over without a fight. Going to war is part of what God uses to bring us to maturity.

Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; 2 only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly). Judges 3:1–2 (NASB95) —

In the Old Testament, when the Israelites fought to obtain their promised possession, they experienced God’s help. It takes faith to go into battle. It is only after we enter the fray that we experience God’s coming alongside us to ensure victory. In the last analysis, the battle is the Lord’s, but we are privileged to participate in the victory. What we learn about God in the process is part of what will prepare us for reigning with Christ.

Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty; the LORD, invincible in battle. 9 Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. 10 Who is the King of glory? The LORD of Heaven’s Armies— he is the King of glory. Interlude Psalm 24:8–10 (NLT) —

If God simply handed everything to us without a struggle, we would never grow up.

Every good parent knows this. That is why we require our children to learn to do things for themselves. When my kids were younger, I taught them to file their own taxes, change their own oil, drive a stick shift, etc. If we had lived on the frontier back in the 1700’s, I would have shown them how to fight, too, because it would have been a necessity. Learning spiritual warfare is just such a necessity, and God is a loving Father who teaches us to fight a good fight, just as he taught King David.

Blessed be the LORD, my rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle; 2 My lovingkindness and my fortress, My stronghold and my deliverer, My shield and He in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me. Psalm 144:1–2 (NASB95) —

Paul admonished Timothy to fight.

Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 (NASB95) —

Thankfully those words to Timothy were recorded and passed down to us upon whom the end of the ages has come. Satan is riled up knowing that his time is short. Deception floods the earth. This is the time for God’s people to arise and enter the fray in the power of God’s might, knowing that victory is assured as we do our part. And now I will close with this promise from Paul.

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20 (NASB95) —
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Chapter 59: Introduction to the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

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The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a very important part of God’s plan called the Great Commission. It is his means to empower and equip the church to do the work of the ministry. Why then is there so much ignorance regarding it? Why is it so often resisted? The devil works hard to keep the church from receiving this amazing gift called “the promise of the Father.”

Let’s begin our journey into greater understanding by reading our Lord’s own words.

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 1:4-5 (NKJV)

There are 1260 promises in the Bible, but only one has the special status of being called “the promise of the Father.”

What is so special about this promise? Jesus commanded his disciples to refrain from public ministry until they received it; therefore, it must be tremendously important.

What Is It?

In this section, I will examine various aspects of the baptism of the Spirit. For now, I will give this definition upon which we can expand later. The baptism in the Spirit is a second experience with the Holy Spirit which can take place concurrent with the new birth, but usually afterward. The Spirit comes to indwell every person who is born again to impart Christ’s life, provide an interior witness that we are God’s children, provide guidance, and to teach us the meaning of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit is poured out on believers in the baptism in the Spirit to empower and equip us for service to God, especially to be his witnesses. Later I will give the biblical basis for each of these assertions. For now, we will focus on the big picture.

Jesus: Baptizer in the Holy Spirit

God’s chose John the Baptist to introduce Jesus to the world at the beginning of his public ministry and gave him prophetic insight into Jesus’ identity and mission. John told us that Jesus, the Messianic Son of David and Lord, would have two other key ministry roles. He would die as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world and, after his resurrection and ascension into heaven, would baptize his followers in the Holy Spirit as the Lord of the harvest. The following passage records this prophecy.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” 32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ John 1:29-33 (NKJV)

Every born-again disciple has come to know Jesus as the Lamb of God who died for our sins. Fewer have grasped the enormity of his power and authority as the risen Lord of Lords, and still less have come to know him as the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit and Lord of the Harvest.

Jesus, the Eternal Son of God, died for our sins as the Lamb of God to become the Lord of Lords and the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit.

He forgives men’s sins to make them part of God’s family and enroll them in his army of disciple makers.

Consider that those who fail to receive the baptism in the Spirit are cut off from at least one-third of Jesus’ ministry.

We rightly emphasize what Jesus accomplished by dying as God’s Lamb and rising again. In addition, his ministry of baptizing his followers in the Holy Spirit launched the church into fulfilling the Great Commission and is vital to world evangelization and the expansion of God’s kingdom. We dare not resist or ignore it. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is God’s gift to His disciples to equip and empower us to be effective witnesses.

Without this amazing gift, we will not be able to complete properly our assignment to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NKJV)

 

The Full Gospel

Declaring Christ’s Lamb of God ministry is a foundation stone of the gospel message, but it is only one-third of it. The announcement that Jesus is the soon to return Messianic King and judge and the currently reigning Lord of the Harvest and Baptizer in the Holy Spirit is the other two thirds.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is integral to the Gospel and is God’s means for effectively delivering the Good News to the world.

Jesus announced that his followers would receive the Spirit following his ascension and glorification.

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38  “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” 39  But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39 (NASB)

God fulfilled this promise on the first New Covenant celebration of Pentecost that launched the church on its worldwide mission of disciple making, which will continue until Jesus returns to raise the dead, judge all people, and inaugurate the conclusion of all things.

The baptism in the Spirit is as fundamental to the Gospel message as the new birth, the Second Coming, and the last judgment.

Christ’s miraculous coming (virgin birth), his Spirit-enabled ministry, his rejection and death, his resurrection, his ascension, his sending of the Spirit, and his promised Second Coming are all part of the gospel story, none of which we can leave out if we preach the “full gospel.”

Part of the reason Jesus died was so that we can receive the “promise of the Father,” the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He was so excited about the prospect that he cried out to the throngs in the passage quoted above from John Chapter Seven. This is no small thing.

Receiving what Jesus died to give us is not an option, such as satellite radio on an automobile. This is part of the “engine” of the disciple’s life!

Israel’s Three Feasts

God commanded Israel to observe three major feasts on a yearly basis or be “cut off.” These feasts represent the three major components of Christ’s work. The Old Covenant feast of Passover foreshadowed his death on the cross as God’s Passover Lamb. The Old Covenant experience of Pentecost at Mt. Sinai, fifty days after the first Passover, when the Law was given, foreshadowed the giving of the Spirit fifty days following Christ’s death and resurrection. Finally, the Feast of Tabernacles, which came at the end of the harvest year, predicts Christ’s Second Coming and the final ingathering of people into God’s kingdom family, which is yet to be fulfilled.

Each feast was critical to God’s plan for Israel, and experiencing each New Covenant fulfillment is a requirement for the believer.

Unless we personally experience Passover through the new birth, Pentecost through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and the Feast of Tabernacles through the resurrection of the dead, we cannot participate in the fullness of God’s plan and blessing for us in Christ.

Every true Christian will readily agree that experiencing the New Covenant fulfillment of Passover and Tabernacles is required. We understand that every follower of Christ must be born anew and raised from the dead. Why is it not equally obvious that the feast of Pentecost must be experienced in its New Covenant form as the baptism in the Holy Spirit?

A Doorway into More of God

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is also a doorway into experiencing some of the wonders of God’s power and gifts, which are amazing tools for ministry.  Can you imagine Jesus’ ministry without his using spiritual gifts? Jesus relied on the Spirit to give him prophetic insight and the ability to heal, do miracles, raise the dead, and liberate the oppressed. (Acts 2:22)

The power and gifts of the Spirit do not make us “better” Christians in any judicial or moral sense, but they can make us more effective in representing God to lost people.

God intends for the Gospel to be transmitted in both Word and Power. (1 Thes. 1:5) He wants to work with his messengers through signs, wonders, and gifts of the Spirit to confirm the veracity of his Word. (Mark 16:20) The Lord wants all his servants to receive the “promise of the Father” to equip us to do the work of ministry. (Acts 1:4-5)

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

 

You can read more about the baptism of the Spirit and the gifts in Pete's book, Promise of the Father, which is available on Amazon. Click here for the link.
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Does God Ever Feel Shame?

Shame is a powerful motivator. Adam and Eve felt it for the first time after disobeying God and hid themselves. That is one of the things shame does to us. Fear and shame work together. We are afraid of our shame being exposed; so, we hide.

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. 8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. 9 Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” Genesis 3:6–10 (NLT) —

When our consciences work properly, we feel shame when we sin and betray our Creator or some other person.

Those who feel no shame regarding their sin likely have what the Bible calls “seared” consciences, or as the New Living Translation puts it, “dead” consciences.

Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. 2 These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. 1 Timothy 4:1–2 (NLT) —

The Holy Spirit convicts us when we sin, which causes a proper apprehension of shame, leading us to turn to Christ for forgiveness and a removal of all guilt and shame, which is called justification.

There are other potential sources of shame besides our sin, which are connected to things over which we have no control or responsibility, but concerning which others may try to shame us.

Each of us comes into this world having received from our parents and God the core of our personality and physical makeup. We get our “looks,” our physical and mental strength or weakness, our intelligence, our “race” and gender, where we are born, and the family from which we derive without having any say in the matter. The world esteems the “good looking” and generally ignores or puts down the ugly. It rewards strength and scorns weakness. Depending on our culture, race and gender may open doors of opportunity and privilege or tend to close them. Generally, the world honors smart people and despises those with less intellectual ability. Those who are bold and have outgoing, affable personalities may gather a following; whereas, the shy and introverted may suffer the humiliation of being overlooked or worse. Winners are lauded, and losers are made to feel less than worthy. Fans of winning teams make shaming their opponents and their fans an art form. We may be born into riches, poverty, or the “middle class.” Our family of origin may give us an advantage or put us “behind the eight ball.” We may have loving parents or experience abandonment or abuse from those who brought us into the world. The shame and hurt that is connected to things outside of our control can penetrate deeply into our hearts and influence us to believe lies about ourselves and God. Getting free from these lies and pain  may require a deep work of the Holy Spirit in what is called the transformation process, about which I have written elsewhere.  God has used me and others in a ministry I call “wonderful counseling” to help people experience freedom from deeply ingrained lies and unhealed pain. What makes it wonderful is that Jesus is in charge. He is the Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6)

Lies lose their power over us when we know and embrace the truth of God’s Word.

Sadly, we hate to be shamed but are often willing to shame others. We want to feel good about ourselves, even if it involves making others suffer. This is the human condition without Christ and the world in which we live, but what about God? Is there any reason he might feel the sting of shame? He does not sin; so, that cannot be a source. He is perfect in every way; so, he cannot feel shame when compared to others. Is it even possible for him to feel shame?

The Bible says that we are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26).

Our emotions, however damaged or misguided they may be at times, were given to us by God and reflect his own personality.

The Bible makes it clear that God feels emotion. He becomes angry and feels compassion. He experiences joy and can be grieved. Jesus was and is the perfect representation of God’s nature and character (Hebrews 1:3). The emotions we see in Jesus reflect those of his Father, and Jesus experienced shame during his relatively short stay on the earth.

Father God orchestrated things so that his Son would be conceived through the activity of the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin. From the beginning, Jesus carried the shameful stigma of illegitimacy in the eyes of family, friends, and enemies. Who would have believed Mary’s story except for Joseph who was told by an angel that it was so? The Pharisees knew the story and were unafraid to bring it up when Jesus told them that they were not God’s children.

Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. 41 No, you are imitating your real father.” They replied, “We aren’t illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father.” 42 Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:40–44 (NLT) —

Jesus came to originate an entirely new generation of humanity descended directly from God through the new birth, free from the taint of the shame connected to Adam’s sin.

Our Lord experienced life as a “normal” person in terms of wealth and privilege. I believe this was because so many of us experience life this way.

God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 1:28–29 (NLT) —

When it came time for Jesus to enter his public ministry, he had no credentials which would have given him status with the “powers that be.” He did not receive a formal theological education from an approved institution. He was not a member of the prestigious Pharisees, Sadducees, Sanhedrin, or Levitical priesthood. He was not politically connected. In terms of what the world esteems, he had little. What he had was all he needed, however – his divine origin, impeccable character, calling, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Those of worldly rank and privilege viewed these assets as a threat. Little did they realize that he was not only the long awaited Messiah. He was and is also their Creator and the Sustainer of all living things! (Colossians 1:17) Jesus experienced the shame of being ridiculed and resisted by those who should have loved, joined, and worshiped him.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. John 1:10–11 (NASB95) —

Rejection and abandonment are two big potential sources of shame.

Those who have experienced this, whether it was intended or not, often carry deep scars. Our Lord did not succumb to self-pity or begin to believe any lies about God or himself as a result of his rejection, as many of us do. He knew that his heavenly Father loved him deeply and fully approved of him (Matthew 3:17). This knowledge allowed Jesus to persevere unflinchingly in the face of the sting of human rejection all the way to the cross.

Another source of shame is betrayal by those we thought were loyal to us.

“Et tu, Brutae?” is one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines, which was uttered by Caesar when he realized that his supposed friend Brutus was a co-conspirator in his murder. Father God was betrayed in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve chose the serpent over him. Jesus was also in a garden when he uttered these well known words.

...“Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” Luke 22:48 (NASB95) —

In marriage a man and woman vow before God to remain faithful to each other for life. If one spouse violates that covenant by adultery or abandonment, it is a betrayal of the deepest sort that shames the other partner. The greater the commitment we make to someone, the greater is the potential for shame if we are betrayed. Those we love have the ability to hurt us the most. Imagine how God felt when Adam and Eve, who were lovingly created in his image and given everything they needed, very soon decided that he was unworthy of their love and trust and undesirable compared to what the slithery lying serpent promised them!

Satan has a very low opinion of humans. He knows how duplicitous and easily deceived we can be. God, on the other hand, takes fatherly pride in us when we show unflinching loyalty to him, as is revealed in the Book of Job.

Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.” 4 Satan replied to the LORD, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. 5 But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!” Job 2:3–5 (NLT) —

Satan wants to destroy us and embarrass God by turning our hearts against our Creator.

Another potential source of shame is when we are disregarded by those who deem us to be unimportant.

Sin is so deeply ingrained in us that we often do this to people without even realizing it. Sin so corrupted humanity that it is common for people to refuse to acknowledge God’s very existence, much less honor him.

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, Romans 1:28 (NASB95) —

When we consider that God or another person is not worth knowing or spending time with, it puts that one to shame and grieves his or her heart.

Does a young woman forget her jewelry, or a bride her wedding dress? Yet for years on end my people have forgotten me. Jeremiah 2:32 (NLT) —

Even we who call ourselves Christians quite often put other things before God. Our gathering on Sunday and spending twenty minutes in praise and worship is good but does not offset a week of neglect. What does our neglect of spending time with God say about his value to us? Conversely, when we prioritize our relationship with God, it honors him and tremendously benefits us – a win-win for sure.

Another source of shame is being defeated by our enemies.

King David prayed repeatedly that the Lord would not let this happen to him. Here is an example.

O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me. Psalm 25:2 (NASB95) —

When we go to battle, whether it be in mortal combat, a debate, a sports contest, or some other contest, we risk defeat. Goliath put God’s people to shame be challenging them to combat, exposing their cowardice, which results when we are afraid to risk being put to shame. David feared being put to shame through defeat at the hands of his enemies, but he chose to fight because he could not tolerate God’s and Israel’s being put to shame because of the taunts of the enemy. His courage rose to the occasion because of his faith in God.

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. 46 “This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD’S and He will give you into our hands.” 1 Samuel 17:45–47 (NASB95) —

We can boldly enter the fray if we trust in God’s keeping power more than we fear being put to shame.

But though his creatures put him to shame by rejecting him in favor of his archenemy, God did not reject us utterly or hide himself from us. On the contrary, he embraced the shame of our guilt and sin as the means to bring us back to him! Father God sent his own Son, the eternal Logos who became a human, to identify completely with us in our sin and shame. Jesus endured the shame of being called illegitimate, falsely accused, betrayed, mocked, spit upon, beaten, and finally hung naked upon the cross where he endured a ghastly, shameful death as a criminal for our sake.

Jesus died as the Lamb of God who took our sin and shame upon himself in order to restore us in a shameless condition to Abba Father.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB95) —

Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. Colossians 1:22 (NLT) —

Jesus, God’s one and only Son, through whom Abba created everything, was willing to be put to an open shame for our sake in order to remove the sting and stain of our shame.

Isaiah the prophet wrote about him.

I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting. 7 For the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. Isaiah 50:6–7 (NASB95) —

Jesus was able to endure the shame and pain of the cross because he kept his eyes on the prize – our redemption and restoration to Abba.

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 (NASB95) —

He despised the shame of being forsaken. Jesus endured being temporarily abandoned by his loving Abba Father as he hung upon the cross and was identified with our sin. His mournful words immortalized in scripture reveal the depths of his pain.

At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Matthew 27:46 (NLT) —

Jesus had to go through the experience of being put to shame to redeem us from the power of shame.

He was willing to be exposed to public humiliation and ridicule to set us free. He refused to hide from the shame men thrust upon him out of loyalty to his Father and to us.

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13 (NLT) —

When we hear the gospel, it is an opportunity to place our faith in him and pledge eternal loyalty and allegiance to the one who is unflinchingly loyal to us.

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. Romans 10:9–10 (NLT) —

It is vitally important for us to confess our allegiance to him aloud and to publicly demonstrate it in water baptism. He wants us to show unashamed loyalty to him, just as he did for us.

One of my sons once told me that when he was in high school he made up his mind to never do anything to bring shame upon the family. I remember how amazed I was at this declaration of loyalty and faithfulness. This is the very attitude that God wants every child of God to have.

Our Lord wants us to be loyal to him, to one another, and to the gospel.

This means that we make it a point to avoid doing or saying anything that might make someone feel ashamed. (There are exceptions to this rule, but that is a subject for another article – 2 Thessalonians 3:14.) In addition, we are to avoid doing anything that might bring shame upon God and his gospel. Those who have experienced God’s goodness and then reject him do just that. If we…

...turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame. Hebrews 6:6 (NLT) —

There is little so hurtful as when friends or loved ones refuse to stand up for us.

We who are faithful in general to our Lord may bring shame to him if we fail to acknowledge him before others.

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26 (NASB95) —

Thankfully, God does not abandon us when we are less than faithful to him.

If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. 2 Timothy 2:13 (NLT) —

How can we not publicly and unashamedly proclaim our love and loyalty to such a Savior!

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Chapter 58: Giving to Those in Need

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In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus included giving to those in need (alms) with prayer and fasting in his list of spiritual disciplines to be done privately for God’s sake, rather than for a public show.

When you give a gift to someone in need, don't shout about it as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I assure you, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone, don't tell your left hand what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in secret, and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you. Matthew 6:2-4 (NLT)

I covered the practice of tithing in detail in an earlier lesson. As a quick recap, since Jesus is the Lord of our finances, we give ten percent right off the top to God without any questions or decision making on our part. This usually goes to a New Covenant equivalent of the Old Testament “storehouse,” which most consider to be the church.

Tithing is a way of demonstrating that God comes first and that we rely on him to meet our needs when we prioritize him. It also supports the work of the ministry.

Giving to those in need is something we can do with the money left over after we tithe. Jesus assumes that His disciples will give sacrificially to the poor in the passage above. He does not say “if” you give but “when.”

Our Lord wants His followers to compassionately care for those in need.

Jesus gave us the parable of the sheep and goats to emphasize the importance of giving to the poor.

For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’  Matthew 25:35–40 (NLT) —

Our love for Jesus is demonstrated by our care for those in need.

Jesus lovingly calls such people the “least of these my brethren.” This is likely because they have little to offer the giver in return, which is everyone’s spiritual condition in relationship to the Lord. We are all “poor in spirit,” which means spiritual paupers or beggars.

God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  Matthew 5:3 (NLT) —

When we give to the poor, our Lord tells us to expect nothing from them in return. God is the one who will reward us.

Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”  Luke 14:12–14 (NLT) —

One of the earmarks of godly giving is that it done with enthusiasm.

You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.  2 Corinthians 9:7–8 (NLT) —

The book of Proverbs promises that generosity towards the poor will be rewarded. Here are a few verses.

Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor. Proverbs 22:9 (NLT) 

If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD—and he will repay you! Proverbs 19:17 (NLT) 

Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing. But a curse will come upon those who close their eyes to poverty. Proverbs 28:27 (NLT)

When we encounter people in need, we have an opportunity to do something to help alleviate their suffering. It may not be enough to simply pray or offer words of encouragement.

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? 18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.  1 John 3:16–19 (NLT) —

Faith prompts us to act. In his letter to the church, James wrote that we demonstrate our faith through our loving deeds.

Dear brothers and sisters, what's the use of saying you have faith if you don't prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can't save anyone. 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, 16 and you say, "Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well"—but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless. James 2:14-17 (NLT)

We do not save ourselves through doing good works. Rather, we prove that we have saving faith by how we live. God is transforming us on the inside so that our actions match what we profess to believe.

The church can also assist the needy by using its surplus tithe funds or special offerings designated for benevolence. The less overhead a church has, the more money it may be able to use for the poor and to support other ministries. Church leadership may ask various individuals, perhaps ordained deacons, to oversee its benevolence ministry. Although the church can be a great source of funds, often God wants us to give as individuals, too.

Some people “make their living” by requesting churches and other groups to help them financially. Here are some questions to assist in evaluating such requests. Remember that the government provides resources as well. Most of the people who approach you from the outside will also be on some form of government assistance. It is a good idea to determine what their needs are after they receive government benefits.

  1. Do you have family who can help you? The family is our first line of defense. The church is not supposed to let family members “off the hook” by stepping in when they are able and should help. (1 Timothy 5:8) Not surprisingly, most do not have family who can or will help. They are either alienated from their family, have already overtaxed them, or the rest of the family is likewise in bad financial shape.
  2. Do you belong to a local church? Our second line of defense is the local church. Churches should be committed to helping their members through financial difficulties and to meet pressing needs, unless there is some good reason not to do so, such as their refusal to work or bad habits that drain their finances, such as drug abuse. If the needy person has a home church, I ask them if they have petitioned their church for help. The answer to this question can be revealing. I have had some give me the name of the church, but they do not know who the pastor is. Or perhaps they hardly ever attend. Sometimes their church has no more funds to give, which is often the case. Before helping such a person, I recommend contacting the home pastor for advice. If they do not belong to a church, I often invite them to one of our gatherings to meet them face-to-face. This eliminates most people. If they do attend, we almost always help them.
  3. How long have you been in this situation and is there any light at the end of the tunnel? I am disinclined to help someone who has a chronic need that shows little promise of ending unless they are truly disabled and have nowhere else to turn. This is almost never the case, especially since the government has so many programs. If the person is in the church, the request for financial assistance may open the door for financial counseling. Our long-term goal is to help them out of the financial pit in which they find themselves. Usually we will be more devoted over the long haul to those in the church.

For most people, unless we are “professional” con men, it is quite humbling to ask for assistance. We should try to be sensitive to this fact and not act in a way that further humiliates them. However, I expect those asking for aid to humbly submit to valid questions, since we have a responsibility to handle our money wisely and lovingly. If the person becomes angry, this is a red flag. If they remain patient, it is a good sign.

If the need is so pressing that it cannot wait until getting to know them at one of our meetings, then I lean on others to help make the decision. Sometimes people deliberately try to put us in an artificial time bind to try to force us into acting without properly investigating things. For example, they may say they need help by 5 pm or their power will be cut off, but they are usually a couple of months overdue by this time. The urgency is of their own making.

All of us have seen people asking for money on the side of the road. I usually try to go with the leading of the Spirit. Sometimes I give. Other times I do not. We should not give out of guilt. Let us always keep in mind our Lord’s words.

Give to the one who asks you, and do not reject the one who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:42 (NET) —

Here are some further guidelines that may help you.

  • It is usually best to procure what is needed rather than give the person cash. For instance, if gas is needed, go to the gas station with them to fill their tank.
  • If you catch the one asking for help in a lie, that is a huge red flag.
  • If you can employ a person to do some job to “earn” the money, it will contribute to their sense of dignity. You may wish to pay them far more than you normally would for an equivalent job.

Since our Lord expects us to help the those with needs, here are some practical ways to obey God in this area.

  • Give to or serve at ministries that feed and clothe the poor.
  • Give above your tithe to the church benevolence fund.
  • Give secretly to those whom God puts on your heart. You may want to ask a trusted friend or the church to pass this blessing along anonymously.
  • Participate in ministries which assist single moms to do various home and car repairs.
  • Get involved in ministries to ex-felons who are trying to earn a living and support their families.
  • Contribute toward or help with ministries to fatherless children.
  • Take a foster child into your home.

The important thing is for us to allow the Holy Spirit to make our hearts tender towards those in need, wherever we may encounter them, and then follow his leading.

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

Questions for Further Study and Discussion
  • Where is your heart drawn when it comes to giving and ministry to the needy?
  • Have you asked God to tenderize your heart towards “the least of these”?
  • Is the Holy Spirit putting any ministry like this on your heart?
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Chapter 56: Worship

foundations

Worship is the natural response of a heart aligned with God. If our hearts have been enlightened through revelation and reading the Bible to understand at least a little of who God is, worship and praise will come forth from our hearts and mouths quite effortlessly. However, we do not always feel like worshiping God, and this makes worship one of the most important spiritual disciplines.

We can worship without regard to our feelings because God is worthy.

We sometimes lose sight of God’s worthiness and glory and take for granted how much he has blessed us. Sometimes we experience heaviness because of the tests and difficulties of everyday life or some particularly difficult circumstance. It is during these times that we can discipline ourselves to worship God because it is the right thing to do.

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, 12 that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!  Psalm 30:11–12 (NLT) —

King David commanded his soul (mind, will, and emotions) to worship God, and so can we. We can choose to worship even when we may not feel like it, because God is worthy. We can praise the Lord because of what He has done, is doing, and what he promises to do on our behalf.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; 3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. Psalms 103:1-5 (NASB)

Our ultimate desire should be to bring glory to Him because he is glorious and worthy.

"I love You, O LORD, my strength." 2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. Psalms 18:1-3 (NASB)

Focusing on God’s glory helps us to go beyond ourselves and our own needs. Worship can become more about who he is rather than what he had done, but both are important.

During good times and difficult ones, God remains the same; therefore, the appropriateness for worship is constant.

Our worship is like the aroma of a sacrificial burnt offering that is able to bless the heart of the Almighty.

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15 (NASB)

Worship includes all we do in loving obedience to God and begins with the surrender of our hearts, but the vocal component is essential.

We are privileged to use our voices to magnify God.

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. Psalms 104:33 (NASB)

It takes breath to sing and speak praises. God wants us to use this ability to bring glory to Him. It is a way of acknowledging him both privately and publicly. Those who do not know and serve God often refuse to acknowledge him, which is an affront to the Creator.

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Romans 1:21 (NASB95) —

Even though the world tries to suppress the truth about God, we are privileged to acknowledge his glory in worship.

People are going to speak and sing about something. It is built into our nature. The devil hijacked this beautiful ability and often uses it for evil. Our fleshly propensity to sin is all too cooperative. Followers of Christ have the enormous privilege and responsibility to bring our vocal gifts back under the sway of the Holy Spirit. We can do our part by regularly offering up the sacrifice of praise throughout the day.

In the Bible grumbling and complaining against God and our circumstances is a serious sin which is fueled by unbelief and rebellion. We don’t like what is happening to us and cannot see how God can use it for good; so, we grumble and complain. When we are tempted to do this, we can command our souls to give praise instead. We will be amazed at the difference it makes in our lives and the glory it will bring to God.

Praise helps us maintain a faith orientation toward God and his promises.

Spiritual Warfare

Worship also has a spiritual warfare component. It is a powerful way to combat the enemy of our souls.

Let the praises of God be in their mouths, and a sharp sword in their hands— 7 to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, 8 to bind their kings with shackles and their leaders with iron chains, 9 to execute the judgment written against them. This is the glorious privilege of his faithful ones. Praise the Lord!  Psalm 149:6–9 (NLT) —

We know that our battle is not against humans, but against spiritual principalities and powers. Sometimes spiritual wickedness finds expression in people. This happened often in Israel’s history, and still does. When King Jehoshaphat faced a seemingly overwhelming enemy army, through Jahaziel the prophet God promised that Israel would not have to fight, but God would battle for her. The king believed the promise and put praisers out in front of the army. God kept his promise and routed the enemy without the Israeli army having to engage. This is recorded in the following passage.

When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” 22 When they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.  2 Chronicles 20:21–22 (NASB95) —

Praising God in the face of an enemy assault is a first line of defense and offense. Another similar passage is found in Exodus when Israel was fighting Amalek. As long as Moses kept his hands lifted, which is an attitude of worship and praise, Israel was victorious. When Moses let down his arms, Israel suffered defeat.

So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. 13 So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.  Exodus 17:11–13 (NASB95) —

If we maintain an attitude of worship as a regular discipline, it will elevate our faith and focus on God and protect us against the enemy.

Worship in Tongues

Jesus told the woman at the well that God wants us to worship in spirit and in truth.

But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”  John 4:23–24 (NLT) —

Worshiping God in truth requires us to know and confess the truth about God written in the Bible. We worship him for who he is, not who we want him to be. Worshiping in truth also means that we come to him honestly, not hypocritically. We open our hearts to him, instead of pretending to be someone we are not. He sees through us already anyway. 

Worshiping in spirit means we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in or worship and service to God.

This includes allowing the Spirit to speak and sing through us with heavenly words.

For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries.  1 Corinthians 14:2 (NASB95) — 

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  Romans 8:26–27 (NASB95) —

Speaking and singing in tongues is a wonderful way to worship.

Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand. 1 Corinthians 14:15 (NLT) —

The gift of speaking in tongues is one of the most important and useful of the spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12. When we speak, pray, or sing in tongues, the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is speaking through us in a language known to God but not us. The words are untainted by human bias or misunderstanding. They are in perfect alignment with God’s will, too. I teach more on that in another article entitled, “What’s So Great about Tongues?”

Normally tongues are spoken directly to God and is for our personal benefit or the benefit of someone for whom we pray. If tongues are spoken aloud in a meeting in a way that focuses all attention on the speaker, the message should be interpreted so that our hearers will derive some benefit, too.

In a time of worship, when our focus is entirely on the Lord, it is appropriate for people to sing or speak in tongues to the Lord. We are not trying to edify one another. We are glorifying God.

Paul wrote the following.

What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. 16 Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified. 18 I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; 19 however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.  1 Corinthians 14:15–19 (NASB95) —

In other words, when everyone is singing in English, we should sing along in the same language. There is a time, however, when the entire congregation can worship together in the spirit or tongues. I have heard some of the most beautiful harmonies while participating in congregational singing in tongues. It is as if we were a heavenly choir being directed by the Holy Spirit.

When I was a new believer, I remember feeling as if I had a “lid” on my worship. I would frequently reach a place where I wanted to express myself further but was unable. After receiving the gift of tongues, I never felt that way again.

Singing in the spirit enables us to perfectly express our worship without being limited by the human mind.

The Widow’s Offering

It is important for us to understand that God wants us to give what we have. Jesus praised the widow who gave a very small amount, but it was all she had.

Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”  Mark 12:43–44 (NASB95) —

Some of us have been given immense vocal and musical talent, such as King David. Others of us cannot carry a tune in a bucket. Thankfully, the Bible says to “make a joyful noise to the Lord.” (Psalm 66:1 KJV) This noise may be spoken words, a shout, singing aloud, or something musical. All God wants is the best we can give. He wants our hearts more than anything else.

O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes take delight in following my ways.  Proverbs 23:26 (NLT) —

If we give God our hearts, we will worship the way he desires.

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

Questions for Further Study and Discussion
  • Have you ever made the decision to praise God during a difficult situation? What was the result?
  • Have you ever received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and spoken in tongues?
  • Have you ever worshiped God in the spirit (tongues)?
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