“THOUGHTS ON THE LORD’S DAY”
“Too many Christian “strippers, ” not enough armed warriors.
The purpose of God’s people is found in Genesis 22:17 and 24:60, possess the gates of your enemy. The mission of the Church is assigned in Matthew 28, reach those relationally divorced from Christ and turn them into fully devoted followers of Christ.
The purpose of discipleship is not producing “church-goers,” but reproducing Kingdom warriors. Warriors who know how to do spiritual warfare on the front lines of battle every day in the marketplace. Jesus promised that the “gates of hell would not prevail” Matthew 16:18.
In case you haven’t noticed, those gates are prevailing today in America. The Kingdom of darkness controls every city council, public school board and county commission with very few, if any, exceptions. The church is represented on many of those boards by great men and women of God, but Kingdom values do not set the agenda, worldly values do.
America was founded on Kingdom principles that have all but been eliminated from public life. We do not even live in a neutral environment, but in the midst of a hostile conflict. Every day our marketplace warriors, ministers of the Gospel, live and work behind enemy lines.
The god of this world is firmly established on his throne. There is only one domain beyond his control. Only one thing prevents his total domination of this world–the Body of Christ, the Church, the Redeemed. Those actively involved in the conflict of the ages.
As a result, the Church, the “called out ones,” are under constant attack. Only the Church, not the one who meets in buildings, but the one who stands against the invading darkness in the public square. Believers need taught not just how to have church, but how to be the Church when she leaves the safety and comfort of her assemblies. This marketplace church needs constant reinforcement and unwavering commitment.
We have too many Christian strippers. They have put on the helmet of salvation but failed to fully dress for war. They have read and maybe even studied the Bible as a devotional, but know little about how to use it as a “two-edged” sword on Monday when they show up on the frontlines.
They know how to pray in their prayer closets and even boldly offer up prayers among the saints. However, they know little about how to use prayer as judicial authority when doing hand-to-hand combat with the heathen at a city council meeting.
The Church is not just the vanguard of Kingdom advancement. She is the entire assault force! According to Jesus’ words, the Church is not only to take a stand. She must stage a frontal attack every day on the Kingdom of darkness through her fully informed, empowered and armed marketplace warriors.
God help us not to be like the Ephraimites. Armed for war, but fled the fight.
“The warriors of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned their backs and fled on the day of battle.” Psalms 78:9
If the church does not intend to engage the enemy on the battlefield, she will not feel the need to be fully dressed for war. She will not have a sense of urgency to “assemble together” and learn how to use the weapons of spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6, don’t leave home and go to war without it!