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Preaching the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4:2 - |
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SPIRITUAL WARFARE MOVEMENT Pastor INTRODUCTION A. We know from Scripture that Satan exists
and has set up a counterfeit program. He attacks God’s creation (Gen 3:1),
God’s Word (Gen 3:1, 4), God’s character (Gen 3:5), God’s truth (1Ti 4:1-5; 2Co 11:14), God’s Christ
(2Th 2:9-11), and God’s children (Rev 12:10; 1Pe 5:8). B. We also know from Scripture that Satan
uses the help of fallen angels who follow him (Rev 12:4; Mat 12:24-26). C. We are also taught that there is a
spiritual battle waging and the believer is the battlefield and somehow takes
part (Eph 6:12). D. Many pertinent questions must be answered;
but answered biblically. 1. What can we ascertain about the extent of
spiritual warfare? 2. How then does the believer stand in
spiritual warfare? 3. What aggressive role, if any, does the believer
play in spiritual warfare? 4. Is the contemporary Spiritual Warfare
Movement biblically correct? 5. Are we at the mercy of Satan and his
minions unless the leaders of the Spiritual Warfare Movement intervene for
us? E. Clearly, the believer must face a battle
of spiritual warfare. 1. The believer is indeed engaged in
spiritual warfare because Paul, in writing the church in 2. The word for “struggle” is the Greek
word, pálê, which according to
the, Wuest's Word Studies From The Greek
New Testament means, Paul uses a Greek athletic term. Thayer defines as
follows: “a contest between two in which each endeavors to throw the other,
and which is decided when the victor is able to press and hold down his
prostrate antagonist, namely, hold him down with his hand upon his neck.”
When we consider that the loser in a Greek wrestling contest had his eyes
gouged out with resulting blindness for the rest of his days, we can form
some conception of the Ephesian Greek’s reaction to Paul’s illustration. The
Christian’s wrestling against the powers of darkness is no less desperate and
fateful. 3. Therefore, the believer is engaged in
hand to hand combat with the forces of darkness so to speak, though they are
not physical but spiritual forces. 4. Many make the mistake of focusing only on
the human agent or circumstance giving little or no thought to the unseen
spiritual forces. On the other hand, there are many who believe that
everything, no matter how insignificant, is caused by spiritual warfare. Both
can be a hindrance to the believer’s warfare. There are two equal and opposite errors into which our
race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other
is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They
themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or
magician with the same delight (Lewis, C. S., The Screwtape
Letters, p. 3). 5. So what then is the believer’s part? How does the believer combat these
spiritual enemies and in what arenas? Should believers take Frank Peretti’s fictional novel, This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness as a theological
guideline for spiritual warfare? Are we to fight packs of demons in towns,
governments, education systems, and churches? Or as some advocates of today’s
Spiritual Warfare Movement maintain, are we to seek, confront, bind, cast out
demons associated with specific cities and neighborhoods in “territorial
warfare?” Before looking at Eph 6:10-17; we will
look at the history, elements, and practices of the Spiritual Warfare
Movement. I. HISTORY OF THE SPIRITUAL WARFARE MOVEMENT A. There is an oddity about what we term as,
“movements.” They seem to begin as mere whispers of individuals or groups.
But the next thing you know, they are full-fledged “movements.” One such
movement is the Spiritual Warfare Movement (SWM). B. When you look at all factors involved, you
can understand why the Spiritual Warfare Movement has become such a dominant
movement. There was a time when mainstream Christianity challenged every
experience with the Scriptures. Even though there were splinter movements and
unpopular groups that were more experiential than biblical, they were not
taken seriously. However, these movements were joined by other movements who
either accepted their experiences or tolerated them. In time, the Pentecostal
Movement, Church Growth Movement, Ecumenical Movement, and today’s
contemporary Evangelical Movement have merged in to one dominant movement. C. The history of the SWM
is quite adequately explained by one of it own proponents, C. Peter Wagner. 1. It was born out of the Holiness and
Pentecostal Movement. To go further back in the historical context, the
holiness movement of the late 1800s and the Pentecostal movement of the early
1900s laid foundations for personal righteousness on one hand and ministry
with supernatural signs and wonders on the other. Both of these have
continued to play major roles in preparing the church … I believe we will see
increasing emphasis on both holiness and power ministries in the years to
come. (Wagner, C.
Peter, “Spiritual Warfare,” and excerpt from Engaging the Enemy). 2. It grew through the Church Growth
Movement. The Church Growth Movement, which I represent, has been
blessed by God and has been used to stimulate fundamental changes both in
local church ministry and in world evangelization. The movement began in
1955, and for the first 25 years or so under the inspiration of its founder,
Donald McGavran, worked on developing the radical
new technological aspects of church growth and evangelism, which have been so
widely acclaimed.
(Wagner, C. Peter, “The Real Battle is Spiritual,” and excerpt from Warfare
Prayer). 3. It was nurtured by the Vineyard Movement. Around 1980, I began sensing from God that I needed to
concentrate on the spiritual dimensions of church growth. Because of my close
friendship with John Wimber [founding pastor of
Vineyard Christian Fellowship], who at the time was being called "Mr.
Signs and Wonders" by some, I knew that power evangelism would be the
first item on my new agenda. I also sensed that after this, prayer would be
my next agenda item although, I must admit, at the time I had no clue how
prayer might relate to effective evangelism. (Wagner, C. Peter, “The Real Battle is
Spiritual,” and excerpt from Warfare Prayer). 4. It was joined by the Ecumenical Movement. In the spring of 1989, I began learning about another
spiritual dimension relating to evangelism: personal prophecy. I will not go
into detail here how individuals such s John Wimber
, Cindy Jacobs and Paul Cain helped open this new area of understanding to me
except that at the beginning I was somewhat skeptical, but I now believe that
the prophetic is a valid and significant ministry in these days. … I will not relate prophecy in detail here, but the item
of the living parable in 5. It was enlarged by Territorial Proponents. Previous to 6. It is promoted by C. Peter Wagner. C. Peter Wagner even goes so far as to say that in
engaging territorial spirits as part of our ministry of setting people free
to respond to the gospel we have introduced a "spiritual
technology" which will bring the greatest power boost in the mission of the
church since William Carey's started the Protestant missions movement at the
end of the 18th century. Wagner is not alone in advocating strategic level
spiritual warfare prayer against territorial spirits as the single most
important strategy we can utilize in reaching the unreached,
though he is the most commonly cited authority on the topic. (A. Scott Moreau, “Gaining Perspective
on Territorial Spirits”) D. Mere whispers have been replaced by loud
dogmatic teaching. However, this is not teaching from the Scriptures, but
teaching from false teachers who believe they have been called by God to
pioneer a movement, that even the apostle Paul evidently was not aware of. II. ELEMENTS OF THE SPIRITUAL WARFARE MOVEMENT A. A characteristic of this movement is to
use common evangelical terms, but with different meanings. This is a sly way
of getting others to put down their guard to introduce new teaching. Words
like “evangelism,” “intercessory prayer,” and “warfare” are key words in the
Spiritual Warfare Movement. B. However, “evangelism” really means “power
evangelism,” the accompaniment of signs and miracles as a demonstration of
God’s power. “Intercessory prayer” is the SWM’s
lingo for waging warfare prayer. “Warfare” is the strategy of spiritual
mapping territorial spirits. C. There is not only a new wave of terms, but
a new wave of Christians called the, “Third Wave.” The Third Wave describes
an ecumenical group emerging among Pentecostals, Charismatics,
and Evangelicals. D. The following elements are found in the
Third Wave Spiritual Warfare Movement. 1. Third Wave (term coined by Peter Wagner) The Third Wave is a new moving of the Holy Spirit among
evangelicals who for one reason or another have chosen not to identify with
either the Pentecostals or the Charismatics. Its
roots go back a little further but I see it as mainly a movement beginning in
the 1980's and gathering momentum through the closing years of the 20th
century. I see the Third Wave as distinct from, but at the same time, very
similar to the first and second waves. They have to be similar because it is
the same Spirit of God who is doing the work. The major variation comes in
the understanding of the meaning of "Baptism in the Holy Spirit"
and the role of tongues in authenticating this. I myself, for example, would
rather not have people call me a Charismatic, I do not consider myself a
Charismatic, I am simply an Evangelical Congregationalist who is open to the
Holy Spirit working through me and my church in any way He chooses. (Wagner, C. Peter, The Third Wave of
the Holy Spirit, pg. 15) 2. Power Evangelism Power Evangelism is a form of evangelism which relies
primarily on the supernatural power and gifts of the Holy Spirit for its effectiveness.
Although most Christians would believe that a person is brought to faith
primarily through the action of God in the person of the Holy Spirit, in this
form of evangelism supernatural events such as healings, words of knowledge
and speaking in tongues are a demonstration of the power, and therefore the
reality, of God.
(wikipedia.org) It is a spontaneous, Spirit-inspired, empowered
presentation of the gospel. Power evangelism is preceded and undergirded by demonstrations of God’s presence, and
frequently results in groups of people being saved. Signs and wonders do not
save, only Jesus and his substitutionary work on the cross saves. Through
these encounters people experience the presence and power of God. Usually
this takes the form of words of knowledge…healing, prophecy, and deliverance
from evil spirits. In power evangelism, resistance to the gospel is overcome
by the demonstration of God’s power, and receptivity to Christ’s claims is
usually very high (Wimber, Power Evangelism, p. 78,79). 3. Warfare Prayer (aka.
“Intercessory Prayer”) It seems reasonable to assume that those of us, like me,
who come from traditional evangelical wing of the church would do well to be
open to learn from our charismatic brothers and sisters. The most fundamental
lesson, as I see it, is that they have a more advanced understanding that the
real battle for evangelization is spiritual. Signs and wonders, deliverance
from demonic powers, miraculous healings, sustained and enthusiastic worship,
prophecies and warfare prayer are seen by many of them as the normal
outworking of Christianity…The manifestation of this spiritual power in
bringing large numbers of people to Jesus Christ speaks for itself. We need
only observe what God is doing in the world today to realize that the
effectiveness of our evangelistic efforts depends to a great degree on the
outcome of the spiritual battles in the heavenly places… 4. Prayer Walking Spying out the land is essential when warring for a
city...Christians should walk or drive every major freeway, avenue, and road of
their cities, praying and coming against demonic strongholds over every
neighborhood... Even if you don't see instant results, keep the trumpets
blowing.. Always remember, God is not slack concerning His promise; the walls
will come down! (Engaging
the Enemy: How to Fight and Defeat Territorial Spirits - C. Peter Wagner, Ventura,CA; Regal , p. 98) 5. Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare -
Territorial Spirits To see how spiritual mapping fits into the whole evangelistic
design, allow me to summarize Ed Silvoso’s six
steps for taking a city... [Step] 4. Infiltrate Satan's perimeter. Launch the
'air attack' of specific and strategic intercessory prayer through hundreds
of thousands of prayer houses (prayer cells), having the objective of
weakening Satan's control over the unsaved, claiming instead a favorable
disposition to the gospel. At the same time begin to plant embryonic churches
('lighthouses') in anticipation of an abundant harvest. [Step] 5. Attack and destroy
Satan's perimeter. Begin the 'frontal assault.' Launch the spiritual takeover
of the city, confronting, binding and casting down the spiritual powers
ruling over the region... Disciple new believers through the established
lighthouses. (compiled
by Sandy Simpson & Mike Oppenheimer, "C. Peter Wagner - Quotes &
Notes." Excerpt is from Victor Lorenzo's "Evangelizing a City
Dedicated to Darkness," a chapter in C. Peter Wagner's book,
"Breaking Strongholds in Your City" (Regal Books, Ventura, CA,
1993). The parenthetical comments are in the original.) 6. Wagner’s Strategic Level Spiritual
Warfare - Territorial Spirits Ground Level: Person-to-person, praying for each other's
personal needs. Occult Level: deals
with demonic forces released through activities related to Satanism,
witchcraft, astrology and many other forms of structured occultism.
Strategic-Level or Cosmic-Level: To bind and bring down spiritual
principalities and powers that rule over governments." (C. Peter Wagner, Confronting the
Powers, pp.21-22) III. UNBIBLICAL PRACTICES OF THE SPIRITUAL
WARFARE MOVEMENT A. Along with the elements, there are
numerous unbiblical practices by the Spiritual Warfare Movement. These
practices stem from either a faulty theology or a misapplication of Scripture. B. Most of their ideas revolve around the
false assumption that believers have the authority to bind and rebuke Satan.
They attempt to assert authority, that even angelic beings do not use. C. The following are unbiblical practices used
by the Spiritual Warfare Movement. 1. Binding Satan A little later on, Jesus repeats His teaching on binding
and loosing, and adds, 'Where two or three are gathered together in My name,
there I am in the midst of them' (Mt. 18:20). This seems to be a delegated
authority which common believers would be expected to use today. (Wagner, “Spiritual Warfare,” Global
Harvest Ministries website) a) The passages used by the SWM to support binding demons either have nothing to do
with demons or are misinterpreted. b) Mat 16:19 and 18:18 have nothing to do
with demons. Rather, they specifically speak of the authority of the twelve
disciples to exercise church discipline. c) Mat 12:29 was Jesus’ explanation to the
Pharisees why He did not cast out demons by the power of Beelzebel. In
addition, it was not an instruction to His disciples on binding demons. d) Therefore, there are no Scriptures
instructing us to bind Satan or his demons. This idea is based on the misinterpretation of three passages:
Mt 12:29; 16:19; and 18:18. The context reveals that Mt 12:29 was an
illustration of Christ's personal power over Satan — not ours. And Mt 16:19;
18:18 are in the context of fulfilling God's will on earth, including church
discipline. (Gilley, “Spiritual
Warfare” - Part 3) Well, that whole thing about binding Satan to me is a lot
of hocus pocus that I don’t understand to begin with. They keep talking about
binding Satan, I don’t even understand what that means? That isn't even in
the Scripture. The only time Satan is bound is in the thousand year
millennium, and the Lord is going to do that [Rev 20:2]. I don’t know where
that came from. I don’t know who invented that. (Bible Bulletin Board, "MacArthur's Questions and Answers" by: Tony Capoccia) 2. Rebuking The Devil When an evil spirit, disease, or evil person is rebuked in the Name
of Christ Jesus, it is as if the rebuke comes from the Lord Himself. The
scripture says that the Name of Jesus IS the Word of God. Therefore, when
Satan or a demonic spirit is rebuked in the Name of Christ Jesus, you are
essentially throwing the whole Word of God against them. (Zumpano, a) In above article, Dr. Zumpano instructed a
co-worker to keep rebuking the demon until it was so tormented that it would
just leave. b) The Scriptures never instruct the believer
to rebuke the devil. Michael the archangel defaulted to the Lord’s rebuke of
Satan (Jud 9). c) In addition, the Scriptures tell us that only
the foolish and arrogant revile angelic beings (2Pe 2:10). Believers are never instructed to rebuke the devil or his
demons. The N.T. views rebuking as the sole
prerogative of Jesus (Jude 9). As a matter of fact, this is a mark of false
prophets (II Pet 2:4-12; Jude 8,9). Why do people rebuke the Devil then? II
Pet 2:12 and Jude 10 say they do so because they do not understand what they
are doing. II Pet 2:10 suggests that they do so because of arrogance. (Gilley, “Spiritual Warfare” - Part 3) Now if Michael, who is super angel, who is the champion
of all angels, who can handle Satan, you just read revelation 12 and you’ll
see Michael can handle Satan, he can handle not only Satan but the whole of
the demon host. But the point [in Jude 9]… that is being made is not that
Satan is a match for Michael, but that Michael recognized the fearfulness of
dealing with the devil, and it’s a warning to the believer to stay away from
those things, which are the manifestation of the devil. (Bible Bulletin Board, "MacArthur's Questions and Answers" by: Tony Capoccia) 3. Pleading The Blood Satan hates nothing more than to be reminded of the blood
of Jesus. The cross is an embarrassment to him. Every soul saved by the blood
of Jesus is a further embarrassment to him. Satan cannot stand his ground
against the blood of Jesus…In one of the instances I had bound the demons
before they had made any noise and was gathering a small team to minister to
the woman. One of the team members somewhat routinely claimed the power of the
blood of Jesus Christ. Just the mention of the blood totally changed the
situation from relative quiet into shrieks and screams 'NOT THE BLOOD! NOT
THE BLOOD!' While claiming and applying the blood of Christ must not be
regarded as some magic formula, it certainly must be recognized as a powerful
weapon of spiritual warfare. (Wagner, C. Peter, “Spiritual Warfare,” and excerpt from Engaging
the Enemy) a) The only references to the “blood of the
Lamb” are found in the book of Revelation. b) Rev 7:14 infers the real meaning of the
blood of the Lamb which is the cleansing of sin as in 1Pe 1:19. c) In addition, Rev 12:11 speaks of
overcoming the devil, but overcoming him “because of” or “on account of” (dià with accusative, not “through”)
the blood of the Lamb. In other words, on account of Christ’s blood cleansing
believers’ sins, they have overcome the devil by being rescued from the
dominion of darkness at salvation. d) So then, pleading the blood is a
pseudo-magical formula that does nothing that Christ has not already
accomplished by the work on the cross. This phrase or idea is found nowhere in the N.T. Christ's blood delivers us from sin. (Gilley, “Spiritual Warfare” - Part 3) 4. Power Formula: In The Name of Jesus There are several biblical references which point to the
importance of Jesus' name. Mark quotes Jesus as saying that we cast out
demons in Jesus' name (Mk. 16:17). John quotes Jesus as saying, 'If you ask
anything in My name I will do it' (Jn. 14:14). Paul says that God gave Jesus
the name which is above every name (Phil. 2:9), just to mention a few
examples…When Jesus invites us to use His name, He transfers divine
authority. It is an awesome weapon, but caution is needed…The name of Jesus
is a powerful weapon of spiritual warfare and it wields tremendous authority,
but only if we use it according to His will. (Wagner, C. Peter, “Spiritual Warfare,”
and excerpt from Engaging the Enemy) By personal experience which God has allowed, I know that
the power of evil spirits is real and can have direct influence in the life
of a Christian. I could cite a growing
number of personal experiences to verify this, but I will choose only the
most dramatic. Once a month my Sunday
School class [Congregational Church], the 120 Fellowship, comes to our house
for a night of intercession. One of
those nights two people who have the gift of discernment of spirits sensed
something wrong in the house, especially in our bedroom. So they went upstairs and prayed against
the evil they felt was there. Not long afterward, in the middle of one night when I was
away, my wife, Doris, woke up with a terrible fear. Her heart was pounding. She opened her eyes to see a luminous green
outline of some being in the corner of the room. She could see a pair of eyes, also luminous
green. She recognized at once that it
was a demon and rebuked it in the name of Jesus, commanding it to leave the
house. It moved a few feet to the
right, then back again, then disappeared.
Doris went back to bed and slept soundly the rest of the night in
complete peace. The next episode occurred after two members of my Sunday
School class, who have a powerful ministry of healing and deliverance, were
talking to Doris. She mentioned the
green spirit. They immediately
suggested that they go to our house and check it out. Because my wife and I were both at work,
they got the house key from her and went to our home. They got out of their car and opened the gate to a small
courtyard in front of the house, but they could not go any farther. Some powerful force was resisting
them. So instead of going to the front
door, they entered the garage. They
reported later that on a scale of 1–10 the evil power in the garage was about
9. There was such a tremendous energy
that they could actually smell the evil.
(They had smelled something similar before, so it was not a new
experience). They found the smelly
demon and cast it out.
(Wagner, “Third Wave” from “Christian Life”) As a believer, you have a right to make commands in the
name of Jesus. Each time you stand on the Word, you are commanding God to a
certain extent because it is His Word (Copeland, Our Covenant with God, KCP
Publications, 1987, p. 32). a) The phrase “in the name of Jesus” is not a
formula that sends demons scurrying. The meaning of the phrase signifies the
sphere of Jesus’ authority and command. b) In other words, when someone is baptized
in the name of Jesus, it means that they are being baptized in obedience to
the authority and command of Jesus (Act 10:48). When Paul cast a demon out of
the slave girl (in the name of Jesus), it was done in accordance with the
authority and command of Jesus. The demon left because of Paul’s special
ability as a designated apostle of Jesus Christ (Mar 3:15; 2Co 12:12). 5. Receiving a Word (Rhema) Pentecostal theologians have made the helpful suggestion of
distinguishing the logos word of God from the rhema word of God...The rhema
is regarded as a more immediate word from God which we do not find in the 66 books
of the Bible. Although it will never contradict the written word of God, it
is something we seek directly from the Father. For example, we want to buy a
home and we pray, 'God, is this the one?' or we look for a job and pray,
"God, please show me if it is your will that I accept his offer.' We
pray believing that He will give us the answer. What are commonly (though
questionably) referred to as 'words of knowledge' also fall into the rhema
category. (Wagner, C. Peter, Engaging the Enemy, pg. 15-16) The use of the written word of God, the scriptures, is a
powerful weapon of warfare as we see in the temptation of Jesus. As a
response to all three attacks of the devil, Jesus quoted the Old Testament
scriptures and the devil could not resist…But there is also a spoken word of
God, a rhema, which I will explain in more detail later one. At this point I
simply want to indicate that hearing a fresh, spoken word of God is an
important part of using the sword of the Spirit. (Wagner, C. Peter, “Spiritual Warfare,”
and excerpt from Engaging the Enemy) How do we know if a rhema word is valid? How do we know
that what we are hearing is not just our own imagination or, worse, something
generated by the world, the flesh, or the devil?... Spiritual gifts, such as
the gift of prophecy or the gift of discernment of spirits come into the
picture at this point. They are extremely helpful. So are experience and
Christian maturity and holiness and personal intimacy with God. These go a
long way in providing assurance to an individual such as the woman who had
the word about he intestinal disease. (Wagner, C. Peter, “Spiritual Warfare,” and excerpt from Engaging
the Enemy) Then in 1983, John Wimber
received a rhema word from God that the root cause of my headaches had been a
demon and that I was to drive it out myself rather than ask someone else to
do it for me. I obeyed. I cast out the demon in the name of Jesus, and I have
not suffered any such headaches since that day (Wagner, Confronting the Powers). a) Charles Farah,
in an attempt to give biblical credibility to mysticism and experience noted
the two different Greek words, for “word.” The two words are lógos and rhêma. b) Lógos, Farah claimed, becomes rhêma
when it speaks to you. Farah’s idea of speaks
does not mean teach or become insightful, but infers that the Holy Spirit
takes any message of the N.T., whether in context
or not, and prophecies a healing or manifestation to you. c) First, the Bible never promotes itself as
some a sort of wee gee board. God’s will has to do with the understanding and
wisdom of the Scriptures (Eph 5:17 “foolish” - áphrōn
- lit. “without mind”). d) Secondly, lógos
usually denotes the corporate or entire body of a writing (Heb 4:12; 1Jo
2:14), whereas rhêma denotes a
particular word or phrase in the lógos
(Mat 4:4; Eph 6:17). e) Rhêma may be practical and applicable, but is
anything but mystical and experiential. 6. Inherited Curses The Word of God hints that when demonic powers get their hooks into a
person’s life, a problem of a transfer to succeeding generations is created.
These fallen angels can control a human person only as long as that person
lives. When he dies, the demonic powers continue to live. Seeking to continue
their mission for Satan, they look to the most direct claim for their next
work: this seems to be the deceased person’s children, grandchildren, nieces
and nephews. Thus demonization becomes a
generational problem. (Mark Bubeck, The Rise of Fallen Angels, pg. 45) a) When it comes to ancestral curses, once
again, the SWM has misinterpreted the Scriptures in
Exo 20:5. b) We would all agree that sin can have an
influencing affect to the third and fourth generation. But influence is
completely different from a “curse.” The next verse shows that such influence
is stopped when faith in God is exercised. At that point, God shows
lovingkindness, not cursing. c) Furthermore, Eze 18:20 teaches that each
individual will bear his own punishment and not the punishment of an
ancestor. There are [three] reasons
why this is not accurate: 1) Salvation delivers us from all sin — including occultic
sins. The Bible does not recognize occult sin as a special category that has
not been dealt with at the cross. 2) Ex 20:5 refers to the choice of each successive generation to
follow after the sins of their ancestors. Ezek 18:10-20 says that we will
each be dealt with according to our own sin. 3) Ex 20:5-6; Deut 5:9-10 deals with Israel — not the church. (Gilley, “Spiritual Warfare” - Part 3) It seems clear from the passage that the basis of God’s judgment or
blessings are based upon the choice of each successive generation’s decision
to follow after the sins of their ancestors. Thus, the mode of transmission
of the sins is not because the children are under a curse from sin committed
by the parent. Instead, the sin is conveyed through the child learning the
sin patterns from his parents and choosing generation after generation to
persist in them. A mystical or curse transmission is not taught or implied
from the text! Ezekiel 18:2-20 says that God curses each Israelite individual
for his own sins and not specifically because of something that their fathers
have done ... In fact there is not one example in the entire Bible of a saved
person being under a satanic curse, which had to be ‘broken’ by Christian
exorcism or distinct confession.
(Thomas Ice, Biblical Perspectives, Vol. 5, No. 2, March-April 1992,
“An Examination of False Spiritual Warfare Cliches,”
pg. 5.) 7. Raising the Dead I too now believe that dead people are literally being
raised in the world today. As soon as I say that, some ask if I believe if it
is normative? I doubt if it would be normative in any local situation but it
probably is normative in terms of the universal Body of Christ. Even though
it is an extremely uncommon event I would not be surprised if it were
happening several times a year. ( C. Peter Wagner, as cited in Charismatic Chaos - Part 5, Does
God do Miracles Today?, Copyright 1991, by John F. MacArthur, Jr.,) Now, with the supposed large number of people being raised from the
dead, you would imagine that somebody could manage to come up with one who
could give testimony to the validity. But not one modern occurrence of
raising the dead can be verified. You say, "What about Oral Roberts'
claim the he has raised many people?" Well, he was challenged to produce
the names and addresses of the people he raised and he balked. Later he
recalled only one incident more than 20 years before when he had supposedly
raised a dead child in front of 10,000 witnesses. "During a healing
service," he recalled, "A mother in the audience jumped up and
shouted, 'My baby is dead!'" Roberts said he, "prayed over the
child and it jerked, it jerked in my hand." Roberts conceded that
neither that child nor others he said he had brought to life had been
pronounced clinically dead. "I understand," he hedged, "there
is a difference in a person dying and not breathing and a person being clinically
dead." (MacArthur, Charismatic
Chaos, Ch 5) 8. New Apostolic Age I believe that the
government of the church is finally coming into place and that is what the
Scripture teaches in Eph. 2, that the foundation of the church is apostles and
prophets. Previous to this decade of the 80's and the 90's we practically
ignored prophets and apostles and now we’re seeing, what I believe is a major
reason. We’re going to new levels in
prayer. We’re going to new levels in the spiritual. We’re going to new levels
in healing and miracles. We’re going to new levels in deliverance of demonic
deliverance. And so this is the new era we are going into and I don't know if
it is coincidental or what, but its just as we are moving into the new
millennium.” (C. Peter
Wagner, CBN interview Jan. 3, 2000) a) This view is in keeping with the
Charismatic theology called, “Dominion Theology.” Dominion Theology espouses
that believers are to take power over Satan and his demons and exercise
dominion over the institutions of the world infiltrated by demons. Such
dominion is exercised through binding demons, pleading the blood, and
engaging in spiritual territorial strategy. This theology is the heart of the
Spiritual Warfare Movement. It should be because they are made up of the same
individuals and groups. b) In addition, the Third Wave resurgence of
the office of apostle is unbiblical because one of the criteria for being an
apostle was having both seen and been commissioned by the resurrected Christ
(1Co 9:1). Do these new apostles claim to have seen and been commissioned by
the risen Lord? They may claim it, but they do so in a dangerous and fallible
manner that proves they are not apostles (cp. Deu 18:22). IV. FINAL COMMENTS ON THE SPIRITUAL WARFARE
MOVEMENT A. The End Justifies the Means 1. How does a movement digress down the
wrong path? It venerates experience over the Bible, it reinterprets the
Scriptures, and it embraces an ends-justifies-the-means philosophy. “we ought to see clearly that the end does justify the
means. What else possibly could justify the means? If the method I am using
accomplishes the goal I am aiming at, it is for that reason a good method.
If, on the other hand, my method is not accomplishing the goal, how can I be
justified in continuing to use it?” (C. Peter Wagner, Your Church Can Grow - Seven Vital Signs Of
A Healthy Church, pg. 137) 2. To be fair, Wagner does include a
“proviso” in his ends-justifies-the-means comment, which states that we
cannot compromise doctrine or ethics. The problem is the movement is already
reinterpreting doctrine and taking experience over truth. Therefore, their
ends are justified by their unbiblical means. John MacArthur comments on
Wagner’s proviso, Biblical correctness is the only framework by which we
must evaluate all ministry methods. Any end-justifies-the-means philosophy of
ministry inevitably will compromise doctrine, despite any proviso to the
contrary. If we make effectiveness the gauge of right and wrong, how can that
fail to color our doctrine? Ultimately the pragmatist’s notion of truth is
shaped by what seems effective, not by the objective revelation of Scripture.
(MacArthur, J., Ashamed
of the Gospel : When the Church Becomes Like the World, electronic
edition) B. The Necessity of a Loop-hole 1. It is not surprising that the proponents
of SWM make outlandish claims of deliverance such
as bringing down the Berlin Wall, deposing Manuel Noriega, and lowering the
crime rate in Los Angeles, etc. 10 million Japanese will come to Christ by the year 2000;
it helped to bring down the Berlin Wall and opened Albania to the gospel; it
deposed dictator Manuel Noriega; it lowered the crime rate in Los Angeles and
broke the power of demons over Japan (C. Peter Wagner, Breaking Strongholds in Your City, 1993, p.25) 2. But what is surprising is the fact that
the proponents of the SWM deem it necessary to
provide a loop-hole when things don’t work. It Doesn't Always Work! 71 percent of the people I have prayed for over the last
two years are still sick to some degree after the prayer is over. . . . I
don’t think this is strange. . . . I have heard John Wimber
[another advocate] say on occasion, “More people I pray for are not healed
than are” (C. Peter
Wagner, How to Have a Healing Ministry, p. 257). 3. I cannot help notice that a 71 percent
failure rate is poor odds for pragmatists and those who suggest the end
justifies the means. Obviously, there are ways to get around serious
objections. I guess that is why they call them loop-holes. C. Christ Has Defeated the Devil and His
Demons 1. I am thankful that believers do not have
to depend upon the present day SWM for victory in
Christ and victory over the devil. Believers can rely upon the writings of
Paul and other Scriptures to understand spiritual warfare. 2. Paul never once refers to spiritual
mapping, binding demons, mystical rhema, and inherited curses. 3. Victory over the devil comes from the
finished work of Christ and admonitions to put on the armor of God. 4. As for Christ’s victory over Satan, the
Scriptures tell us that: a) Christ has destroyed the works of the
devil (1Jo 3:8). Though Satan is still active, his ultimate purposes will
never be accomplished and his demise is guaranteed (Rev 20:10). b) Christ has rendered the devil powerless
from overcoming the believer (Heb 2:14). c) Satan has already been judged (Joh 16:11)
and defeated (Joh 12:31). d) Christ has prayed for believers to be kept
from the evil one (Joh 17:15). e) Christ still intercedes for the believer
(cp. Luk 22:31; Rom 8:34). 5. Though Christ has defeated Satan and the
war has been won, Scripture tells us that the spiritual battle will rage on.
However, Scripture also instructs the believer that his part is to put on the
armor of God and stand firm. The remainder of this study will concentrate on
the believer’s armor (Eph 6:10-18). V. BIBLICAL WEAPONS OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE (Eph 6:10-17) A. The Believer’s Struggle in Spiritual
Warfare (12) 1. The believer is indeed engaged in spiritual
warfare. Paul writes to the Ephesian church about “our” (the believer’s)
struggle. 2. The word for “struggle” is the Greek
word, pálê, which according to
the Wuest's Word Studies From The Greek
New Testament says, Paul uses a Greek athletic term. Thayer defines as
follows: “a contest between two in which each endeavors to throw the other,
and which is decided when the victor is able to press and hold down his
prostrate antagonist, namely, hold him down with his hand upon his neck.”
When we consider that the loser in a Greek wrestling contest had his eyes
gouged out with resulting blindness for the rest of his days, we can form
some conception of the Ephesian Greek’s reaction to Paul’s illustration. The
Christian’s wrestling against the powers of darkness is no less desperate and
fateful. 3. Therefore, the believer is engaged in
hand to hand combat with the forces of darkness, which are not physical but
spiritual. 4. Many make the mistake of focusing only on
the human agent or circumstance giving little or no thought to the unseen
spiritual forces. On the other hand, there are many who believe that
everything, no matter how insignificant, is caused by spiritual warfare. Both
can be a hindrance to the believer’s warfare. B. The Believer’s Enemies in Spiritual
Warfare (12) 1. Eph 6:12 informs the believer what or who
his enemies are. In fact, a chain of command is given to describe the
hierarchy of enemies in the spiritual realm. a) First, there are “rulers” (archế) who have a chief position to inferior spirits. They are the
preeminent commanders in Satan’s army. b) There are “powers” (exousía) who are the
evil “authorities” of the unseen world. Apparently, there are demons who
answer to them. c) Then there are the “world forces of this
darkness.” “World forces” (kosmokrátōr)
would suggest strong regimes in this world’s dark affairs. d) Finally, there are “spiritual forces of
wickedness in the heavenly places.” These are hordes of evil spirit
beings (pneumatikós) of the kingdom in
the air (Eph 2:2). 2. If nothing else, believers are made aware of the high-ranking
organized onslaught of spiritual beings under the revolting command of Satan.
Their enemy is Christ and those who are followers of Christ. 3. Yet, nowhere is the believer instructed
to seek out demonic territories, bind demons, or break generational curses.
However, the believer is not left without instruction concerning spiritual
warfare. That instruction is given in Eph 6:10-17. C. The Believer’s Strength in Spiritual
Warfare (10) 1. Paul reserves the end (“finally” loipós) of his letter to instruct the
Ephesians about spiritual warfare. 2. He does not instruct them to rely on
their own strength but on the strength (from endunamóō - Eng - “dynamite” - dynamic power) of the Lord. It is an imperative and
they are to, “keep on being strong in the Lord.” 3. Two other synonyms are used to describe
the Lord’s dynamic power. “Strength” (krátos) refers to the impact of God’s power
(Eph 1:19). “Might” (ischús) implies strength that is inherent to God. 4. The believer relies upon the inherent,
dynamic, and all-sufficient power of the Lord for the battle in spiritual
warfare. 5. The believer stands in God’s strength in
order to stand firm against the devil. The believer is able to do so with the
armor of God. D. The Believer’s Armor in Spiritual Warfare
(11, 13) 1. The believer is commanded to “put on” (endúō - to clothe or dress) the armor of God (11) in order to
stand firm. a) It is an imperative for the believer and
not an option. It is in the middle voice and is the believer’s responsibility
to put on the armor. It is in the aorist tense and is to be done once and for
all. Some have taught that the believer daily is to put on each piece of the
armor through prayer. But there is never a time when the believer is to be
without his armor. It is to be on and kept on. b) “Armor” (panoplía - “full armor”) is the full protective battle gear of the Roman
soldier. Each piece protects a vital area of the soldier’s body so that,
though he may be wounded, he can escape death. c) Each piece of the armor of God will
prevent the believer from falling and defeated by Satan. d) The believer’s main objective is to “stand
firm.” “Stand” (hístemi - to stand, hold one’s ground, be established), is used three times in these verses (11, 13, 14).
e) The believer is to stand firm against the
“schemes” (methodeía - trickery, crafty, cunning, deception) of the devil. The devil’s schemes
include false teaching (Eph 4:14; 2Co 11:14) and any tactic that would cause
the believer to fall into sin (1Ti 3:7; 2Co 2:11). 2. The believer is commanded to take up the
armor of God in order to resist the devil (13). a) The believer is commanded a second time
(“take up”) with an aorist imperative, which means that the armor is taken
up, put on, and never taken off. The believer must always be on guard and
always in uniform. b) In addition to standing firm, the believer
is also to “resist” (anthístemi
- oppose, refuse to yield; From the same root as “stand”, therefore, to
withstand or stand one’s ground).
Therefore, the Scriptures are explicit in teaching the believer’s
responsibility. It is not to be on the offensive toward the devil, but
through the Lord’s power, withstand the devil’s attacks. c) A similar admonition is given in James
4:7. The believer is to “resist” (same word) the devil. He is to stand his
ground and withstand the enemy’s onslaught. Scripture tells us that the
result will be that the devil will flee from us. d) However, in James 4:7, the first step is
to submit to God. The believer cannot attempt to resist the devil without
first submitting to God. “Submit” (hupotássō) means to arrange oneself under the
authority of another. The believer is to place himself, his thoughts, words,
and actions under the direction of the Word of God. Then he can resist the
devil. e) In Ephesians 6:13, the believer not only
is to resist the devil, but resist in the “evil day.” The “evil day” could
refer to the evil, which exists in our day and age. On the other hand, it
could possibly be a day when Satan himself visits a particular believer. E. The Believer’s Individual Pieces of Armor
in Spiritual Warfare (14-17) 1. The Belt
of Truth a) The letter
to the Ephesian is one of Paul’s Prison Epistles. A Roman soldier was
assigned to Paul (Eph 6:20). As Paul views the pieces of the soldier’s armor,
he sees a spiritual analogy of the believer’s spiritual weapons (Isa 59:17).
There are six pieces in all: a belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and
sword. b) The soldier’s loose fitting tunic was
wrapped with a belt when he wanted to be ready for battle. He would also be
able to hang his sword from his belt. c) The loins are that part of the body, which
allows the soldier to stand. So in a sense, God is telling Christian soldiers
to be girded in such a way that they are able to stand firm. This is the
third usage of the word “stand” in these passages. Here it is an aorist
imperative suggesting that it is mandatory that the believer take his stand
once and for all. d) Furthermore, the Christian soldier is
girded with truth. Truth in doctrine is necessary in the Christian so that
the believer will not fall into false teaching. e) However, here, “truth” (alếtheia without the article) is
subjective and practical truth as in “truthfulness.” Honest integrity is
necessary so that the believer’s testimony will not be hindered. f) The believer is to “stand in
truthfulness.” Lying is one of the temptations that Satan uses to cause
believers to fall. In doing, they discredit the Gospel. (1) In Pr
6:16-19, there are seven things that the Lord hates. “Shedding innocent
blood”…”devising wicked plans”…”running to evil” are mentioned. However,
“lying” is mentioned right along side of these. (2) In fact it is mentioned again in the form
of bearing “false witness” (Pr 6:19). (3) Why does God hate lying? The reason is that
God is a God of truth. He desires that man have complete trust in His truth
(Rom 3:4). (4) As new creatures in Christ, we are to lay
aside the old self with it practices, including lying (Col 2:9). g) If we
are not people of truth, the rest of the armor and sword can become unhinged and
Satan can gain a foothold. Unless we practice the truth, we cannot use the
sword of the Spirit (Word of Truth). 2. The
Breastplate of Righteousness a) The
breastplate was made of metal plates and chains. It covered the body from
neck to waist and protected the soldier’s vital organs. He could survive,
being wounded in other places on his body. But without a breastplate, a wound
to that area was usually fatal. b) The believer is to stand in his righteous
standing in Christ (Justification cp. 2Co 5:21). If an individual does
not have Christ’s righteousness, then he never stood at all. c) Righteousness also describes the
believer’s behavior (Eph 4:24). The Holy Spirit works in and through the
believer to live righteously by God’s righteous standard (Rom 8:4). d) Satan can defeat a believer when his
conscience is wounded by unrighteous deeds. Therefore, James appeals to our
conscience to do the right thing (Jas 4:17). Believers are to have a clear
conscience in obedience to authorities (Eph 6:1 cp. Rom 13:1-5 cp. 1Pe
2:14-15). Even when the believer must suffer for doing the right course of
action he is to remain faithful (1Pe 2:20). e) If we are not people of righteousness,
then we will be defeated in a vital area of our spiritual lives. In addition,
we will not be able to communicate God’s vital message of Justification. 3. The
Shoes of the Gospel of Peace a) The soles
of the Roman soldier’s shoes were pleated with hobnails in order to gain
solid footing. A soldier’s armor only protected him as long as he was in a
standing position. If a soldier fell down, he was in an extremely vulnerable
position. b) The believer has been exhorted three times
to “stand” in these verses. When a Christian soldier falls down, it has
immense spiritual consequences. Standing is the primary action in our
spiritual warfare. c) The believer is to have his feet prepared
with the Gospel of peace (eirếnê).
This first suggests that the believer must be fully aware of his peace with
God through Christ (Rom 5:1). d) But the believer must also be prepared to
stand and share the Gospel with the lost (Isa 52:7 cp. Rom 10:15). Satan was
defeated by the cross, and when a person trusts in Christ, they are delivered
from the “dominion of darkness” (Col 1:13). e) Believers are not only soldiers of God’s
peace, but ambassadors of God’s peace (2Co 5:18-20). 4. The
Shield of Faith a) Paul
instructs the Ephesian church to add more armor to these pieces. Now they are
to add the “shield of faith.” b) The shield that they were to have was the
Roman thureós. A thureós was a large oblong shield
with four corners. It differed from the small circular shield called an aspís (Lat. Clypeus). It measured
aprox. four and a half feet by two and a half feet. The smaller shields were
for offensive maneuverability while the larger shields were primarily for
defensive strategy. It is interesting that Paul chose to illustrate the
defensive shield for the believer’s spiritual warfare. The Roman soldiers
lined up shield to shield to protect themselves and the archers behind them. c) The believer’s shield is his faith.
“Faith” (pístis) comes from the Greek
root peíthō, which means
to be persuaded or have confidence. The believer’s faith is not a blind leap;
rather it is confidence that has been persuaded by the Word of God (Rom
10:17; Heb 11:1). It is faith in God’s truth that extinguishes the devil’s
fiery arrows. d) The shields were made of thick wood and
covered with metal or treated leather. Both of the outside coverings were
designed to extinguish flaming arrows. e) It tells us that the evil one shoots
flaming arrows at the believer. The word “flame” comes from the Greek word puróō, which means to set on
fire or burn. Much like the arrows with burning pitch, these arrows burn and
continue to burn (perfect participle). They could be doubts, blasphemies,
misgivings, disappointments, discouragements, half-truths, and all-out lies
from the evil one. f) When we believe Satan’s false teaching
and lies, his arrows are able to penetrate. However, it is knowledge of God’s
Word and faith in God’s Word that can extinguish all of these (Pr 30:5-6). (1) What is
God’s battle plan? Not a so-called power encounter. Not zapping the demons on
the road. It is simply this: Consistently trusting and applying what you know
to be true about God to the issues of life. If you don’t trust God, you don’t
know Him well enough. The more you know God—through studying His Word,
meditating on His majestic person, and praying to Him—the more you will trust
Him. If you love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and
believe He is who He claims to be, and that all His promises are true, you
will stand in the place of greatest blessing. When the flaming missiles come,
grab your shield by trusting God implicitly. There’s no reason to lose the
battle, for “we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37). (MacArthur, J., How to Meet the Enemy) 5. The
Helmet of Salvation a) The next piece
of armament mentioned is the “helmet of salvation.” The Roman soldier’s
helmet was made of solid-cast metal or leather with patches of metal. The
helmet would protect the head from arrows and broadswords. b) The meaning of the helmet of salvation applies
specifically to the mind. The believer’s battle is first in the mind (2Co
11:3). It is sad but many Christians take an anti-intellectual position
toward Christianity. c) The Scriptures have much to say about the
battle of the mind. (1) Preparation
for action is in the mind (1Pe 1:13). (2) The mind can be defiled (Tit 1:15). (3) The mind is to be set on heavenly things
(Col 3:2). (4) The spirit of the mind is to be renewed
(Eph 4:23). d) Another
area that Satan can attack the mind is in assurance of salvation. The
doctrine of Security teaches that God keeps those He saves (Rom 8:38-39). The
doctrine of Assurance is when a believer is fully convinced of God’s promises
of security. Assurance of salvation is not a feeling, rather it being assured
by Scripture when a person has trusted in Christ’s death on the cross for the
forgiveness of sins (1Jn 5:11-13). Scripture also gives evidences that are to
be in a true believer’s life (1Jn 3:9; 5:18). It is difficult for any
believer to be assured of his salvation while living in sin and disobedience.
If Satan is able to cause a believer to doubt his salvation, then the
believer will not be able to go forward in the Christian life. e) The believer has his mind protected when
his mind is set on heavenly things, when he has assurance of salvation, and
when he has confidence of his future home in glory. f) The believer is able to deal and cope
with anything Satan can hurl at him because no suffering is worthy to be
compared to the believer’s future glory (Rom 8:17-18). 6. The
Sword of the Spirit a) Paul
gives the last piece of his battle protection and it is the, “sword of the
spirit.” Paul also gives the interpretation of his metaphor that the sword is
the Word of God. b) The Greek word for “sword” is máchaira and refers to the soldier’s
short sword or dagger used for hand-to-hand combat. The larger broadsword,
which is not mentioned here, is the rhomphaía. c) The believer must be intimately
acquainted with the Word of God. Otherwise, he will not be able to use it
effectively in spiritual warfare. Satan may be able to defeat a believer but
he cannot defeat God or His Word. For this reason, Paul admonished the
believer to be “strong in the Lord” and carry His Sword. d) The Word of God is sharper than any
man-made sword (Heb 4:12). It is able to defeat demons and change the heart
of man. e) Jesus used the sword of the Spirit to
ward off Satan’s temptations in Mt 4:4ff. It was
not a matter of quoting any verse(s), but specific verses (rhema)
opposing Satan’s lies. f) John writes in 1Jn 2:14 that believers
are strong through the Word and are able to overcome the evil one. g) One of Satan’s lies is being promoted in
the Spiritual Warfare Movement. It is the lie that God’s Word is not powerful
enough in and of itself to defeat Satan. Another lie is that the Word of God
does not give believers all the instruction they need to engage in spiritual
battle. Instead, believers must be instructed by the proponents of the
Spiritual Warfare Movement. In all reality, the Scriptures do tell the
believer he has everything he needs for spiritual life and godliness through
the precious promises in God’s Word (2Pe 1:3-4). This include the believer’s
spiritual armor which is to be worn in spiritual warfare. |
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