Vince Deagler

its sunday morning and we just got done looking at ephesians 6:10-13 in our worship service.  in this text paul is focused on spiritual warfare.  in preperation for this message i looked into the subject with some depth.  one of the things i discovered is how serious this issue actually is.  let me share one example, and then make my point. 

in daniel 10, daniel describes a time when he had been praying for 21 days.  as he tells the story, an angel comes to him to bring the answer he was seeking in this particular prayer.  what i find interesting is, the angel says as soon as daniel had started praying, god had sent this angel with the answer.  why then did it take 21 days???  the angel explains the delay was because he had been resisted for these 21 days by “the prince of the kingdom of persia”.  in fact this stand off was not broken until michael, a chief angel appeared, and allowed the angel to make his way to daniel with the answer.  in reading this story it is pretty obvious the prince of the kingdom of persia is no mere mortal.  i understand him to be a part of the demonic system of satan designed to bring about his plan for the world.  in fact in this same passage a prince of greece is referenced, again not a person, but a demonic adversary to god and his plans for all creation.  when i compare this story with ephesians 6, i begin to understand what paul is getting at.  again, back in daniel in comparison with the book of revelation we find that satan is driving the world to a point in history where with open arms the world embraces the embodiment of satan to rule over them in the person of antichrist.  without getting too tangled up in prophecy, daniel reveals the first 4 kingdoms in this eventual reality.  babylon, medo-persia, greece, rome.  isn’t it interesting that 2 of these kingdoms are referenced in daniels story as having demonic activity taking place on a spiritual plane to such an extent as to hinder an angel of god from coming to daniel to answer his prayer for 21 days.  what i’m getting at is the fact that paul describes spiritual warfare, not as a flesh and blood battle, but as a battle taking place in the heavenly realms against “the rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, spiritual forces of evil”.  i think, this is an apt description of what daniel experienced.  so as i see it, satan has a plan for this world.  again, without getting tangled up in prophecy, that plan is being played out in the world today, and will culminate in the reign of antichrist in the tribulation.  until that time, satan as the god of this world, will keep driving history to this eventuality.  but what does that mean to us, right here, right now?

i think 2 things in particular.

1.  the world as i see it will get worse and worse, not better and better.  don’t believe me?  check out what paul said to timothy.  (1 tim. 4:1+, 2 tim. 3:1+)

2.  in light of this decline, what can, what should we be doing?

it was here i suggested christian activism is not the answer.  it is time for the church to be what god created her to be as in the salt of the earth and light of the world.  the answer is not political in nature (as paul told the corinthians, the weapons of our warfare as christians are not fleshly in nature.  no, they are spiritual in nature and as such they are mighty through god to the pulling down of satan’s strongholds). do you remember the old moral majority movement? ever hear of classical post millenialism or christian reconstructionism. each of these ideas seemed to think that somehow we christians could orchestrate a political take over of the american and or world governments systems, and set up some kind of christian state. now, let me be clear. i am all for christians having a voice, running for office, confronting the ills of the day. but i see that more as a function of being an american citizen who is a christian. i do not think god has called us to be a political movement. if that were true, there were many issues in christ’s day and in paul’s day you would expect them to address. they did not, they saw there mission as primarally spiritual in nature. they sought to change the world via spiritual transformation in christ, not politics. but we as american citizens have some unique priviledges as citizens, and i believe with each of those priviledges come’s a corresponding responsibility. i can vote, i can petition the gov’t, i can speak out, i can run for office, i can get involved in all sorts of groups fighting for specific causes, i can support candidates i feel are most qualified, etc. but again, this is because i am an american. as an american i can and should be involved. but because i am a christian, i have a worldview that hopefully reflects god and his truth. this worldview will define my values and convictions and will lead me to hold certain positions. i don’t see that as political activism, i see that as good old fashioned citizenship by someone who happens to be a christian. i think its a shame that “we the people” have lost our way and voice. we have been replaced with lobbyist’s and special interest groups. i know, i regularly contact my representative’s, senator’s, governer, president, at the state and local level. they often point out they know much more than “we the people”. i disagree. i think it is time “we the people” start taking back our place in the governence of our country. as a christian i believe we change the world, one person at a time, by introducing the world to jesus, so that he can transform them as he has transformed us. as americans, a part of “we the people”, we can and should get involved. we have been blessed in a way the world has never known. but that blessing is not guaranteed in perpetuity. it can be lost, i believe it is being lost because the church has lost her way and voice. lets get it back. jesus said, the gates of hell will not prevail against us because the one in us is greater than the one in the world. so when satan’s plan and god’s plan collide, i know who wins. but in that collision, there will be a lot of collateral damage. all the more reason for the church to step up and fulfill her mission of changing the world through faith in christ.