The question many Disciples of Christ are asking themselves today: “What is my most important weapon to use against evil?” There is no doubt America is in an absolute moral crisis and there is an overt attack against Christianity. Many will read over this and not realize the tremendous violence that is coming against Christians if they stay inactive and silent. Many will say “Oh well, what can I do?”
The only true solution has to be for Christians to step out of their comfort zone, do their duty for Christ and take a spiritual stand against the moral desecration of the truth of Christ. The question is, how is this accomplished, and is today’s church leadership capable of supporting Christian’s to use their most important weapon against evil? Some may ask, does leadership even know what is our most important weapon against evil? Shepherds are supposed to protect the flock, guard against predators, and to stand watch over God’s people with courage and faithfulness. Up to today the overwhelming evidence is ninety percent plus of the American Shepherds have tried to stay neutral. Under Christ’s leadership there is no neutral, because Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me” (Matthew 12:30).
“What is the most effective Christian weapon to fight evil?” is being asked on podcasts, articles and from research organizations like Barna Reports. Evidence shows many Christians are wrestling with this question because they are frustrated. Many are tired of just going to Church on Sunday to sit, hear three or four worship songs, announcements, encouragement to tithe and then a 30 to 45 minute message on all the wonderful things God and Christ can do for them. They ask themselves, “Don’t Christians have a responsibility to do something or do we just sit and serve our own church waiting for evil to take over?”
Obviously, the process of going to church and serving the church until Christ returns is good to a point but this is not what Christ planned for His Disciples, when He was brutally killed on the cross. Going to church is where Christians are to be fortified with biblical knowledge to learn how to be a true Disciple to fight against and resist evil. True Christians know “…a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:28). This highlights that justification is God’s gracious gift, given on the basis of faith in Christ rather than by human achievement. Justification is the act of God declaring a sinner righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.
However, the next step is to be a Disciple! This involves learning scripture, commitment and following Jesus leading to obedience in faith (Romans 16:26). This is so Disciples can “… proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:2) into the darkness of mankind. Jesus set the qualifications, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27).” Therefore, the key to the answer, of how to fight evil, has to include learning how and carrying our own cross.
The Apostle Paul taught Disciples how Christ would grant them, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). Then Paul commanded all Disciples to “…have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). This is a major part of carrying our own cross. Then in Ephesians 6:10-20 Paul wrote, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Stand therefore, having girded yourself with truth, having put on righteousness, the gospel of peace and faith to defend yourselves against the wicked one. For our struggle is …against rulers (politics?), evil powers, and against the world, and the spiritual forces of darkness. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to battle evil, and having done everything, stand firm (don’t back up). Therefore, take God’s offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit, the word of God; praying always while witnessing the truth of Christ by opening our mouths boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel (Summarized).
Paul is telling us that people, governments and evil principalities may try to control our actions but they do not control our God given ability to speak the power of Christ’s truth into evil. Didn’t Peter and John answer those in charge of the Jewish government and say to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). Now this is carrying your own cross.
In America, Disciples must never refuse to let speaking Christ’s reality into evil be overruled by the fear of public entities. Paul gave us the promise that “…all things (personal, societal, and political) exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light” (Ephesians 5:13). This is the power of the blessed peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). However, few Disciples are taught that standing and exposing evil is a good deed. Exposing evil is not only a good deed, is not only being obedient, it is being a Disciple of Christ because those in darkness are the people whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, unless the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, should shine (be spoken) on them (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Now step back and ask yourself, is speaking the truth of Christ into darkness our most effective weapon against evil?
Jesus revealed the power of His truth to expose darkness in John 1:5, “The light (His truth) shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” Again, Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light (speaking Christ’s truth) shine before others, that they (the people living around us) may see your good deeds (speaking truth into darkness is a good deed) and (this will) glorify our Father in heaven.” The question is, is your Church teaching Disciples to go out and really speak into the darkness of mankind to glorify our Father in heaven?
Isn’t being a doer confirm who we are? Isn’t this how everyone is judged? Don’t football players learn the theory and the rules of the game then have to be obedient to their coach and go out and confirm they can play the game? James the brother of Jesus sets the stage for every Disciple of Christ. He wrote “…be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, (speaks) he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:22-25). Isn’t it obvious, James is telling us, the same thing Jesus already told us; to be a doer we have to carry our own cross. Therefore, to fight evil we must with grace, stand fast, speak boldly, and engage darkness for the Glory of God to be Christ’s Disciples!
The Book of Acts is our biblical example of what today’s body of Christ should look like. The Acts body didn’t have an official name, because it was referred to as the Way (Acts 9:2). People called them the Way, because Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).” Now, through Christ’s spirit, He empowered His Disciples as He does today, so they could have the Holy Spirits power to witness His truth to expose evil to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit’s power is unquenchable, unstoppable and greater than any power of earth. Therefore, on earth, there is nothing more powerful, honorable, and Christ like, than bold Christian men, Disciples speaking, “…warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:28).
Disciples are called to emulate Christ. Therefore, our cause has to be the same as Jesus. Jesus told Pontius Pilate, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37). Then we, the faithful have to bear witness to the truth against rulers, evil powers, and against the world, and the spiritual forces of darkness. This is how we fight against evil!
All clergy are called to teach the saints how to go out and courageously SPEAK the word of truth (2 Cor 4:12-14) with grace into the evil of mankind so the Holy Spirit can save them (1 Peter 1:22-23). The Spirit is the only Being on earth who can open evil people’s eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ (Acts 26:16-18)!
So, what if lukewarm shepherds of America had a biblical revelation and actually started equipping “…the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12)? Would the number of Christ’s body constantly increase, like it did in the Book of Acts? Would the Church be accused of turning the world upside down as it did in Acts 17:6? Would Christian men be focused on courageously going outside to bring people to Christ where they lived, played, and worked instead of just inviting them to church? Wouldn’t Christians become dangerous to the world’s debased order and spiritually lethal to any abomination sponsored by evil principalities if they were trained to do the work of ministry?
Christians are to take Jesus Christ into the darkness of mankind living outside today’s church. Most of all the barriers created by lukewarm Shepherds, holding back the word of God, would be broken and men would start flooding the land speaking the Holy Spirit of Truth into darkness. This would bring salvation to hundreds of thousands of people who are untouched and lost. Christian men would be real men, and gain their purpose, and project the boldness of the indwelling Spirit of God to stand and withstand evil in the public square of opinion. Christ would then bless the saints with His unquenchable power. Yes, this is Christ’s Church, the one He created when He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind and to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).
Then what is needed for your Shepherds to train Disciples to fight evil by speaking Christ’s truth into the darkness of mankind?
David Howard, Foxhole Ministry