[Biblemat] Good News for Norwalk: Volume II, Number 42: October 21, 2007

[Ethan R. Longhenry]

Good News for Norwalk

For I am not ashamed of the good news, for it is the power of God for 
salvation to everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16)

A publication of the church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio
Volume II, Number 42: October 21, 2007

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Spiritual Warfare and Society

WAR!

A war has been declared. The enemy is unseen and seems to be pervasive. He 
hates us and everything for which we stand, and will stop at nothing to 
defeat us. We cannot invade any country to destroy him, and he seems able to 
strike at his will and cause great damage.

While this description may sound like America's "War on Terrorism", we speak 
of another conflict entirely, one that has lasted far longer and will 
continue to exist as long as the earth may last: the spiritual war between 
the forces of darkness and those who are in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 
6:10-18). Let us spend some time considering this conflict and why we must 
always be on our guard.

It is important for us first to discern our enemy and where he operates, 
just as those do who are involved in physical war. While discerning the 
enemy and his location may be difficult in some cases, it is not in our 
struggle: our enemy is Satan, the adversary and deceiver, and his forces of 
darkness, and he prowls around the earth (Job 1:7, 1 Peter 5:8). Just as 
importantly, the Bible reveals who is not the enemy: flesh and blood do not 
represent the enemy, but the spiritual powers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). 
We must not confuse our fellow man with he who deceives them: we must love 
our fellow man, but abhor the Devil and his works (Matthew 22:39, Romans 
12:9).

This makes sense when we recognize that we are part of a spiritual Kingdom 
first (John 18:36); we cannot achieve success in the spiritual battle using 
physical warfare!

Paul speaks regarding our enemy in Ephesians 6:12:

For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the 
principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this 
darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

We see here that the conflict has two major facets: the work of evil on the 
earth and also in the heavens. This world suffers from "this darkness," 
since Satan is the ruler of this world (John 14:30, 2 Corinthians 4:4), and 
it would seem that many serve him. Likewise, many serve gods that are not 
really gods, and such evil spirits abound in Biblical literature. These 
represent our enemy!

We must have proper armament if we are going to stand a chance in this 
conflict, and our spiritual armament is described in Ephesians 6:10-17. One 
must put on the "full armor" of God: if we lack any part of the armor, we 
cannot succeed (Ephesians 6:11). The armor includes the "belt of truth" 
(Ephesians 6:14): just as the belt keeps the armor together, likewise the 
truth keeps all other aspects of the Christian in proper place. The 
breastplate, which protects the major organs and the center of life, is the 
breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:14). The footwear is the 
preparation of the Gospel of peace, which is to be proclaimed in all places 
(Ephesians 6:15). The shield, the first level of defense, is to be the 
shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16). The helmet, reinforcing the head, is 
salvation (or the hope thereof; 1 Thessalonians 5:8, Ephesians 6:17). The 
main offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit, described as sharper than 
any two-edged sword, separating and convicting the innermost man (Ephesians 
6:17, Hebrews 4:12).
Prayer is also mentioned; constant communication with the Head is always 
extremely important, and can provide encouragement (Ephesians 6:18). In the 
end, however, we must remember that it is within the strength of God, and 
not our own strength, through which we will have the victory in Jesus 
(Ephesians 6:10, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
Our enemy, also, is armed. We are told of the "fiery darts" of Satan in 
Ephesians 5:16, and we would do well to consider the weapons of our enemy. 
He is armed with the ability to tempt people to sin, which he uses well (cf. 
1 John 2:15-17). Sin is minimized, made socially acceptable, or rationalized 
in other ways, and people willingly follow. If that does not work, our enemy 
can use persecution against us (1 Peter 2:12, 1 Peter 3:14-16, 1 Peter 
4:3-5): it is easier for darkness to swallow light than to become light. The 
enemy also uses weakness and hypocrisy of Christians: his cause is always 
helped when Christians fall into sin or are exposed as doing that which is 
contrary to God's will. Our enemy is also armed with prescience and deceit 
(Hebrews 3:12-14): he knows us better than we know ourselves, and knows just 
how and when to strike (1 Thessalonians 5:6-7, 1 Peter 5:8). Whenever you 
least expect him, there he is!

As in every conflict, if there is no plan, there can be no success. The 
battle plan for our enemies is to discourage and discredit those who do 
right so as to induce them to fall, never to rise again, and to keep in 
darkness those souls still in darkness (Hebrews 3:12-13, 1 Peter 5:8). 
Everything they have at their disposal will be used to achieve this purpose. 
Our plan for fighting this war against them is simple: endure and convert. 
In the end, the battle is the Lord's, and He will win it for all who are 
His. We are not called upon to vanquish the evil one, for that is beyond our 
power: all we can do is endure (Matthew 10:22). The main message seen in 
Ephesians 6:10-17 is to "stand firm", strengthening every weakness and 
continually subjecting ourselves to God. The only way to truly reduce the 
strength of the enemy is to go out and convert those under their power: 
every soul that turns from Satan to God is one fewer soul doing evil's work 
on the earth (Romans 6:12-13). This is why the raising of children properly 
and the encouragement of brethren is so necessary and important: we must not 
allow the other side to gain assistance (Ephesians 6:4, Hebrews 10:25)! We 
must use the Word of God, His sword, to achieve His purposes (Ephesians 
6:17, Hebrews 4:12)!

The war is upon us: we did not choose to fight in this battle, but such is 
the circumstance of this world. We are fighting in the conflict whether we 
desire to or not-- the question that is left to us is which side it will be 
that we support. Are we on the Lord's side, or on the side of the evil one? 
In the end, Christ will have the victory-- be on His side today!

Ethan R. Longhenry
evangelist at norwalkchurch.org

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The Conflict

Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the 
whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the 
devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the 
principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this 
darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 
Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand 
in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having 
girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of 
righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel 
of peace; withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able 
to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of 
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: with all 
prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching 
thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 
6:10-18).

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The church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio

Thank you for reading the electronic version of our bulletin, Good News for 
Norwalk. If you live in Norwalk or happen to be traveling in the Norwalk 
area, we would certainly love to have you visit one of our assemblies!

Our location:
386 North Edgewood Drive (just off US 250 just north of Norwalk's city 
limits)
Norwalk, Ohio 44857

Our assemblies:
Sunday morning assembly: 10:30am
Sunday evening assembly: 6:00pm

Our Bible studies:
Sunday morning Bible study: 9:30am
Wednesday evening Bible study: 7:00pm

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For More Information

If you have any questions or comments about anything you have read here, or 
desire more information, please contact our evangelist, Ethan Longhenry, at 
evangelist at norwalkchurch.org.

Good News for Norwalk is a publication of the church of Christ in Norwalk, 
Ohio, for the promotion of God's truth in our world. For more information 
about the church of Christ in Norwalk, please visit our website at 
norwalkchurch.org.

Ethan R. Longhenry/ disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com
Evangelist, church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio
 (http://www.norwalkchurch.org)
Website: http://www.deusvitae.com
AIM: Deus Vitae / ICQ#: 28317056
MSN Messenger ID: deusvitae at hotmail.com
Yahoo! Messenger ID: discipuliiesus

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