Open War

 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  John 10:10

As I've written in the past, I really love the Lord of the Rings novels, and especially the movie trilogy. They are filled with an abundance of wonderful dialogue. One of my favorite scenes is found in the 2nd movie, "The Two Towers." King Theoden of Rohan had been held under the control of the corrupt wizard, Saruman. While in this almost comatose state, Saruman's forces had penetrated his kingdom and were raiding and pillaging at will. The White Wizard, Gandalf, along with the heir to the throne of Gondor, Aragorn, and the elf Legolas and Dwarf Gimli, had set Theoden free from the power of Saruman. Awakened, Theoden realizes the threat to his kingdom and his throne from Saruman's evil intent. Gandalf and Aragorn urge him to "ride out," and meet Saruman in battle. Theoden is reluctant to do so. He tells Aragorn, "I will not risk open warfare." To which Aragorn replies, "Open warfare is upon you whether you would risk it or not." We who are the church will do well to heed the statement of reality from Aragorn, for it is pointedly true concerning the days we live in. The enemy of our soul, of all human souls, Satan, has brought open war upon us, whether we recognize it or not.

It has always been so, but in times past, so present in the culture was the presence and witness of Christ through His church that he was forced to confine his activity to the shadows. Or disguise what he was doing through means that appeared acceptable, or even good on the surface, but held sinister and evil motives underneath. He has always been a master of mixing his lies in with the truth. What is partly true can be more destructive than that which is an outright lie. Now however, he has come out of the shadows. He no longer snipes at the people of God or the human race that God so loves. He is waging open war upon both. I fear that in too many ways and areas, the church is not prepared for the war.

In the J.R.R. Tolkein novels that these movies are based upon, Gondor is the city and kingdom that the church can be compared to. Gondor, once a mighty kingdom, has grown weak, and Sauron, who is symbolic of the total evil of Satan, has gathered his forces to overrun the city and bring about its fall. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that the enemy has laid siege to His church, and that we too are surrounded by the demonic power of hell. It has saturated the culture in which we live. Fentanyl is a drug that has laid hold of a generation, enslaving millions of young people to its power and killing so many of them. The devil is using this drug and many others with the intent of destroying a generation of our children. At the same time he assaults the family through divorce, abuse, violence, and abandonment. He has infiltrated the halls of government to the extent that we have lost all confidence in the integrity of those we elect and in the elections themselves.

The trafficking of women and children for sexual slavery is growing at exponential rates. Murder seems to have become a national sport. No one feels safe. Most live in fear.  For too long, the church has been asleep in the midst of it all. Or worse, in our desire to be accepted and liked in this fast changing atmosphere, we have been, as was Theoden, afraid to risk open war.

Spiritual warfare can be a spooky thing to many, and indeed, too many believers have made it so. We do not fight with human weapons, but with the weapons of faith and truth. Faith in the power and rule of our God through His Son, Jesus Christ, and trust in the truth and power of His Word. Against all the lies of hell, we the church must proclaim truth. We must proclaim it at whatever the cost may be, and there will be a cost. The devil and his ways have become entrenched in our culture. He will not give ground quietly. He will fight back with all his power. The Bible says that in the last days, "they will not endure sound doctrine." This means that they will not believe the truth of His Word. The reality is everywhere about us. Wherever the church stands upon the truth of His Word, accusations of being vessels of hate and worse are raging. We must expect this and we cannot leave off from proclaiming His truth, always in love, but always without fear of the cost. We live in a time where, as the Bible said, "evil is called good, and good is called evil." We are called to be His Light, shining in the midst of darkness. As we are, we're to trust that His Light prevails. We trust because it already has. On the cross, Christ conquered sin and death. Our part is to live out that truth and witness to a lost and dying world, and where needed, to that part of His professing church that is lost and dying as well.

There is so much more to write and say, but time and space won't allow for it. I close by saying again, open war is upon us no matter whether we would wish it or not. Will we, you and I, as His church, "ride out" and meet the enemy? Will we take the battle to Him, confident in victory, because in Christ, we have already won?

Blessings,
Pastor O