Monday, April 23, 2018
War zone
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
It is clearly established that we are in a conflict. There are all kinds of conflicts going on all over the world at different scales. There are conflicts between groups of countries acting together against other countries or groups; there are conflicts between countries along borders; there are internal conflicts in countries between political or ethnic groups, and so on.
This week, the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un and the leader of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, will meet for the inter-Korean summit in the Demilitarised Zone, better known as the DMZ. The two Koreas are technically still at war since the Korean War ended with a truce in 1953. The Korean DMZ is a border barrier that divides the Korean Peninsula roughly in half. It was created by agreement between North Korea, China and the United Nations in 1953. It serves as a buffer zone between the two Koreas.
A DMZ is an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities or personnel.
In our spiritual conflict, we have no buffer zone. Ron Kenoly, during the recording of his album ‘Lift Him Up’ on the song ‘We’re going up to the high places,’ famously said that “the church today is engaged in a spiritual warfare and the battle goes on between the kingdom of darkness and the army of God and there is no demilitarised zone, you’re either on the devil’s side or you’re on the Lord’s side.”
The absence of a demilitarised zone means that there is no place outside of the war zone. Every inch of ground is inside of the war zone. If you are following the war in Iraq you would know about the Green Zone, the nickname for the international zone in the centre of Baghdad that is heavily fortified and safe. But you would be well aware of the many explosions and attacks that have taken place inside the Green Zone. Nowhere in Baghdad is truly safe, Iraq is a war zone period.
And so, for the Christian there is no safe place, there is nowhere to hide once we are alive here. For a period of time, we may experience a sense of peace and safety, like there is mostly in the Green Zone. But the Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Thessalonica, stated that “when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:3.
Just like the “insurgents” in Iraq are constantly looking for an opportunity to penetrate the Green Zone, our adversary is constantly looking for an opportunity to penetrate our defences and disrupt our peace and safety. The advice that we get from the Apostle Peter in our key verse today is, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8.
Peter goes on to make the point to his readers that the pressure from the enemy is being felt on a global scale and we are to recognise that, other fighters, like us, are engaging on the frontlines where they are as well. “Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” 1 Peter 5:9
It is a mistake for any of us, who are comfortable for a while, to believe that we are not in the devil’s sights. It is in the nature of warfare that there are some places where, for a while, the fighting may not be as intense but make no mistake, a war zone is a war zone.
Almost every time, in ministry, when someone shows up with an issue that is clearly spiritual in nature, the questions on their lips are “why me” and “how come.” The thing that we forget is that in this war zone everyone is vulnerable.
That is why Peter said to be “sober and vigilant” because, as Paul said, the “destruction is sudden.”
The language of the New Testament writers is often very combative, and that is no accident. Paul, writing to the Corinthians used two metaphors, one from athletics and the other was about fighting, “I fight: not as one who beats the air.” 1 Corinthians 9:26. And in 1 Timothy 1:18 he wrote, “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.”
Church would be very pretty if this was not a war zone. Many churches and Christians try to make it that way. The reality, however, is that lives are being destroyed every day by an adversary who is taking advantage of our weaknesses. We are experts in finding the natural causes of things, but less prepared today to find the spiritual reasons behind them.
Many of us or people we know are in churches every Sunday, sometimes during the week, with needs, pain, hurts, troubles, sickness, decisions to be made, and the like. We are often occupied with questions about how they are feeling today. We get into discussions about the latest medical report, the latest thing that their child did, or the recent action taken by the estranged spouse. Hardly do we stop to enquire about whether an agent of the enemy is at work.
God has given us the wisdom and marvels of medical science, we would be unwise to ignore this blessing, but we would be foolish to think that medical science is the answer to every attack that we have endured. The medical unit is important on the battlefield, but sometimes, we have to fight off enemy combatants and fire to make room for the medical team to work. This is a war zone.
Think on these things:
- Do you know how to identify the presence of the enemy?
- Have you seen any evidence of enemy activity near you?
- Are you receiving any warfare training in your church?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today that we would remain sober and vigilant.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex
