Battleground: The World (Persecution)

The world could be defined by the following equation:
Satan's domain + Human sinful nature = The World

Humans are faced with a variety of battles they must fight throughout their lives. For Christians the battles can typically be in one of three areas: The World, The Devil, and The Flesh. This week we look at the battleground we call "The World". Another way to express it is to look at the various ways the world persecutes us! Here are three of the primary tactics "The World" uses against us:

1) Distraction: The world wants to divert our attention away from God! The world tempts us with many lesser things! God offers us unrivaled blessing and yet we pursue other "gods", we worship and serve other "masters". Just a few of the biggies are: Money, Sex, Power and the need for More! God's Word is clear that we cannot serve both God and money. His Word is also clear that sexual immorality is like worshiping something created rather than the Creator. The pursuit of power mimics the pursuit of Lucifer as he sought to sit upon the throne of God. And finally we find ourselves pursuing more and more and more and more of all of these distractions! Psalm 141:8 says, "But my eyes are fixed on you, O sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge - do not give me over to death". The Psalmist understood that to allow ourselves to be distracted from God, to have our eyes fixed on anything else...would bring death. He also understood that to fix our eyes on God would provide refuge during the battles we face in this world.

2) Diminishing: The world wants to devalue the image of God in us! We are told countless lies about who we are and who we can (or cannot) become! We're told that we should conform to the ridiculous expectations of the world: That we should all have supermodel good looks, movie star charisma, pro athlete abilities, and enough money to live the lifestyle of the rich and famous! God's Word, however, paints a picture of love, hope, redemption, acceptance, forgiveness and privilege! All given freely to us by God through His Son, Jesus! We are made in the image of God! We are children of the King! We have been given and imperishable inheritance from God! We owe no explanations, no excuses and no deference to the world! 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that we are a "dwelling place of the Holy Spirit". Do you realize what this means? God has chosen to dwell IN US! What do we need from the world? Nothing! If God is for us, who can be against us!

3) Domination: The world will persecute the people of God! It has persecuted millions and millions of believers before us! Jesus said, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you". But He also said, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." From the Old Testament prophets...to Jesus...to His followers...Stephen...the Apostles...to modern day...Dietrich Bonhoeffer...Jim Elliott...Cassie Bernall...Rachel Scott...to the 171,000 Christians who are martyred each calendar year...We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who cheer us on as we follow and serve our God even against the domination and persecution of the world!

So what tactics do WE use against the world? Well, ours are the common, everyday disciplines and practices that Christians have used for centuries:

1) Worship: Jesus said we were to "worship God and serve him only". As we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, we are less tempted to worship or serve lesser masters and lesser gods!

2) God's Word: His Word is truth! It speaks the truth to us about who we are in Christ, who we can become through Him! His Word is the light for our race through this world! The Apostle Paul called God's Word "the sword of the Spirit", it is one of our most powerful weapons in battle!

3) Prayer: It was Jesus' intimate times alone with His Father in prayer that sustained and equipped Him for the battles He faced against a world that hated Him! Jesus prayed for us! That we would be sustained by God while we were in this world and that God would use us to show the world that Jesus came to reconcile it all to God!

Next week we look at the battleground of spiritual warfare...the devil! We cannot fall asleep and wrongly assume this battle is not raging around us! It's time to engage the enemy! Join us!

In His Grip,

Pastor John