The most commonly consulted source from internet searches for almost any topic is Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. With almost three billion Wikipedia articles online, no matter what search engine one uses and no matter what topic they search, one of the first hits on a search if not the first hit on a search will be from Wikipedia. With this in mind it is useful to share the definition from Wikipedia that will be viewed by most people doing a cursory search on this topic, “Spiritual warfare is the concept that demons or fallen spirits attempt to thwart goodness and the will of God. Some believe it to be manifested in multiple ways, including by demonic possession, demonic harassment, by attacks on a person's thoughts, relationships, or life with God.”This week on the “channel guide” station on television (the station that gives times and channels for upcoming broadcasts) a production on the life and ministries of Joel Osteen was being shown. It was fascinating to get a “behind the scenes” look at the amount of manpower, time, and technology that goes into a production of a ministry of this size and nature, and it was also amazing to see how many people are impacted on a global level by these ministries. It was stated that over two hundred million people are touched by these ministries on a weekly basis. With this in mind and given the nature of what most ministries address it seemed logical to search for “Spiritual Warfare or Spirituality” on Osteen’s website, unfortunately no results were found in these searches.
Another popular writer, speaker, and pastor that has influenced the lives and ministries of many people across the United States and around the world is John Piper. On the website Desiring God one can do a search for “Spiritual Warfare or Spirituality” and be directed to numerous online sermons, articles and other resources on these topics. Under a tab which reads, “Resources on Spiritual Warfare” the following statement is made, “Jesus spent his whole ministry fighting Satan and his demons. Therefore, the reality of spiritual warfare is something Christians should acknowledge and learn about from Scripture.” Some of these articles and sermons include titles such as “Don’t Go Back from Sonship to Slavery”, “Spiritual Warfare and Prayer”, “Cosmic Level Spiritual Warfare”, and “A Handbook of Enemy Strategies”.
A young “Pastor Dude” according to ABC Nightline by the name of Marc Driscoll has grabbed the attention of many people in the U.S. through his leadership at Mars Hill Church in Seattle and his involvement with the Acts 29 network that has a vision for church planting in America. A search on the Mars Hill Church website on the topic of “Spiritual Warfare” brings up hits from a 4-part sermon series titled Spiritual Warfare . In the second talk in the Spiritual Warfare series Driscoll writes on the reality of The Devil, “We are all involved in a spiritual battle between God and Satan. Christians need to know the schemes Satan uses to deceive us from the truth just as Eve was deceived in the Garden of Eden.”
Dr. Chuck Lawless, Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary writes in his blog on Biblical Church Growth on the topic of Spiritual Warfare and Church Growth. In this article he lays a theological framework for Satan’s deception as the “god of this age” and the fact that people are blinded by him. He goes to emphasize that in order for a church to overcome the enemy it must preach the word, and as we do so evangelize and pray.
Scripture speaks clearly to the reality of spiritual battles and the fact that they are being fought all around people everyday whether they are aware of it or not. As I reflect on the information I was able to come across from this internet search it has challenged me to personally spend time in prayer asking for God’s protection and guidance over my own life and others who are following Christ, but also for His power to break through to those who are held captives as P.O.W.’s to the “god of this age”.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic or any others resources you have found useful in studying this topic. I just started reading a book by Clinton Arnold, 3 Crucial Questions about Spiritual Warfare that examines, 1) What is Spiritual Warfare? 2) Can a Christian be demon-posessed? and 3) Are we called to engage territorial spirits?
The same love of Christ and the same sense of justice that burdens a person for evangelism and housing and unemployment and hunger and health care in their own cities will also burden a person for these same needs in people groups where no Christian impulse for transformation exists at all." - John Piper from "Brothers, We Are Not Professionals" (pg. 194)
