Blog 35 / Our High Calling
July 22, 2021
When the Church Is Under Attack
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:7, NKJV)
The Church of Jesus Christ, despite all of its appalling failures and sins, is the greatest force on earth for good and the only threat to Satan’s Kingdom. It is the only group of people on the planet feared by the god of this age. No other religion poses any threat to him. None. Just the Church. Satan trembles when he hears God’s people praising their Lord. Even the weakest saint on his or her knees surely strikes fear in the enemy camp.
No surprise then that the Church is always under attack. This is especially true today as persecutions and unspeakable horrors are befalling many followers of Christ around the world. We see also the abominations of today’s culture impacting our nations as a flood of evil threatens to overwhelm and marginalize the Church. Sadly, instead of influencing our culture for good, the Church finds itself being influenced by it.
How are we to respond? Such times call for us to confess that we have not been the purified Bride that God intends us to be. Nor have we been the salt and light necessary to restrain evil in our society. More than ever do we need to humble ourselves, repent and pray and turn from our sinful ways. (2 Chron 7:14.)
Such times call for us to identify the real enemy. It is not our leaders who disregard God’s laws or those in the media or the politically correct brigade who mock Christian values. Our fight is not against flesh and blood. No, our battle is with the powers of darkness that plot behind the scenes to goad our culture to blaspheme the sacred and celebrate the obscene.
As prayer warriors we must boldly take up the fight in the heavenlies where the real battle is being fought. We have spiritual weapons to demolish strongholds of deception and every godless philosophy and false belief system that tries to exalt itself above the knowledge of God. (2 Cor 10:4-5) The Church, triumphant in Christ, must confront and destroy these if we are to see God’s kingdom advance.
And so we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. As the days get darker may our worship grow ever stronger. The more the enemy attacks the more praise God will receive! And let us show God’s love to those who rage against the Church and who want to silence it. (How they must fear the Truth!) This is no time to retreat but to step up our intercession for the persecuted church and for God to be glorified among the nations. His honor matters!
Colin Stott
GRN Global Prayer Coordinator
