…For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ… 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

…For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places… Ephesians 6:12

Last night, having caught a glimpse of the movie 300, I had several thoughts for which the Lord gave me correction. In the depiction of battle scenes and the way of life in times passed, for a brief moment I longed for “the better times” in ages past where life was simpler, where there was more opportunity to be ‘a man’, and I lamented that it was a different world then. The Lord has since shown me that I was foolish for longing for those “better times” (Ecclesiastes 7:10) as they were not better times at all. In fact, they were times of darkness as the Life that was the light of men (John 1:4) had not yet come down. It truly is a better time now, wherein we are daily able to walk in the Light (John 12:46) as He abides in us (John 14:16-17). Furthermore, I was led to understand it was no mistake that I, or anyone for that matter, live where and when I do as it has been appointed by God in His infinite wisdom (Acts 17:26) and to question that wisdom is utter foolishness.

The Lord also showed me that there was and is in fact no more opportunity to be ‘a man’ then as there is today. I, in error, perceived the depicted men of ages past to be more ‘manly’ as they had a greater opportunity then to be devoted to a meaningful cause and were consequently more self-disciplined. God made it clear to me that there has been and yet is a much greater cause to which a man might be devoted, His Kingdom, and to such a cause there is a much, much greater necessity and opportunity for self-discipline. Jesus put it this way:

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Matthew 16:24

And Paul, a man to be respected for his obedience in self-discipline for the sake of the Kingdom and its citizenry (the elect), says this:

And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 1 Corinthians 15:30-31

I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 2 Timothy 2:10

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

To say more about the necessity and most urgent need and opportunity to cultivate self-discipline with regard to warring for The Kingdom, it is evident from scripture that God doesn’t leave the task of cultivating it to us in our own strength, but rather that He gives grace to cultivate it as we follow Him.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:22-24

The third thing that Lord showed me that I was mistaken to lament that the world was somehow different in the past. Though worldly knowledge has continually increased over the ages to make our lives more convenient and comfortable, worldly wisdom to make our lives meaningful has not. Though the world may look different today because of our many technological innovations and our supposedly more advanced societies, the same sin and corruption that destroyed ancient societies looms destruction over ours today. Sodom’s sin that led to her ultimate destruction was not so different than the sin of the world, especially America, today. Contrary to popular believe, it was not just the sin of homosexuality that caused the wrath of God to rain down fire and brimstone on that wicked city. The situation is actually framed much differently in Ezekiel 16:49-50;

Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.

Because knowledge had increased so much (leading to pride) and their society had become so advanced (fullness of food), Sodomites, no longer needing to toil to eat became idle and had too much time to pursue various lusts of the flesh. They set aside the precept to love and care for one another and instead, in pursuit of their own selfish ambitions, pushed aside the poor and needy. Homosexuality and its societal embrace was just the final development of a much greater problem which has its root in the fallen nature of man. That same sin nature that afflicted humanity then has not departed and is no doubt more at work today than in any time past. The only thing that has really changed from then to now is that we have now invented more subtle and destructive methods to pursue the sin which dwells in everyone born of Adam’s seed. If anything, the world today is more sophisticatedly sinful.

Presently, it is not only principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places that we must war against, but also against the institutions which they have established through the hands of wantonly sinful and hopelessly misled men. In order to make sin more convenient, sophisticated, and socially acceptable, sinful men have gone so far as to establish elaborate systems of idolatry (the institutional church and every denomination and non-denomination there in). By this establishment, professed Christians of every sort are indoctrinated and cultured to believe that the right, and therefore only, way to assemble as the people of God is within the context of a corporate church building under the leadership of a single or group of professional ministers. That picture of church that is pressed into the mind of every would-be-Christian by the establishment is far from what God has in mind for His people. What he does have in mind He has clearly depicted throughout the volumes of His New Testament.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus says “I will build My church.” When His assembly was most clearly being built by Him, it is depicted in the Book of Acts and through the Epistles we also receive stunning glimpses into the life and order of His assemblies throughout the world, none of which reflect the modern-day institution. The reason that the modern-day church institution does not at all resemble the Acts church is not because the world has changed, but rather the church has changed. Every manifestation of the institution has been manufactured by men, not Christ. If it looks different now, it’s because He hasn’t built it. To some who might reply that we are now in a different dispensation and that He now works differently than He did then, His response remains the same, “I am the Lord, I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6) The only thing that has changed is that we, as fallen men, have increased our capacity for self-deception.

For this reason, we war against the establishment and its corruption with our lives as we are given grace to do so, knowing that it is but one of many fronts whereon the war is even now being waged. We are admonished not to be conformed to the pattern of this age, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). In Christ we are free to live life as it ought to be lived, not as the world and the man-made church dictate. As living stones, being built up a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5), we are not to be hewn by our own hands through our own devices (state-of-the art power point gospel presentations, elaborate worship services, business-class church programs, New-York Times best-seller Christian novels, other products of human wisdom and the like), but rather we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) up to the hands that created the heavens and the earth, to be hewn by Him to fit into His house as He sees fit. And this we do as we daily continue in The Word, not just through Bible Study (though it is a part), but also through spending time daily in the divine presence (Matthew 18:20). Truly, we can only be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29), which is love (1 John 4:7-8) and remain obedient to His command to love one another (John 13:34) through the ekklesia as He builds it. To any creature with sinful tendency, love is anything but convenient and no established system that makes life convenient (ie church that calls a few hours on Sunday and a Bible study on Wednesday acceptable worship) or embraces the cultural values of privatization, independence (instead of radical interdependence), and ego-centrism will ever be able to cultivate love. In more plain language, the worldly church system will never accomplish the will of God in the life of the believer as every believer has been born from above and the world’s church is based upon principles born from below.

He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. And if you are listening, come away from the house of the strange woman (Proverbs 2:16), awake to righteousness and be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Follow The Lamb now before you find yourself in the mouth of The Lion.