Vineyard Church of Knox County
Battling in Prayer
Does anyone else sense that we are in a bit of a spiritual battle right now in the life of our church? Now, I don't want to get dramatic and attribute every difficult thing in life to Satan's work, but I think I can say for sure that as we pursue the purchase of this ministry facility, Satan is ramping up his efforts against us. It is a rule of the kingdom of God that as people (and churches) step out in faith and move to a "higher" level of commitment and ministry, then they can always expect Satan to counter with increased harassment. In fact, remember that on the first day of our Giving Campaign I said we could expect five things, one of them was that Satan would increase his harassment of us? So, we said it, we expected it, and we're seeing it. Some of us are experiencing physical difficulties (like myself, as those of you who were there Sunday saw -- thanks for praying), others emotional burdens, others of us financial stress. And we can be sure that we'll continue to experience harassment right up until we finish the Giving Campaign Commitment Sunday, October 23rd, and as a church up until we sign those closing papers on the Friday, October 28th.
So, how do we respond? Well, like I said above, we don’t want to over-react or over-spiritualize our experiences. That’s why I so appreciate the Vineyard’s approach to spiritual warfare, which, in nutshell, is to acknowledge the reality of it, expect it, respond appropriately to it, but don’t let it consume you. Here’s the balance: not EVERYTHING needs to be rebuked (though probably more than we Americans realize), but EVERYTHING has a spiritual component. Therefore, everything should be bathed in prayer! So, that’s how I’m challenging us to respond. Here is some direction for us as we proceed these last several days of our Campaign.
First, acknowledge that Jesus has all authority on heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18) AND that he has invited his followers to pray in that authority (or in the “name” of Jesus). So, pray with confidence and authority against evil. Second, I suggest we use the scriptures as much as possible as “launching points” for powerful prayer. One suggestion is to use the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, what we traditionally call the “Lord’s Prayer,” recorded in Matthew 6:9-13. So, as you pray each phrase of the prayer, let your heart and spirit bounce off to pray specific prayers for our church situation. For instance, as you pray, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” let your prayer continue to pray that His kingdom come in VCKC as we purchase the building--and in our homes and lives--as it is in heaven and pray against the will and kingdom of Satan. Or, after praying for God to “deliver us from the evil one,” you can pray for specific people who could use “delivery” from Satan’s harassment right now (can’t think of anyone at the moment...the church leadership always needs that prayer!).
Also, I want to encourage those of you who are fasting to KEEP IT UP! Good job! I’ve heard that many of you are fasting, either from TV or food for specific periods of time. That’s great. So, please focus your prayers (if you aren’t already) on the above suggestions. And, if you have not been fasting, would you consider fasting a meal, or activity, or a TV show (or more) just this final week? We’re coming down the final stretch, so we need to have all of our guns a-blazin’. We’re all in this together!
Finally, know that Satan only harasses when he’s afraid of the Kingdom God advancing. He really doesn’t pay attention to churches that have small goals and weak visions. So, be encouraged that we’re part of something significant, something that will produce kingdom growth and have eternal impact on this world. God has already won the war—hallelujah!—we simply have to continue to fight the battles as they arise. Let’s engage together as we run hard through the finish line.
Thank you for engaging in the battle,
Chris
ONE WEEK TO COMMITMENT DAY, October 23rd! If you know you cannot be at the service on the 23rd, but want to contribute financially to the Giving Campaign, please pick up a commitment card this Sunday (16th) and mail it to the church office (P.O. Box 1021) ASAP. Also, there will be a brief (but mandatory) meeting after the service this Sunday for those interested in baptism.
