Weapons of our Warfare
Acts 4:1-2
“Now as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, being greatly agitated because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.”
The Power of a Cause
It has been said “The pen is mightier than the sword,”1 a fact which has been demonstrably true throughout history. Ideas are those things that blaze the path for action. There is a reason to fight when there is a cause. Without a cause, there is no fight. A flag, for example, represents an idea: a nation, a way of life, a people. And we fight for a flag because it is the banner that unites us. It is the cause that produces action.
Propaganda can be defined as,
“…dissemination of information—facts, arguments, rumours, half-truths, or lies—to influence public opinion.” (Encyclopedia Brittanica)
Based on the concept that words are more effective than violence, propaganda has been used throughout history to influence corporate/national action. Words are a more efficient means to control the masses than violent coercion.
The religious leaders in Jerusalem recognized the problem with rogue teachers in Israel. The idea that these disciples of Jesus were propagating, that He rose from the dead, was dangerous. If true, then Jesus would be the authority, not the religious leaders who crucified Him. The people would have a cause for action and the authority and control of the religious establishment would be undermined.
We live in a similar context: there is an establishment, the state, and the associated establishment media, news agencies. They have their moral standards (The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, DEI, LGBTQIA+) and associated ethics (My body, my choice, get the shot, wear a mask), and the establishment is the only one authorized to speak to these issues. Anyone who has experienced these things at work or university knows it can be quite frustrating. And we are often asking, what should we do about this?
The time is now to start propagating the Truth: Jesus Christ rose from the dead and is reigning at the right hand of God. He establishes moral standards (The Law of God) and associated ethics (love God and love your neighbor) and He is the only one authorized to speak to these issues. This idea is an enemy of the statist regime; a cause they know needs to be censored. This truth is our best weapon.
Building the Kingdom
I heard a great sermon by an OPC minister, Leonard Gulstrom, on Deuteronomy 17:14-20. The sermon is titled Building the Kingdom of God and I would recommend that you give it a listen.
At around the 13:00-minute mark, he points out that God sets up three prohibitions in Deuteronomy for any future kings of Israel:
“Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses. Yahweh has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’ “And he shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.” (Deuteronomy 17:16-17)
Rev. Gulstrom makes the point this way,
“Now, people of God, the kingdom of God is not established by many horses, it’s not established by many wives, it’s not established by silver and gold. You might want to remember it this way with three W’s: not by war, not by wives, not by wealth. That’s not the way that God has provided his kingdom to be established.” (23:41-24:01)
We cannot win through carnal means: warfare, political arrangements, or resources.
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the tearing down of strongholds, as we tear down speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)
God has instituted means: the proclamation of the Word of God, prayer, and the sacraments. This is how we win. Not through revolution and taking up arms (although, at times, this has been necessary, and will likely be again in the future). What Christ has called us to do is this,
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Every time the church gathers to hear the Word proclaimed, to pray to their God, and to celebrate the sacraments, we are doing battle with the cause of the state. We are going to war at the gates of Mordor. Every time a sinner repents and is baptized another piece of the gate crumbles. We must repent of our sins and believe in Christ as our savior. There is no other way.
Worship is Warfare
In I Samuel 7, the prophet Samuel tells the people of Israel what they must do if they sincerely desire to return to God,
“Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you are to return to Yahweh with all your heart, then remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and set your hearts toward Yahweh and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served Yahweh alone.” (1 Samuel 7:3-4)
The response to this true act of worship was persecution,
“Then the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered to Mizpah. And the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. Then the sons of Israel heard it and were afraid of the Philistines.” (1 Samuel 7:7)
And this is what Matthew Henry says of this in his commentary,
"Israel could never be threatened more seasonably than at this time, when they were repenting and praying, nor could they have been better prepared to receive the enemy; nor could the Philistines have acted more impolitely for themselves than to make war upon Israel at this time, when they were making their peace with God."
The true worship of God in the name of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit is the best way to do battle with the enemies of God. As Patrick Henry said,
“Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.” (Patrick Henry)2
Conclusion
In Acts 4, the religious establishment set themselves against Yahweh and His Anointed One. The fact that others were speaking to the people and teaching them about Jesus, the resurrected one, greatly agitated them. And this is the same way for us: proclaim the life found in Christ and this will greatly agitate the enemies of God. This Truth is the best weapon that we have. We must wield it unashamedly against the gates of Hell. And when we trust God and His ordinances, what have we to fear? We do not fear men who merely kill the body. We fear God who can destroy both body and soul in Hell.
Therefore, repent of your sins and get right with God; the game is afoot and we have not yet begun to fight.3
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31)
Aaron. Thank you. This is so good. We (I) complicate things so much and get overwhelmed with how to proclaim Christ. But worship. I can do that! Thankful for the robust worship of Covenant Reformed Church.