| Subject: Re: War?.....ignorance |
Author:
Chubber
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Date Posted: 18:50:01 08/13/03 Wed
In reply to:
James
's message, "War?.....ignorance" on 20:53:59 08/08/03 Fri
Howdy James,
First let me say that I’m very glad you posted. You asked some very good questions that I am happy to address. I hope that I can clarify our positions and possibly help you identify your own. The first question you asked was in regard to war; “Gods war? What kind of war are you referring to?” There are actually three biblical types of war or battles. The first, and most well known, is physical war. That is, man vs. man. I believe that this is the type of war you may have been referring too. God actually does have an interest in physical combat and has led men to physically attack other men in the past. For examples of this, you may wish to refer to Joshua 6:1-27, in this passage God commands Israel to invade Jericho and destroy it. He actually helps them win. Another good place to look for Gods involvement in carnal warfare is the book of Judges. Almost this entire book is written on physical combat in which people were aided and instructed by God. The most famous man in judges is probably Samson; the account of his life is very interesting. However this is not the type of war that the U.S.R.C. concerns itself with. We are not a para-military group. We are not stockpiling weapons. We do not endorse participation in attempts to advance the Gospel through physical combat. We refer primarily to the second and third types. The second type is mans struggle against himself. That is, the inward battle between the sinful flesh and the born again spirit for control of the mind or soul. This is the type of battle every believer finds themselves in throughout their lives. John 3: 5-8 shows that man is born once of the flesh, (that is all men) but to be saved a man must also be born again of the Spirit. Once the man is born of the spirit his soul is saved yet his flesh continues to live for a while. This is the physical life. It is from the flesh that sin attacks our minds and oppositely it is through the Spirit that God seeks to control our lives. It is in the mind or soul that the man chooses whom he will serve. Either the flesh, which is sin, or the spirit, which is of God. This is the inward battle we fight to resist the urges of the flesh and submit to Christ. Romans 7:7-25 demonstrates this struggle excellently. The third type of war is the spiritual. This refers to battles between Satan and his demons against Christ and his followers. We have an important role in this battle. In this kind of fighting our weapons are our prayers. That is why many Christians refer to themselves as prayer warriors. It is in this arena that we do most of our “fighting” praying that Gods will would be carried out over Satan’s. Examples of this type of conflict can be found in Daniel 10:12, Jude 8-9, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Luke 8:12, 1 John 5:19,and throuhout Revelation. These things quite naturally bring us to your second question.
You ask why we would pray for the Apocalypse or the end of world. You say “praying for it won’t change anything, I’m sure God has it all planned out, at least that’s how I understand it.” You are right, God does have it all planned out, but the amazing thing is that we are part of this plan. We have a very important role in his plan. It is through our prayers that God executes His plans. Examine Matthew 18:18; “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” At first glance it doesn’t seem that this passage is referring to prayer, but the next verse proves it. “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” The late brother Watchman Nee explained it this way.
“Prayer is the union of the believer’s thought with the will of God…Here is clearly stated the relationship between prayer and God’s work. God in heaven will only bind and loose what His children on earth have bound and loosed. Many things there are which need to be bound, but God will not bind them by Himself alone. He wants his people to bind them on earth first, and then He will bind them in heaven. Many things there are also which should be loosed: but again, God is not willing to loose them alone: He waits until His people loose them on earth and then He will loose them in heaven. Think of it! All the actions in heaven are governed by the actions on earth” It is important to note that brother Nee goes onto make it clear God only answers those prayers which are according to His will. Nee is not saying that men control God but that God has chosen to execute His will on earth through the prayers of believers.
You also mentioned that you thought we should not just pray all the time but also take action. You are correct sir. That is exactly what our ministry is all about. We are a servanthood organization whose main focus is performing volunteer manual labor for those in need. You should check out the “who we are" page on the main site. We are Christians who sweat. The reason we want our Christ to return so badly is not to destroy the world. That doesn’t bother us too much either. But we really love Him and wait to share in his glory. The reason we pray for it is because it is Gods known will. It is our Christian duty to pray according to His will. The reason we don’t mind the world ending is that Satan currently owns it.(1 John 5:19) and the purpose of Christ is to defeat Satan (1 John 3:8) Matthew 24:9 shows that in fact our prayers will play a role in the end times. This point is also made repeatedly in Revelation. For more information regarding these things please get yourself a copy of "The Spiritual man" by Watchman Nee and "Let us Pray" also by Watchman Nee. Watchman Nee is a widely respected preacher in all denominations whose books are considered classics and widely available at most Christian book stores. They are also cheap. I think I addressed all of your main questions. Please do not hesitate to contact us again if I did not clear some things up for you. God bless you,
Chubber
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