Pray for Your Church: Impact (5)
“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” Matthew 12.28, 29
Satan bound
Jesus’ work of destroying the works of the devil was, in effect, a kind of “mopping-up” operation. Casting out demons, healing those ravaged with sickness, raising the dead, exercising sovereignty over creation, winning the hearts of lost sinners—all these good works which Jesus performed during His earthly ministry were not so much victories as demonstrations. Demonstrations of a victory which had already been won and of a final triumph yet to come.
When Satan confronted Jesus in the wilderness, before the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he came with all his guns blazing, hoping to win the Son of God over to his reign of darkness (Matt. 4.1-11).
No wonder Jonathan Edwards referred to the devil as the greatest blockhead who ever lived.
In three carefully-contrived and powerful temptations, Satan sought to gain the throne of God by gaining the loyalty of God’s Son. In each instance, he was rebuffed and, at the end of the temptations, sent packing to await his final doom.
In Matthew 12, Jesus referred to this incident as His having bound “the strong man.” He broke out all of Satan’s teeth, ransacked his arsenal, made a joke of his plans, and announced to the spirit world that it was “game over” for the kingdom of darkness. What remained for Jesus in destroying the works of the devil was to “plunder his house”—to take back for Himself and His Kingdom everything and everyone the devil had held captive. Jesus came to set the captives free and to reconcile the sin-darkened world to His Father in heaven (2 Cor. 5.18, 19).
That work continues today as those who are being sanctified in Christ Jesus and those churches which are growing in unity and maturity as the Body of Christ continue mopping-up the remains of the Lord’s victory, restoring the reconciled world to the Lord.
Facets
What does this entail? It means, for the churches of the Lord and all their members, taking aim at four primary targets, which have yet to know the Good News of liberation, and bringing the truth of the Gospel and the presence of the Kingdom to our world.
First, our aim must be at the souls of people, the people in our community—in neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and every other place. We are the heralds of a glorious victory, and a powerful act of liberation which breaks the bands of sin, renews the soul according to God’s Word, and incorporates those who were formerly held in bondage to sin into the family and household of the King of kings. As we share our testimonies and explain the Good News of Jesus and His victory over death and the grave, God will be pleased to save some for Himself Who were formerly dead in their trespasses and sins. Here is the primary point of impact any local church can make—plundering the devil’s holdings by proclaiming the Good News of Christ and His Kingdom and helping those who believe to find their place in the Lord’s victory.
Next, we invite those who have come to know the Lord to join us in the work of sanctification, that we might present to our world the power of the Gospel in new people. The focus here must be on learning the skills of neighbor love, overcoming the still-lingering presence of sin in our lives, and the self-centeredness that entails, to become servants of those around us. As we grow in self-denial and concern for our neighbors, we will seek ways to bring the love of Jesus and His righteousness to our fellow believers and our community.
Changed lives will lead to transformed cultural interests. As we grow to be more like Jesus and encourage others in the same, our interests will change, the ways we do things will brighten, and our approach to everything—all aspects of our cultural lives—will be more and more to bring glory to God rather than to pursue mere self-indulgence (1 Cor. 10.31). Those who are being made new in Jesus will shed all remnants of worldliness, lust, squalor, and waste to use the culture of their lives to reflect the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Kingdom.
The plundering of the devil’s holdings of souls, lives, and culture will invariably mean the transformation of societies—all the networks and institutions by which people related to one another for their mutual wellbeing. Fairness, justice, generosity, efficiency, charity, truth, community-mindedness, beautification, care for the natural environment—such an agenda may seem far-fetched, but churches have realized as much before, and many are working to do so now.
But we must pray
Plundering the devil’s holdings is just another way of destroying his works, replacing ugliness, waste, oppression, despair, and dissolution with hope, life, joy, productivity, and abounding neighbor love. But, like everything else in the Kingdom of God, there’s nothing automatic about this. We must get in the yoke with Jesus to plow new ground, sow new seeds, cultivate a healthy crop, and offer everything we do to the Lord with thanks and praise (Matt. 11.28-30).
Pray for your church’s contribution to plundering the devil’s house and furthering the rule of King Jesus:
Give us grace, Lord,
and a whole and compelling vision
for what can happen
as Your Kingdom comes
to supplant the reign of the devil
in our lives and community.
And help us to work tirelessly
to realize more
of the presence, promise, and power
of that Kingdom
throughout our community.
For reflection
1. Why must we not be content to let the devil continue to exercise power over our community?
2. What are some ways churches might work together in this effort to plunder the devil’s house?
3. Do you agree that we must take aim at all four aspects of the devil’s house? Explain.
Next steps—Transformation: Where do you need to be more active in plundering the devil’s holdings in your own life? How can you become more consistent in this?
T. M. Moore
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: We continue reading excerpts from the book, Revived! in our Read Moore column. Why not listen in? Last week’s Crosfigell letter called us to make sure we have the right priorities.
Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
