February 26, 2024 • 28 mins
In this transformative sermon drawn on biblical teachings, we delve into the profound wisdom of Jesus' 'sermon on the mount'. Emphasizing the teachings "Blessed are the meek; blessed are the merciful", the discourse unravels a refreshing interpretation of the gospel of the kingdom based on Frank Viola's work 'The Insurgents'.
Beyond a mere religious narrative, this discussion vividly challenges the contemporary paradigms. The gospel of the kingdom transcends the flesh, inviting us to be citizens of a world that exists here and now, yet offers a promised reality yet to unfold. Explore this fascinating dichotomy, grasping the enigmatic coexistence of reality and promise.
Focusing on the intriguing concept of being covert emissaries of the kingdom, we muse about the responsibility bestowed upon us to spread the kingdom message. Drawing a parallel to the courageous resistance movements during World War II, the sermon unfolds the concept of Christian insurgence against evil.
Envisaging a future where Christians act as guerrillas against the looming darkness, the sermon urges us to uphold the values and virtues gifted by the Holy Spirit. Immerse yourself in this reflective discourse on faith, unity, and love- essential tools in the ongoing struggle against spiritual and worldly oppression.
Provoking a monumental thought: what if it's time for the church to evolve into an assertive insurgency? Drawing parallels with the French resistance movements against the Nazis of the 1930s and 40s, the sermon emphasizes the necessity of resisting forces that seek to undermine faith in God and halt the kingdom's progress.
Culminating with the message of united stand and shared devotion to Christ, this timely sermon provides practical strategies for resisting evil and expanding Christ's kingdom. Discover the transformative power of graceful encounters, gentle conviction, self-control, and spiritual discernment within the context of resistance and learn about the undeniable role of small groups, Bible studies, and regular gatherings in sculpting effective combat strategies against spiritual evil.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Music.
(00:08):
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountainside and sat down.
His disciples came to him and he began to teach them.
He said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
(00:30):
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. healed.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
(00:53):
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds
of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.
For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness,
(01:16):
how can it be made salty again?
It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
If you are the light of the world, a town built on a hill cannot not be hidden,
and neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
(01:40):
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your
good deeds and glorify the Father in heaven. Amen.
And we are continuing this series of messages based on the book by Frank Viola,
The Insurgents, Reclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom.
(02:05):
I've said it so many times I've forgotten, I guess.
We're reclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. That is the gospel that is not about
the flesh or about religion or prosperity or even posterity, for that matter.
It's a kingdom gospel, a message that is good news because it's about being
(02:28):
citizens of a world that is here but not here at the same time.
A king who reigns but doesn't have absolute control over everything yet, but will.
And so we live with both a reality and a promise simultaneously,
and they are inseparable, but they also present us with a conundrum because
(02:51):
we're trying to do both at the same time.
And so last week we talked about entering the kingdom and embracing the mystery
of the kingdom, but now we want to talk about being sent out from the kingdom,
not as outsiders seeking a new
residence, but as insiders on covert missions for the sake of the king.
(03:12):
That's kind of the approach we're going to take this time.
Frank says on page 150 in his book, he says, Many Christians today know Jesus as their Savior.
Some even possess the joy of salvation, especially after they've first trusted
Christ. But many, if not most, are living defeated, frustrated lives.
(03:38):
This is because they have never fully submitted themselves to Jesus as Lord.
When the Lordship of Christ is established in life, it brings with it both power
and liberty. Frank continues.
(04:02):
Christians today, it would solve countless problems.
It would take the Christian life out of the realm of being just another segment
of acceptable Western and Eastern social life,
and it would make it what it truly is, a foreign element to this planet,
(04:23):
an enemy to all that is not of Christ on the globe.
That's pretty potent, isn't it? Now, I've been interpreting most everything
you hear from Frank's book in my own words, but I wanted to use his words in
that particular case because you need to hear it directly from him.
(04:44):
The reason this book keeps inspiring us and driving us back to the gospel of
the kingdom, back to the world that the Bible describes, is because it's that
radically opposed to comfort,
that radically opposed to the kind of religious ease that we've created for
(05:07):
ourselves in most cases.
Now, I'm a history person. I guess most pastors are, but I've been privileged
over the years to know veterans of pretty much all the wars of the past century.
Can you believe, some of you, that we say things like that now?
I find it difficult to believe that I can say, well, I knew a lot of people
(05:28):
last century who told me stories, but I did.
I was born in the previous century, and that's really weird.
For me anyway. And there are many who have told me stories about being in World War II, for example.
(05:48):
And as a student of history, I've found the story of World War II particularly
fascinating because of the way that it has shaped our society today,
shaped our entire world today.
And one of the the things that you will find in the history of World War II,
for example, is the resistance movements.
(06:09):
The most famous being the Maquis and La Resistance, the French underground, they were called.
These were people who, in occupied France,
worked to defeat the Nazis who occupied their land And despite the enormous risk,
(06:29):
and frankly, many of them died daily in this pursuit of undermining the oppressive,
chaotic reign of the Nazis over France.
Hats. And this resistance movement is the model that I want to draw upon to
(06:50):
understand and explain better what we are as a Christian insurgence.
And, you know, it all depends on your perspective, doesn't it?
You know, the Nazis thought they were entirely righteous in what they were doing,
and they thought they were bringing something that would
be better for the world when it was finally established and
(07:11):
who were these people to resist it and why would
these people do so many criminal things to stop this
obvious supreme way
of interpreting things this this superior rule
and reign you know it's everybody always feels righteous when they're in control
and when they're trying to oppress others they always describe what they're
(07:36):
doing in those terms and really find the people who resist them impossible to comprehend.
And yet you have to ask yourself what compels people at such a high cost to
resist anyway, and why you can't physically drive the resistance out of them.
You can't beat them into submission.
(07:58):
You can't kill them enough. You can't beat them enough. You can't imprison them
enough. You can't starve them enough.
You can't make people who are that deeply devoted to something other than what
you are trying to impose upon them.
You can't make them submit. They are resisting because they can't help but resist.
(08:21):
And this is what those people were. And the resistance cells of France in those
days, in the 1940s, the 30s and 40s, they comprised men and women.
They were in rural areas, and they were in cities, and they were in the suburbs.
They were engaged in a kind of guerrilla warfare that basically was executed
(08:43):
by people who wrote underground newspapers,
who conducted various acts of resistance that looked like anything from combat
to just really subtle activities.
It wasn't all like Hogan's Heroes, if you're old enough to remember that.
They didn't just blow things up.
They rescued downed pilots.
(09:05):
They helped people who were behind enemy lines get back to the safety of their
lines and their comrades. They helped people survive the resistance movement.
In other words, when people were being deliberately oppressed so that they would
give up resistance, the resistance helped them, took care of feeding them and
(09:28):
provided covert medical care and met needs.
The resistance operatives included people who were emigres, academics.
Students, aristocrats, Roman Catholics, including clergy, Protestants,
including clergy, Jews, Muslims, liberals, anarchists, communists,
even fascists, which is pretty amazing when you think about it.
(09:52):
But they knew that what the Nazis were doing was evil, and they resisted it.
And it didn't matter what their station in life was, it didn't matter how they
differed from the other people in the resistance movement, whatever they were before this war,
before this situation occurred, they were one in their purpose to resist evil, whatever the cost.
(10:19):
Now, given that view of how ultimately global war was won,
not only by the might of nations, but also by the systematic and complete undermining
of an insurgent movement that was beneath all of the other surface activities,
(10:41):
given that that's how it worked, I'm going to present you with something I wrote
as a way of expressing what people might say someday, I hope,
about Shiloh Church, at least the Christians from the 2020s.
So I want you to imagine for a minute that you're reading an article 40 or 50
(11:02):
years from now describing what we did.
Write this down in your memory banks. This is the article from the future that
describe what we did now.
These Christian insurgents, excuse me, during the tumultuous era of the early
20th century, Christian insurgents united in their faith and determination,
(11:23):
stood boldly against the forces of God's enemy,
Satan, and his malevolent influence.
This network of valiant believers akin to the French resistance of World War
II waged a spiritual battle during a time of great upheaval.
These Christian insurgents, comprised of both men and women,
(11:44):
were not confined to bustling urban centers, but also were found in strength
in small towns and rural sanctuaries, much like the Maquis of yesteryear.
Their commitment to the resistance and the influence of evil transcended traditional norms.
In the clandestine realms of this spiritual battle, these courageous individuals
(12:08):
employed guerrilla warfare against the encroaching darkness,
using their tactics, mirroring the virtues bestowed upon them by the Holy Spirit.
These subversive acts of grace, gentleness, self-control, and other gifts of
the Spirit formed the foundation of their resistance, exemplifying the teachings of Christ.
(12:31):
They disseminated divine truths through underground transmittal of the word
or heart and mind of God, challenging the oppressive narrative of Satan's rule.
Acts of resistance went beyond mere confrontation.
They served as conduits of heavenly intelligence, aiding the divine forces aligned
(12:57):
against the enemy, reducing chaos and replacing it with cosmic order and justice.
Much like their predecessors, these Christian insurgents established networks
to facilitate the escape of believers trapped in the clutches of spiritual peril.
They provided sanctuary for those seeking refuge from the pervasive influence of the adversary.
(13:22):
Their cells operated within businesses, government centers, schools,
neighborhoods, homes, and even godless local churches.
The diverse composition of these devoted operatives mirrored the eclectic makeup
of the original La Resistance.
Among their ranks were fervent believers from various denominations,
(13:44):
Roman Catholics and Protestants working together, standing shoulder to shoulder
with academics, students, and members of the clergy.
In this spiritual battle, unity emerged from a common purpose transcending theological differences.
These Christian insurgents embodying the principles of love,
(14:06):
compassion, and faith showcased a united front against the divisive tactics of Satan.
Their collective efforts became a beacon of hope, illuminating the path to salvation
for those ensnared by the adversary.
In this spiritual resistance, the believers stood as a testament to the enduring
(14:28):
power of faith, love, and unity in the face of the enemy's relentless onslaught.
Their unwavering commitment to the divine cause echoed through the annals of
history, leaving an indelible mark on the ongoing struggle against the forces of darkness.
So that's my future article that I wrote about what we are doing right now.
(14:53):
I hope it comes to pass, don't you?
Isn't it about time that the church turned into a resistance?
Isn't it about time that it became an insurgent movement instead of a collaborative entity?
You know, in France, There was a puppet government that was working in collaboration
(15:14):
with the Nazis in the 1930s and 40s, and that's still the way it is in this resistance movement.
There is a collaborative religious element that willingly cooperates with God's
enemy, set up by God's enemy, actually, and you've got to be able to see that for what it is as well.
(15:36):
Last weekend, we talked about the kingdom as something we could not force into
being until it's appointed time.
Our challenge this week is to recognize that it's our duty to resist the encroachment of evil.
To combat the enemy with radical devotion to Jesus Christ, and to manifest his
(16:01):
will in the midst of the enemy's oppression.
Oppression, despite the enemy's oppression.
As I said earlier, in the resistance movement in Europe, there were people who
were being executed by the Nazis daily.
And you may have heard of some of them. They're pretty famous.
I just finished reading the biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and you know what?
(16:25):
Turns out he was a guy who had it all, but he was willing to risk it all Saul
for the sake of the gospel of the kingdom, and in his case, it cost him his life.
But it was worth it. He said that even when he knew he was on his way to the gallows.
(16:45):
And so here in this age, in the midst of this corruption and this oppression from God's enemy,
we have to form insurgent bands in and around the Lord's built-in coordinators
and communication centers.
In other words, churches like this one. We have to be willing to actively pursue
(17:10):
gifts of the Spirit, which are the weapons we use against the enemy.
We have to embrace scriptural truth and tactical knowledge.
And that means, basically, you've got to be involved with other Bible-believing
Christians who are working out how to effectively resist the enemy.
And that means small groups. That means Bible studies. That means regular intelligence
(17:35):
gatherings so that you can be equipped and empowered.
You know, most of these resistance people, even those who were cruelly executed
by the Nazis back in the 30s and 40s, most of them did what they did together
with others. They weren't solo acts.
They didn't act independently. independently they were motivated
(17:56):
in part by the driving the driving
of their fellow believers in the cause it
was unity that gave them the courage to
embrace even death and so we have to recognize that that's what the church is
ultimately and there's a message there for the people who think that church
is not necessary that somehow you can have a relationship with god independent
(18:20):
of religious activity and church gatherings, and that's just not so.
Nothing really good is going to come out of your devotion to Christ unless it's
done in a shared devotion to Christ with others who are as willing to risk it
all for the sake of the gospel of the kingdom.
(18:41):
He invites you into the kingdom to be made new and changed forever, for all eternity,
and yet he also sends you out from the kingdom into the frontier to resist God's
enemy and to help bring the salvation of those who have yet to experience it.
(19:02):
So now I want to leave you with just a handful of practical applications that
you can put to work for you immediately.
And you can find these on the paper sermon notes that are outside the sanctuary.
You can also find them in your inbox.
They came yesterday. I'll send them again tomorrow.
Our new app is up and running, although it hasn't been properly announced yet.
(19:24):
And I can tell you that you can find these notes there.
And so these applications are things you might want to put to work.
Maybe if you haven't yet begun fasting, these could be a form of fasting because
we're doing this to see Christ's glory here in this place.
Number one, graceful encounters. Christian insurgents approach encounters with
(19:48):
spirit and with the spirit of grace, marrying the unmerited favor bestowed upon them by God.
In the face of adversity, they extend forgiveness and kindness,
embodying the teachings of Christ, to love their enemies. Love your enemies.
This graceful demeanor serves as
a powerful counterforce to the diverse strategies employed by the enemy.
(20:11):
I have a saying I've used for years, and it works really well for me.
When in doubt, err on the side of grace.
If someone walks up to you and insults you or puts you down or criticizes you
or some other way, tries to undermine your self-confidence,
your faith in Christ, whatever the case, if you come away feeling wounded by
(20:32):
that person, give them the benefit of the doubt. It'll infuriate them.
Act like you're ignorant and you don't even know you've been insulted.
It will annoy them for days.
When in doubt, err on the side of grace. I pray for divine divine ignorance
all the time because people are always strafing me and making comments to me
(20:52):
in my life. I don't mean right here and now.
I just mean in this broad view of my whole existence.
It seems like every time I've been insulted by somebody, I've always had the
benefit of being so ignorant of the insult in the moment that it frustrated
them more than it hurt me.
So pray for divine ignorance. It's really helpful.
When in doubt, err on the side of grace.
(21:14):
Number two, gentle conviction, armed with gentleness, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Believers do not try to convert those people who disagree with them or who oppose them violently.
We have a bad habit in the Christian realm of embracing violent speech.
It isn't the way of Christ.
(21:39):
He didn't do it, and neither should we. you refute evil with kindness.
Again, maybe the divine ignorance is the tool. I don't know.
But whatever you do, don't return evil for evil.
And believe me when I tell you, it can be very tempting.
You know, if God has graced you with a clever mind and a quick wit,
(22:02):
it can work against you as well as it works for you.
So be careful when you return these kinds of activities that undermine your
faith or at least undermine your effort to expand the kingdom. Just be gentle.
Always be gentle. And that goes right with self-control, number three.
(22:27):
Self-control means means that you have the ability, God-given ability, by the way.
This is something you can do on your own, but it only goes so far.
And so you have to invite the Holy Spirit to enable and enhance your self-discipline
so that when you find yourself in situations that might not adequately,
(22:50):
serve as a way of expanding the kingdom of Christ through you,
you are self-disciplined enough to So just put on the brakes,
just tap the brakes for a second, just stop.
Sometimes when I'm really tempted to return evil with evil, or if I'm just tempted
(23:10):
to react rather than to respond, I have to say, okay, you know what?
I'm going to take a timeout and get back with you on this.
You know, and give time for the Holy Spirit to enhance your discipline so that
you can better honor Christ.
And that's what number four is, spiritual discernment. If you invite the Holy
(23:34):
Spirit to involve himself in this mental exercise that you're going through,
If you invite the Holy Spirit to be a part of how you relate to other believers primarily,
and then secondly, when you're in the encounters with unbelievers,
you know, the Holy Spirit will always come through.
(23:57):
And one way that the Holy Spirit can get in is if you're open.
I don't know how else to put it. Your mind must be open.
You must be willing to think outside the box that is your flesh.
And invite completely irrational thoughts to pop into your mind when we interpret
(24:18):
the Spirit's activity in a person as a sort of irrational behavior.
You know, most people who are filled with the Holy Spirit seem irrational to people who are not.
It's funny, you know?
It's kind of funny. And so, this is ultimately the proving ground now,
(24:40):
number five, which is engage in acts of compassion.
Do good for good's sake.
Do good because it pleases the Lord, even when it doesn't make sense to you.
Even when the world looks at you as a fool because of the good you do.
Do good without regard to whether it will return good. good. There's a tough one.
(25:05):
Again, go back to when you heard me say, when in doubt, err on the side of grace.
When you do good works, err on the side of grace.
Just do good works.
The Lord isn't so interested in how you effectively or ineffectively involve
yourself in what he's doing through someone else's life.
(25:25):
The Lord is more interested in how you are interacting with him in the process.
Think about that. God's capacity is beyond our comprehension,
which means that every time he invites you to join him in what he's doing,
he's thinking more about his relationship with you than he is your relationship
with whatever it is he's doing. Think about that.
(25:46):
So you don't do a good job of sharing your faith with this person.
He's more interested in whether you tried.
You know, so you didn't fix this person's life because their life is chaos and
one act of kindness won't fix their life.
He's more interested in whether you entered into their chaos so that you could
(26:11):
be like him in the midst of the storm on the Sea of Galilee saying,
saying, peace, be still in the name of Christ.
Now, imagine that we were all doing that together like a resistance movement.
Then we would be a unified body like Frank spoke of in that paragraph I read to you earlier,
(26:31):
so that our efforts to live out these disciplines combined result in something
bigger than the sum of their parts.
You want to know how you can always tell when and the Holy Spirit's at work
because you get back more than you could possibly have put in because it's always
bigger than the sum of your parts.
(26:53):
So if there's 135 of us here right now.
If the Holy Spirit's working through all of us, what we will see as an outcome
is more like the output of 335, because that's what he does.
He multiplies your horsepower with the Holy Spirit.
So why aren't we doing more of that together? And I tell you the truth,
(27:18):
as finely and permanently as it can be said, as perfectly true as it can be,
he cares more about your relationship.
With the brothers and sisters in Christ than anything outside of your relationship
with the Heavenly Father of us all.
Why do we always talk about being a family? Because He wants us to,
(27:41):
and because He wants us to treat each other like family.
And maybe some of us shouldn't treat each other like we treat our families.
But you might have a chance at bettering your relationship with your families
if you would work that out here with your Christian family.
That's a lot to digest, and so it's probably time for us to pray and go to the Lord's table.
(28:05):
Almighty God, thank you for your word, and thank you for speaking truth and love to us.
Send us away equipped and prepared to serve you and to join you in whatever you're doing.
Help us to seek you and then to love one another in your spirit, we pray. Amen.
Music.
Music.
(00:08):
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountainside and sat down.
His disciples came to him and he began to teach them.
He said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
(00:30):
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. healed.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
(00:53):
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds
of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.
For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness,
(01:16):
how can it be made salty again?
It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
If you are the light of the world, a town built on a hill cannot not be hidden,
and neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
(01:40):
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your
good deeds and glorify the Father in heaven. Amen.
And we are continuing this series of messages based on the book by Frank Viola,
The Insurgents, Reclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom.
(02:05):
I've said it so many times I've forgotten, I guess.
We're reclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. That is the gospel that is not about
the flesh or about religion or prosperity or even posterity, for that matter.
It's a kingdom gospel, a message that is good news because it's about being
(02:28):
citizens of a world that is here but not here at the same time.
A king who reigns but doesn't have absolute control over everything yet, but will.
And so we live with both a reality and a promise simultaneously,
and they are inseparable, but they also present us with a conundrum because
(02:51):
we're trying to do both at the same time.
And so last week we talked about entering the kingdom and embracing the mystery
of the kingdom, but now we want to talk about being sent out from the kingdom,
not as outsiders seeking a new
residence, but as insiders on covert missions for the sake of the king.
(03:12):
That's kind of the approach we're going to take this time.
Frank says on page 150 in his book, he says, Many Christians today know Jesus as their Savior.
Some even possess the joy of salvation, especially after they've first trusted
Christ. But many, if not most, are living defeated, frustrated lives.
(03:38):
This is because they have never fully submitted themselves to Jesus as Lord.
When the Lordship of Christ is established in life, it brings with it both power
and liberty. Frank continues.
(04:02):
Christians today, it would solve countless problems.
It would take the Christian life out of the realm of being just another segment
of acceptable Western and Eastern social life,
and it would make it what it truly is, a foreign element to this planet,
(04:23):
an enemy to all that is not of Christ on the globe.
That's pretty potent, isn't it? Now, I've been interpreting most everything
you hear from Frank's book in my own words, but I wanted to use his words in
that particular case because you need to hear it directly from him.
(04:44):
The reason this book keeps inspiring us and driving us back to the gospel of
the kingdom, back to the world that the Bible describes, is because it's that
radically opposed to comfort,
that radically opposed to the kind of religious ease that we've created for
(05:07):
ourselves in most cases.
Now, I'm a history person. I guess most pastors are, but I've been privileged
over the years to know veterans of pretty much all the wars of the past century.
Can you believe, some of you, that we say things like that now?
I find it difficult to believe that I can say, well, I knew a lot of people
(05:28):
last century who told me stories, but I did.
I was born in the previous century, and that's really weird.
For me anyway. And there are many who have told me stories about being in World War II, for example.
(05:48):
And as a student of history, I've found the story of World War II particularly
fascinating because of the way that it has shaped our society today,
shaped our entire world today.
And one of the the things that you will find in the history of World War II,
for example, is the resistance movements.
(06:09):
The most famous being the Maquis and La Resistance, the French underground, they were called.
These were people who, in occupied France,
worked to defeat the Nazis who occupied their land And despite the enormous risk,
(06:29):
and frankly, many of them died daily in this pursuit of undermining the oppressive,
chaotic reign of the Nazis over France.
Hats. And this resistance movement is the model that I want to draw upon to
(06:50):
understand and explain better what we are as a Christian insurgence.
And, you know, it all depends on your perspective, doesn't it?
You know, the Nazis thought they were entirely righteous in what they were doing,
and they thought they were bringing something that would
be better for the world when it was finally established and
(07:11):
who were these people to resist it and why would
these people do so many criminal things to stop this
obvious supreme way
of interpreting things this this superior rule
and reign you know it's everybody always feels righteous when they're in control
and when they're trying to oppress others they always describe what they're
(07:36):
doing in those terms and really find the people who resist them impossible to comprehend.
And yet you have to ask yourself what compels people at such a high cost to
resist anyway, and why you can't physically drive the resistance out of them.
You can't beat them into submission.
(07:58):
You can't kill them enough. You can't beat them enough. You can't imprison them
enough. You can't starve them enough.
You can't make people who are that deeply devoted to something other than what
you are trying to impose upon them.
You can't make them submit. They are resisting because they can't help but resist.
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And this is what those people were. And the resistance cells of France in those
days, in the 1940s, the 30s and 40s, they comprised men and women.
They were in rural areas, and they were in cities, and they were in the suburbs.
They were engaged in a kind of guerrilla warfare that basically was executed
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by people who wrote underground newspapers,
who conducted various acts of resistance that looked like anything from combat
to just really subtle activities.
It wasn't all like Hogan's Heroes, if you're old enough to remember that.
They didn't just blow things up.
They rescued downed pilots.
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They helped people who were behind enemy lines get back to the safety of their
lines and their comrades. They helped people survive the resistance movement.
In other words, when people were being deliberately oppressed so that they would
give up resistance, the resistance helped them, took care of feeding them and
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provided covert medical care and met needs.
The resistance operatives included people who were emigres, academics.
Students, aristocrats, Roman Catholics, including clergy, Protestants,
including clergy, Jews, Muslims, liberals, anarchists, communists,
even fascists, which is pretty amazing when you think about it.
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But they knew that what the Nazis were doing was evil, and they resisted it.
And it didn't matter what their station in life was, it didn't matter how they
differed from the other people in the resistance movement, whatever they were before this war,
before this situation occurred, they were one in their purpose to resist evil, whatever the cost.
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Now, given that view of how ultimately global war was won,
not only by the might of nations, but also by the systematic and complete undermining
of an insurgent movement that was beneath all of the other surface activities,
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given that that's how it worked, I'm going to present you with something I wrote
as a way of expressing what people might say someday, I hope,
about Shiloh Church, at least the Christians from the 2020s.
So I want you to imagine for a minute that you're reading an article 40 or 50
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years from now describing what we did.
Write this down in your memory banks. This is the article from the future that
describe what we did now.
These Christian insurgents, excuse me, during the tumultuous era of the early
20th century, Christian insurgents united in their faith and determination,
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stood boldly against the forces of God's enemy,
Satan, and his malevolent influence.
This network of valiant believers akin to the French resistance of World War
II waged a spiritual battle during a time of great upheaval.
These Christian insurgents, comprised of both men and women,
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were not confined to bustling urban centers, but also were found in strength
in small towns and rural sanctuaries, much like the Maquis of yesteryear.
Their commitment to the resistance and the influence of evil transcended traditional norms.
In the clandestine realms of this spiritual battle, these courageous individuals
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employed guerrilla warfare against the encroaching darkness,
using their tactics, mirroring the virtues bestowed upon them by the Holy Spirit.
These subversive acts of grace, gentleness, self-control, and other gifts of
the Spirit formed the foundation of their resistance, exemplifying the teachings of Christ.
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They disseminated divine truths through underground transmittal of the word
or heart and mind of God, challenging the oppressive narrative of Satan's rule.
Acts of resistance went beyond mere confrontation.
They served as conduits of heavenly intelligence, aiding the divine forces aligned
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against the enemy, reducing chaos and replacing it with cosmic order and justice.
Much like their predecessors, these Christian insurgents established networks
to facilitate the escape of believers trapped in the clutches of spiritual peril.
They provided sanctuary for those seeking refuge from the pervasive influence of the adversary.
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Their cells operated within businesses, government centers, schools,
neighborhoods, homes, and even godless local churches.
The diverse composition of these devoted operatives mirrored the eclectic makeup
of the original La Resistance.
Among their ranks were fervent believers from various denominations,
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Roman Catholics and Protestants working together, standing shoulder to shoulder
with academics, students, and members of the clergy.
In this spiritual battle, unity emerged from a common purpose transcending theological differences.
These Christian insurgents embodying the principles of love,
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compassion, and faith showcased a united front against the divisive tactics of Satan.
Their collective efforts became a beacon of hope, illuminating the path to salvation
for those ensnared by the adversary.
In this spiritual resistance, the believers stood as a testament to the enduring
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power of faith, love, and unity in the face of the enemy's relentless onslaught.
Their unwavering commitment to the divine cause echoed through the annals of
history, leaving an indelible mark on the ongoing struggle against the forces of darkness.
So that's my future article that I wrote about what we are doing right now.
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I hope it comes to pass, don't you?
Isn't it about time that the church turned into a resistance?
Isn't it about time that it became an insurgent movement instead of a collaborative entity?
You know, in France, There was a puppet government that was working in collaboration
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with the Nazis in the 1930s and 40s, and that's still the way it is in this resistance movement.
There is a collaborative religious element that willingly cooperates with God's
enemy, set up by God's enemy, actually, and you've got to be able to see that for what it is as well.
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Last weekend, we talked about the kingdom as something we could not force into
being until it's appointed time.
Our challenge this week is to recognize that it's our duty to resist the encroachment of evil.
To combat the enemy with radical devotion to Jesus Christ, and to manifest his
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will in the midst of the enemy's oppression.
Oppression, despite the enemy's oppression.
As I said earlier, in the resistance movement in Europe, there were people who
were being executed by the Nazis daily.
And you may have heard of some of them. They're pretty famous.
I just finished reading the biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and you know what?
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Turns out he was a guy who had it all, but he was willing to risk it all Saul
for the sake of the gospel of the kingdom, and in his case, it cost him his life.
But it was worth it. He said that even when he knew he was on his way to the gallows.
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And so here in this age, in the midst of this corruption and this oppression from God's enemy,
we have to form insurgent bands in and around the Lord's built-in coordinators
and communication centers.
In other words, churches like this one. We have to be willing to actively pursue
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gifts of the Spirit, which are the weapons we use against the enemy.
We have to embrace scriptural truth and tactical knowledge.
And that means, basically, you've got to be involved with other Bible-believing
Christians who are working out how to effectively resist the enemy.
And that means small groups. That means Bible studies. That means regular intelligence
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gatherings so that you can be equipped and empowered.
You know, most of these resistance people, even those who were cruelly executed
by the Nazis back in the 30s and 40s, most of them did what they did together
with others. They weren't solo acts.
They didn't act independently. independently they were motivated
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in part by the driving the driving
of their fellow believers in the cause it
was unity that gave them the courage to
embrace even death and so we have to recognize that that's what the church is
ultimately and there's a message there for the people who think that church
is not necessary that somehow you can have a relationship with god independent
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of religious activity and church gatherings, and that's just not so.
Nothing really good is going to come out of your devotion to Christ unless it's
done in a shared devotion to Christ with others who are as willing to risk it
all for the sake of the gospel of the kingdom.
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He invites you into the kingdom to be made new and changed forever, for all eternity,
and yet he also sends you out from the kingdom into the frontier to resist God's
enemy and to help bring the salvation of those who have yet to experience it.
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So now I want to leave you with just a handful of practical applications that
you can put to work for you immediately.
And you can find these on the paper sermon notes that are outside the sanctuary.
You can also find them in your inbox.
They came yesterday. I'll send them again tomorrow.
Our new app is up and running, although it hasn't been properly announced yet.
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And I can tell you that you can find these notes there.
And so these applications are things you might want to put to work.
Maybe if you haven't yet begun fasting, these could be a form of fasting because
we're doing this to see Christ's glory here in this place.
Number one, graceful encounters. Christian insurgents approach encounters with
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spirit and with the spirit of grace, marrying the unmerited favor bestowed upon them by God.
In the face of adversity, they extend forgiveness and kindness,
embodying the teachings of Christ, to love their enemies. Love your enemies.
This graceful demeanor serves as
a powerful counterforce to the diverse strategies employed by the enemy.
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I have a saying I've used for years, and it works really well for me.
When in doubt, err on the side of grace.
If someone walks up to you and insults you or puts you down or criticizes you
or some other way, tries to undermine your self-confidence,
your faith in Christ, whatever the case, if you come away feeling wounded by
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that person, give them the benefit of the doubt. It'll infuriate them.
Act like you're ignorant and you don't even know you've been insulted.
It will annoy them for days.
When in doubt, err on the side of grace. I pray for divine divine ignorance
all the time because people are always strafing me and making comments to me
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in my life. I don't mean right here and now.
I just mean in this broad view of my whole existence.
It seems like every time I've been insulted by somebody, I've always had the
benefit of being so ignorant of the insult in the moment that it frustrated
them more than it hurt me.
So pray for divine ignorance. It's really helpful.
When in doubt, err on the side of grace.
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Number two, gentle conviction, armed with gentleness, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Believers do not try to convert those people who disagree with them or who oppose them violently.
We have a bad habit in the Christian realm of embracing violent speech.
It isn't the way of Christ.
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He didn't do it, and neither should we. you refute evil with kindness.
Again, maybe the divine ignorance is the tool. I don't know.
But whatever you do, don't return evil for evil.
And believe me when I tell you, it can be very tempting.
You know, if God has graced you with a clever mind and a quick wit,
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it can work against you as well as it works for you.
So be careful when you return these kinds of activities that undermine your
faith or at least undermine your effort to expand the kingdom. Just be gentle.
Always be gentle. And that goes right with self-control, number three.
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Self-control means means that you have the ability, God-given ability, by the way.
This is something you can do on your own, but it only goes so far.
And so you have to invite the Holy Spirit to enable and enhance your self-discipline
so that when you find yourself in situations that might not adequately,
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serve as a way of expanding the kingdom of Christ through you,
you are self-disciplined enough to So just put on the brakes,
just tap the brakes for a second, just stop.
Sometimes when I'm really tempted to return evil with evil, or if I'm just tempted
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to react rather than to respond, I have to say, okay, you know what?
I'm going to take a timeout and get back with you on this.
You know, and give time for the Holy Spirit to enhance your discipline so that
you can better honor Christ.
And that's what number four is, spiritual discernment. If you invite the Holy
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Spirit to involve himself in this mental exercise that you're going through,
If you invite the Holy Spirit to be a part of how you relate to other believers primarily,
and then secondly, when you're in the encounters with unbelievers,
you know, the Holy Spirit will always come through.
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And one way that the Holy Spirit can get in is if you're open.
I don't know how else to put it. Your mind must be open.
You must be willing to think outside the box that is your flesh.
And invite completely irrational thoughts to pop into your mind when we interpret
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the Spirit's activity in a person as a sort of irrational behavior.
You know, most people who are filled with the Holy Spirit seem irrational to people who are not.
It's funny, you know?
It's kind of funny. And so, this is ultimately the proving ground now,
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number five, which is engage in acts of compassion.
Do good for good's sake.
Do good because it pleases the Lord, even when it doesn't make sense to you.
Even when the world looks at you as a fool because of the good you do.
Do good without regard to whether it will return good. good. There's a tough one.
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Again, go back to when you heard me say, when in doubt, err on the side of grace.
When you do good works, err on the side of grace.
Just do good works.
The Lord isn't so interested in how you effectively or ineffectively involve
yourself in what he's doing through someone else's life.
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The Lord is more interested in how you are interacting with him in the process.
Think about that. God's capacity is beyond our comprehension,
which means that every time he invites you to join him in what he's doing,
he's thinking more about his relationship with you than he is your relationship
with whatever it is he's doing. Think about that.
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So you don't do a good job of sharing your faith with this person.
He's more interested in whether you tried.
You know, so you didn't fix this person's life because their life is chaos and
one act of kindness won't fix their life.
He's more interested in whether you entered into their chaos so that you could
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be like him in the midst of the storm on the Sea of Galilee saying,
saying, peace, be still in the name of Christ.
Now, imagine that we were all doing that together like a resistance movement.
Then we would be a unified body like Frank spoke of in that paragraph I read to you earlier,
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so that our efforts to live out these disciplines combined result in something
bigger than the sum of their parts.
You want to know how you can always tell when and the Holy Spirit's at work
because you get back more than you could possibly have put in because it's always
bigger than the sum of your parts.
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So if there's 135 of us here right now.
If the Holy Spirit's working through all of us, what we will see as an outcome
is more like the output of 335, because that's what he does.
He multiplies your horsepower with the Holy Spirit.
So why aren't we doing more of that together? And I tell you the truth,
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as finely and permanently as it can be said, as perfectly true as it can be,
he cares more about your relationship.
With the brothers and sisters in Christ than anything outside of your relationship
with the Heavenly Father of us all.
Why do we always talk about being a family? Because He wants us to,
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and because He wants us to treat each other like family.
And maybe some of us shouldn't treat each other like we treat our families.
But you might have a chance at bettering your relationship with your families
if you would work that out here with your Christian family.
That's a lot to digest, and so it's probably time for us to pray and go to the Lord's table.
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Almighty God, thank you for your word, and thank you for speaking truth and love to us.
Send us away equipped and prepared to serve you and to join you in whatever you're doing.
Help us to seek you and then to love one another in your spirit, we pray. Amen.
Music.
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