Identifying 4 Strongholds in the Church working against the Mission of God.
Introduction:
Last week we highlighted how the Church can work against God’s Mission by its non-involvement in fulfilling the Great Commission.
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. (Matthew 12:30)
Spiritual warfare involves discerning spiritual forces influencing attitudes and reasoning in the Church that hinder or oppose Christ’s Mission. These influences infiltrates the Church subtly and in covert manner, and like leaven, their hidden influence dominates the thinking patterns and actions forming “Spiritual Strongholds” within.
Jesus identified Satan as a ‘thief’ who is engaged in robbing the Church of God’s purposes. He steals the priority which should be given to Missions which results in either ignorance or negligence of the Great Commission. This is intentional because Satan knows that the finishing the Great Commission will determines his final judgment and destruction. So the longer we delay God’s Mission, longer Satan can prolong his activity.
Since thieves generally operate when one is asleep, the losses are rarely discovered until much later. Such spiritual darkness keeps the Church from being enlightened about the negative impact it has in impeding its mission. Therefore, the Bible exhorts:
“Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” Eph 5:14.
Let us pray for such an awakening to happen in the Church worldwide causing it to arise to fulfill the call of Missions.
4 Ways of discerning how the Church Is delaying the Missions of God.
We want you to join in prayer for Spiritual discernment and revelation to identify these Strongholds through which Satan has robbed the Church of priorities that hinder the Mission of God. Pray that the Holy Spirit will bring light to awaken the Church to re-establish these Priorities of the Church.
Such prayer can awaken the ‘Sleeping Giant’ to fulfill its Mission.
Stronghold 1. Robbing the Biblical priority of Missions.
While every Church gives priority and attention to regular preaching and teaching the Scriptures, not everyone understand the primary objective of the Bible.
It is said that
“The Bible does not contain missional sections; the Bible itself is a ‘Missionary Book.’
The overarching narrative of Scripture depicts a ‘Missionary God’ going to a lost world with the hope of the gospel.”
David Livingstone also said: “God had only one Son and He sent Him as a (Cross-Cultural) Missionary.”
Preaching the Bible without the revelation of a ‘Missional God’ has produced need-based ‘Consumers’ in churches, whose demands are keeping the energy, attention and resources of the Church ‘inward-focused.’ However, a revelation of a Missional God as the “Lord of the Harvest’ will produce ‘Contributors’ who are willing to partner with an outward-focused Mission of reaching the Lost.
Similarly, most people accept that Jesus is the ‘scarlet thread’ that runs through the whole Bible, but only a few give priority to preaching the Mission of “the Lamb that was slain” and His for the purpose of redeeming people out of “every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9) God’s Throne is always depicted with the “Lamb,” reminding us that God’s Kingdom is never detached from the Missional redemptive work of the Lamb of God.
This huge lack of Biblical revelation of Missions is reflected in the following 2 key factors identified by Missiologists:
“Almost 80% of Christians worldwide have no proper understanding or the ability to explain the Great Commission correctly. The result is that ‘nearly 80% of 2.5 billion the unreached people of will never meet a Christian who is able to share the Gospel with them!”
This highlights that we are not just dealing with ignorance, but with Spiritual Strongholds which robbed the Church of its Missional priority, and as a result has denied the lost people the opportunity to be saved.
Let us focus prayer on breaking down this stronghold and for the Biblical priority of missions must be restored back to our pulpits and Churches.
Prayer:
“Heavenly Father, we pray that you will open our eyes to see the wonders of your Word. Forgive us for not giving attention to the primary focus of the Bible which is your redemptive Mission.
You said to search the Scriptures because they speak of Jesus. We want to see Jesus as the Lamb of God slain for the Redemption of mankind. Help us to be conscious of the Nations, people groups, tribes, and language groups who are yet to hear the Gospel and to be redeemed. Help us to give priority to that so that we can pray, give, and send laborers to the harvest field.
Stronghold 2: Robbing the Priority Given to Church’s Outward Mission.
The term “Macedonian Call’ is often used in Missions but few understand its background.
Paul had completed his first Missionary journey of planting Churches in Asia Minor and was called to the Jerusalem Council to address the internal doctrinal issues of keeping the law of Moses. There He was assigned to carry out decrees to establish the Churches. In other words He was was delegated to do what any local Pastor today would do: Follow-up, discipling, preaching, teaching, strengthening people’s faith, and focusing on Church Growth etc.
His suggestion to Barnabas was
“Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.”
Of course, He was very successful in doing this because:
And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.’ Acts 16:5
However, the Holy Spirit disrupted this through the Macedonian Call!
Instead of focusing on already established churches in Asia Minor the Spirit diverted him to the ‘Mission to Europe’ – to reach the Unreached people of a different Region of Macedonia.
Paul could have remained in Asia Minor and continued doing the ‘regular Church maintenance’ work , but the consequence could have been disastrous.
As one observer noted; “after the rise of Islam in 700AD, all the churches planted by Paul in Asia were totally wiped out! Only the Churches in Europe survived and thrived in Missions to make Christianity a Global Religion!
Today, this ‘inward-focused’ stronghold keeps churches near-sighted and blind from completing the ‘Great Commission.’
Obedience to a fresh ‘Macedonian missionary call’ in the 21st century Church is needed.
The Macedonian Call is not an ‘option’ – it’s a ‘disruption’ of the status quo!
Prayer:
Father forgive us for prioritizing Church maintenance above the fulfillment of Missions.
Forgive us for ignoring the Macedonian call from many nations and tribes who are calling us for help. Help us share the importance of the Great Commission with every member of the Church and make aware of the need to be involved in Missions.
We pray that you will give us sensitive ears to hear what the Lord is speaking to us.
Stronghold 3: Robbing the spirit of Generosity in Missions.”
The Churches Paul established in Europe eventually became Generous Churches which He commended in 2 Corinthian 8:1-2.
“And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.”
Such generosity was not manifest because of affluence in Churches, but they were in deep poverty and in persecution. Today if Churches in every nation – rich or poor – could develop this generosity, the mission can be speeded up.
Paul also commended the Philippian Church for their Missionary Giving:
“Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.” Phillippians 4:16
The most misquoted Scripture of ‘My God shall supply all your need” in vs 19 was given to a Missionary Church – not just to anyone! Not to ‘consumers – but to Contributors’
The chart below illustrates how giving to Missions has the lowest priority in majority of Churches worldwide!
For every $100,000 Christians earn, only $1.70 is given to reach the Unreached!
To see more details – Click Here
This self-centered lack of generosity is not just an economic issue – it is a ‘Stronghold’ of the enemy that has robbed the Church of its resources from fulfilling the Great Commission.
Let us pray for a shift in the Spiritual realm to change this.
Prayer:
Father, We ask for forgiveness on how we have focused all our resources on the inward maintenance of the Church. We pray that the Macedonian Spirit of Generosity will be manifest in every Church.
We pray and break down “we are poor” mentality in Churches and instead let a spirit of Sacrifice and giving will prevail in Churches.
Stronghold 4. Robbing the Priority of Releasing Missionaries.
Jesus identified the primary need in fulfilling His Mission in Matthew 9:39 : ‘the Laborers are few’ for the harvest which is plentiful.
However, 2000 years later, today there are over 14 million Christian Workers in 4 million Churches globally! Yet, the majority of these are involved in non-missional contexts.
Only 240,000 are working as missionaries, of which only 1% of them are engaged in working among the Unreached People.
Certainly, the “Laborers are Plentiful – inside the Church’ while the ‘Missionaries are Few – in the Plentiful Harvest field!”
This disparity of laborer assignment is not just a logistical and statistical issue – it is a Spiritual Stronghold.
Again, only a shift in the Spiritual realm can break down structures that hold back laborers inside the Church and to establish ‘Sending structures’ to release harvesters.
Missionary Sending is the work of the Holy Spirit as He did in the Antioch Church.
Let us pray that there will be a season in Churches where the leaders will be sensitive to hear the Spirit’s guidance and obey Him:
“The Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them… So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went…”
Prayer:
Dear Father, as the Lord of the Harvest you promised that you will send forth laborers to your harvest field. We thank you for 14 million Christian workers around the World whom you have called to serve you.
We ask you to forgive us because we have held back the majority of them inside the Church to be focused on non-missional activities. We pray that you will help Churches and leaders to discern the voice and direction of the Holy Spirit’s calling them to ‘send out’ these workers to your harvest field.
We pray that you will raise up Churches who are willing to ‘send’ them out as your Word says, ‘How can they hear… unless they are sent?”
Summary: Spiritual Warfare against the strongholds of:
- Biblical Ignorance of the Mission of God.
- Blindness in outward vision.
- The spirit of self-centeredness – lack of sacrifice and generosity in Missions.
- Holding back the laborers – “laborers are plentiful inside – but few outside.”
2. Prayer for the historical ‘Sender Summit’ in Minnesota USA.
The First ever ‘Senders Summit’ brings together historical and new missionary sending agencies under the theme of ‘Finishing the Task Together’. Over 150 Missions Directors from 70 World AG Nations are meeting this week in Minneapolis from May16-20th.
Pray for the following:
- Pray that the Holy Spirit will enable them to fulfill the objective of partnering to Finish the Task Together
- For all Delegates who participate in this event, that God will touch them with a fresh outpouring of the Spirit on this event.
- The Synergy produced will result in a greater partnership between the Historical Senders (North America, Europe and Pacific) and New Senders.
- Pray that New Senders from Asia, Africa, and Latin America will be energized by the Spirit and thtat it will be an Antioch Moment to release the greatest missionary sending movement in the history of AG.
- Pray for the Speakers and Sessions that each will experience the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit.
Sources:
Status of Global Christianity – Gordon Cornwell
Missions Statistics – Traveling Team