If you are a student of history or just a casual observer, you will have gathered from books and conversations this fact. Down throughout the history of the Christian church, most of its pioneers (new movement types), often labelled as pesky ‘radicals’ have been greatly used by God to goad and cajole the current church culture and dominant leadership paradigm into a new season. Martin Luther, for example, was a complex, brave and innovative shaker of the institution of church. Like many before and since, the result of all of these character traits (and more) has seen significant ‘Christian and societal reformation’ throughout history.

It’s interesting to note that time and time again, a small and somewhat insignificant group of agitators can be seen drawing the body of Christ into a new era, a new season. Sometimes it has cost these pesky radicals great hardship, privations, ostracism, intimidation and alienation, and in some cases, even their very existence, to usher this new kingdom movement into the main stream of church life.

They often espouse what it is to have courageous risk-taking faith. Ordinary men and women of all ages who are sold out to God, have a sense of God’s heart and prophetic revelation and who are willing to give up everything for the sake of that which God has called them to incarnate. They have sought to break church and ministry life free from excessive controls by man-made structures, or constructs, thereby allowing it to become more of what God intended – a relational movement, birthed in the person Christ.

I am concerned about the church of Jesus Christ fulfilling its kingdom mandate to go into all creation and make disciples of every nation. I long more and more to see this wonderful Bride become all that it is meant to be for this fallen world. To this end, I believe we need the agitation, of these ‘pesky’ radicals and their challenge, to move us into a new kingdom dimension of life, work and worship.

We need to see these ‘agitators’ as a sign of what has to come, rather than as an enemy of what exists at present. Why? Because their ranks are made up of people who love the body of Christ and want to see it fulfill the Father’s divine purpose.

Interesting that Paul in Eph. 6:12, says, that our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers. In life I’ve had to learn how to fight the right way while resting in the battle. Now for me, that has not always been easy. Today it is still a choice I must make.

I would like to remind you that the battle you are facing today is not yours, but the Lord’s. One thing you can be sure of, that as a child of God, Satan will ‘rage’ against you.

There’s a story in the Old Testament about King Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 20 NIV) that illustrates this very well. Because a great multitude came against the people, the King and his people began to pray, fast and seek the Lord.

Listen to the King’s prayer – sound familiar? Some of us have probably cried out a similar prayer at times in our Christian walk, ‘for we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us (coming against us). We do not know what to do, but out eyes are upon you’ (20:12).  Boy, how many times have I cried out to God, ‘Lord I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are upon you?'

I love the simplicity and straightforwardness of the Lord’s response in verses, 14-15: this is how He speaks to me when I’ve called out to Him in my testing times, nothing complicated, words of comfort reassuring me to place my total trust and assurance in Him and to rest in Him in the battle. ‘This is what the Lord says to you: Do not afraid nor discouraged…for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’

God told Israel, and the Lord tells you and I today, ‘The battle is not against you, it is Satan’s rage against me, the Lord God, who abides in you.’

Look at what God said to Satan and his adversaries in Isa 37:28, ‘But I know where you stay and where you come and go and how you rage against me.’ God knows. And today He knows all about you and your circumstances. Have no fear!

Friend, where is your battle today, this week, this month?  Is it in your dealings with a friend? Maybe it could be in your marriage or with your fiancée? Is it in your work environment? Maybe you are battling in the area of your health? It could be something to do with your past that is still troubling you. Whatever it is, if you have a heart for Jesus and desire to walk ever closer to Him in all of life, you will face the rage of Satan and his hordes. However, let me assure you that, it’s still not your battle. It’s the Lord’s and He wants you to look to Him in it.

Don’t lose your confidence in the Lord. You could end your battle quickly if you choose – simply by quitting and giving into your fears and doubts. Don’t let that happen – it’s not a real ending.

Even though the battle is the Lord’s, we have a part to play in it: that is to trust and believe His promises in the face of hopelessness and what may seem, to the natural eye, insurmountable impossibilities.  Do not become like the children of God in the Old Testament, when they said, “Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”?’ (Isa. 40:27).

Paul says in Eph. 6: 13-14, when you have done all else, stand! As a follower of Christ, faith demands that I turn over all my life circumstances including my problems; such as all my critical situations, all my fears, all my anxieties and concerns – into the Lord’s hands. When we have done all that we can do, and we know our battle is beyond our power, you and I must submit all into His hands. I know that for some that’s a process.

Jesus is well acquainted with the raging, cunning rampant, wild, intense and furious activities of Satan, and we must truly believe He will act. He will bring us through floods and fires and put to flight the forces of darkness coming against us. These gates of hell (Matt 16:18), these ‘councils of the unseen world’ that seek to come against His church in society and all of creation. Listen to what God’s Word says concerning what He will do regarding the enemy: ‘Because you rage against me…it has reached my ears, I will put a hook in your nose, and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came’ (Isa. 37:29).

Friend, if you will hold fast to your faith in the midst of the battle – trusting in the Lord, resting in His promises, rejecting all lies – the whispers of Satan coming into your mind – you can expect God to come by His Spirit into your circumstances to settle whatever needs to be settled. He will overcome – ‘the battle is mine says the Lord’ and He will move heaven and earth to deliver you and make a way for you. The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it’ (Ps. 89:11). He’s still in charge today!

So today friend, the way out is to, trust, trust, trust! He, the Lord of hosts, is trustworthy - if you’ve handed the battle plan over to Him and you are keeping your eyes on Him. Then the battle is His!

Rest in it!

This is a story that Brisbane's ABC - 612 radio ran on their morning program on Monday the 31^st May. It's about what they saw happening in our city when the Christian church moved out of it's buildings and into the community to become the hands and feet of Jesus.

‘On Saturday, the 29^th around 2000 volunteers across Brisbane united to help out householders who needed a hand in their homes. Nearly ten years ago, a group of pastors met in Brisbane to try and fulfill that oft-heard dream - to make a difference in the community.

In one of my recent blogs, I think I left you with the thought that the church is you, - the redeemed sons and daughters of God, living and working in society and all of creation. That your life, work and worship are key to God's divine strategy. In fact we are to ‘image-God' in all of life, that's our human calling.

To enable us for this task, Scripture says, each one of us has received a specific measure of grace (an underlying motivation or grace) from God, in the form of one or more of the five-fold ministry graces spoken of in Ephesians 4:11, these five being the apostle (establishing ability), prophet (creatiing ability), evangelist (promoting ability), pastor (relating ability), and teacher (educating ability). In my book, ‘Heaven's Answer To Earth's Dilemma' the term that I use to describe these grace-gifts of Christ, is ‘vocational grace motivations'.