As believers, we may passively go about our days, working from task to task, without recognizing that there is a constant warfare going on that urgently requires that we live with strength. The enemy is crouching and waiting for any opportunity to seize us (Gen. 4:7), and there is no middle ground in this warfare; if there is a gap, a leak, or an open back door, the enemy will come into our house to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10). Yet, even against this constant threat, the Master of our house is rich, and as His servants, we are those guarding and serving others into God’s house for His victory.
With the enemy active, we cannot be casual about our living, as we are entrusted with the Lord’s precious possessions — His church. Not only can we not be casual, but entering into this house — His kingdom — requires that we “force” our way into it, even with violence, against all the forces that oppose (Luke 16:16, Matt. 11:12). We are facing a sophisticated worldly system in which we were once enslaved, and this system does not let us go easily. There indeed is a price and process required for us to be in the church today: brothers and sisters came to us with the gospel as stewards of God’s house to pay off the debt we were unable to pay (Luke 16:6-7), so that the Lord could further operate in our being. At the time we believed, we were brought into His house and given the same stewardship to serve: we use His power to represent Him, bring in His victory, and overcome His enemy. We claim that ownership: hearing it, believing it, speaking it, and living it (2 Cor. 4:13).
Today, we carry the most expensive and priceless salvation that not only freed us, but continues to free those who are still enslaved in the world while still strengthening us in our churching each day. We must continue to take it violently, grasping every opportunity to receive, dispense, and express the words of our Master. This conflict is fierce today, requiring a violent and active response from us. The Lord says clearly: “…the kingdom of God is proclaimed as the gospel, and everyone forces his way into it” (Luke 16:16). The kingdom of God is entered into by force. We need a sense of urgency for each others’ conditions. As the church, we overcome the power of death and God’s enemy (Matt. 16:18). We all are able to live by our spirit and set our mind on our Lord and His desire, His plan. We all can think on and dwell in God’s words. We all have the right and privilege to pray and live for each other. Let us rise up, taking, claiming, and guarding this stewardship with violence — so that each one may enter His kingdom.
(Above are notes of fellowship taken from a gathering on 10/13/2024, not reviewed by the speaker.)