Living in a War Zone

War is kind of a serious thing. 

And yet, we treat this invisible war, this war that is vastly more important and consequential than all human wars combined, as if it doesn’t matter, almost as if it doesn’t exist. 

We live in a very active war zone, but this sinner seems to engage very little, and often is unaware of the hostages and casualties falling all around me. The church has gotten used to living in a war zone, and has made peace with that (and not in a good way). To some extent, we have (possibly subconsciously) decided that to struggle against the world forces of this darkness is a whole lot of work, and we would rather just gather as an army inside our building and take part in the American dream and the bliss of indifference. What shame we bring on ourselves when we don’t try to please the one who enlisted us (2 Timothy 2:3-4) by enduring hardship, but instead try to avoid conflict. War is conflict. War is suffering. If you wanted to be a pacifist, you should not have joined the army. 

The Enemy has done much work to prevent us from remembering we are at war. He has put us to sleep with weapons of complacency. Everything from distractions (screens and videos and all kinds of “noise"), to lusts of the flesh, to good things (kids and hobbies and work); all are fair game to make us not see people dying and going to hell all around us. The church itself has a hard time seeing the invisible, we only see and think about the physical (Jesus often ran into this same problem with His disciples, and had to remind them “guys I’m not talking about physical bread”). We forget our struggle isn’t against flesh and blood. It isn’t against racial injustice, poverty, human rights, saving the earth, human trafficking, or the Democratic party. You don’t fight the byproducts of evil, you don’t create policies and organizations to diminish its effect. You take the fight to the enemy. 

Satan doesn’t care about poverty, he cares about poor people's souls. All other factors are just tools for him. And so it has to be for us. I don’t care to make a poor man on his way to Hell a less poor man on his way to hell. 

This may come across as too black and white. Certainly sex trafficking is much more serious than  “saving the earth”, and if we can bring physical and temporary salvation with real salvation, all the better. But the sub-mission can’t become the mission. And all these other things that are very physical and seem more “real” than the actual war, the One Mission we were tasked with upon His departure. I can see the poor being fed and clothed. It also achieves the praise of the unbeliever; they tell us the church is being good and fulfilling our mission when we stand for social injustice (not good when the world defines the mission of the church). When we fight these battles, we do not incur the anger of the world. When we engage in the fight, when we warn an unbeliever of the wrath to come, that's when the battle really heats up. Satan defends his strongholds; he has his servants encourage us in all the wrong focuses, and smile upon us when we get off topic. 

And that is one of the enemies primary strategies, well planned and well executed. 

War is kind of a serious thing. Maybe we should make some time to engage in the fight today. 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:10-12