C. Peter Wagner: "We do not have thesame detail of the war in the heavenlies
accompanying the ministry of Jeremiah
the prophet, but we have even greater
detail of his divine call to strategic-level
spiritual warfare.
God said to Jeremiah,
'See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant' (Jer. 1:10).
This, obviously, is not a reference to the kingdoms of this world as they appear to be, but as they really are. It is a reference to the principalities and powers, which are at the root of what takes place in human affairs.
And God did not give Jeremiah carnal weapons to do this work. He had no political office or military command or vast wealth at his disposal.
His weapon was intercession, warfare prayer that was in tune with God and powerful enough to change the course of human history.
Luke
Few modern scholars have so painstakingly looked into the theme of strategic-level spiritual warfare in the New Testament as has the Yale New Testament scholar, Susan R. Garrett.
Her excellent book, The Demise of the Devil, confirms that the underlying theme of Luke's narrative in the book of Acts was the battle against the demonic.
(My next post from Wagner's book, on the 10th, will be about Acts' accounts of spiritual warfare).
Susan Garrett raises the question:
'If people's eyes have been 'blinded' by Satan's control
over their lives, how can Paul open them?'
The answer, she affirms, is:
'Paul must himself be invested with authority that is
greater than Satan's own' (emphasis hers).
She sees a key passage in Luke as being Jesus' declaration that His
disciples would have authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19) and this is exactly the power that operates through Paul in Acts.
It might well be that the most outstanding example we have of the apostle Paul 'taking the city for God,' to use John Dawson's terminology, is his ministry in the city of Ephesus. (check out the post, #32 Conquering a City and find out what Jesus has to say...)
Ephesus stood among cities in the Roman empire as a 'center for magical powers' according to Talbot School of Theology professor Clinton E. Arnold. Arnold affirms that-
'the overriding characteristic of the practice of magic
throughout the Hellenistic world was the cognizance
of a spirit world exercising influence over virtually
every aspect of life.'
When Paul went to Ephesus, he must have known something of the intense high-level spiritual warfare that awaited him. After he left, his epistle to the Ephesians contained-
'a substantially higher concentration of power terminology
than in any other epistle attributed to Paul."
(Google image and emphasis added)
#38 Biblical Examples - Jeremiah &
Luke By C. Peter Wagner
(pgs. 67-68) Regal Books
Mark I. Bubeck shares with us from his book The Satanic Revival "I pray that the Holy Spirit will, by Your Word, reveal to human hearts the certainty of an approaching accountability to God. May that sobering fact settle upon people until they can find no rest apart from coming to our Lord Jesus Christ."
 Pray with me: Father, Jeremiah's weapon was intercession, warfare prayer that was in tune with God. Oh, that we would take advantage of this source You've given us as Your children, to come against the powers of the devil! When I see what is being accomplished in those around me by the evil one, please break my heart for them. May I begin to know what it is You want me to take part in. Make me sensitive to Your directions. I ask for this in the name of Jesus, for his glory. Amen.
Today’s Bible verse: I Chron. 16:27 "Glory and honor are in his presence: strength and gladness are in his place."
Today’s quote:
should be a reflection of Jesus everywhere you go. As you work it out among your friends and family, on the job or in school, and even with strangers, God's Spirit will energize you to make a difference and impact others—that is, to be salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16). customercare@intouch.org
Some thoughts today: Do you know who "is your neighbor?" Watch for opportunities to help or minister to those you come in contact with. (Remember the story of the good Samaritan?)
- To abide in the vine means to maintain a deep encounter/ relationship with Christ. - We can trust in Christ's finished work on Calvary as it's a done deal!
7th- Saturday’s post: How Wondrous Are You God!
Debbie McEwen 8th- Sunday evening's post: Water Baptism Jean Oathout 10th- Tuesday's post: #39 Biblical Example - Acts C. Peter Wagner 12th- Thursday's post: #40 Campus Crusade in Thailand C. Peter Wagner  A popular post: Broken but
shares with us about sea glass-
"Recently, my daughter showed
me her collection of sea glass. Also known as beach glass,
the varied bits of colored glass are sometimes pieces of pottery but often they are pieces of shattered glass bottles..."
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