#39 Biblical Examples - Acts

The church of Ephesus

C. Peter Wagner shares with us:
"Paul's ministry in Ephesus resulted
in planting a strong church there as 
well as establishing a regional base 
for extensive evangelistic outreach.

During two years 'all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus' (Acts 19:10), and 'the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed' (Acts 19:20).

Susan Garrett says the phrase 'growth of the word' signifies that an obstacle had been overcome. What was the obstacle? She says,

    'It was the seemingly relentless grip that the practice of magic
    — the trafficking in evil spirits and concomitant loyalty to 
    their master, the devil— had exercised on the Ephesian 
    people.'

In other words, through the ministry of the apostle Paul and others on his team, the principalities over the area were weakened to the extent that the gospel could then spread rapidly.

This was effective strategic-level spiritual warfare, interpreted by many as an assault on the known territorial spirit, Diana of the Ephesians.

Bible-believing Christians will want to follow Jesus and the apostles in the strategic-level spiritual warfare that can lead to conquering their cities and nations for Christ.

I like the way Susan Garrett describes the world surrounding the ministry of Jesus and apostles: 

    'The dark regions are the realm of Satan, the ruler of this 
    world, who for eons has sat entrenched and well-guarded, 
    his many possessions gathered like trophies around him. The 
    sick and possessed are held captive by his demons; the 
    gentiles, too, are subject to his dominion, giving him honor 
    and glory that ought to be offered to God.'

When Jesus came announcing the kingdom of God, this dark kingdom of Satan was doomed. Garrett says,

    'To be sure, the final victory lay in the future. But no longer
    could Satan and his demonic and human servants harass
    and torment at will.

    Satan's kingdom was splintering around him, and his 
    authority was no longer acknowledge by all. The battle 
    still raged but Christ's ultimate triumph was certain. 
    Christian experience—from the earliest days to Luke's 
    present—testified to the demise of the devil.' 

Warfare Prayer #39 Biblical Examples - Acts By C. Peter Wagner (pgs. 68-70) Regal Books Mark I. Bubeck shares with us from his book  The Satanic Revival  (pg. 218) "The satanic revival has been subtle but thorough. The humanistic die has been cast as the standard for the future function of our nation. Only revolutionary revival could make a difference now." Pray with me:       Father, help those of us who  pray for our particular churches, to be able to come against the evil  powers which surround us.     Make us aware of what it is  we're up against, so we can pray more effectively.     Thank you for Christ's ultimate victory over the evil one. We know now that we have power through Jesus to overcome whatever is thrown at us.     Open our eyes to what You're doing in and through us, and enable us to grow in grace to understand what our particular battles are.     I ask this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen. Today’s Bible verse: Haggai 1:7 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways." Today’s quote:  Marvin Williams - "Jesus' death on the cross was the high cost of delivering us from sin. And only He could pay that price because He was the perfect Son of God. The natural response to such free but costly grace is spontaneous praise from our hearts and commitment to the God who bought us through Jesus (Eph. 1:13-14). Praise to our loving God — He has come to set us free!" Some thoughts today: Shall we continue in sin? (see Rom. 1:1, 2-11). - Men's religion is man trying to get on an even footing with God. It is a futile attempt, as only Jesus has the way prepared for us all...(see Rom. 6 & 7).  - We're to walk in newness of life, once Christ does what only  He can do, and that is to cleanse us from all our sin, no matter how  "good" you've been, or how atrocious your past was. {A good many of my "thoughts" come from Pastor Rick Sinclair's messages at the CFC Potsdam and CFC Madrid churches. You can check them out on http://www.cfconline.org/  There is a lot of information there to choose from. Click on "messages" to listen to various messages by our three ministers.} 12th- Thursday’s post: #40 Campus Crusade in Thailand C. Peter Wagner 14th- Saturday's post;  Tomorrow James H. Cagle 15th- Sunday evening's post:  When Others Won't Forgive Randy Kilgore 17th- Tuesday's post:  #41 The Underlying Issue C. Peter Wagner A popular post:  Fueled by the Spirit jean-oathout.blogspot.com   (save to check in another time) Samples of Jean's crafts http://twitter.com/jeanoathout http://facebook.com/jean.oathout Granny's Guide to Marriage in Verse   Kindle $2.99  A great gift for someone who needs help in their marriage Bridal Shower Devotional Bridal Wisdom for Women My book in paperback $7.95 Granny's Guide to Marriage in Verse  AuthorsDen.com Where authors and readers come together!