Repel Satan’s Inevitable Counterattack

Yes, bruised brother in Christ, you will overcome the evil one. We empathize with you and pray for your relief. Be strong in the Lord, because your cross will be replaced with a crown, and your reward in Glory will be greater because of your endurance.

Yes, Lord Jesus, we will resist the Old Dragon,; for we remain radically and totally committed tp You. Though Satan injure or slay us, we will not sheath our sword until Your Kingdom is established among those whom You have given us to serve. Grant us your victorious strength.

Be prepared to meet the inevitable oppositioin to a spreading movement.

Opposition remains 100% probable. Jesus said so, and history confirms it. When churches begin to multiply and regain terrain from the Old Dragon, he becomes crazed with hatred, aims his fiery darts and sends out his minions to spread “doctrines of demons.” Be forewarned. His painful counterattacks will come as surely as the sun will set at dusk.

Remember the “cloud of witnesses” — those who suffered throughout ages, and now surround us.

Consider it an honor to suffer with Jesus, and an even greater privilege to be counted among the myriads of martyrs who have died for Him. Throughout eternity, you will praise God for earthly trials.

Prepare your fellow believers to detect wolves and to ward them off.

Before demons set up their heavy artillery to bombard your churches, prepare your defenses. Some wolves come as well-meaning, traditional believers who oppose your New Testament-based strategies. Some will seek to buy away your workers with money.

Jesus warned of wolves who come in sheep’s clothing, and Paul said they would come from within and without. Those from within are Evangelicals who proselytize your church members, stealing sheep from other shepherds’ folds. This can cause the sharpest pain. Wolves from without are unbelievers or followers of another religion, including quasi-Christian sects such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons.

Learn to duck.

Workers who start a movement for Christ often must endure painful criticism from other workers and colleagues that are not seeing such fruit. Churches that multiply may attract the attention of well-meaning, misguided church planters, from traditional leaders and from others who do not follow New Testament guidelines. They think they are helping you by trying to “rectify” your methods. Do not enter into working alliances with them — fellowship yes, collaboration no.

Spot counterfeits.

Detect false doctrines and devilish religious sects, at once, by their characteristic patterns. They all fail to glorify Christ. Some err on the side of rationalism, denying spiritual realities. Others at the opposite end of falsehood’s spectrum get lost in a dream world of mysticism. They sidestep simple facts about Jesus, and His clear commands. Their leaders usually prove proud, assertive and intolerant of biblical truth, unless they can twist meanings to fit their own beliefs.

Court an agency before you marry it.

Check out any agency or ministry team before you join it. Find if those to whom you will be immediately accountable agree enthusiastically with your vision and plans. If they do not, then do not hope to change them. Trying to change experienced workers brings painful friction.

Resources For While You …

Endure assault from spiritual predators. Ward off proselytizers:

Drive off sheep-stealing wolves

Avoid confusing Old Testament Law with New Testament Grace.

jit 4d 91 Key contrasts between Old and New Testaments, 3 pages

Identify society’s termites. Gain new insight from this brief, eye-opening list of wholesome social truths; and counter Satan’s means of blinding men to these truths:

Foundational truths for a wholesome society

Strategize to multiply churches or cells in Anglo-America. What to do and what to avoid doing:

Future of Anglo American Christianity

Arm students against atheistic teaching. One of Satan’s most deadly fiery arrows is materialistic rationalism that belittles God, morals and Scripture. It is rampant in state universities. Christian students may find this arsenal of solid facts useful to withstand it:

Seven compelling reasons for faith

Common Traps To Avoid

disagreements with coworkers that cause Christian workers in foreign fields to “burn out” and to leave.

The root cause of friction on a mission field is not, as commonly supposed, inability to get along with coworkers. Missionaries are usually

loving, genial people. Failing to get along is a symptom of a deeper causes: (1) When field supervisors or coworkers push new associates into work for which they are neither called nor gifted, or (2) coworkers embrace conflicting strategies for their work. (3) Some field directors fail to listen to new workers to find out what they intend to do.

So, a sending church should send a letter to a potential field director specifying the ministry for which it has commissioned the workers. Thus, a field supervisor will not consider a new arrival to be arrogantly asserting what he will do; rather, he has prior accountability that a wise field director will respect.

Evangelical fads.

Exciting fads soar like skyrockets, attract popular attention, and then fade and die, leaving thousands of disillusioned believers. The writer, now a great-grandfather, recalls many such fads, and groans at the misery they have left behind. Detect fads by their subtle deviance from biblical doctrine or practice.

Waste time trying to defend yourself against proud, argumentative or dogmatic believers.

Do not let talkative folk drain your energy.

Teach or act negatively, focusing on others’ errors.

A leader’s preoccupation with others’ errors can give his own hearers a sour stomach.

Confuse Old Testament Law with New Testament church life — “But it’s in the Bible!”

Satan often injects this subtle, debilitating form of legalism into churches and cells. Detect the Pharisee’s contagious yeast before spiritual indigestion destabilizes the church body. Remember, we follow God’s New Covenant, not His Old Law. We obey Messiah, not Moses.