Forget the Diseaese, Forget the Cure W e live in a world without a whole host of horrible diseases that used to plague society: polio or tuberculosis, for example. But when we have not had these diseases for a long time, certain risks emerge, as we begin minimising the seriousness of those diseases.
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e can think a disease was never that bad in the first place. We may even be tempted to think it was a fiction, a superstition, and never existed. Or, we can minimise how dangerous it would be, and think that, should we find that disease now, it would easily be able to treated. When that happens, we might also think that any precautions necessary to prevent the disease (from immunisation to washing your hands) have become utterly unnecessary. It is precisely in such a situation that we become vulnerable, yet again.
Matthew Gray is Lecturer in Church History. He is enrolled in the PhD history program at Adelaide University. In 1st semester, Matt will teach and Introduction to Christian Ministry and Story of the Church
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he end of such diseases coincided with the end of a strong popular recognition of the supernatural, and of spiritual forces such as demons or evil spirits. Modernism brought rationalism and technologism, both of which were
Warfare Weapons I
n charismatic jargon, ‘spiritual warfare’ is often a synonym for a mystical mode of prayer. People talk about ‘going into warfare’ or setting aside a time for ‘spiritual warfare’. Some churches hold ‘warfare’ prayer meetings. This is too narrow a view. While prayer is a necessary component of spiritual warfare, there is much more to it. Our whole lives are engaged in battle. We are always at war.
Dr Barry Chant has over 50 years experience in pastoral and educational ministry, and was one of the founders of Tabor Adelaide. He
a diploma in education and a PhD in history.
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ut what if not all the supernatural things were frauds and scams? What if, in response to modernism, the devil has chosen a subtler tactic than the more ostentatious one he’s used over the centuries? Now, he plans in the shadows, the hidden puppetmaster.
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he Church knew how to deal with the supernatural for centuries. And while some of that was misguided and superstitious, a lot of it was responding to an undeniable problem. The Roman Church by the 200s had over fifty exorcists on staff, for this very reason.
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e must ensure that we keep up the fight, and take seriously the diseases of our past, including the spiritual ones. When we forget our history of fighting these, we lose resources necessary for actually doing that fighting at all. And that is when epidemics – whether material or spiritual – become all the more possible. mgray@adelaide.tabor.edu.au
This is why Jesus’ last words are plain – ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel’ (Mark 16:15-18).
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he conflict is not physical but spiritual. It is crucial that we learn how to understand and respond to the spiritual realm. We do not struggle against flesh and blood, but against spiritual foes (Ephesians 6:10-11). Our weapons are not material, but spiritual and powerful, able to break down spiritual strongholds (2 Corinthians any have been the gatherings in which people 10:4, 5). Satan and his cohorts are engaged in a relentless have rebuked the devil, ‘bound’ him, ‘pleaded and implacable contest for supremacy. But like Jesus, we the blood’ over him, sent him to the abyss and so on. overcome through the Word of God (Matthew 4:1-11). The sincerity of this approach cannot be questioned but it is nearer to mythology than theology. It is nce we put on the uniform, we are part of the impossible to validate it from Scripture and there is army. And once we are in the army, we are little evidence that it does any good. likely to be engaged in battle. However, the victory
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holds degrees in arts, theology and ministry,
excellent at eradicating these diseases. Rationalism also explained away many of the fraudulent “supernatural” scams of the time.
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n plain terms, spiritual warfare is the conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world. Our armoury includes many resources – prayer, holiness, unity, godliness, faith, the fullness of the Spirit, integrity, praise. But our front-line ordnance is the Word of God. Our primary weapon is not prayer, but the preaching of the Word, which is the blade of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). It is the sharp two-edged sword that proceeds from the mouth of the Saviour. revelation 1:16; 19:15).
has already been decided. When Christ rose from the dead, he disarmed the powers and authorities, and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them (Colossians 2:15). Hence, he always leads us in triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14). Our task now is simply to enforce the victory of Christ through our declaration of the words of God. barrychant.com (Barry Chant © 2012)