Our
Weapons in Spiritual Warfare.
.
by Michael Harper
To lead a person to Christ and not to show him
how he can be filled with the Holy Spirit is
like recruiting someone for the army and not
providing him with adequate weapons. If he goes
to war unarmed, and unprotected for that matter,
he will make little impression on the enemy, and
likely as not will finish up a casualty or a
prisoner of war. Jesus himself made sure that
his disciples did not commence battle until they
had been filled with the Holy Spirit and
equipped with spiritual gifts, and He offers the
same resources to us.
There are many kinds of weapons in God's armory,
and the Christian soldier needs to be acquainted
with each of them. There are some that are
offensive weapons, others used for defense. Some
to neutralize the enemy, others to protect
ourselves from his attacks. Paul describes them
well in this way:
It is true that I am an ordinary weak human
being, but I don't use human plans and methods
to win my battles. I use God's mighty weapons,
not those made by men, to knock down the devil's
strongholds. These weapons can break down every
proud argument against God and every wall that
can be built to keep men from finding him. With
these weapons I can capture rebels and bring
them back to God, and change them into men whose
heart's desire is obedience to Christ. 2
Corinthians 10:3-5)
The Name
No one reading the New Testament can escape the
crucial nature of the name of Jesus in every
part of it. Let us list some of its uses:
Salvation
"there is no other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved" Acts 4:
12 (see also 9:21, 10:43 and John 1:12)
Justification
"you were justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God" 1
Corinthians 6: 11
Healing
"in
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth walk"
Acts 3:6
Preaching
"Philip preached good news about the kingdom
of God and the name of Jesus Christ" Acts 8:12
(see also 9:27)
Exorcism
"1
charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come
out of her" Acts 16:18 (see also Mark 16:17)
Church
discipline "I have already pronounced
judgment in the name of the Lord Jesus on the
man who has done such a thing" 1 Corinthians
5:3-4
Worship
"always and for everything giving thanks in
the' name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the
Father" Eph. 5:20
Prayer
"whatever you ask in my name, I will do it,
that The" Father may be glorified in the Son;
if you ask anything in my name, 1 will do it"
John 14:13-14
The gift
of the Holy Spirit "but the
Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will send in my name, he will teach you all
things..." John 14:26
Persecution
"then they left the presence of the council,
rejoicing that they were counted worthy to
suffer dishonor for the name." Acts 5:41 (see
also Matthew 5:41, Matthew 24:9 and Acts 9:
16)
It can all be
summarized by the words of Paul, "Whatever you
do, in word or deed, do everything in the name
of the Lord Jesus" (Colossians 3:17).
You could not have a more comprehensive
injunction than that! The name of Jesus,
however, is not to be used as a kind of lucky
talisman, and there is nothing magical about the
word itself. In Acts 19, as we have already
seen, the sons of Sceva tried to use it this way
with painful results. But from Pentecost
onwards the name of Jesus figures very
prominently in the whole forward movement of the
Christian Church.
The name of a person in both the Old and New
Testaments means very much more than the word
itself. It means the entire person, his
attributes, personality and power. We recognize
the same in everyday life. A cheque without a
signature is only worth the paper it is printed
on. It all depends on that name at
the bottom right-hand corner. That signature or
name represents that person's financial
resources and the part of them which he is
prepared to part with. It is as if Jesus left
behind Him a cheque book full of blank cheques
which He has signed with his name. The believer
fills in the amount as the will of God is
revealed, and the cheque once presented is met
by the inexhaustible riches of Christ. So
through the name of Jesus, some believe, others
receive the Holy Spirit, others are healed and
others are delivered from satanic power. How
tragic when we use the cheque book of our own
resources and find the cheques are always
bouncing! God's cheques, when signed with the
name of Jesus, are always honoured.
The name of Jesus is a
powerful weapon
When we use the name of Jesus we
are recognizing the fact that we are not
ministering in our own name or for our own
blessing. We are acting as his representatives.
When people accept Christ through our witness,
or are healed through the laying on of hands, or
set free through the ministry of exorcism,
then it is Christ who has ministered. He has met
with these people, and we have only been his
representatives and means. As we invoke the name
of Jesus, we are bringing that person into his
presence that He might minister to them. We must
also guard jealously the glory and honor of
Jesus' name, and see that none is given or
received by ourselves.
The name of Jesus is a powerful weapon in our
hands, and since we are to do everything in that
name it should often be on our lips and in our
prayers. We must always use it reverently and
discreetly. We must never want to become so
familiar with it that we lose the sense of awe
and wonder that surrounds it. It
is the name to which one day every knee will bow
and every tongue have to confess. We must bow to
that name now, and confess it boldly and
believingly, and as we pray for others according
to their need, let us use it firmly and
confidently.
The Word of God
This weapon has already been mentioned in the
previous chapter. It is the one offensive weapon
referred to in the famous passage on spiritual
warfare in Ephesians 6. The armor is for
protection, but the sword of the Spirit "which
is the word of God" is useful for both attack
and defense. In Hebrews 4:12 the word of God is
again likened to a sword-it is "alive and
active. It cuts more keenly than any two-edged
sword, piercing as far as the place where life
and spirit, joints and marrow, divide. It sifts
the purposes and thoughts of the heart" (NEB).
There is nothing quite like the word of God,
proclaimed in the power of the Holy Spirit, for
forcing the enemy into the open and revealing
the presence of Satan's influence. Martin Luther
recognized this, as part of a verse of one of
his famous hymns reveals:
And let the prince of ill
Look grim as e'er he will,
He harms us not a whit,
For why? his doom is writ;
A word shall quickly slay him.
No doubt too this is the explanation for the
experiences of the early Methodists. For when
John Wesley and others began to preach in some
places, strong people would begin to cry out,
sometimes manifesting the symptoms of epilepsy.
There is no more powerful combination than that
of the Spirit and word of God. When mixed in the
right proportions the enemy is sure to be
exposed and overthrown.
But the word of God is not only an irritant, it
also heals and strengthens. It has been said of
preaching that it should "disturb the
comfortable and comfort the disturbed." This
aptly describes the ministry of the word. When
we are counselling and trying to help people who
are oppressed by satanic power, we must know how
to apply the word of God not only in diagnosing
the cause of the trouble, but also in
prescribing the remedy.
Mrs. Jean Darnall has devised a very helpful
method in this respect. She calls it "scriptural
prescriptions," and like medicine they are to be
taken by the patient "three times a day." We
simply write out for the one we are trying to
help (or for ourselves if we are treating
ourselves!) a set of relevant scriptures. It is
then suggested that these be read aloud three
times, morning, noon and before going to bed.
First, they are spoken to God, as witness that
He has written
this and so will fulfill it; secondly, to
ourselves, as witnessing to the fact that it
applies to us and we believe it; and thirdly, to
the devil, as Jesus did in the wilderness, so
that he has eventually to flee.
Righteousness
Paul regarded this as a weapon as well as part
of the Christian armor to protect him from
attack (Le., the breastplate of righteousness).
In 2 Corinthians 6:6, he refers to "the weapons
of righteousness for the right hand and for the
left." It seems as if we should be ambidextrous
in our spiritual warfare! Ready for
anything! But Paul probably means here "weapons
for enemies all round us."
In the context of 2 Corinthians 6, from which
this text comes, Paul is defending himself from
the misrepresentation and obloquy of his
Christian opponents in Corinth, who wanted to
exalt others over Paul. His ministry and life
had been seriously criticized, and he is at
pains to point out the features which could
swing the pendulum strongly in the right
direction and be the means of drawing millions
back to God and his kingdom.
It is not the purpose of this book to give a
detailed explanation of these gifts, but to draw
attention to the three which are particularly
appropriate-"the word of wisdom," "the word of
knowledge," and "the discerning of spirits." The
first two are often paired together. They are
the means of conveying to us inspired
understanding of situations and of people's
needs.
The best examples of the operation of the gift
of the "word of wisdom" can be found in the
inspired way in which our Lord answered his
hecklers. There were times when many present
must have thought it impossible for Him to
answer the questions put to Him without falling
into the trap that had deliberately been set.
"Fetch me a coin" was just such a "word of
wisdom," in answer to the awkward question about
whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar or
not. And we can expect the same help from the
Holy Spirit when placed in awkward situations.
To give you a modern example, a minister was
facing the danger of division in his church when
some of the members were being filled with the
Holy Spirit and receiving charismatic gifts.
Others in the church resented what was
happening. One of them expressed his concern to
the minister after a Sunday
service. "It stamps us second-class Christians,"
he alleged, adding sarcastically, "and they're a
queer lot for all that." "Well," said the
minister in reply, "perhaps they need it more
than you do." It was the perfect answer-a word
of wisdom. It pacified an irate church member,
who very soon was rejoicing in
the same blessing himself.
Jesus often manifested the companion gift-the
word of knowledge. In the days of his life on
earth He was given, on many occasions,
supernatural pieces of information which proved
invaluable to his ministry. He knew, for
example, the real need of the woman at the well
of Sychar, and that she had been married five
times. He knew exactly when "the hour" had come.
He "saw" Nathaniel under the fig tree before He
had ever met him.
The gift of "discerning of
spirits"
And the Holy Spirit gives this gift
today. It is particularly useful when trying to
help people who have had damaging experiences in
early childhood, which they cannot themselves
remember and which they may have repressed. A
woman was being prayed for, with deep needs
affecting her physically as well as spiritually.
Suddenly one of those present, who hardly knew
her, described a toy pet. Immediately memories
came back of a serious deprivation when a small
girl of a much loved toy. Healing followed the
release of this among other memories during
prayer and the laying on of hands. Another
example concerns a young man at a conference. In
a time of prayer someone shared a vision, which
exactly described some of this man's past life,
and revealed the basis of fears which had
hindered his spiritual development and prevented
him from witnessing freely. Later that evening
the fear was dealt with and a new release
experienced.
Jesus, of course, had this gift of "discerning
of spirits" and manifested it on many occasions.
It is a gift of discrimination, and
indispensable in spiritual warfare. It helps us
to distinguish between various possible agencies
and to discover the true source and motivation
of life and action. Jesus' ability is described
as "He knew what was in man" (John 2:25). He was
able to interpret human motives and assess the
genuineness or otherwise of people's words and
actions. He seemed instinctively to recognize
hypocrisy on the one hand, and reality on the
other. He knew when men had faith, and when they
did not;
when they were telling the truth and when they
were lying. The "Word made flesh" was able to
discern "the thoughts and intents of the heart"
as the written word does according to Hebrews 4:
12.
Since Jesus gives us the same commission as He
received from the Father, anoints us with the
same power, and promises that we will do the
same works, it is not surprising when we read in
the Acts of the Apostles that the disciples were
equipped with the same discernment. Peter, for
example, recognizes the hypocrisy in Ananias and
Sapphira (Acts 5:3), and exposes the wickedness
of Simon Magus (Acts 8:30). Paul discerns the
spirit of divination in the servant girl (Acts
16: l7f), and so on.
The Holy Spirit desires, through the operation
of this gift, to enable Christians to
distinguish accurately between what comes from
above," and what rises "from below." What comes
from God, what comes from man, and what comes
from Satan. In any given situation there may be
a mixture, but the Holy Spirit will help us to
analyze the situation and label the parts
correctly.
"Trained by patience to
distinguish good from evil"
Although these gifts are part of the'
'spirituals" (pneumalikoi),which means
that they are given by the Holy Spirit and are
not natural abilities, they will still be
manifested in proportion to the spiritual
development of the Christian. There is a need,
as expressed in Hebrews 5:14, to have our
faculties "trained by patience to distinguish
good from evil." As with all the other gifts,
practice is the surest way to learn. A humble
attitude and a readiness to admit failure when
it occurs are important factors in the learning
process. If one is not able to distinguish
clearly at the time, one is often able later to
do so in the light of subsequent events. But we
should expect to know at the time, and this will
be our experience increasingly as time goes on.
There will be some to whom the secrets of this
particular area of the kingdom will be revealed
in greater degree than to others. This is not
necessarily any reflection on either
faithfulness or dedication. We need to recognize
that there are different ministries in the body
of Christ as well as gifts. Just as James in
his epistle discourages people from becoming
teachers (James 3: 1), for they are to be judged
with greater strictness, so naturally we shrink
from the responsibility of this ministry of
discernment. However, every Christian needs in
some measure this gift, for we are constantly
forced by circumstances to require it.
[This
excerpt is from Spiritual Warfare:
Defeating Satan
in the Christian Life, Chapter 8, ©
1970 by Michael Harper. The book was
originally published in 1970 by Hodder and
Stoughton, London,
UK and by Logos International, Plainfield,
New Jersey, USA. An online version of the
book is available from
the Harper Foundation at: http://www.harperfoundation.com/books.html]
 Archpriest
Father
Michael Harper (1931-2010) was a
world-renown leader in the charismatic
renewal movement. He was a minister in
the Anglican Church for 40 years. He
joined the Eastern Orthodox Church in
1995, and was appointed Archpriest of
the Antiochian Orthodox Deanery of the
UK and Ireland.
He and his wife Jeanne
formed the Fountain Trust in 1964,
which organized charismatic
conferences all over the world at
which he addressed thousands of
people. Jeanne co-edited the songbook,
Sound of Living Waters, which
is still used by many charismatic
churches today. Harper also founded
Soma (Sharing of Ministries Abroad),
which was committed to sharing
ministries between the developed and
developing world.
He was involved for many
years with the World Council of
Churches. He spoke at several Catholic
meetings. He met Popes Paul VI, John
Paul and John Paul II.
He also edited Renewal,
the longest-established charismatic
magazine in the world. He wrote 18
books, including the bestseller Equal
and Different, which set out his
views on womens ordination and the
gender debate. Colleagues remember him
as a man with the ability to build
friendships across the Christian
traditions. A gentle and humble man,
Harper was nevertheless a dynamic
speaker and networker, able to draw
people in, whatever their background
or differences from himself. He is
survived by his wife, Jeanne.
Some
of his books and articles are available
online at: http://www.harperfoundation.com/books.html.
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