By Martin Morrison
Here are some quotes from the old classic, The Art of War by Sun Tzu:
• The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting
• Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win
• In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity
• There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare
Cicero famously said, that you need to first start a war before you can work out how to win it! It seemed to work for 40 years of his political life in the bruising politics of the Roman empire. Though, this strategy does seem to be somewhat flawed, when you consider that he was beheaded by the Second Triumvirate on 7 December 43 BC at the age of 63!
Spiritual warfare for the Christian is vastly different and vastly more complex. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”, Matthew 5:44. Again on the mount, Jesus says, “But I say to you. Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also”, Matthew 5:39. On the cross, Jesus cries, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”, Luke 23:34.
However, what if your enemy is inside the church perverting the Gospel. In the churches of Galatia (modern-day Turkey), false teachers inside the church were subverting the faith by preaching “Jesus plus”. For Paul, there is no turning the other cheek! Paul attacks them head on, “As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed”, Galatians 1:9. That is the closest you will get in the Greek language, to telling someone to go to hell!!
As I said, it is complex!
Here in Ephesians 6, where Paul has outlined the whole armour of God, the primary weapon of attack is the sword of the Spirit. Paul explains that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. The Christian sword is not a knife or a gun, but truth as found in the word of God, the Bible. The Spirit works through the word of God. The word of God is applied by the Spirit. You can never, never separate the two.
Paul further explains that the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, must be accompanied by fervent prayer. The energy of attack seems thus far to be found in relying totally on the power of God, through prayer. There is a hidden danger, in that some erroneously place their trust in prayer. This is hugely dangerous and totally false. We are not to place our faith in prayer, but entirely on the object of prayer, God.
Furthermore, the purpose of having the sword of the Spirit and fervent prayer is in order to proclaim and verbally share the good news of the Gospel. “Praying at all times on the Spirit with all prayer and supplication… for all the saints…and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak”, Ephesians 6:18 – 20.
Spiritual warfare is not an academic exercise or a merely a prayer meeting. Understanding is key and fervent prayer is critical. However, the sword of the Spirit needs to be wielded. And here in Ephesians 6, Paul asks for prayer in order that he may proclaim the mystery of the Gospel. Wielding the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, is by proclaiming, not merely praying.
As John Stott says, Paul asks the Ephesian believers, for their prayers and God’s strength, not only for his personal confrontation with the devil, but for his evangelistic ministry by which he sought to rescue people from the devil’s dominion. We know from the end of Acts, that when Paul was under house arrest in Rome, that their prayers were abundantly answered, “He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance”, Acts 28:30 – 31.
An essential activity in spiritual warfare is to share, preach, proclaim the Gospel. St Francis of Assisi famously said, “Preach the Gospel and if necessary use words”. No doubt, he was correctly emphasising the importance of your life matching your lips. However, the statement on its own is dead wrong. The Gospel is words. An essential part of spiritual warfare is to proactively share and preach the Gospel in words.
For many years, I have determined to share the Gospel or some aspect of the Gospel with an unbeliever at last once per week, apart from my normal church ministry opportunities. Sometimes, it is with a petrol attendant or waiter. Other times, it is with a service provider or family member. I had to wait for 8 years to share the Gospel in words with the chairman of a large company. God opened a natural door for me, and thankfully gave me the alertness and words to speak. Only God knows if a seed was planted. Perhaps the seed that was planted was not with him, but the others that were listening in on that occasion. It’s not for me to know. God knows.
There we have it. For the Christian, there are many aspects to the art of war. However, in attack there are three key aspects. The Word. The Spirit. The Proclaiming. Never, never, separate the three.