We are in a two part series on spiritual warfare and if you have not listened to Part I then I encourage you to do that first. Now I want to remind you about something I said in the last lesson. C.S. Lewis was one of the great thinkers of the twentieth century and had a lot of insight into Spiritual Warfare. He wrote several books about the subject. One was called the Screwtape Letters and the most popular was called The Chronicles of Narnia which was made into a well known movie.
The books are fictional depictions of the spiritual battle we encounter in this present age. He was quoted as saying, there are two equal and opposite errors into which people make about demons. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. I find these two extremes to be where much of the church lives. One is to not even acknowledge that there is a spiritual world. The other one is to over emphasize the place of spiritual darkness causing you to live in a mystical world of make believe blaming everything on the devil. It’s both of these extreme positions that cause great harm to people's lives.
Now the book of Ephesians is the epistle that really shows us a view of the mystery of the ekklesia, its purpose and function in this age.
Our priority as disciples in this present age is to yield to the demand of the kingdom through a life of discipleship dedicated to using the keys of the kingdom to set captives free. As we start this lesson let's go back to the first time the word ekklesia is mentioned in God’s redemptive story. I prefer using the word ekklesia from the original Greek or as I like to call it the community of the faithful instead of the word church. The word church has too many negative connotations tied to it in today’s culture.
Matthew chapter 16 verse 13 thru 18 in the Message Translation it says, when Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, what are people saying about who the Son of Man is?
You know that is still a very important and pertinent question for us today because how we view Christ is directly tied to the spiritual battle we are engaged in daily determining our victory or defeat.
The disciples replied, some think you are John the Baptist, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Jesus pressed them and how about you? Who do you say I am? Simon Peter said, you’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus replied back, God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church. Now let me stop here.
The rock is not Peter, but what was revealed to Peter by the Spirit, that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
The ekklesia is built upon those who truly have a personal encounter with the living Christ who changes them from the inside out. Jesus then says he will build a community of living stones that is so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out. As I said, the word used for church in the original Greek language is ekklesia and it literally means ‘called out ones’. The double-k in the word gives it a two-fold meaning, which is called out of the world and called unto God.
The ekklesia then is a group of people who have been called out of spiritual darkness through the gospel of the kingdom and brought into fellowship with the King of the kingdom. It is living your life under the present reign of Christ’s rule through spiritual rebirth and being filled with the Spirit.
The ekklesia is not the kingdom, but it is the vehicle of the kingdom in the earth today. The microcosm of the ekklesia can be as small as 2 or 3 or it can be the macro version of a community of thousands.
It doesn’t matter how big or small Jesus ekklesia is made up of disciples who have received the life of the kingdom and are dedicated to the task of using the keys of the kingdom, under His authority to unlock those who are bound by Satan.
I want to share with you the last words that Jesus spoke before He ascended to the right hand of the Father, to begin His heavenly rule. Jesus said: All authority. Let me repeat that to you. Jesus said all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples! In this present evil age, in which Satan is the god, we are called to take the authority of Christ and through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom to enter the very gates of hell to set the captives free.
The armor of God that we went over in the last lesson as Paul described in Ephesians chapter 6, is simply a thorough description of what it means to put on Christ or to be clothed in Christ. It’s simply being grounded in the foundational doctrines of Christ as I’ve taught you in the first section of this school of discipleship. The priority of a disciple's life should be to expand the kingdom of God and build the church through proclaiming the life of Christ.
Jesus promised us that He would build His church and the gates of Hades would not prevail against it.
Hades means underworld or a place of death. Hades then represents the domain of Satan and the gates of Hades represent all that opposes God's will. Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus chose to introduce the concept of his ekklesia on this earth, was especially unique. It stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed and it was actually called the gates of Hades. At one time, the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff. It was located in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon in Israel. The city was dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship.
In Old Testament times, this northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship which was the practice of ritualistic sex acts and human sacrifice. Later Caesarea Philippi became the religious center for the worship of the Greek god, Pan. In the cliff that stood above the city, local people built shrines and temples to Pan. Years later, when the Romans conquered the territory, Herod Philip rebuilt the city and named it after himself. However, Caesarea Philippi continued to focus on the idolatrous worship of false gods and paganism.
To the pagan mind, the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld, where fertility gods lived during the winter.
They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld or the gates of hades. The pagans of Jesus' day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring. In order to entice the return of their god each year, the people of Caesarea Philippi would perform ceremonies engaging in ritualistic sex acts which even included bestiality.
Now picture Jesus standing with his disciples in this dark, demonically infested region, pointing to the gates of Hades as the target of his ekklesia’s mission and mandate.
He was very strategic and made sure he took the twelve to this exact point so there would be no misinterpretation or confusion about what He was calling them to do. Christ's ekklesia is to co-labor with Him to access the gates of Hades and bring heaven to earth. Sitting in this location he was clearly presenting His ekklesia as a solution for a pagan world and brought his disciples here so that his words would have maximum impact.
I believe by implication of location, he was also trying to show his Jewish disciples that his ekklesia would be made up of both Jews and Gentiles. It’s what Paul would later clarify to us concerning the mystery of the ekklesia that Jews and Gentiles would be fellow heirs, fellow members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Now just after Jesus says that he will build a community of living stones that is so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out. He then says in verse 19 that I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Now what do keys do? Keys unlock doors. Think about the keys that you possess.
The keys in your possession represent a right and privilege that you have enabling you to enter through a doorway. In the New Testament—keys are symbolic of spiritual power and authority.
In Jesus' days, cities were built with walls around them and the way into the city was through a gate. The city gate was usually made of some type of metal, which made it very hard to penetrate. Jesus wasn’t talking of gates to keep the enemy out of the ekklesia. Jesus was saying the gates of Hades could not stand before an advancing church.
Just as Jericho could not stand before the children of Israel as they obeyed the command to occupy the Promised Land, so the gates of Hades cannot stand against the advancing church.
What must be noted here is that upon Jesus’ death and resurrection, He enters through these very gates ahead of His disciples. The Bible says that Jesus passed into Hades, proclaiming his victory through resurrection defeating death, hell and the grave. If you don’t remember, go back and listen to Lesson 37: A life of Mercy.
As a result of Christ victory over death, hell and the grave Colossians chapter 2 verse 15 says he disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in the cross. Jesus recovered the keys of the kingdom. He handed those keys to whoever will identify with his name. In revelation chapter 1 verses 17 and 18 Jesus says, I am the first and the last and the living one. I died and behold I am alive forevermore and I have the keys of death and Hades.
Jesus was saying his ekklesia would have the power and authority to unlock those bound by corruption, lying, sexual immorality, drunkenness, strife, greed, addictions of all sorts and basically what Paul called the works of the flesh.
Satan is holding people captive in his walled cities of sin and death. We are promised that he cannot prevail if we will use the keys of the kingdom of heaven, which is the authority Christ has given us in His name, to set the captives free. Our responsibility as co-laborers with Christ is to bring the gospel to these gates because our mandate and mission is to set captives free with the keys of the kingdom and to make disciples. We accomplish our mission through prayer and proclamation which are the keys to open the eyes of the blind to the truth that’s in Christ. Paul clearly laid out this when he spoke of the mystery of the church in the book of Ephesians.
Let me be clear about this because it's important to state the goal of spiritual warfare which is evangelism.
The priority of a disciple's life should be to expand the kingdom of God and build the church through proclaiming the life of Christ. In Matthew chapter 16 just after Jesus tells his ekklesia that he has given them keys he then says, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The Catholic Church interprets this text in Matthew chapter 16 as Peter being the one Christ gave this authority too. Catholics argue that Jesus makes Peter, the first pope and his papal successors pass down this authority as the head of the Christian Church on earth. Obviously I completely disagree with this interpretation. I do not agree that Jesus built his church on Peter or that the pope holds any special power or authority.
In Matthew chapter 16 verse 19 Jesus was using Peter as a representative of the church throughout the ages because he was the one who stood up and answered the question posed by Jesus. Yes, Peter became one of the main leaders in the church in Jerusalem, but in this passage Jesus is passing on to His ekklesia: not to just one man His authority to bind and to loose on earth. The Greek construction behind this text literally says: will be bound and will be loosed, indicating that Jesus is the one who has activated the power to bind and loose through His cross. Jesus ekklesia is then charged with the implementation of what He has released and accomplished by dethroning Satan and all of his demon forces through the cross.
Binding and loosing have to do with forbidding and permitting.
The ekklesia has been empowered to continue Jesus' ministry of destroying works of darkness with His kingdom power and provision. We are simply enforcing something that has already happened. It’s the 'mystery of the church' living between the two mountain tops of the day of the Lord. The death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ to the right hand of the Father then the outpouring of the Spirit opened up the day of the Lord.
Christ has begun his rule from the heavenlies through his body the church making the kingdom of God a present reality in the heart of man.
Paul opens the book of Ephesians praying that the eyes of our hearts are enlightened so that we may know Christ's power in and around our lives. We have this power because of the great might that was worked in Christ when he was raised from the dead and seated in the heavenly places: far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. Christ has been made head over His body which is an extension of His rule in this earth. It’s the first stage of Christ bringing in the restoration of all things to the earth. However, as Christ taught in many of his parables the kingdom was first to be an inward kingdom of the heart.
In this period or age it's all about the mystery that was hidden from the prophets which is the body of Christ upon the earth the ekklesia and it’s all about change from the inside out.
In this present evil age we are simply ambassadors for Christ. An ambassador is a personal envoy sent from the head of a state. Just as a head of state sends an ambassador on a diplomatic mission, Christ sends us on a mission to represent him in both words and actions. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verses 17 thru 20 Paul makes our mission clear. He starts out by saying: if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away behold, the new has come. It’s living from the inside out through the cruciform life of Christ in us. He then says, all this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God is making his appeal through us.
We are ambassadors sent into this present evil age to reconcile people to God who are bound up under the authority of the gates of hades.
Ephesians chapter 6 says we do wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Satan’s main weapon is deception, lies and false narratives to hide the truth of the gospel. Satan was able to convince Eve, through his subtle and cunning speech that what was forbidden by God, would be good for her. It’s the postmodern lie of relativism which says truth is whatever you make it. Satan was the first post modernist who destroyed morality through relativism where there are no absolutes, but just the mushy grayness of man being his own god.
Satan is called the prince of the power of the air. He operates in the realm that immediately surrounds the consciousness of mankind, which the Bible calls the heavenlies.
His goal is to corrupt and control the mind of man through a masterfully woven scheme of deceit. It doesn't matter if you are in New York City or Wichita Kansas, Satan has set up a blanket of deception to try and blind your understanding to the liberating truth of the gospel. It’s evident that since the time of the early church and especially with our modern flood of information warfare, the battle has increased tremendously.
The main battlefield is for the soul of man. It’s a battle against your mind to control what you think, affecting your emotions and trying to mold your determination. The real action is not what you can see with your physical eyes, but spiritual forces all around us. It’s in the dimension which the Bible calls the heavenlies beyond what we can physically see with our natural eyes is where the real action originates.
Do you see radio waves or Wi-Fi running through your house? No you don’t. How about 5g transmissions? No because it moves by the power of the air; beyond what we see with our physical eyes. We live in a spiritual world, but trapped in a physical body. The continuous stream of information in our society since the introduction of the Internet makes the scope of the battle much more intense for the affections of man.
Paul in II Corinthians chapter 10 verse 4 says the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of strongholds. What are these strongholds that Paul is talking about? The term stronghold appears at least fifty times in the Bible. It is commonly referred to as a fortress with difficult access. When King David first saw the city of Jerusalem, it was an old, ancient, fortress inhabited by enemies so it’s no wonder it was twice called a stronghold. Paul uses the word stronghold to give us a picture of something that is happening in the spiritual realm. He then defines these strongholds in verse 5 calling them warped philosophies erected against the truth of God.
The ekklesia was founded to use the keys of the kingdom to unlock the prisoners who have been bound and to fulfill the mission that Christ started by setting the captives free from the very gates of Hades. Earlier in his second letter to the Corinthians Paul says that the god of this present evil age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.
The strongholds we are sent to tear down are mental bondages, thoughts, reasoning and arguments which are contrary to Christ and His word.
We wrestle against ideas, false narratives, misinformation, lies, immoral images and all sorts of unholy deception. Satan always makes himself and sin look attractive. He comes as an angel of light to lead mankind into his dungeon of moral darkness.
The weapons we use are prayer followed with the simple proclamation of the gospel. It’s the pattern Christ laid out for us and it was this pattern that the disciples in the book of Acts followed. Prayer is unleashing and loosing the power of the age to come into this present evil age. It’s coming into agreement with what’s already been done in heaven.
A praying church is an advancing church because it’s empowered with the very power of Christ's resurrection life of the Spirit.
Paul ended his section in Ephesians chapter 6 on spiritual warfare and the armor of God telling us to pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. Jesus taught us that the whole focus and point of prayer is that His dimension of spiritual power would come into our dimension. It’s how He taught us to pray when He said thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
Heaven is not somewhere out in space past the universe where time keeps expanding at the speed of light, but it’s a different dimension.
It’s a dimension that the Bible calls heaven and is more real than this physical dimension that we live in. It’s connected to this dimension, but it’s not a physical realm that you can touch. We know that angels come into our dimension so there are pathways from our dimension into the heavenly dimension and vice versa. Paul talked of these mysteries and he experienced it, but could not fully explain it. Jesus told us to pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in his dimension which is called heaven. It’s what I taught you in the last section concerning the sacrifice of prayer, the sacrifice of praise and the place of worship.
Jesus ekklesia is called a house of prayer where heaven and earth intersect.
Praying in the Spirit is learning to pray with Christ. It's entering into His dimension and coming into agreement with Him. Supplication and intercessory prayer is asking God to first open the eyes of our hearts so we can clearly see the victory of the cross. Remember when Elijah asked God to open the eyes of his servant so that he could see the spiritual dimension? He thought they were outnumbered and about to be defeated, but when his eyes were opened to the spiritual dimension he could see that the kingdom of heaven was behind them.
We must recognize that we are backed by heaven’s authority being clothed in Christ and given the name that’s above every other name. We then need to pray that the eyes of those who are bound by the gates of hades would have their hearts opened to the truth. It’s not God’s desire that any should perish in the shackles of sin, but that all should come to the knowledge of Christ.
Charles Finney who was one of the greatest evangelists of all times was asked his key secret for success. He said the secret is prayer.
Prayer is preceded by proclamation because we need the power of the Spirit to be effective in our presentation of the gospel. It’s the Holy Spirit who opens eyes, convicts of sin and leads to repentance. Paul understood that his success in proclaiming the gospel was directly tied to effective prayers.
In ending the book of Ephesians chapter 6 verse 18 thru 20 he says keep alert with all perseverance, making 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. Paul saw prayer as the source of his empowerment to proclaim.
Let’s go back to the idea of binding and loosing which Jesus spoke of in Matthew chapter 16. Just after Jesus says I have given you the keys of the kingdom He then says whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Binding has to do with prohibiting and loosing has to with permitting. Just like law enforcement has been given authority so the believer has been given spiritual authority. It’s not our authority, but Christ's authority. We are simply ambassadors and representatives using the keys of the kingdom.
It’s through prayer and proclamation that we are simply enforcing spiritual realities of the heavenly dimension where Christ reigns victoriously.
For example if someone is bound by sin, he can be loosed through the preaching of the gospel which brings freedom. We see in Acts chapter 16 verse 18 that if someone is demon possessed, they can be loosed by someone binding and prohibiting its activity over that person commanding its departure. Jesus said if I cast out demons by the finger of God then the kingdom of God has come upon you. It’s through the laying on of hands that the believer becomes a portal or avenue that the power of the Spirit pours into this present evil age dispelling spiritual darkness.
Let me switch over to another area that binding and loosing covers and it has to do with leadership within the ekklesia. As I’ve said in previous lessons, leadership is essential to fulfill mission.
Leadership is about supporting and undergirding the members of the body so that they can fulfill the mission of the ekklesia. When we receive the spiritual kingdom into our hearts we become a part of the body of Christ. In Matthew chapter 18 before Jesus said where two or three are gathered I am in your midst He talked about accountability in a community.
In Matthew chapter 18 verse 15 thru 17 Jesus talks about dealing with conflict. You know what’s going to happen when you get a community together? You're going to have conflict and part of the reason for leadership is to help with conflict resolution. Jesus said if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen then tell it to the community of the faithful. As Jesus is talking about the ekklesia he definitely shows us that the community of the faithful must have some type of accountability structure to effectively deal with conflict resolution.
Paul talks about this same subject in many of his epistles Jesus and Paul both give leadership of the ekklesia the authority to allow certain kinds of behavior in and out of the community. This leadership authority has nothing to do with salvation, but with the unity, safety and protection of the community.
It takes mature leadership to handle conflict resolution in a godly manner because long suffering, love and mercy is the method. Jesus in Matthew chapter 18 verse 18 has also given leadership the authority to bind (prohibit) and loose (permit) certain kinds of behavior.
I want you to remember what I told you in previous lessons about what Paul defined in Galatians chapter 5 verses 19 thru 21 concerning the works of the flesh. He says, the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Go back and listen to Lesson 10 Part II A lifestyle of repentance to get a detailed explanation of the works of the flesh. Remember the natural man is made of the dust of the ground and in Genesis chapter 3 Satan was commanded to eat the dust of the ground.
The works of the flesh are Satanic food. It’s what empowers spiritual darkness which is people yielding to the works of the flesh.
The gates of hades is a portal of spiritual darkness that spreads like a cancer as people yield their lives to these demonic deeds. In the book of James we see that the tongue is one of the main gateways to unleashing the gates of hades. He says the tongue is a fire that can release hell’s power. It’s the wisdom from below that’s earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. The works of the flesh is what Paul was talking about when he spoke of spiritual strongholds.
A stronghold is a repeated pattern of ungodly behavior that becomes hardened and difficult to penetrate.
In the ekkelsia at Corinth Paul had to prohibit a man from fellowshipping with them because he was having sexual relations with his fathers wife. I know this is not a popular message, but it’s one that Christ and Paul taught concerning protecting the community of the faithful. It’s directly tied to using the keys of the kingdom to bind which is prohibiting behavior and to loose which is allowing behavior in the community. It’s mature facilitators at the gates making tough calls of judgment.
I hear people say all the time that we are not supposed to judge, but that would be totally incorrect.
We are not to be religious and judgmental, but judgment is about discernment which we need to regularly exercise. I’m going to fully cover this idea when we go over the teaching on the Lord’s Supper. In 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 9 thru 13 Paul said, I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. Now that’s pretty strong words and should not be taken lightly nor done with wrong motives.
It’s why mature facilitators are important in the community for it to be healthy, stable and grounded in truth.
Paul then said, what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the ekklesia whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. Purge the evil person from among you. Paul clearly defines this type of activity for mature leadership and it’s ultimate goal is restoration, redemption and healing of the individual. Mature leadership and the humility of the cruciform life is the way the household of faith is protected.
God is in the business of restoration and reconciliation because there is only one unforgivable sin and it’s resisting the Holy Spirit. It’s rejecting the forgiveness that’s found in the blood of Christ. The body of Christ is to be a a portal allowing the Spirit to push back the spiritual darkness of this present age. It’s the Holy Spirit that empowers us to preach the gospel.
Just like law enforcement has been given authority so the believer has been given spiritual authority. It’s not our authority, but Christ's authority. We are simply ambassadors and representatives using the keys of the kingdom. It’s through prayer and proclamation that we are simply enforcing spiritual realities backed by Christ authority.
The book of Acts has been called the Acts of the Holy Spirit and is the blueprint for the advancing ekklesia which is so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.
Remember just after Paul has discussed the armor of God, he then tells the saints in Ephesus to pray for him, that utterance may be given to him in the opening of his mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. As I’ve been saying, it's by prayer along with the preaching of the gospel that strongholds are destroyed over people's lives. The disciples in the book of Acts bound Satan's power and loosed God's power through prayer and proclamation.
I want to take you through some texts in the book of Acts and you will see a clear pattern for the advancing ekklesia using the keys of the kingdom to set captives free.
In Acts chapter 4 the disciples faced great opposition and they lifted their voices to God in prayer. They asked God to loose His power so they could preach the word of God with signs following. It says when they had prayed the place where they were gathered together was shaken, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
In Acts chapter 5 we see that lying was bound from the church and the fear of the Lord which brings the conviction of sin was loosed.
Then in Acts chapter 8 Peter bound covetousness over Simon the sorcerer's life and Simon asked Peter to loose a blessing over his life.
In Acts chapter 12 Peter was put in prison for preaching the gospel We see the disciples were praying without ceasing and Peter was loosed from prison through the power of prayer.
In Acts chapter 16 Paul bound an evil spirit casting it out of the servant girl. He and Silas were then thrown into jail. As they began to pray in jail then they along with the other prisoners were loosed from prison by God’s power. Not only were they loosed from prison, but the guard and his family were loosed from their sins by receiving Christ and being baptized into water.
Then in Acts chapter 19 we see that through the preaching of the word and prayer many in Ephesus were healed, delivered and loosed from their sins.
Paul knew that praying in the Spirit and proclaiming the mystery of the gospel was the key to setting people free.
Jesus has equipped the ekklesia with the keys of the kingdom so that Satan's power can be bound and God's power can be loosed. Prayer and proclaiming the word of God are the two most powerful weapons we can use in destroying the gates of Hades. When we share the gospel people's eyes are opened, Satan's power is bound over them and they enter the kingdom of God. Through Jesus' death and resurrection Satan's power has been bound, but the victory is not enforced until we use the authority of Christ to set the captives free.
Just as a policeman enforces the law with the authority given him by the state, we are to enforce the work of Christ with the authority He has given us.
Heaven stands behind us as we take the keys of the kingdom to bind Satan's power and loose God's on this hurting world. Spiritual warfare is all about evangelism and setting the captives free.
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Next Lesson: Lesson 43 - The Great Commission
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