Boo! (Part 5)

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:6-11 ESV).

The fourth principle developing out of our victory over death and hell is that we can, and should be an intentional people. But being intentional doesn’t mean being naïve. In fact, just the opposite proves true. The calling of every believer is to intentionality and vigilance for the sake of the cause. The apostle says in our reading that we ought to be “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (v. 8). God has given us a manual for war, “so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11). We must use our voice for kindness, our ears for compassion, our hands for charity, our mind for truth, and our hearts for love. I find it so common today that the Church’s voice get lost as it mimics the world as it constantly competes for a hollow victory in debate. While apologetics has a vital role in our work of ministry, the real power is in the simple declaration of the gospel. This is especially true when we wander away from the truth of Scripture and begin to look more like a voice at a political rally supporting a candidate. We have only one name to call others to and it is Jesus! And, of course, this leads us to the premise that we don’t work alone. In all our care and consciousness, we lean against the backstop of Christ’s pledge: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). This means that we do buy candy, turn on porch lights, make apple cider, and bring the warmth of a happy face into an otherwise cold night because we know he has promised “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). The dress-up ghosts and goblins are not our enemies. Use this time of Halloween to declare the victory over the real enemy! The devil, death, and sin have been forever decisively defeated. Declare that in all you do this year.