This episode mostly addresses the posture of believers towards the world. Christ's kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), and therefore wars against people and the unbelieving culture at large are completely misplaced. Believers should war against the real enemy, "spiritual hosts of wickedness," instead of foolishly wrestling with flesh and blood. (Ephesians 6:12). The unbelieving culture around us is composed of hostages of the devil who are "held captive to do his will." (2 Timothy 2:26). Christians are called to liberate these hostages, not subjugate them to a so-called "Christian state," that essentially governs according to the power dynamics of this world. That many evangelicals are open to Christian nationalism underscores the misplaced identity of believers who haven't yet grasped their "alien" status, with respect to this world (1 Peter 2:11). And critically, the mission of Christ's kingdom alien ambassadors is neglected and undermined when worldly believers wrestle with flesh and blood and slaughter POW's in a misplaced culture war.
“A brick in One Hand, a Sword in the Other”
This episode applies the "half-and-half" strategy of Nehemiah to the body of Christ, in which, on the one hand, we're called to actively work in ministry, but on the other, we protect the progress we've made up to that point. All of Nehemiah's men participated in building the wall, but carried swords while they were building. Every Christian should work in ministry in some capacity, while adopting a defensive posture to protect what the Holy Spirit has done. Interestingly, the primary adversary of the Christian is not the "evil" out there, but his own residual sympathies towards evil, in which casting down thoughts, imaginations and strongholds is the responsibility of every Christian when dealing with himself. This defensive posture is absolutely necessary when actively working to build up the body of Christ.
Are You Putting on the Right Armor?
This episode addresses the belt of truth by contrasting it with the belt of the autonomous self, the outlook of all who reject Christ. The belt of the old self is actually a lie and corresponds with the great exchange of Rom 1:25, where unbelievers "exchange the truth of God for a lie." This episode, following the pattern of Eph. 6:10-17, contrasts the armor of God with the armor of man. Every faculty in unregenerate man is devoted to protecting the autonomous self which is principally defined by devotion to the "lusts of deceit." Some of the armor pieces of the autonomous self are the breastplate of self-confidence, the shield of independence, the shoes of hostility, and the sword of the soul, the word of the self. The episode provides a stark contrast of how believers and unbelievers engage the world. Believers are called to honestly evaluate their lingering sympathies with "the lie," while unbelievers are called to reassess their commitment to the lie.
Samson: When One Sin Becomes a House of Cards
Coming from the narrative of Samson and Delilah, this episode posits how God uses deceptive influences to root out and bring into the light our own obstinate embrace of the "lusts of deceit." While Samson's obvious sin was fornication, the narrative also paints him as a liar whose moral compromise leads him to lose the lying game to the seductive manipulations of Delilah. About half of the episode centers on the deceptive nature of the "lusts of deceit" which don't immediately reveal the severity of consequences. The episode deals with many common deceptions that Christians embrace regarding unchecked embrace of the lusts of deceit, including 1)they're somehow the exception to the rule, 2) embrace of God's gifts for kingdom purposes renders indulgence in sin a "minor offense," and finally 3) the bogus conclusion that sin can be managed. All three betray an underlying pride which provides a formidable rationalization for refusing to obey God completely. This monstrous web of deceit came crashing down on Samson..literally in his death. The episode is a stark warning that God takes sanctification seriously and will judge those who "drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood." (Isaiah 5:18)
Motivation for Spiritual Warfare
Paul's confronting of sin in Corinthian believers provides a model on how to address sin issues in other people's lives. Paul effectively balanced a warlike posture with Christlike humility, and his godly concern for carnal believers required that he "speak the truth in love." (Eph. 4:15) What unfolds in 2 Cor. 10 is the predictable deflections of carnal Corinthians who wanted to ignore Paul's rebuke. Carnal believers insisted that Paul was carnal himself, that he "walk according to the flesh." (v. 2) They used ad hominem arguments, noting his lack of charisma. (v. 10) And lastly some Corinthians rejected his rebuke by comparing themselves with other carnal believers. (v. 12) Paul doesn't take the bait and sidesteps the foolish deflections of carnal believers. The episode challenges all believers to anticipate resistance when confronting carnality and not chase after deflections that are skillful attempts to protect sin. Instead we're called to militantly conduct spiritual warfare, taking our own thoughts captive first, and then, in full humble submission to God, lovingly confront unrepentant sin in others, ignoring their predictable deflections.
I want the Truth..But not Yet
This episode calls believers to put on the belt of truth, fully cognizant that much of us still embraces the lie. Consequently, the life of sanctification is one in which our fleshly natures are subject to being offended and injured by the Spirit of Truth. The episode develops the dynamics of the flesh/spirit conflict in the context of receiving and being injured by the Truth. "The old self which is being corrupted by the lusts of deceit" (Eph. 4:22) is always threatened by God's "desire for truth in the inward parts." (Psalm 51:6) Realistically appreciating this dynamic in our own lives is essential to fully putting on the belt of truth. Christians are better off and safer by being injured by Truth than they are if they embrace the lusts of deceit, which eventually bring forth excruciating pain. The episode is a sober primer for anyone suffering from addictions, in which the lusts of deceit hide a harvest from hell.
Can You Handle the Truth?
This episode begins the application of putting on the belt of truth in the context of spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:10-18). It begins with the challenges of being led by the Spirit when confronting someone else with the truth, noting the necessity of relying on God's power and wisdom. Most can't handle the truth, so minimally believers need to wait on God's power and direction in confrontation. That most people resist the truth highlights the initial universal rejection of truth, according to Romans 1:18. Yet, in the case of believers, the Holy Spirit overcomes this resistance. The episode elaborates on the convictions of John 16:8-11 and explains how the Holy Spirit reverses the Great Exchange, where all of us exchange the truth of God for a lie.
Avoid the Goading of the Enemy
This episode is a continuation of a spiritual warfare series based on 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 in which believers are admonished to only fight God-inspired battles using divine/spiritual power. The broadcast highlights the numerous ways in which the devil sidetracks believers into fighting unwinnable battles that are based on fleshly categories like "winning arguments, ego contests, the rat-race of popularity, seeking the approval of others, etc. The devil often establishes the narrative that Christians foolishly embrace. Spiritual Christians should constantly be vigilant about the underlying spiritual goals of Christ which is winning souls for Christ and/or inspiring believers to commit to Him more. Spiritual warfare is often less about "winning" verbal contests than portraying the respectful, magnetic character of Christ that woos people to love Him. Additionally, successful spiritual warfare is often less about the evil out there, than dealing with our own sympathies with demonic agendas and devices.
“Humility that Confronts”
Paul's confronting of sin in Corinthian believers provides a model on how to address sin issues in other people's lives. Paul effectively balanced a warlike posture with Christlike humility, and his godly concern for carnal believers required that he "speak the truth in love." (Eph. 4:15) What unfolds in 2 Cor. 10 is the predictable deflections of carnal Corinthians who wanted to ignore Paul's rebuke. Carnal believers insisted that Paul was carnal himself, that he "walk according to the flesh." (v. 2) They used ad hominem arguments, noting his lack of charisma. (v. 10) And lastly some Corinthians rejected his rebuke by comparing themselves with other carnal believers. (v. 12) Paul doesn't take the bait and sidesteps the foolish deflections of carnal believers. The episode challenges all believers to anticipate resistance when confronting carnality and not chase after deflections that are skillful attempts to protect sin. Instead we're called to militantly conduct spiritual warfare, taking our own thoughts captive first, and then, in full humble submission to God, lovingly confront unrepentant sin in others, ignoring their predictable deflections.
B-12 to Pull Down Strongholds
This episode principally deals with motivation behind spiritual warfare, taking thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. Many of us know cerebrally what thoughts are unhealthy, but we lack the desire to aggressively take thoughts captive. Philippians 2:1-3 contains the blueprint for overcoming our fleshly lethargic response to spiritual imperatives. Before laying on the challenging, almost nonsensical command (according to the flesh) of doing nothing from selfishness or empty conceit (v.3), Paul urges his recipients to consider encouragement in Christ, consolation of love and the fellowship of the Spirit. These gifts are essentially tantamount to the undergirding power of God that would motivate a believer to be Christ-like, doing nothing from selfishness or empty conceit. Paul will then motivate by pointing to Christ's self-emptying as an example. The goal of spiritual warfare is to replace ungodly thoughts with spiritual thoughts, and the driver behind this exchange is divine power, which we access when we abide in Christ. The above 3 bi-products of the Spirit are part of the divine arsenal, which is "divinely powerful for the pulling down of strongholds." (2 Cor 10:4) Believers are consequently urged to access divine power by abiding in Christ, thus motivating them to aggressively take thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.