Rodin - Gates of Hell

Hello all fellow soldiers in the ultimate battle.  I am new to this blog stuff and after reading many different ones over the last few months I am finally going to take the plunge.  I am no one special.  Just a warrior trying to stay engaged with the work of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  I can’t shut up talking about Him so I thought I would try to write also. 

This date seems appropriate for the theme behind my first post.  We live in a dangerous world.  But there is also an unseen world that has as much violence going on as ours does.  And I believe both of these worlds overlap and affect each other.

I am not necessarily a writer, so please bear with me, if anyone is reading this.  And I have some definite doubts about whether that will happen.  But if no one does, or is, reading this, that’s okay too.  I’m enjoying it for now. 

My intent is to just think, write, and see what happens.  I haven’t been on God’s side for long.  A little over six years.  I served the enemy for seven times that as an atheist.  And this takes me to what I want to write about on this first post. 

What I wonder is where, exactly, are those gates that Jesus said would not prevail against His church in Matthew 16:18?  

No one seems to know. 

First, one must assume from Christ’s words and everything the bible teaches us, that the enemy is a real one.  I do.  And I know he, Satan, has allies.  They are called the world and the flesh and they must be engaged in battle also.  But as far as Satan and his minions, they pretty much have free reign.  Why?

Because most of the church doesn’t believe in them or at least do not see them as a threat. 

God is at war and He has been for a long time.  We can see that all around us.  Sad people, sick people, hurting people.  Liars, cheats, thieves, murderers.  Evil of all kinds run wild in our world.  When I watch the news or read an article or even hear prayer requests at church I am reminded that the enemy is real and roaming about like a roaring lion, seeking a new person to devour. 

But this is not the way it is supposed to be. 

Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against His church.  But we can see the evidence that the gates are actually wide open and the enemy forces come out and do battle whenever and wherever they want. 

Jesus won the war on the cross of Calvary.  But for some mysterious reason that only God understands, Satan is not to be destroyed yet.  So we are left here to be a part of this spiritual warfare.  But we are supposed to be on the offensive, not the defensive.  Jesus left us a weapons manual, Paul taught us how to properly maintain our gear and weaponry, and the Holy Spirit is our ever present leader. 

By saying the gates would not prevail, Jesus was letting us know that because of His soon to be accomplished victory, the enemy would be contained by walls and gates but that we, the church, would be keeping it under siege.  And in the beginning of the church, I believe this was the case.

The early soldiers understood how to do warfare.  Spiritual warfare.  They knew that preaching, teaching, prayer, communion, fellowship, worship, giving, feeding, caring…LOVE, was the way to keep the enemy under siege.  Love and holiness were key.

Holiness.  Oops.  I probably just ran off all three people reading this.  Today, love is okay.  As a matter of fact it is all that is okay in most churches.  But holiness is a term that runs most off or at least turns them off.  But it shouldn’t.  Holiness is not legalism.  It is simply a total separation from the enemies’ side and an alignment with God’s side.  Remember though, the enemy is the world, the flesh and the devil.  A lot of us would say we are willing to stand against and maybe even take the offense against Satan, but we don’t realize to do this we must stand separate from his allies also.  And this we are not as willing to do. 

Those early soldiers understood this and stood for Christ against the world and the flesh.  So they were able to some degree, I think, to keep the enemy in check.  Just imagine being burned alive or hung on a cross and praising God the whole time.  Imagine seeing Jesus standing at the right side of the Father as you are being stoned.  To us these things sound horrible.  But to those soldiers of old, this was the ultimate victory in their lives.  Lives that were given to Jesus, the One who gave His life for them. 

Then the church was compromised, infiltrated as it were, by the ally of the enemy known as the world.  Constantine helped bring this about.  And I am not sure when the ally known as the flesh took over.  But thru these two allies of the main enemy, the gates were somehow thrown wide open.  The enemy was loosed again.  He is still loose.  But we, if we are willing, can chase him back and shut them again.  And we can keep them closed until our King returns. 

I am ready.  And I am calling for some to go with me.  So, if anyone knows, please, where, exactly, are those gates?

Tags: Atheism, Blogging, Blogs, Holiness, Mercy, Servant, Spiritual Warfare