Wednesday, August
22, 2018
Job 2:2(NLT)
One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find
time to eat. When
his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said. But the teachers of religious law who had
arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out
demons.” Jesus called them over and
responded with an illustration. “How can
Satan cast out Satan?” he asked. “A
kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall
apart. And if
Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive.
Mark 3:20-26NLT)
It was, as Yogi Berra put
it, déjà
vu all over again! Just before
our worship service this past Sunday there was a report of a snake in the copy
room…specifically, the serpentine visitor was curled-up in the printer. We’re on a tight schedule scurrying from an
early service at our first congregation, so I hadn’t arrived yet. By the time I got there, ol’ Slewfoot had
been evicted from the sanctuary.
Now, the last thing a pastor
wants to hear just a few moments before the worship service is something as disturbing
as a four-foot-long black snake seeking asylum in our building. (Pastors hear enough of the difficulties and
trials of life to choke an average-sized team of plow horses; worship ought to
be uplifting and celebratory). The last
time this happened (about 15 years ago) the church member came to me literally
three minutes before the service with this on her lips….uh, preacher; we got a problem
here. I’ll probably write about
that one tomorrow.
So, what does this have to do
with the plot against Job and Jesus casting out the devil? I’m glad you asked.
People are not surprised at
all when a seedy, back-alley bar, abortion clinic, or house of ill-repute is
called a Satan’s den. But there’s
always something on the scale of uneasy surprise, indignation, or even volcanic-like
anger, if you suggest Satan might be on the church membership roll. I’ve seen it!
To the point – doesn’t it
make sense? Satan already has the
corporate bigwigs who are making it impossible for the poor to get out from
under the weight of not having enough.
He has the Hitlers, Sadaam Husseins, and the Jeffrey Dahmers or Ted
Bundys; they gave-in to Beelzebub long ago.
If there is any credence at all to the concept of spiritual warfare,
that Satan is doing whatever he can to trip-up and capture Christians, why
would he stay home from church on Sunday mornings? I would venture a guess and suggest the
slithering slime-ball never misses a service!
Notice what the Apostle
Peter cautioned:
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the
devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8(NLT)
So, yes, indeed…Satan is hiding in
church! If it were not so
there wouldn’t be so many arguments and so much petty pride and attitudes. People’s feelings wouldn’t get hurt so easily
and leave the one place Jesus said we ought to gather.[2]
Satan is not only IN
the church; that buzzard is RUNNING IT these days!
(Now save the cards, letters,
and emails…I didn’t just call your pastor the devil; I only
meant to call attention to the fact that Satan is engineering all sorts of
discord, delay, discontent, and any other kind of disruption he can to the
church’s ministry and mission. Although,
he probably does do it through more pastors than we might imagine!)
These days I don’t get very
rattled when a snake is found in the church building; it serves as a good
reminder that the unseen snake, Satan, is still on the prowl.
For You Today
Peter’s advice to be
on guard is a non-negotiable must for the Christian who
wants to live and serve Christ faithfully.
We do that by worshipping and fellowshipping with our family of believers
in the church, Bible Study, constant prayer, giving, and being a living witness
for Christ in the community.
That’s the kind of activity that
will chase Satan Snake-Eyes out of the church!
Go to VIDEO
[2] And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but
encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing
near. Hebrews 10:25(NLT)
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