Heavy, Deep & Real ministries

This morning in my Introduction to Politics class, I obviously abandoned my prepared lecture on John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau to address the Charlie Kirk assassination and political violence in America. I asked my students what they think is behind violent political rhetoric and actions. One of my students kind of nailed it:

Spiritual Warfare.

We always must remember what we are told in Ephesians 6:12:

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

 If you’re unfamiliar with this verse, principalities, powers, rulers and spiritual wickedness are all demonic evil perpetrated in this world. I thought this AI summary was pretty good from Google:

Ephesians 6:12 reveals that the central conflict for Christians is not against other people (“flesh and blood”) but against supernatural, spiritual forces of evil, including “rulers,” “powers,” and “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”. This verse calls for believers to recognize their true spiritual enemies, put on the full “armor of God” described in the surrounding verses, and understand that victory comes through spiritual means like prayer and the Word of God, not physical or human efforts alone. 

Paul emphasizes that the struggle isn’t primarily against human beings or earthly circumstances, even when people are involved in evil acts. 

The battle involves a spiritual hierarchy of unseen forces, including principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness, all working against God’s kingdom. 

The mention of “heavenly places” refers to the spiritual realm where these forces operate, influencing the world and spreading spiritual darkness. 

The Application for Believers

The first step is to understand who the real adversaries are, which are spiritual beings, not just people. 

Verse 12 serves as a call to action, prompting believers to put on the “whole armor of God”—including truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, and the Word of God (prayer)—to stand firm against these spiritual attacks. 

Efforts to resolve societal or personal problems through purely human means are futile. Instead, believers are called to engage in spiritual practices like prayer and reliance on God’s Word to achieve victory. 

Believers are encouraged to be strong “in the Lord and in the power of his might,” not relying on their own strength. 

 Thus, while many are focused on finding the shooter (and rightfully so), as Christians we wake up this morning asking a different fundamental question:

What are we to do against this evil?

You see, Satan is tearing up America right now. He has successfully normalized rebellion against God and pitted groups against one another based on their ideology, political leanings, personal preferences, lifestyles, and social groups. Satan deals in hate and hate is winning the day.

I’ve posted some thoughts on all this via social media and many of my friends are upset with me because I am taking a different approach than they are. For me, enough is enough. I believe the church must stand up against this evil instead of sitting on its collective hands hoping it gets better.

Let’s first examine what scripture says is evil so we know what Satan is promoting and what we are fighting. Galatians 5:19-20 layout the “sins of the flesh” – things that Satan entices us to follow:

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Mark 7:21-22 puts it this way:

“For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.”

We all know the 10 Commandments:

1. I am the LORD your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.
2. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the LORD’s Day.
4. Honor your father and mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods

Satan’s job, then is to entice us to do these things! Obviously, Satan does not have the power to MAKE us do these things, but in our sinfulness, we WANT to do these things and Satan convinces us that it’s okay to do them.

Read the list again and ask yourself this question: How much of this stuff has been normalized in our culture?

From my reading, everything in Galatians 5 has been normalized in our society.

Of the rest, only murder seems to still elicit a tinge of moral outrage but only if the person “didn’t deserve it.” You need look no farther than the recent killing of a health care executive and Kirk to see social media filled with public defenses of these murders because the person “deserved it.”

Scripture warns us about this kind of thinking. Isaiah 5:20 states:

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

As I see things, there are two distinct camps within the Christian community when it comes to all this. The first is more pacifist and takes a hands-off approach to fighting this evil while the second is more aggressive believing they must take some type of proactive action against this evil.

Don’t get me wrong: Both hate evil. It’s just how they want to address it. But because they want to address it differently there is a schism.

I fall into the take action camp. So, the question many may ask – a question I asked my class this morning – is this: What actions can you take?

Let’s look at what scripture teaches us first. Here are a number of verses dealing with evil that are instructive:

Romans 12:19a – Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Romans 12:19b – Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Matthew 5:38-39 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Romans 12:21 – Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.

From these we gather that we are to actively shine Christ’s light, love one another, and show the world who Jesus is through our actions! Let me ask you this: Can you pick out the Christians as you walk through your local grocery store? I didn’t think so. The only place you can really pick them out in our society is at church (and even then, it may be spotty!).

For me, actively fighting evil means being as bright a light as I can be. It means calling evil what it is – evil. Calling sin sin. Sharing God’s truth even if it hurts your feelings. Not being a “Partial Gospel” guy preaching God’s love for you but ignoring his righteousness, holiness, and justice. And certainly, warning people about the reality of an eternity in hell.

For this, I get a lot of flack from people who want to land on the love of Christ and ignore all of what He taught about judgment, hell, and even his spiritual battle and victory over Satan. I believe we are to fight Satan as hard as Jesus did!

James 4:7 puts it this way:

“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

AI did it again with this explanation:

“Resist the devil and he will flee from you” is a biblical command found in James 4:7, which instructs believers to submit to God and then actively oppose evil influences and temptations. This resistance is rooted in the understanding that God has given believers authority over Satan, and by taking a firm stand in faith, they can overcome his deceptions and ensure he retreats. 

Understanding the Passage

• Biblical Context: 

James 4:7 is part of a larger passage in James that addresses the struggles and wrong behavior among believers. 

• Submission to God: 

The instruction begins with “Submit yourselves therefore to God,” indicating that true resistance to the devil is dependent on first yielding to God’s authority. 

• Active Resistance: 

The command to “resist” means to stand against, or oppose, the devil and his tactics. 

• Promise of Fleeing: 

The promise is that if a believer resists the devil, he will flee, signifying a victory for the believer. 

How to Apply It

• Acknowledge Authority: 

Recognize that Jesus has already defeated Satan, and believers have been given the authority to overcome him. 

• Stand Firm in Faith: 

Actively oppose temptation and evil by believing God’s truth and refusing to follow the devil’s suggestions. 

• Prioritize Submission: 

Ensure that resistance is not a focus on the devil but a result of submission to God’s will and wisdom. 

• Grow in Community: 

Engage with fellow believers to learn, grow, and be strengthened in the spiritual battle against the devil. 

Really good stuff here – submit to God’s will first:

• Hate what is evil
• Don’t call evil good
• Actively resist evil
• Put on the Armor of God (Ephesians 5)
• Stand against evil (Ephesians 5)

So, now back to Charlie Kirk.

Literally millions of Americans on the left are applauding his assassination. As a Christian I must not call murder good. In fact, I feel compelled to call murder evil and demonic.

Many of these evil people are saying he deserved it because he was a fascist, Nazi, racist, Zionist, etc.

A lie told enough times becomes the truth – in other words we have to fight back against false witness!

Kirk was a lot of things but not what he was labeled to justify his murder.

Fascists put opponents in re-education camps; they don’t openly debate them in public.

Nazis put people in ovens; they don’t embrace discussion and opposing views.

Racists don’t give people of color a platform as Kirk did at all of his events.

Believing Israel has a right to exist is not radical.

Oh, and being a devout Christian is an honorable lifestyle choice even if it disagrees with your lifestyle choice.

Satan is a liar and a murderer. He lies by blinding people to the truth of God’s absolute sovereignty and laws and thus people rebel against His ways and will and follow their own ways and will. Satan murders souls by keeping them from God’s grace, mercy and love. And by doing so, those who follow Satan’s ways justify evil in their own lives and in society in general.

I finished my class today by asking my students what they thought should be done about violent political rhetoric and actions. More pointedly, I asked them what THEY would do about it. A lot of silence in the room.

I want to re-emphasize this point from above:

This resistance is rooted in the understanding that God has given believers authority over Satan, and by taking a firm stand in faith, they can overcome his deceptions and ensure he retreats. 

For me, I’m going to stand up and point out evil, hypocrisy, sin, and all things that God hates so that perhaps someone will realize that they need to embrace the things that God loves, repent from their evil ways, and love God and each other as Jesus commands.