The Reality of Spiritual Warfare
We cannot separated such people from the group of people mentioned in Revelation 17:15, ‘…The waters which thou saw, where the whore sat, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.’
Though the Christian life is a life of victory, it is also a life of warfare. Paul states in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, ‘For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.’
Many Christians while quoting 2 Corinthians 5:17, ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new,’ fail to resist the old things in their lives after being born-again. Sometimes, those that resist do not resist enough. They just keep asking without seeking or knocking. Perhaps, they do not understand how to engage in spiritual warfare. It behooves on every Christian to know how to put on the whole armor of God, pray all manner of prayers, cast down imaginations and bring the powers in-charge of poverty, sickness, etc., to obey Christ’s plans and promises concerning their lives.
The Example of Paul in Ephesus
When Paul arrived in Ephesus, the first thing he did was to downgrade the power of Diana. In like manner, God expects every believer’s life to be hot not cold. If Paul’s life was cold, do you assume he would have achieved what he achieved in Ephesus? You need to confront the powers in-charge of your family’s blessings, wealth and all good things your ancestors lost in order to recover all your family’s blessings and wealth. When Paul’s prayers dismantled the powers of goddess Diana, Demetrius and other highly placed individuals rose up, loosed all the city boys, men and women in their altars and they trooped to the streets of the city to riot against Paul and his teachings.
There are always a few wicked but powerful people, who control every city. They can speak to their altars and their captives would begin to misbehave. If they want human sacrifice, they would consult their evil altars in their houses to control people through witchcraft to commit murder or suicide.
Child of God, this is eye opening. Some strange occurrences in so many peoples’ lives are products of manipulation. Against your will and reasoning, anytime you beat your wife, commit adultery, fall sick, disagree with people, lack anything, etc., it could be someone is in some altar doing some enchantments against you. If you are a drunkard, smoker, husband snatcher, rapist, etc., it could be that someone is manipulating your destiny in some evil altar. Anytime you become sick, have pains, miscarry or fail to conceive as a married woman, you could be under the control of an evil altar. Demetrius and his group cried to their altars and the whole city was filled with confusion, problems and destructions.
‘And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
‘And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre.
‘Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.
‘And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people.
‘But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians’ (Acts 19:28-29, 32, 34).
The Faithfulness of the Ephesian Church
Imagine what it was like for an assembly to gather but remain confused at the same time and cannot explain why they gathered. For more than two hours, matured men and women, even educated ones among them, cried with one voice. An arrow of confusion was released from the altars of Diana of Ephesus. The city was under this condition when Paul started a church, lived there for three years and handed leadership mantle to Timothy. The letter to this church was the first among the letters Jesus sent to the seven churches in Asia. This is the letter you and I are privileged to be reading now.
Jesus Christ praised the church at Ephesus for having remained faithful in the midst of spiritual blitz from goddess Diana and her innumerous demonic agents (see Revelation 2:2-3, 6).
Jesus began by saying, ‘I know thy works…’ That means that nothing you do as a minister, worker or church member can be hidden from God. He knows your contribution in your local church, city and your home. He knows your efforts to populate or depopulate God’s kingdom. Jesus commended and praised the church in Ephesus because they stood their ground for sound doctrine, laboring and persevering for the sake of Christ. They were patient and uncompromising against every form of evil. They were praised for their victory over tempters and temptress who masqueraded as apostles but are nothing but liars. Believers and leaders in the church at Ephesus were no nonsense people and did not joke with their ministry. Even though they needed more members, but they rejected ministers who proved to be agents of the devil. They were not in a hurry to ordain people as leaders, no matter how rich, influential or useful such people were.
They labored for Christ’s sake only and did not allow unrepentant pastors and ministers to destroy the flocks, which the Holy Ghost committed unto their care. Ministers that were possessed by strange or immoral spirits, spirit of mammon, etc., were not allowed to take over the pulpit, no matter their academic qualification or tribe. They hated doctrines that promoted sinful lifestyles and everything that God hates. They truly proved they were the fruits of Paul’s labor. Paul had beseeched them saying,
‘For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore, watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified’ (Acts 20:27-32).
Christ praised the leaders of Ephesus church for declaring the whole truth and the counsel of God. They hated the deeds of Nicolaitans. Clement of Alexandria who lived at the time the Nicolaitans practiced their deeds once wrote, “They abandoned themselves to pleasure like goats, leading a life of self-indulgence, immorality and loose living”. Liberty was replaced with license to sin and perversion of the grace of God. Some churches had accepted the same lifestyle and teachings of the Nicolaitans but not the church at Ephesus. The leaders and believers at Ephesus rejected the Nicolaitans and hated their deeds. But today, many pastors are willing to allow any minister to mount their pulpit with fake prophecies, signs and wonders to deceive the mind of the simple. How sad!
The testimony of Paul and his fellow laborers for all the churches including Ephesus is this: ‘…We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father’ (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3).
However, Paul admonition is still relevant to our churches today, whereby he wrote:
‘…I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them’ Romans 16:17.
‘For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise’ (Hebrews 10:36). The believers in Ephesus heeded to Paul’s advice. They remained faithful to God even under severe conditions, laboring in patience and hope because they believed in God. They avoided anything and anyone that could have brought their relationship with Christ into doubts and freed their pulpits from sinful ministers.