Ministering: Tobi Thompson
Date: 14th August 2023
Topic: Contending for the Faith (Part One)
Thank You Jesus for teaching us tonight by Your Spirit, Amen.
This evening, we’ll be looking into a topic I’ll call, CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH. It’s a two-part teaching, which means we start today and then end next week.
It’s important that we know these things because our Lord Himself said, we are not of this world and therefore, we cannot afford to subject ourselves to the systems of this world. Let’s get right into it.
Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.
[Jude 1:3 NLT]Beloved, while eagerly preparing to write to you about the salvation we share, I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
Jude 1:3 NRSV
On the foundation of this text shall the teaching be built. This teaching is not about anyone fighting for their salvation because Jesus is the One keeping us by the Holy Spirit within us until the day we truly see Him as He is.
The kingdom of God has its principles and standards of operation, and from the Bible, we see that its principles and standards of operation are always OF THE SPIRIT. God’s kingdom is always of the Spirit, in the Spirit, and it is never concerned with man-made traditions and other things that are unprofitable to the spiritual man. It therefore implies that for one to continually experience and demonstrate the kingdom of God, you must be given to following the leading of the Spirit.
For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
[John 4:24 NLT]
However, there is a need for one to be stubbornly stubborn about walking in the way of the Spirit not just because the flesh is always at odds with the ways of the Spirit according to what Apostle Paul told the Galatian church BUT because the devil is always wanting to bring the sons of God into bondage that God already DELIVERED them from, and from this foundation we shall go into spiritual warfare.
So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery……….
[Galatians 5:1 NLT]
Spiritual warfare is just another way of saying, contend for or defend the faith. As far as God is concerned and as evidently established in the Bible, spiritual warfare has nothing to do with fighting demons all over the place. It is a great show of ignorance if a believer is fighting demons day and night. May I remind you of the great truth Jesus spoke to us??
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go……
[Matthew 28:18 – 19 NLT]
These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages.
[Mark 16:17 NLT]
Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.
[Luke 10:19 NLT]
We are to CAST OUT demons not negotiate or plead with them, to cast out means to forcefully eject, to send out, to throw away. The son of God is not to argue with evil spirits, YOU HAVE AUTHORITY OVER THEM.
Say this aloud:
I have authority in the name of Jesus to cast out demons!
Demons are subject to me! I do not negotiate with them!
I deal with them in the name of Jesus.
What then is Spiritual warfare as God sees it?
It simply means gaining knowledge of the truth and walking in the understanding of the same.
…… God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
[1 Timothy 2:3 – 4 NRSV]
And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
[John 8:32 NLT]
In our opening text, Apostle Jude had noticed some unlearned folks were introducing certain fleshly doctrines that were alien and are still alien to the way of the Spirit and because it looked and sounded good so many brethren were actually giving heed to these things. I once read somewhere that discernment is not just knowing the difference between good and evil, it is the ability to know the difference between what is good and what looks almost good, Incredible stuff!
Now even though we have the authority and power to cast out demons, demons have still found a way to infiltrate the hearts of many. How????? It is through teachings, precepts, and doctrines! Many are deceived today either because they don’t know the truth or are too lazy to walk in the truth or they are too gullible and so accept anything and everything but it ought not to be so.
It is saddening that there are many children of God out there who don’t even want to put in the work of knowing the truth. They are always looking for who will pray for them or see visions for them.
Some have even turned ministers of God into magicians, forgetting that these ministers also spent valuable time and a lot of labour into knowing the Lord and walking with Him, why can’t you do the same??
Will you die if you just decide to walk with God on a personal level? Will you die??
For such folks, their reward is usually false teachers and false prophets who will end up cheating, manipulating, and stealing from them.
See what the Holy Spirit said to Apostle Paul,
Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times, some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.
[1 Timothy 4:1 NLT]
You’ve got to understand that for someone to be a very good deceiver, it means that such a person has solid experience in distorting the truth. Such a person will present lies in the most appealing and subtle way possible, one won’t even know he/she has been deceived but the only way to spot a lie is by knowing the truth and having conviction of the truth.
Do you see?? Even today it is still true, deceptive spirits and teachings are all over the place but only those who know the truth and continually give themselves to hearing the truth will walk in perpetual victory.
In writing to the Corinthian Church, Paul said:
We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
[2 Corinthians 10:4 – 5 NLT]
Once again, spiritual warfare has more to do with gaining knowledge and understanding of truth than with fighting demons all over the place. You must earnestly contend for truth and choose not to be swayed by deceptive spirits and teachings from demons.
Next week we shall go deeper on how we are to gain truth and contend for the same but for now, think upon these things and make a resolve to start knowing truth even from now.
In case you are asking what is truth?
Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.
[John 17:17 NLT]
The Word of God right now would refer to teachings in the Scriptures that bear witness to the testimony of Jesus Christ and reveal the power of God indwelling in the saints as well as the revelation that comes from the Holy Spirit.
Considering these words, the Lord has given you understanding by the Holy Spirit. Thank You, Father.
If you have questions, please ask.