“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:34-36
By now many of you know about what appeared to be a group of drag queens parodying the Lord’s Supper in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Christians spoke out against it on social media. The Christian news media pumped out its share of content. Pastors gave their take from the pulpit, including the pastor at the church where I attend and the pastor of my friend’s church.
When I heard about what happened in the opening ceremony, I found myself thinking, “Yeah… and?” We’ve had people post pentagrams and vile images that are so evil and twisted on our BG Facebook page that I wouldn’t think of describing them to you and violating your mind. What happened in Paris was just one sign among many that the occult and witchcraft have gone mainstream and Satan is taking more ground by the minute.
Of course, we don’t have such problems in the church. No need to wig out like everyone did with the scene in Paris, right?
George Barna just came out with his American Worldview Inventory 2024, Release #4, where he posted the results of a survey of attendees of evangelical churches. His report includes the following:
“Unexpectedly large minorities of adults at evangelical churches reject the biblical nature and character of God (24%), and worship spirits other than God of the Bible (26%)…”
“A stunning number – 15% – revealed that they occasionally cast spells on other people.”
I had a difficult time digesting that last one about casting spells, until I remembered a professed Christian who came to our men’s group 20 years ago and told us he had cast spells on his wife.
How much you wanna bet that you will never hear any of this from the pulpit, or see Christians on social media posting about it? Why is it that Christians will rant about the outside world but once we’re confronted with the sin, bondage, occult, and other influences in the church, the lights go out?
Not long ago I wrote of how Jonathan Roumie of The Chosen came out publicly as a high ranking member of the Knights Templar, a branch of Freemasonry known for its involvement in the occult for centuries. The occult has been making its way into the church for years while churches have avoided such topics. Barna’s latest report is just more evidence.
I interviewed Greg Reid of Youthfire Ministries, who came out of the occult, three times in Blazing Grace Radio. In one interview he shared that witches have been sending their people into churches for years. It’s not hard… just talk a little Christianese and throw in some “praise the Lords” and they’re in. Many Christians are naïve about this spiritual war of the ages we find ourselves in.
If the church freaked out about the invasion and influence of the occult in the church, 75% of youth leaving the church for decades, and the widespread epidemic of porn and sexual sin like they did about the recent scene in Paris we might actually have a shot at revival.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus revealed Himself in His true form, with eyes of fire, a face that shines like the sun, glowing feet, and a voice that roars like the ocean. Jesus gave John messages to write and send to 7 churches. These messages weren’t for unbelievers. Jesus called 5 out of the 7 churches to repentance (70%), confronted them with their sin (including the sexual sin they were avoiding), and warned them there would be severe consequences if they didn’t change. The book of Revelation then moves into the tribulation period, a dangerous time with global suffering and darkness, followed by Christ’s triumphant return, Satan’s doom, and the new Jerusalem.
We haven’t entered the tribulation yet, but we can’t be far away with the way the pieces are being moved on the chessboard and lining up with Biblical prophecy. The pressure and spiritual warfare on God’s people is getting hotter.
Last weekend I went through several days of spiritual warfare that was over the top. I felt like I was losing my mind, wrestled with dark thoughts, experienced attacks on my emotions, felt like the energy was being drained out of me, and, there was intense pressure to quit Blazing Grace and walk away from it. Another one of our leadership team went through a weekend from hell too.
I’m grieved for the people who put on the parody in Paris. If they die without Christ they will be in an eternity in eternal torment, as will all who don’t know Him. They need prayer. But getting screwed into the ceiling about it is a distraction. God’s church is at war. We need to stay focused on the battles that are right in front of our face, join God in His work to set captives free, equip our people for how to navigate these dark times, including helping those in bondage to sexual and other types of sin, teach them be prayer warriors, and challenge them to make their lives count for eternity. I call this going rogue.
“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:34-36
Dissipation has to do with wasting our time in self-indulgence and sin; living for the shallow pleasures of this world. If you’re in bondage to any kind of sin, including pride, pornography, or bitterness, deal effectively with it now. If there is little to no fruit from your life, go rogue.
“Weighed down with the cares of this life…’ Every day, release your burdens into Jesus’s hands. “Jesus, I release this person, situation, the election, my future, my health… into Your hands.” Worry, fear, and anxiety can be crippling if we let them fester and spread in our soul. Remember to rest. Slow down. If you’re too busy to pray and spend time with God, realign your life to your God-given priorities. This usually means saying “no” to some things.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”
1 Peter 5:6-9
“Stay awake…” We are a church at war. If you’re a blood-bought believer, you and your family have the attention of the enemy. Many churches are not equipping their people in spiritual warfare, which is a disaster. Today we see many believers in all-out warfare and struggling for survival, especially in their marriages. You won’t hear this from a comfort-driven church, because, horrors, who wants to talk about demons? This article can help you if you want to know more about spiritual warfare: https://theroguechristian.com/spiritual-warfare/
Every church should talk about the war we’re in and how to fight and be an overcomer, often. Anything less is like living in Germany in the heat of World War 2 and talking about bunnies and sunshine.
George Barna writes:
“Our recent research among pastors found that they generally believe they are doing a great job of facilitating a biblical worldview among their congregants. However, this research along with some of the congregational studies we have done related to worldview highlight the fact that simply teaching Bible stories from the pulpit is, in itself, inadequate to form a biblical worldview.”
Let me ask, how equipped are you in spiritual warfare?
“Praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Most importantly, how’s your prayer life? An effective prayer life is a critical non-negotiable for every believer. Without prayer, you’re a dead man walking, spiritual speaking, living life in the fragile weakness of your flesh. There is no power for any church or believer apart from prayer. Many churches have confused the boombox of their worship services with spiritual power. Daily binges in prayer and consistent participation in prayer meetings are a must.
There are many verses in the Bible where God offers us His strength. Chapters 40 and 41 in Isaiah are often my go-to. So are the Psalms. Philippians 4:13 is a classic.
“You are my strength, I watch for you; you, God, are my fortress”
Psalm 59:9
“But I will sing of your strength;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me a fortress
and a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.”
Psalm 59:16-17
“Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13
The Christian life is supernatural. Salvation is spiritual resurrection and impartation of new life. The Bible is a supernatural book. Prayer is the greatest power in the universe when done with the Holy Spirit. God has come through for me many times and provided His strength when my tank was bone dry. I hope your Christian walk is more than mere knowledge and doctrine and you are experiencing His power and the life He gives. Pray for His strength, often.
Hint: smartphone addiction is a prayer and spiritual power killer. Hours on your phone and minutes with God won’t get you anywhere.
I will finish with these quotes from the beginning of Barna’s report:
“The indisputable cultural decline is a direct result of the spiritual collapse of Christianity in the nation. As a whole evangelicals reflect fewer lifestyle differences from the culture than often thought… the data strongly suggests that evangelicals are more likely to be shaped by the culture around them than they are to influence or evangelize it.”
Jesus warned us of the narrow path that “few will find.” A believer on the narrow path can’t spend much time immersing themselves in the messages and pleasures of this world. They must go all-out with God in prayer, time in His word, and making their life count for eternity. It won’t happen naturally; we must go against the grain of comfort-driven Christianity. We must go rogue.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14
If you posted about the Olympic parody of the drag queens in your social media account, will you now post about the real tragedy of 75% of youth leaving the church, which has been going on for decades, the porn epidemic in the church, and the invasion of the occult in the church? How about spiritual warfare or the urgency of prayer?
Let’s go to war.
