LESSONS FROM CHRISTCHURCH EARTHQUAKES

"The churches that dot the city felt some of the worst of the temblor's wrath. Spires toppled, stained glass windows exploded, walls cracked and masonry fell... Outdoor services also were held at other churches and at a library, where attendees arrived on bicycle or on foot and sat in folding chairs..."

New Zealand has had much more than its fair share of earthquakes. Records have it, that itexperiences an average of 14,000 tremors every year, and  at least 13 earthquakes measuring between 6.3 and 8.2 on the Richter scale since 1848. 

Christchurch, the country’s second largest urban centre, founded by the Church of England in 1848 in pursuit of the church’s dream of building “a Christian city in the other side of the world” had seemed  immune to all the tectonic shaking around her – until last year. On the fourth day of September, 2010, the city was shaken by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, leaving in its wake, destruction and damage estimated at US$2.9billion (NZ$4 billion). It was the most materially destructive earthquake in New Zealand in nearly 70years, but – wait for this – no life was lost! Plus: there were only two serious injuries.   

That, many people including the secular media in the city, agreed was a miracle; one that ought to elicit profound gratitude to the source of all miracles, God the almighty. One man of God, Andrew Strom thought so, and jetted in from Australia, to join hands with local churches to put an open air thanksgiving praise and worship concert together, among other things. His experience confirms one of the things that this columnist has been harping upon: that church unity is an urgent imperative, if we are to become the victorious church that the Lord Jesus envisioned. 

Here’s Andrew Strom experience in his own words: “…One of the main things that I hoped to do in Christchurch after the first quake was to organize a large open worship event in the city - to praise and glorify God that nobody had been killed even in a huge 7.1 earthquake. I found that no such event was being planned, but there were thousands of evangelical Christians in Christchurch, and I felt very strongly that it was important for us to publicly glorify God for the miracle of surviving such a disaster with no-one killed. The place was traumatized and it was obvious that a sensitive Worship event would do much good - and even many non-Christians would likely attend. But sadly it was not to be. And this is the disturbing part.

“I have organized large events before, so the Christian Radio network knows me - and quickly agreed to promote the event for free. The PA sound people also agreed to supply excellent sound for a very low cost. And the Christchurch City Council couldn't have been more helpful. Everything was looking good. But then we ran up against the Christian leaders.

“One of the main "networking" Pentecostal leaders in the city told me that we could count him OUT of any support for the event. Then I spoke personally with the Dean of Christchurch Cathedral who told me that we could NOT use the main Square in Christchurch for a worship event for the whole Body…

“I called a number of prominent pastors and worship bands around Christchurch. I said we had the support of Radio, the Council, the sound and everything. No response. Worship bands not interested. Pastors not returning calls. (You might think they were busy after the quake - but remember no-one died and Christchurch was up and running pretty fully after only a couple of weeks). I simply couldn't understand it. The evangelicals of Christchurch had made no public acknowledgement of God at all - no public worship for this miraculous escape - no public glorifying of Jesus. Even the secular News and the politicians were calling it a "miracle". People were traumatized everywhere. Wasn't it a "no-brainer" that we should be doing such a thing? Doesn't God deserve public praise after protecting so many people from harm?...”

Evangelist Strom and his family left Christchurch in December frustrated by the uncooperative, even hindering, activities of his brethren in this “Christian city in the other side of the world”. But on February 22, 2011, another earthquake shook Christchurch. It was less than six months after the first one in a city that never experienced any in its 162 years of its existence. In magnitude, it measured less; 6.3 as against 7.1; but it has been far more devastating.  As I sign off this article, 161 deaths have been confirmed while, with rescue operations officially ended, over 200 persons were as yet unaccounted for. Figures are not yet available for the value of destruction to properties, but it has been confirmed that a sizeable number of the structures in the city centre have to be pulled down. There is an exodus from Christchurch. Heart-rending indeed.

I leave you, dear reader, to reach your own conclusions on whether or not, had the thanksgiving concert held, the recent quake might not have happened or that there would have been no fatalities. But this report by one of Strom’s correspondents is instructive.

Simply identified as Nancy, she wrote: “Today (Sunday February 27 – ed) in Christchurch many churches were forced out into the open to praise and worship God, and many people came along who would not normally go to church. There will also be more sense of unity as the churches that are not damaged are being opened up for other churches to use for services and for funerals. Prayer meetings are being organised for this week coming, to pray for the city.”

Her report was corroborated by Fox News: "Parishioners came together Sunday in parks and on the lawns of churches broken in New Zealand's earthquake to pray for the dead and missing. They sought togetherness and an answer to the question on everyone's mind: Why?"

Associated Press threw more light: "The churches that dot the city felt some of the worst of the temblor's wrath. Spires toppled, stained glass windows exploded, walls cracked and masonry fell... Outdoor services also were held at other churches and at a library, where attendees arrived on bicycle or on foot and sat in folding chairs..."

Food for thought, there! Are church leaders holding to their turf listening? Let him that has ears hear what the Spirit is saying unto the church.

UNDERSTANDING KINGDOM WARFARE (4)

"Two things become apparent here. The Lord won all his victories not by using bazookas and ICBMs. He won by using the word. Two, he won by doing the one thing that you do with words: speak them out of his mouth, using his tongue, allowed them beyond his lips. In other words our mouths serve as the rocket launchers..."

As I conclude this serial, the following points can bear repeating: One; that the call upon our brothers and sisters in northern Nigeria, who have been the target of brutal, fatal attacks to rise in self-defence, has come not a moment too soon. This is because the aberration of children of a warrior God known and addressed liberally in scripture as Jehovah Sabaoth (the Lord of the Armies of Heaven), being made mince meat, as it were, by agents of a defeated cowardly foe has gone on for too long.

Two, support for that point of view is not support for physically arming Christians with guns and machetes and bombs and forming militias. It is quite simply a call upon children of God to rise up and utilize those weapons that are already available to them as identified in the Bible; weapons, which are in no way physical or carnal; yet they are no less potent. This much is clear from these words of Apostle Paul: “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).

Three, the resort to spiritual, rather than physical weapons, is necessitated by the biblical insight that the men and women who stalk, attack, maim and kill are not the real enemies. They are mere tools in the hands of an evil general known as satan, who is a spirit and can therefore only be deal with in the spirit realm. Again Apostle Paul offered us that insight when he wrote: “For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere (Ephesians 6:12). Or if you prefer it in contemporary English: “We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world (CEV)”.

Four, the same Paul identified what he called the whole armour of God clearly in verses 14-17 of Ephesians 6 from which we have already quoted as follows: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (emphasis added).

Five, as I pointed out last week, all but the last component of the “whole armour of God” are defensive weapons. Only the sword of the spirit is a weapon of offense. Yet, a very critical part of defensive warfare is attack, preemptive attack or to put in street language “attack is the best form of defence”. The point was also made that the Church, generally speaking, cannot be found guilty of failing to teach on truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith and salvation. This, as I noted, is understandable because, they are “basic and foundational to our faith”. After all, how can you really be a Christian if you don’t have a measure of faith to lead you to accept the salvation that the gospel of peace (reconciliation with God) offers? How can you be a Christian if you have not accepted Jesus as the way, the truth and the life; the one through whom you are reconciled with God and through whose finished work you have righteousness (right standing) with Him? So, we are inevitably copiously taught these components of the armour. Unfortunately the word as the sword of the Spirit is not as comprehensively taught as it ought to be, and that is what has given the enemy the victory he continues to enjoy, not just in northern Nigeria, but in virtually every part of the world.

Yet, the Bible didn’t mince word about the place of the word in Kingdom warfare. The writer of the book of Hebrews said of this power-packed weapon: “The word is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword… (4:12). The Good News translation of the latter part of Ephesians 6:17 urges us to “accept…the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you” while the Amplified version in that same verse described the word as “the sword that the Spirit wields…” 

At least two verses in the book of Revelations throw further light on this subject. First, the Lord Jesus was not armed any differently. It was said of him that …”out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword” (1:16), and then described tellingly as “he which hath the sharp sword with two edges” (2:12).”

Two things become apparent here. The Lord won all his victories not by using bazookas and ICBMs. He won by using the word. Two, he won by doing the one thing that you do with words: speak them out of his mouth, using his tongue, allowed them beyond his lips. In other words our mouths serve as the rocket launchers. That explains why the Bible has such verses as:  “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (Proverbs 18:21); “…the lips of the wise shall preserve them (Proverbs 14:3); Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth (Proverbs 6:2).

The critical point to note in all of these, however, is that the mouth is not a free agent. It does not speak of its own volition; it speaks what the mind says to speak. The mind, on the other hand, is, at every given point, fed by one of two sources: the spirit of God though the heart, or the spirit of satan through the senses.  The Bible puts it this way: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart (mind) bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart (mind) bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh (Luke 6:45; parenthesis added).

It takes knowledge to grasp these truths and run with them. That is why teaching is very critical and urgent, if we are to rise from the current helpless victim mentality that pervades the church.

UNDERSTANDING KINGDOM WARFARE (3)

"Only the sword of the spirit is a weapon of offense. Yet, a very critical part of defensive warfare is attack, preventive attack. Interestingly also, there doesn’t seem to be any dearth of consistent teaching on the defensive weapons...But from all indications, it is not being taught in full. Why is the whole word of faith not taught as consistently as the other components of the “weapons of our warfare?"

I have been saying that I whole-heartedly welcome the dawn of reality upon church leaders in Nigeria, who have raised the clarion for self-defence among the Christian communities in northern Nigeria where fatal attacks have become regular fare. I have anchored my agreement with this stance on the position that a victor God, Jehovah Sabaoth (the Lord of the Armies of Heaven), can neither give birth to victim children; nor fail to provide for their protection. But I have also emphasised that Kingdom warfare is not about AK40s or rocket launchers or even machetes; but about weapons provided for in the word of God.

I have tried to show from the word of God that the men and women who aggravate us, who join militias or mobs to kill and to maim us, are mere tools in the hands of forces far above them. That, I have said is the import of Apostle Paul’s declaration that 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” (Ephesians 6:12), which in contemporary English reads: “We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world (CEV)”. I have also made the point that it is a recognition of this  truth that led the apostle to teach that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).

I ended the last piece with the example of the Lord Jesus’ encounter with satan in, of all persons, Peter, the apostle, recorded in the book of Matthew, chapter 16. “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter; Get thee behind me, Satan… (verses 21-23).

Two things were pointed out from the account. First and, I quote: “Notice, the Bible says, the Lord Jesus spoke to Peter, but addressed satan. Did Peter suddenly transfigured into satan, or did satan become another name for Peter, like Cephas, for instance? The answer is neither. The Lord, in reacting to Peter’s well-meaning rebuke, saw beyond him; he recognized the one speaking through him. In other words, satan was the enemy, not Peter...”

   

Secondly, I wrote: “...Jesus knew who the enemy was, satan, a spirit. He knew that a bazooka won’t dislodge it. So, what did He do? He used the appropriate weapon: the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (see Ephesians 6: 17). He used “the weapons of our warfare”, which “are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” He resorted to the word which the Bible assures us is, “is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). God intends that words should be a major weapon of our warfare. It was for the Lord Jesus. That’s why in the book of Revelations, it was said of him that …”out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword” (1:16), and was later described as “he which hath the sharp sword with two edges” (2:12).”  

  

As is clear from all of these, there is a need for us to not just familiarize ourselves with the weaponry, but to really learn to use them until we become so proficient in them that we are always battle-ready. As we have seen, Apostle Paul identified the whole armour of God in verses 14-17 of Ephesian 6 in these words: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (emphasis added). 

Interestingly, all but the last are defensive weapons. Only the sword of the spirit is a weapon of offense. Yet, a very critical part of defensive warfare is attack, preventive attack. Interestingly also, there doesn’t seem to be any dearth of consistent teaching on the defensive weapons. This is understandable because, they are seen as basic and foundational to our faith. But so is the word and this is widely recognized. But from all indications, it is not being taught in full. Why is the whole word of faith not taught as consistently as the other components of the “weapons of our warfare? Abuse may have been among the reasons, but I wish to categorically state that it’s the enemy at work!  This is because once the whole word is taught and grasped and many more of us become proficient, he will score fewer and fewer victories. That scares him. (CONCLUDES NEXT WEEK).

UNDERSTANDING KINGDOM WARFARE (2)

"We must understand that for as long as we profess faith in the saving grace of the Lord Jesus and embrace the salvation package that’s ours in Him, satan can only reach us through devious schemes as in using men and women, including, sometimes, people who love us and want the best for us, like Peter was to Jesus".

I have stated that we agree with those Christian leaders who have publicly called on our brothers and sisters constantly under attack by people of other religious persuasions, to rise up in self defence. I have, however, also denounced any resort to physical force as in wielding, guns, machetes or any other man-made weapons of war. Instead, I have advocated the use of the spiritual ammunitions provided for in the Bible.

This, I predicated on the position so eloquently articulated by the Holy Spirit through one of Paul, the Apostle’s letters to the church in Corinth. He had told them us (and them) that though we are no different from other people in that we are as flesh and blood as everyone else, yet, we are not expected to  “war after the flesh”. We are never to depend on physical arms and ammunition, because, in his words, “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds”

This theme, I explained last week, can be clearer understood though a close look at the sixth chapter of  the apostle’s letter to the Ephesians, which reads: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.   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. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (verses 10-17).

I had posited that those eight verses “offer great insight into the Kingdom concept of warfare” and that, “verse 12 is very fundamental.” In that verse, Apostle Paul said in contemporary English: “We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world (CEV)”. As I said last week, this means that we do not go after “the men, women, boys and girls armed to the teeth bating for our blood; we recognize they are tools of the enemy; so we set our sight on the enemy, which is a spirit and can only be fought in the spirit.” 

An incident recorded in two of the gospels will aid a proper understanding of this concept. Let’s take the Matthew account in chapter 16: “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men (Matthew 16: 21-23). 

Notice, the Bible says, the Lord Jesus spoke to Peter, but addressed satan. Did Peter suddenly transfigured into satan, or did satan become another name for Peter, like Cephas, for instance? The answer is neither. The Lord, in reacting to Peter’s well-meaning rebuke, saw beyond him; he recognized the one speaking through him. In other words, satan was the enemy, not Peter.

This is how we are to see all attacks on us, if we are to live the kingdom life to which we have been called. We must understand that for as long as we profess faith in the saving grace of the Lord Jesus and embrace the salvation package that’s ours in Him, satan can only reach us through devious schemes as in using men and women, including, sometimes, people who love us and want the best for us, like Peter was to Jesus. And, of course, as in the frequent cases of bloody, mindless attacks against our brothers and sisters in parts of Northern Nigeria and many other parts of the world, he will also raise individuals and groups in whom he would deposit hatred for us, just as God deposited His love in us. 

A second principle we must learn from this incident is this. Jesus knew who the enemy was, satan, a spirit. He knew that a bazooka won’t dislodge it. So, what did He do? He used the appropriate weapon: the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (see Ephesians 6: 17). He used “the weapons of our warfare”, which “are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” He resorted to the word which the Bible assures us is, “is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). 

God intends that words should be a major weapon of our warfare. It was for the Lord Jesus. That’s why in the book of Revelations, it was said of him that …”out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword” (1:16), and was later described as “he which hath the sharp sword with two edges” (2:12).  What is true of the Lord is true of us, after all, didn’t the Bible also declare that, “…as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17)? (CONTINUES)