Preaching On The Subject Of Spiritual Warfare

Preaching On the Subject of Spiritual Warfare

In this post we are continuing the subject of preaching on the subject of spiritual warfare to your people.  Here is the first of those posts.

This Present Darkness And The Subject of Spiritual Warfare

In 1986, Frank Peretti published the first of his novels that seek to describe spiritual warfare in the modern world.   It was called This Present Darkness Here is a summary of the plot of the book:

This Present Darkness takes place in the small college town of Ashton. Bernice Kreuger, a reporter for the Clarion, Ashton’s town newspaper, is falsely arrested on prostitution charges after taking a photograph at the annual Ashton Summer Festival. When she is released the next day, she discovers that the film in her camera was destroyed.

The Good Guys

Marshall Hogan, owner/editor-in-chief of the Clarion decides to go to the town police station/courthouse and confront Alf Brummel, the police chief, about the incident. Brummel denies any wrongdoing on behalf of the police department and insists it was all a mistake. Brummel then advises Marshall to drop the matter. Marshall does not fall for Brummel’s story and, ignoring Brummel’s advice, begins an investigation.

As the investigation continues, Marshall and Bernice begin to realize that they’re onto something much bigger than they thought. They slowly uncover a plot to take over the town via buying the college, that is being carried out by The Universal Consciousness Society, a powerful New Age group. When the Society decides Marshall has found out too much they take the Clarion, and his house. They also falsely accuse him of murder, adultery and molesting his daughter, who attends the college and who unwittingly has been pulled into the Society. When he and Bernice are caught in a desperate attempt to keep the society from winning out, he is arrested and thrown in jail, and she escapes, running off to find help.

Meanwhile, Hank Busche, the unwanted pastor of the little Ashton Community Church discovers that there are many demons in the town and wonders why they have all congregated here. When he gets to be a nuisance to the demons they have the Society falsely arrest him for rape.

Hank and Marshall meet in jail. They compare stories and finally put both halves of the puzzle together.

Think about the places of injustice win our world, where the good guys can’t seem to get a fair shake.  When you are preaching on the subject of spiritual warfare, keep those things in mind.

The Bad Guys

During the time that this is happening, the story takes on a spiritual dimension – revealing a perspective based on the idea of unseen forces at work. The angels who wage warfare for the souls of mankind look and act similarly to humans—they have names, they are in charge of specific regions of earth, and they are propelled by heavenly forces that often manifest as wings. They wear armor and wield weapons forged in heaven – most notably, swords. Demons, as well, are depicted as being ink-like shadows in the darkness, flowing from shadow to shadow, until the time comes when they truly reveal themselves as monstrous beasts with bat-wings and armor. Their spiritual combat spans from one-on-one battles to vast armies charging into each other in the “unseen realms” above us.

Now think, as you are preparing to preach on the subject of spiritual warfare to your people, of the times that it seems that evil is winning.  What could be behind it.

Preaching on the subject of Spiritual Warfare and The Prince of this World

I’ve quoted that summary at length to make the point that the Enemy is more organized than we think.

In the previous posts we noted many names of Satan.  Now note that 0ne of the most challenging names is this: The Prince of This world.  You find this name in John 12:11.  In other words, he represents an organized kingdom, and the the goal of our enemy is to take over in this world.  He does this on the level of individuals and their temptations.  But he is also attempting to take over systems in the world.  Consider the radical groups in the world that are operating right now.

Conclusion

When preaching on the subject of spiritual warfare, don’t forget to reflect on this powerful name of the Enemy.  He is a prince, part of an organized kingdom that is set against the kingdom of God in this world.

Please note: the novels of Frank Peretti were helpful to me to look at Spiritual warfare from a different perspective.  Peretti does have both literary and theological critics.

Here is one person’s review of the book.