02/03/2012 - THE NECESSARY FIGHT

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For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ.

Colossians 2:1-2

The fight we must wage is great and meant for warriors – those who are not cowards and do not flee from combat. In the past, when the Almighty chose Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianite oppression, that servant of the Lord proclaimed that the fearful should leave the fighting ranks and go home. Likewise, we should not have at the forefront of the Gospel people who tremble at the dangers that surround the true servants of God. Those that are clothed with courage are the ones who must do God\’s work!

The Apostle Paul, struggling to encourage the hearts of those who were in Laodicea, said he had fought great battles – spiritual battles, of course – on their behalf. Those people needed to experience the comfort of the Holy Spirit; after all, none of those whose hearts were broken, divided or full of sins would have any success in the spiritual life. Today, the same happens to those who are dominated by the lusts of the flesh or overcome with sadness: they will not be successful.

God\’s work would be so different if our brethren were knit together in love, attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding! Every Christian is a witness of Jesus, which means they have a ministry to fulfill. So, if we are knit together in love and enriched by the full understanding of Heaven, we will make a tremendous difference in our generation because no work will be reckless. Rather, God\’s work will be carried out with divine excellence.

The battle we face is real and, therefore, requires that we strive so that the whole Body of Christ gets to know God’s mystery: the Lord Jesus. There is much to be revealed in Him, which means that even those who receive lots of revelations will have reached the totality of what awaits us.

We realize that we have failed when, for example, we hear that a brother was led astray by sin, doing the will of the devil. There is a huge harm when a soul is lost! Therefore, the Church of the Lord must be strong in every way and assert its rights before the Most High with the weapons of justice. Jesus said that none of those whom the Father had entrusted to him has been lost (John 17:12).

How many battles did Christ fight while He was praying during the small hours? In one of those instances He begged the Lord for Peter not to be sifted (Luke 22:31-32). Similarly, we cannot stand with our arms crossed, acting selfishly because we were called to fight the good fight (II Timothy 4:7)!

In Christ with Love,

R. R. Soares