3. The Battle

Apr 9

Christ in Gethsemane by Heinrich Hofmann

The third of ten studies from Everywhere: How God Multiplies Disciples and Churches.

A body, brutally murdered, was found by the side of the road in Laos. This tragedy did not have to happen. If Noy had only stopped speaking about Jesus, he would still be alive today. Yet Noy knew that the battle was worth the cost. When his widow, Chantha, with five children to raise, heard God’s call to continue her husband’s work, a great victory was won. This is spiritual warfare at its finest; not just prayer but the prayer of surrender at the very moment when nothing makes sense.

Jesus faced that same battle. Satan tempted Jesus to betray his Sonship and his mission. Tired, alone, and hungry, Jesus won his fight in the wilderness by surrendering to his Father’s Word and remaining faithful to his mission. Then he marched into Galilee in the power of the Spirit, casting out demons, healing the sick, and proclaiming the gospel (Luke 4:1–14).

The movement is born out of battle and born for battle. The Gospels and Acts reveal how Satan attacked and undermined every new stage in God’s plan of salvation. He sifted the disciples like wheat and inspired Judas to betray Jesus.1 Satan’s purpose is to snatch away the Word of God so that people do not believe and are not saved (Luke 8:11–12). Jesus won his battle against Satan through obedience to his Father’s Word, dependence on the Holy Spirit, and faithfulness to his mission to lay down his life as a ransom for many. He won the victory, but the battle rages until the end. Jesus enlisted his disciples in the battle and shared his power and authority over the Enemy.

In Acts, when Satan stirred up the rulers of this world to destroy the movement, Jesus’ disciples prayed for the power of the Spirit and boldness to proclaim the Word (Acts 4:23–31). The victory over Satan was tangibly demonstrated by the establishment of disciples and churches learning to obey Jesus.

Today, the attacks come in many forms. Family rejection. Fruitless years. Team conflict. False accusations and imprisonment. It’s in the darkest places that the battle is fought and won, when we have nothing left, yet cling to Christ. There is no greater weapon in our warfare. The fiercer the attack, the more we trust and obey. This is how victory is won—alone in the storm with nothing left except God’s faithfulness.

Terry and Amy Ruff learned this when God called them to Ghana. Over fourteen years, they faced life-threatening cancer, criminal violence, and leadership moral failure. They clung to Christ and continued the work. In and through their weakness, God brought victory.

Satan aims to destroy faith in God’s Word, which alone brings salvation. The key weapon in Jesus’ arsenal was his surrender to the Father’s will.

Revelation reminds us, “They triumphed over Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (12:11). This is the way of the cross. This is how the battle is won.