October 2023: Dear Wormwood
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:10-12 NIV
This may be shocking, but I didn’t fully read a book until I was a freshman in college. It was C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters. I had just become a follower of Jesus, and on a trip to Barnes and Nobles, I stumbled across C.S. Lewis’ Signature Classics. This one book contained eight of Lewis’ greatest writings together. I did the math, and 8-for-1 wasn’t a bad deal.
While Lewis is one of the intellectual giants of the 20th century, he quickly became a hero of mine. C.S. Lewis was an atheist who, through a multitude of interactions, eventually was overtaken by the story of Jesus (read the full story here). What marked the life and legacy of Lewis was his impeccable ability to combine the truth of Christianity with the brilliance of philosophy. He was an Oxford scholar who came to believe in Jesus, and he modeled that following Jesus can be done with intellectual honesty.
In The Screwtape Letters, we are invited to peek beyond the physical reality as we read the letter exchanges of an elder demon, Screwtape, who helps guide and encourage his nephew, Wormwood in the art of temptation and demonization. In this book, we get a defense of the Christian faith through a series of satirical letters Lewis writes to baptize our imaginations to the spiritual realities around us. This is a book that I regularly revisit because it never ceases to challenge me regarding how I can submit my free will to God. Knowing if I don’t give my will to God, Screwtape, and his friends will use it to draw me away from Him, not immediately but ever so gradually. This quote haunts me:
“Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,”
Now, I know there may be no Screwtape or Wormwood, but this book has been a helpful tool for me to realize how our “struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
However, for us Western Christians, it is easy to forget this reality because we aren’t aware of the Wormwoods around us, but rather we are more aware of the Debbies, Davids, and Dexters. There isn’t time to think about the spiritual realities when we are so preoccupied with our jobs, our image, our finances, or our freedoms. As American Christians, we have been accustomed to the comforts of modernity, and we are unaware of the warfare our souls are constantly at the center of.
This is Paul’s challenge in Ephesians. We must always be prepared for spiritual warfare.
The Biblical authors had a different worldview than our post-modern context. They understood and expected that there were real and powerful spiritual realities beyond the physical world. In fact, we see that there was a real awareness of the demonic because it was confronting them all the time.
However, our enemy is old and shrewd, and I think that he has simply gotten better at hiding what demonic activity looks like. Instead of overt idol worship where we go to temples and worship false gods, we unknowingly participate in actions that welcome the enemy to speak lies to our hearts.
Our involvement in spiritual warfare is not about going to the dark places of the world to hunt the enemy and his army. What Paul makes clear is that we must put on the armor of God:
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:13-17
Without the armor of God, we are left open to attack. We will allow shame to become our armor. The world to tell us what is true. Allow our striving to be our badge of honor. Fear to become our foundation. Disengagement to be our defense. The enemy has come to steal, kill, and destroy, and he will happliy use us to be his sword in destroying our House Churches, marriages, family, friendships, and lives.
We must realize that the war with the enemy always begins with our souls, and the way to combat the enemy is through standing firm in God and the truth of His reality. Are you standing in that reality? Are you wearing the full armor of God? Do you know the truth of the scriptures? Do you understand your righteousness in God? Do you believe the gospel of peace? Have you strengthened yourself in faith? Are you reliant on the Spirit to fight for you?
Spiritual warfare, like the rest of discipleship with Jesus is counterintuitive. To be last is to be first. To be strong we rest. To rest is to take on a yoke with Jesus. To conquer the enemy and his forces, we don’t conjure up strength. All we need to do is stand. Put on your armor and stand firm. God will carry out the work of overthrowing the enemy, all we must do is be on the defensive. When we stand with God, we will be able to notice the attacks of the enemy in our lives. No longer will he have any cracks to sneak into. We will be able to cast out the lies that are at the source of arguments. Temptation will fall off an no longer have the same strength against us. In Christ, the enemy is put in their place at the feet of Jesus, and his power is dwarved.
Let’s stand together.
We must always be prepared for spiritual warfare.
•••
This month, may we learn how to stand firm, together.
Community Huddles
Encourage those in your House Churches to gather in smaller groups of 4-6 (men and women separated) to pray, worship, and seek God together. This is where people can cross the social barrier of House Church into the personal context of a Huddle. It is in these smaller context where people can:
1. Grow in closeness & intimacy.
2. Support one another in hopes, fears, concerns.
3. Challenge towards holiness is welcome.
I would suggest this either happen during a Family gathering (splitting up), or that each group schedules a separate time to gather (Thursday mornings, every other Saturday for lunch, Sundays before or after church, etc.).
Pray for one another. Worship with each other. Study the Scripture. Ask one another intentional questions. Here are some questions you could ask in this space (taken from Discipleship that Fits by Bobby Harrington & Alex Absalom):
1. Are you seeing your circumstances clearly and accurately?
2. Are you being to hard, too soft, on yourself?
3. Why have you been responding in less than ideal ways up to now?
4. How can others around you help you gain a true perspective on yourself and this situation?
5. How can you plan to live differently in the weeks ahead?
6. What practical disciplines or next steps can you implement to give yourself the best chance of success?
7. Who can help you follow through on your commitment?
8. What will you do if you stumble along the same way and mess up again?
9. How will we as a group know whether you have truly changed?
These spaces are not to be forced as a rule, but it is an invitation towards intimacy with one another in more intentional pursuit of God’s presence.
Formation Talking Back
Evagrius Ponticus is a Desert Father from the 4th century who wrote a book on overcoming the Devil and his lies. His book is titled, Talking Back: A Monastic Handbook for Combating Demons.
Evagrius partnered with the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures to speak to lies that were deceiving him. He modeled one way we can allow the Scriptures to shape and form us in our everyday ordinary lives.
Download a sheet on implementing the same strategy from Evagrius. (from Live No Lies by John Mark Comer, Appendix. p.259-262)
Presence Prayer of Examen
One way to stand firm in God is to pause and reflect on the day that has just passed. This practice is known as the Prayer of Examen. At the end of the day we look back to see where God was moving, to become more aware of Him. Additionally, we pay attention to where the enemy was at work, and how we partnered with him rather than our Father. This is a practical tool to grow our attentiveness to God’s Spirit and guiding each and everyday.
How to Pray the Examen (from Jesuits.org)
1. Place yourself in God’s presence. Give thanks for God’s great love for you.
2. Pray for the grace to understand how God is acting in your life.
3. Review your day — recall specific moments and your feelings at the time.
4. Reflect on what you did, said, or thought in those instances. Were you drawing closer to God, or further away?
5. Look toward tomorrow — think of how you might collaborate more effectively with God’s plan. Be specific, and conclude with the “Our Father.”
Mission Spooky Season
It is officially Halloween, and that means it is officially spooky season. While this month can normally be associated with the demonic, our friends Alex and Hannah Absalom have come up with a few tips on how we can bring use this season to live on mission.