They want war too methodical, too measured; I would make it brisk, bold, impetuous, perhaps sometimes even audacious.
-Jomini
This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem.
-Jesus Christ Luke 24:46-47 (NIV)
In warfare the offensive is the means by which one takes the objective. It is an aggressive advance against an enemy to wrest the objective from his possession.
An army on the offensive has a moral and physical advantage over the enemy at the point of contact. The offensive is an attitude as well as an action. The attacking general has the advantage of making his decisions first, and then carrying them out. The defender must first wait to see what his opponent does before he makes his decision. The decision he makes is usually forced upon him by the attacker. The aggressor has the advantage of the initiative. He can choose whether to attack and when and where to attack. The defender must wait for him. The aggressor is in the superior position.
There are two general ways in which the offensive can be directed.
-
It may be directed against the whole front to take the whole front simultaneously. This is not ordinarily feasible in that it requires much more logistic (weapons, food, ammunition) support, much more fighting, and will sustain many more casualties.
- The offensive may be directed against one segment of the enemy army, the defeat of which will mean a decisive victory. Decisive means that this defeat of the enemy may cause the rest of the army to capitulate, or it may mean a breakthrough has been made so that the rest of the army remains in a very weak position.
One of the major problems with a direct attack against an enemy is that he wants to shoot back. An attacking force can sustain many more casualties than a defending force (e.g., The Somme in World War I).
This is also true in evangelism; the enemy does not like to be preached to, so he shoots back. Christians do not like to be shot at so they have opted not to preach. That is one solution, but not the right one.
In the Gulf War over Kuwait, there was six weeks of air bombardment and 100 hours of ground attack. The coalition forces suffered very few casualties. I would like to compare the six weeks of air bombardment to concentrated prayer. I can touch the enemy, but he cannot touch me. This concentrated prayer softens up the objective so that when I go in to preach I do not get shot at.
Whether the offensive is directed against the whole front or against one segment of the enemy army,
In either case it should be well understood that there is in every battlefield a decisive point, the possession of which, more than any other, helps to secure the victory by enabling its holder to make proper application of the Principles of War. Arrangements should therefore be made for striking the Decisive blow upon this point (Jomini).
There are two things that determine a decisive point. The first is the relative importance of that point compared to the rest of the front. The second is the feasibility of taking that point. If it is not important, it is not decisive. If it is important but not feasible to take, then it is not decisive. This is very important. Be alert for teaching on the decisive point in succeeding chapters.
Whether the offense is made along the whole front or at a decisive point, it has several basic characteristics. In attitude it is bold; in direction it is forward toward the enemy at the objective; as its means it uses effective weapons. The offensive in the spiritual war is conducted in the same manner. It is directed against the enemy, not against the objective. Satan is the enemy. We fight in order to wrest from his possession those who through fear of death are subject to his bondage (Hebrews 2:14-15).
Most of this spiritual war is already history. Jesus Christ delivered the decisive blow at the decisive point at the decisive time. The blow was his death for sin and sinners. The point was a cross outside the city of Jerusalem, and the time was the feast of the Passover about A.D. 30. The Bible tells us that this blow destroyed the enemy and set the prisoners free. When Jesus died on the cross he cried with a loud voice, "It is finished." What was finished? The defeat and ultimate destruction of Satan! This was the emancipation proclamation that sets us free from Satan. "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).
What remains if the decisive blow has been struck? We must occupy the land. We must proclaim the emancipation to Satan's captives. We must declare the means of freedom, the gospel, the defeat of Satan, and the victory of Christ in his death and resurrection. We participate in that ancient victory, for its proclamation is still unfinished. It is still news that many captives have not heard. The offensive in the spiritual war is to be carried out by two very basic means: preaching and prayer. Preaching, when done in the power of the Holy Spirit, is an engagement on the spiritual plane. Other powers are in conflict besides the speaker and the listeners. In 2 Timothy 2 we can see four participants in the conflict: the Lord's servant, the opponent, God, and the devil.
Have nothing to do with stupid, senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to every one, an apt teacher, forbearing, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will (2 Timothy 2:23-26, RSV ).
When the Christian teaches in the power of the Holy Spirit, he does it without quarreling. The strife is on the spiritual plane. He teaches with gentleness.
The offensive in preaching is commanded in many places in the New Testament. One of the more dynamic expressions is the word of the angel who opened the prison doors in Acts 5:20 and said, "Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life" (RSV ).
Praying in the Holy Spirit is also commanded in the New Testament. Two of these examples are:
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time (1 Timothy 2:1-5, RSV ).
Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak (Ephesians 6:18-20, RSV ).
Notice this. The first text says "First of all," and the last is the concluding thought of the paragraph that starts "Finally" (v. 10). "First" and "finally," that is the order of prayer. Then notice that both of these paragraphs on prayer have to do with evangelism. When we pray in the Spirit, we and others will preach in the Spirit boldly. Ephesians 6:10-20 is very clear teaching on spiritual warfare, and prayer is the final part of it. What Paul teaches in these three verses he practices in the earlier chapters where his own prayers are recorded in Ephesians 1:16-21 and 3:14-19.
These prayers are for Christians. His prayer requests are also for Christians. We have few passages in the New Testament on prayer for unbelievers; four that I have found are: Jesus' prayer on the cross (Luke 23:34), Stephen's dying prayer (Acts 7:60), Paul's prayer for his countrymen ("Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved" Romans 10:1, RSV ), and the 1 Timothy passage quoted earlier. All of these are evangelistic prayers. The prayers for Christians and prayer requests for Christians are more numerous and they also have to do with the proclamation of the gospel, as in Ephesians 6:20: "that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak" (RSV ).
Jesus, in Matthew 9, when he saw the multitudes and had compassion on them, commanded:
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest (Matthew 9:37-38, RSV ).
Again, it is evangelism. We take the offensive under orders, praying and preaching in the Holy Spirit. Our objective is people: individuals, cities, and nations. The enemy holds them captive at his own will. Then let us move out; let us advance toward the objective, praying and preaching.
Questions:
- Who is the enemy? Name him.
- Who is the objective? Name him or them.
- How should we pray for unbelievers?
- How should we pray for believers? Study:Colossians 1:9-14; Philippians 1:9-11; Ephesians 6:18-20; Ephesians 3:14-19; 1:15-23; and Colossians 4:2- 4. Look carefully at every phrase in the texts. What do the texts say about power? What do they say about wisdom? What do they say about speaking the gospel? What else do they say?
- Make an agreement with each other to pray for one another with the content found in these biblical prayers and prayer requests.
- Name other believers for whom you will pray.
- Continue the discussion on preaching, using 1 Thessalonians 1:4-2:9. Go into this text in detail, noticing every positive characteristic about the proclamation of the gospel. Also list the ways the gospel is not to be preached.
- Is there a decisive point in your city or state where you can concentrate prayer and witness?