Surprise

One belligerent must surprise, the other must be surprised. Only and when the two Commanders play these respective roles will a battle lead to the annihilation of one Army.
-General Waldemar Erfurth

And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Acts 3:10 (NIV)

The Old Testament hero Gideon learned the principles of war by revelation from God, and one of them was "surprise." The account in Judges tells us that the amassed armies of the "Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers" (7:12). This force consisted of 135,000. Fewer than 15,000 got away. We can say that Gideon with 300 men surprised the enemy and won a battle of annihilation.

There are only a few elements with which surprise can be effected: time, place, and method, or any combination of the three.

However, surprise also depends upon two additional and essential factors, namely, ignorance on the part of one commander, and intelligence on the part of the other. This ignorance may be natural (e.g., incompetence or inadequate security) or it may be induced (deception).

Gideon's victory, Hannibal's victory at Cannae, the German invasion through the Ardennes in 1940, and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor were all aided by the ignorance of the surprised nation. In the first two cases deception helped immensely in the execution of the surprise, and in all four cases the surprising belligerent kept his intentions and plans secret.

The surprise of Gideon was one of time (night) and method (lamps, torches, voices, trumpets) and place (three sides of the camp). The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise of time and place; the weapon was not unusual. The United Statesՠsurprise at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was primarily one of weapon, although the time and place were a part of the surprise.

In the spiritual warfare we may use any or all of these elements of surprise. Surprise can be very effectively used in evangelism, whether mass evangelism (strategic surprise) or in personal evangelism (tactical surprise).

In the spiritual war there are two commanders, God and the devil. One of them is the Creator, the other a created being. God is omniscient; Satan is not. Since surprise depends upon the ignorance (natural or induced) of one of the commanders, it becomes obvious that God cannot be surprised. God is omniscient. He has no limitations in his intelligence, nor can he be deceived.

This is not true of the devil. He has been surprised before. God did not deceive Satan. He just withheld information from him. The Bible speaks of it over and over as a mystery (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:7-8).

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8).

Surprise in warfare means more than "to cause wonder or astonishment or amazement because of something unexpected." It means "to attack or capture suddenly and without warning." The passage from Romans 5 clearly tells us that the love of Christ expressed in his death for us is unexpected. If the message is used with people who are dependent on their own effort or relative goodness, they will be "amazed." If the messenger catches that man with his defense down, he will be "amazed" and surprised. In other words, he will be captured suddenly and without warning.

Surprise may be increased even more if we combine the message with a surprise in time and place. To hear the gospel in a Sunday evening evangelistic church service is no surprise. It is even possible that the message itself will surprise no one in the audience. On the other hand, a personal testimony of the saving grace of Jesus Christ backed up with the Word of God will be an effective surprise when it comes from a line officer. It will surprise tellingly when this occurs in a bar, at a cocktail party, in the office, in the field, aboard ship, or in combat.

It is much easier to be vocal in an evangelical church than it is in the above places. It is always easier to train for combat than it is to engage the enemy in a fire fight. The reason is simple: in the evangelical church, as in military training, there is no enemy. The presence of an enemy means fear and knots in the stomach, even though we have the opportunity to take the initiative and catch him by surprise.

On the defensive we have no choice but to fight. But when we have the opportunity to surprise the enemy, the decision to fight is ours. We would hardly pass up such an opportunity in physical combat, though it means fear and the possibility of death. Likewise let us press our advantages in spiritual warfare, despite the problems and fears. Do not reject surprise in time and place.

To forewarn the enemy is to ask for strong resistance to any attack. The principle of surprise is one of the prime means of thwarting such resistance. This principle applies equally in personal evangelism. If we give men the chance, they will hide, cover up, and defend sin. They will do the same with their ignorance. They will make a last stand defending sin even if it is only bluff. Let us catch men with their guards down. Give them as little opportunity as possible to hide or defend sin.

Above all, use the Word of God:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4:12-13, RSV ).

This is our surprise. It is devastating. Remember our objective is not to win an argument, but to win people to Jesus Christ.

Questions:

  1. Study the temptations of Eve (Genesis 3:1-6) and Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11, and also study 1 John 2:15- 17.
  2. Are you ignorant of Satan's devices?
  3. Have you ever been caught by surprise by the enemy?
  4. Can you think of ways that will catch the enemy by surprise in witnessing?

Plan on using the expression "The Lord Jesus Christ" in a normal serious conversation at a cocktail party or another event with your friends in the world. Most likely, his name will already have been used several times during the evening.

This will be a "Surprise."