Worship as Warfare

In 1st Timothy 6, Paul encourages us, in the spiritual warfare in which we are all involved, to fight a 
"good fight," the good fight, through faith in Christ. He writes:
11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

We are told what we are to pursue - the qualities and resources of Almighty God, and then reminded that we will face battles.  When we encounter opposition - and we will - we can turn to the One who died for us and has brought us into His resurrected life.  We can have access to His overcoming power and the awareness of it that we gain through the Word and through worship. As we honor God, speak His name, and call out to Him, we can encounter the strength we need, that God so willingly wants to give us.

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Psalm 91 reminds us that when we face difficulty, when we encounter the battles of life, that we have a strong Lord who walks with us:
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 

2 I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."

We are promised freedom from fear:
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

The Church is continuing to meet, even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, but it is certainly taking different forms.  The message of Christ is being shared through computers and smartphones, and some churches are taking their message, our message outside of the doors of the church.  That can include outdoor worship on the church grounds or a public park or even stadium.  

Or, to the streets of troubled cities.  I have reported to you about how the Church is showing up on the streets of Minneapolis, Portland, and even Kenosha, Wisconsin.  And, a new CBN article pinpoints how the love and truth of Christ are being shared in large Northeastern cities in the U.S.

A series of recent praise gatherings began in Lincoln Park, New Jersey on a rainy Friday night and continued the next day in New York's Washington Square Park, where almost 30 people were baptized. The worship series continued on Sunday in Boston Commons. 

In New Jersey, according to CBN:  

One attendee carried a sign that said "Worship is Warfare" - a testament to the belief that America is facing an escalating spiritual battle these days.

In Boston, speaker Dr. Roberto Miranda stated, It's hard to believe that we are in Boston right now," adding, "I've been pastoring in Boston for 34 years and I've had a front-row seat to how the weather and temperature - spiritually - has been going up and up in New England..."  But, he said that he believes that God has "things to do" there.  

Let's consider the theme of worship as warfare, as that sign referenced.  Max Lucado gave a short video message about that theme last year; and, he tweeted this out back in February: 

We battle the enemy with prayer, worship, and Scripture. Satan will not linger long where God is praised and prayers are offered. "...the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:3-4).

Birmingham-based worship leader and blogger Zac Hicks offers some insight into the spiritual components of real physical conflicts experienced by Israel.  He writes, "...OT Israel’s struggle against their physical enemies (neighboring pagan nation-states such as Philistia, Ammon, Moab, etc.) was not purely physical warfare." And, he states that, "individuals in the OT claimed struggle against physical enemies, but the Scriptures are quick to acknowledge a spiritual component even there."  

He cited the battle that Jehoshophat led, documented in 2nd Chronicles 20, in which the worship of God was a key part of the battle plan.  Hicks writes, "I’m becoming more convinced that our primary battle-strategy, beyond spiritual disciplines, personal piety, and mission work, is simply to worship together, regularly and ongoingly."  Hicks had linked to a piece by Idaho pastor Douglas Wilson about the topic of the spiritual warfare element of worship. And, recently Wilson offered this insight:

The church is the “worshiping assembly,” and her mission is to call the nations to worship God. But worship is not only our goal; it is also one of the chief means for achieving that goal. Worship is not a retreat from the church’s work of conquest. Worship is a fundamental “strategy” of the church militant.

During this time of the coronavirus scare, we are being told that our worship services are somehow “non-essential.” In actual fact, it is the most essential activity of our lives. As we assemble before God now, we want to be pleading with Him to rise up and vindicate His name. Without Him, we are all of us nothing.

Worshipping God offers us a powerful way to honor His name, to be strengthened inside, and to strengthen the body of Christ.  God is exalted as we praise Him, and the Bible tells us in Psalm 22 that He inhabits the praises of His people.  When we are feeling overcome by the work of the enemy, we can be reminded that we are more than conquerors through Christ as we gain a greater sense of His presence.

The Psalmist wrote, "When I am afraid, I will trust in you."  We can be empowered to walk in faith over fear as we receive God's Word into our hearts and as we call out to Him; worship enables us to transcend the bonds of humanity and touch the realm of the heavenly.  The name of Jesus is above every name, and God desires for us to practically exercise that superiority by praising His name.  Our confidence in Jesus enables us to experience His power.