Eph 3:10- The church has the sole responsibility to engage the devil in strategic level spiritual warfare. This responsibility must not be abrogated or relegated to any other body. There has been significant increase of psychic, and other mystical activities in recent times in most major cities of Britain. This trend may be linked to fear of the supernatural realm. By fearing the supernatural the body of Christ is relinquishing benefits of the Cross, and it???s ensuing responsibilities as I already mentioned. No other organisation is to make the multi-faceted wisdom of God known to the host of wickedness that operate in the heavenly places.

 

Through righteous living and right standing in God the church is to declare the manifold wisdom of God to principalities and powers in heavenly places.

 

Therefore, people of God, your enemy is not the believer next door, your war is against invincible forces that dwell in ???heavenly places??? hence we are called to make the multi-faceted wisdom of God known to the devil and His cohorts in ???heavenly places??? (note the address of your enemy). It must be mentioned at this point that the devil also operates through humans on the earth (even Christians) who choose to partner with him. Regardless of who the devil uses, the controlling force behind all manner of wickedness is  spiritual host of wickedness in ???the heavenly places???. As Christians we only have one enemy, who attacks us through various channels, sources and outlets.

 

Any Christian who feels their spiritual battles are with humans is seriously mistaken as to the identity of the real enemy. The lie of the devil would ultimately lead to what I term ???misplaced aggression???, if the deception is not dealt with. When you are forced to go against a brother or sister in Christ in a manner that suggests enmity, your aggression is misplaced. Our focus must be on the only enemy of the believer???Satan, the deceiver.

 

 

As soon as you hear the devil in and through the thought process, you must reach out for your bible and test those thoughts with the word of God. For instance, a friend who usually telephones at 6.00p.m daily, without failingly suddenly misses a phone call one day after a mild argument.

 

The way of the devil is to suggest your friend is still upset with you. Once you tolerate the first suggestion, he then goes on to suggest your friend actually does not want to ever speak to you. This process can go on in your mind until you are without a loyal friend. Unbeknown to you your friend was involved in a car crash, and although unscathed from the experience, she was required to spend the night in hospital, and was therefore unable to make a phone call at the usual time? How does that make you feel now?

 

The same devil would turn on you with condemnation making you feel like a right idiot. The trend of thoughts simply articulated in this dialogue is very typical of the ways of the devil, and untypical of the ways of the Lord.   

 

To make the manifold wisdom of God known to the devil in the situation above, you are required as a child of God to:

??        Guard your heart

??        Pray for those who hurt you

??        Overcome evil with good

 

You will leave the devil extremely disappointed by giving your friend the benefit of doubt, reaching out to telephone her for a change. By so doing the character of God is manifested through you:

 

Humility: Jesus was born in a stable

Kindness

Selflessness: John 3:16

Thoughtfulness    

 

In Ephesians 3 verse 8-9 Paul speaks of the mystery of salvation that was hidden in God from the foundation of the earth. The mystery referred to in this verse is that Jesus Christ will come down to earth, die on the cross for man???s redemption, and by His death transfer life to man. This truth remains a mystery to those that are perishing but to those who are alive in Christ, it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). To those who have not known the Lord; pride of life rules the heart denying such persons of the simple yet profound truth, ???For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but live life everlasting??? (John 3:16).

 

To the Christian soldier,

 

???Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death???

 

By rejecting the lies of the enemy over your life and walking in freedom of the cross; desiring right standing with the Lord; and living the lifestyle of one of Christ???s ambassadors you are making the manifold wisdom of God known to ???The rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms???.

 

 

Jesus died on the cross so that through His death man may live. Whenever we give in to the pressures of the enemy, casting our focus off this divine exchange of which benefit empowers the Christian to walk free off bondages, we lose the battle to reinforce victory won by the Lord Jesus at the cross,

  

Lev 17:11 ???The life of the flesh is in the Blood???

 

 

The life man would live free from the bondage to sin and the law would come from Jesus??? death on the cross (see Heb 9:22).

 

This freedom was foreshadowed through the Old Testament and as such was a MYSTERY until revealed in Christ Jesus.

In Him the revelation of ???The unsearchable riches of Christ came??? (Vs 8)

 

Following then, we must conduct as winners and not losers. Struggles of life must be perceived as opportunities to make known the ???manifold wisdom??? of Jesus Christ to the devil, the tempter. Convert those mind games of the enemy to exciting times of re-establishing the sovereignty of Christ over your life.

 

 

1.    Paul was then literally articulating his joy in being a partaker of the revelation of the richness of Jesus Christ???s life and death.

 

2.    Paul was entrusted with divine grace to share this joy with the Gentiles (unbelievers). You have the same responsibility today (Mtt 28:19, Mk 16:15)

 

 

Please note:

 

But for the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, we also would fall within the categorisation of Gentiles whom Paul had to work hard to bring into the gift and freedom of salvation. But we have been grafted in as born again believers into the promises of Israel,

 

 

Understood messianically, this scripture is referring to physical nation of Israel and other nations, prophetically, it refers to the born again (spiritual Israel) believers and the Jews (physical Israel) whom we must continue to pray for.

 

 

Here the point being made is that every believer has been bought back at the cost of Jesus??? Blood and has been loosened from effects of sin of the first Adam. Unless this awesome truth is understood and its impact felt in our mindset, the believer will live in perpetual fear of the devil???s attacks. Our victory is in the cross hence we must receive all understanding from the truth which is ???One died that all may live???. It then becomes a matter of choice whether we live in Christ or death to sin for which Jesus died in the first place.

 

Whatever the devil throws at you, and believe me he will keep taking swipes; remind yourself of the epic battle at the cross when in humility Jesus Christ died to set you free. Go further by dying to ???self???, repenting of all fleshly and selfish ambitions; put on the full armour of God (Ephesians 6:11-18) and don???t let the devil rob you of your joy or what ever he is after. Unless the benefits of the Calvary, Blood of Jesus, are embraced and power actualised (prophetic evangelism), the Christian child of God will not fight effectively, trusting in the ???arm of the flesh???.

 

The benefits of freedom on the cross through Jesus Christ include divine health, wealth, freedom of worship, power and glory. Making known the manifold wisdom of God to principalities and powers in heavenly places involves applying the word of God to the spiritual warfare situations the enemy would want to engage believers. We rule and reign with Christ in heavenly places and as such we must also learn to legislate and execute the judgements of God (such as the devil???s pre-determined end) passing sentence of eternal damnation on the devil.

 

You would agree with me that we have been redeemed at a great cost, with the responsibility to make Jesus Christ known to,

 

??        The World

 

 

Matthew 28:19 ??? Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

 

 

??        Principalities and powers in heavenly places.

 

Eph3:10 ??? God???s purpose was to show His wisdom in all variety to all the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.

 

 

3.    Having then known the joy of the revelation yet a mystery to those dead in sin (of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ), Paul???s mission was to help every believer in his sphere of influence discover their purpose. This purpose primarily involves spreading the good news of the gospel to ???all creature???.

 

 

Eph 3:10 ???to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places???

 

???Manifold??? here is a Greek word ???polupoikilos??? that comes from two words ???polus??? meaning ???much???, and ???poikilos??? meaning ???varied??? or ???many coloured???.

 

Poupoikilos therefore defines God???s wisdom as ???much varied??? depicting many shades, hues, colours, and tints.

 

Paul believed the church was responsible having been delivered, redeemed, sanctified, and justified to make the God???s awesomeness, His diversities embedded in His nature and characteristics known to principalities and powers in heavenly places.

 

 

 

Ephesians 3:11 ???according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord???.

 

Jesus defeated Satan,

 

???Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it??? (Col 2:15)

 

The eternal purpose was freedom for the believer through Christ???s death that has made us ???new men???.

 

 

ARE YOU AFRAID OR UNABLE TO ENGAGE IN WARFARE THAT RAGES OVER YOUR DESTINY?

 

Trust the Lord to fight for you,

 

Eph 3:12 ???in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him???

 

 He can do a good job of it. He already defeated Satan.

 

 

 

??                    Preach the Gospel to all creature (Mk 16:15, Mt 24:19-20)

 

??                    To defeat evil by standing strong on the finished work of the   cross

 

??                    To defend the Gospel by engaging the enemy in strategic level spiritual warfare against principalities and powers that seek to stand in the way of your spiritual advancement.

 

??                    To receive the benefits of the Blood of Jesus Christ (Hebs 9:22, Eph 2:4-8, Eph 1:3, 3 John 1:2)

 

The heart of this message it is to emphasise the need for believers to GROW UP and TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for the task given us to make ???disciples of men???. We must put the devil to shame by making the awesomeness of God (manifold wisdom) known to the devil and his cohorts. We do this by not giving up at the first sign of difficulty. The Lord would use challenges sometimes to test His children???s heart of obedience.

 

But He will not tempt Hid children. The devil tempts the believer who walks according to the flesh. The devil tempts to condemn but the Lord tests to strengthen.