The classic enemies of the Kingdom of God are the world, the flesh, and the devil (I’ve never been willing to capitalize the “d” word…seems to give him standing that he doesn’t deserve.) We know from Scripture that the “government of God” will continue to increase. (Is 9:7) That means that, despite the challenges that we face, God will not be denied. Ultimately, His grace will cover the earth “as the waters cover the sea.” (Is 11:9)  In the consummation of the Kingdom this will be fully manifest. At any given moment in a given place, it may not seem like it, but ultimately we have the confidence that the Scriptural witness is true.

As we move into this New Year, all three forces of division are hard at work assaulting the advance of the Kingdom of God.

The World – There has been a massive shift in global culture that is only accelerating. Just as the explosion of the availability of information and technology has revolutionized the way we live, the content of that information has also dramatically shifted. For centuries, the Western world operated as a model of Christendom: that Christ and Biblical faith was the agreed foundation of culture and social order. In the last forty years that has been undermined. Christian values and initiatives are increasingly viewed as hostile by the loud voices of the culture. This tension impacting the Anglican Communion has been tremendously exacerbated by voices in the Church of England such as the Pilling Report and seeks to dramatically change Christian teaching regarding sexuality.

One of the most dramatic causes for this collapse has been that the voice of the church is far too legalistic and utterly un-winsome (if that is even a word!). We have used the shorthand of Christendom just to say essentially, “These are the rules from the Bible.” We are going to have to develop more relational ways of framing Biblical truth in a way that conveys truth but is not just legalistic. Rules without relationship produces a form of legalism which is all but impossible for post-modern people living in the Western cultures of the world to understand, let alone embrace.

Biblical truths are still true, but we need to convey them in story form that post-mods can understand. As an example, instead of just saying that same-sex sexual intimacy is prohibited because it is against the Bible, we can show that Scripture provides wisdom for the prosperity of life. When we describe Biblical standards as a pathway to abundant life (and back it up with examples of shortened lifespans from some life-styles) and that we are committed to loving people sacrificially, the reception in the culture is better than when we just lay down rules. Admittedly, some people in the current culture will always and only receive anything other than affirmation of same-sex relations as “hateful.” While that is mostly not true, it is a charge that has great traction in the culture.

The answer to dealing with the shift of the values of the culture is kerygma: the passionate proclamation of the Gospel with every fiber of our being. There is no message that has the power and hope that is resident in the Gospel, and we should be tireless in proclaiming it. The Global Anglican Future Conference and the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON/FCA) have had such wonderful traction because the Gospel is the heart and soul of it. The Gospel, (that the Kingdom of God, manifest through the redeeming love of Jesus Christ in His life, death, resurrection, and ascension), offers answers, fruit and hope in a fallen world. When people are impacted by powerful Kingdom life examples, they are drawn to the Kingdom and to the King.

GAFCON/FCA offers a wonderful platform for this proclamation. Of course the proclamation has to be pursued at the local level as well, but the global fellowship provides both a platform to speak to the world on a broad stage, and examples of places where the church is effectively impacting culture.

The Flesh–“The flesh” ranges from the base animalistic drives which sometime motivate people to soul and psychological actions that may be much more noble, but are still not truly spiritual. Just as the message to the world is “come up higher” into the values of the Kingdom of God, the message of the church to “the flesh” is the same: come up higher. In other words, rather than responding to our base, selfish motivations, we should seek God’s direction and implement steps to pursue what He is calling us to do.

Developing discipleship that is robust enough to be truly spiritual is essential to the process. To be effective, discipleship needs to fulfill a range of things including:

• Gospel presentation that is clear and “joinable,” so that unconverted people have a clear path to embrace faith in Christ and be rooted in Him in His church.
• A developed discipleship program that helps people embrace the truths of the Kingdom of God, helps them in being rooted in the Body of Christ, and helps them develop an understanding and appreciation of what genuine spirituality is.
• Emergence into a lifestyle of conformation to the call of Christ that is not only faithful, but is also replicable. In other words, it is important for Christians to be able to reproduce themselves and help bring others to life in Christ.

It is unreasonable to think that the Church could emerge into spiritual living that resonates with what the Holy Spirit is calling us to do if we do not have leaders and members who have lifestyles that are conformed to the Holy Spirit. Far too much energy has been invested in articulating what we want the Church to be and do. Instead, we should be asking God what He wants.

The devil–Scripture is replete with references to the ways in which “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:11) In practice, however, this is an area that is not much discussed. As a result, we have the too common situation which was described by one of my friends by saying, “Before I knew there was a spiritual war going on I was already a POW!” The ministry of Gospel proclamation in many Provinces includes prayer to banish the devil and his cohorts. Western Christians would do well to learn from those who have learned to battle evil along Scriptural lines. There is no place for arrogance about this. Where we walk arrogantly, we are also walking in defeat. God’s intention is that we increase in freedom and victory over the forces of evil. We should neither ignore them or be fascinated by them.

The antidote to malevolent forces that assault Gospel work––the world, the flesh, and the devil––is to embrace Biblical faith in the Power of the Spirit, and to do so with a winsome style that clearly exhibits genuine love for the people we seek to reach. Then we must engage the world with thoughtful theological perspective and practical pastoral methods.

This is a pro-active model that is very different from the “attractional model” that many of us learned in seminary: “If you build it they will come.” It is, however, an apostolic model that lives and fulfills the Biblical mandates of both the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Wouldn’t it be amazing to learn that the words of Jesus in saying, “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease,” were not just for the original twelve, but they express truth that is being lived out in some of our Anglican Provinces today. Why should that be? Could it be God’s plan to help all the Church to have all the tools necessary to carry on the spiritual war which assaults the earth? There are plenty of people and places where Western Christians can learn from those in areas of the world where they fight this battle every day and incorporate the tools into our lives as well. We have nothing to lose and a great deal to gain.

This article by the Rt. Rev. Bill Atwood first appeared in the January 7, 2013 edition of the AAC’s International Update. Sign up for this free email.