The Sword of the Spirit - Part 2

When God gave the dominion of the earth to Adam and Eve, their authority was without question. Authority is an important part of all life, including the spiritual. God gave man authority over the earth. God recognises authority.

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

The devil, being the seductive, sneaky bastard type tricked Adam and Eve out of their authority over the earth. Man gave their authority over the earth to the devil.

Luke 4:6,7
And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered [given] unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

Just as Adam and Eve's authority over the earth was without question, so the devil's authority as the god of this world now is also without question. God gave that authority to man, and man gave that authority to the devil. That is why the devil, Lucifer, is presently the god of this world. That's why the world is such a shit place. As a consequence, everyone who has been born since the fall of man has been born dead into this world as men of body and soul with no spirit.

God looked at the situation, scratched his head and then devised a plan to rescue man from death. That plan was accomplished when God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Eternal life is now freely available to men as a gift from God. Every time we get someone born again, we raise them from the dead and they have eternal life.

Ephesians 5:14
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Our redemption from death and our eternal life may be free to us, but it came at great cost. It took Jesus Christ being tortured and beaten more than any human being on planet earth before or since, followed by his being crucified to accomplish it. While that was going on, God could only sit back and watch his son die. That was the price it took to redeem man back from the devil.

Colossians 2:13,14
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened [made alive] together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

We were all born into this world dead, without spirit, and as such were under the devil's authority because he is the god of this world.

Ephesians 2:1-3
And you hath he quickened, [made alive] who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Among whom also we all had our conversation [manner of life, behaviour] in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Once we are born again, the devil no longer has any authority over us because we are no longer citizens of his world, we are citizens of heaven.

Philippians 3:20
For our conversation [politeuma - citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Jesus Christ paid the price to redeem us from him, and that redemption is entirely legal.

1 Corinthians 6:19.20
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [holy spirit] which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

When we are born again, things change. No longer are we children of wrath under the devil's authority, we are children of God.

1 John 3:1,2
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

As children of God, we have authority in this world, because our spirit, the Christ in us is greater than he that is in the world.

1 John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

This authority comes from God. Jesus Christ had that authority while he was here on earth, and now we have it. We have the authority to put on the armour of God and wield the sword of the spirit. We can learn much about this from Jesus Christ's life.

Luke 20:1-8
And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he [Jesus Christ] taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders,

And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?

And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me:

The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?

And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?

But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet.

And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was.

And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

Look at the way he spoke to these men. This was in public. The arrogant bastards interrupted his teaching and demanded answers to their questions. He didn't back away, he took those men on and made them look foolish in public. We have the same authority Jesus Christ had because we have Christ in us.

Jesus Christ had no reservations about using the sword of the spirit to defend himself. He also had no reservations about using the sword of the spirit against his enemies if they attacked him. After he had silenced those evil men, he went on the attack.

Luke 20:9-19
Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.

And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.

And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.

Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.

But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.

So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?

He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.

And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?

Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.

Those religious bastards knew he had spoken that parable against them in public. They absolutely hated Jesus Christ and wanted him dead. Things are no different today. If you're still going to church and listening to these foul creatures spout their religious shite, you need to separate yourself from them because all they will do is poison you with their words. They fought against Jesus Christ with words  and he used the sword of the spirit to defend himself and strike back.

Luke 20:20-22
And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:

Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?

Clever question. If he said it was lawful to give tax to Caesar, the people would have hated him because they hated the Romans. If he said it was not legal to give tax to Caesar, they would have charged him with sedition for inciting the people to not pay their taxes, a crime punishable by death. The world hated him and it hates us. That's why we have armour for protection and a sword to defend ourselves with and strike back.

We have the authority to use the sword of the spirit. To do that, we need to be walking by the spirit and we need to have the word in our heads. No truth around your loins, no breastplate of righteousness, no preparing your feet to walk by the spirit, no shield of believing, no helmet of salvation, and no sword to defend yourself means you're a sitting duck for fiery darts.

Luke 20:23-26
But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?

Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's.

And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.

And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.

We must understand that not only did Jesus Christ use the sword of the spirit to fend off attack, he also often went on the offensive and struck back. He didn't go around looking for trouble, but he wasn't afraid to deal with it if it came looking for him.

Matthew 23:27,28,33
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Luke 20:45-47
Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples,

Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;

Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.

Jesus Christ was so good at wielding the sword of the spirit that his enemies eventually stopped attacking him because they were afraid of him. They feared to take him on because they knew they would lose.

Matthew 22:41-46
While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.

He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst [dared] any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

Can we prevail in life like Jesus Christ did? Absolutely!

Romans 8:31
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Psalm 91:13
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

Psalm 60:12
Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

The word of God is the will of God. This isn't a fairy tale. We really can tread on lions and adders, which are figurative references to devil spirits, and we really can trample on the dragon. It is the word that gives us that authority. It is the word that makes us more than conquerors. When are we ever going to believe the word?

Romans shows us how the gift ministries use the sword of the spirit as an offensive weapon to protect the body of Christ.

Romans 13:3,4
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

The higher powers are the energised gift ministries operating in the home churches. They are the ones God puts here to look after the saints, do the work of the ministry and edify the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11,12
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

There are two evils which put an end to the gift ministries. No gift ministries being energised means the saints are vulnerable, the work of the ministry isn't done, and the body of Christ is broken down rather than built up.

Jeremiah 2:13
For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

A church or ministry is something man makes in which to house his religion. Man just seems to feel the need to have some kind of organised structure complete with layers of leadership into which he can place his religion. Religious organisations constructed by men are broken cisterns that can hold no water. Any flowing of living waters they may have once energised will eventually leak out of them until all that is left is dry religious ceremony.

If we submit ourselves to structures of leadership within man-made ministries rather than to the gift ministries we will lose the word because God does not dwell in temples made with hands. We must all learn to walk by the spirit with Christ as our head or there is no flowing of living waters.

The living waters of Jeremiah refers to the energising of God's power, the manifestation of spiritual power. Cutting off the power of God in our day is accomplished by turning people away from walking by the spirit to walking by the counsel of men. Instead of walking with Christ as their head, people are taught to walk within a structure of leadership in a church or ministry constructed by men. That is walking by the senses because it is putting your trust in men rather than in God who is the fountain.

The spiritual responsibilities God gave to the gift ministries are not responsibilities given by men to men in leadership positions within religious organisations. God gives the gift ministries, and cutting off these energised ministries is evil because it cuts off the fountain of living waters.

Jeremiah 2:13
For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Replacing the energised gift ministries of God with leadership ordained by men within religious organisations is how the fountain of living waters is cut off. Men ordain men in ministries constructed by men, give them reverend titles, and demand everyone in their broken cistern shithole church or ministry submits to them. These men ordained by men may have reverend titles, but they are not the gift ministries.

Men promoted by men to leadership positions within a religious organisation who strut around with a flashy nametag pinned to their designer suits are not the gift ministries. When these men demand obedience and everyone submits to them rather than to the Christ in them, the fountain of living waters is cut off. That is how the spirit of error cuts off the fountain of living waters.

1 John 4:4-6
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Who is the us in verse 6? Those of us who have fellowship with God and with his son Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:3
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

The context of John 3:4-6 is clearly distinguishing between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Those of us who have fellowship with God and with his son Jesus Christ are those of us who walk by the spirit and have no confidence in the flesh. As soon as men stop walking by the spirit and instead start doing what their leadership tells them to do, the fountain of living waters is cut off. Christ is the head of the church and we have Christ in us. The Christ in us does not tell someone else to tell you what to do. That's not how walking by the spirit works in the Age of Grace.

My fight isn't against flesh and blood, it is against spiritual wickedness, the spirits who run this world, the principalities and powers, the spiritual wickedness from on high.

Men in leadership positions in ministries and churches and religions built by men are not the gift ministries. I really don't give a fuck who they think they are, they are not the higher powers, they are men ordained by men. They do not walk by the spirit, their trust is in counsels of men, which is trusting in the flesh. Anyone who follows them and makes men their head rather than Christ will find themselves in the ditch with the blind.

Walking by the senses and putting your trust in counsels of men is not walking by the spirit. Asking God for guidance and praying before beginning a counsel of men does not turn walking by the senses into walking by the spirit. Get out of your broken cisterns and get back to the word. The world is worse now than it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. Only by walking away from the world's broken cisterns and once again putting our trust in God and walking by the spirit can we live safely and abundantly in this world.