St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 21, The Enemy and his Tricks.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Opposition foretold) Part 8.  

In the previous parts of this paragraph Christ has given his disciples tools of war, weapons to fight the evil spirits that they will encounter and do battle with.  He has trained them for the spiritual realm in which they will fight.  This battle is not in the physical realm but the spiritual realm, even though the results of the battle can have physical consequences.  This is what Christ now shows his disciples.  He tells them that there will be physical consequences to this battle.  There will be separation.  There will be division.  There will be blood shed by the people.  The demons will not go easily.  They will cause their own evil disciples to bring about destruction and death and bloodshed upon the believers.

Christ gives his disciples a glimpse into the future, showing them the results of their teachings.  He tells them,  "Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and put them to death."   All this will happen because of the spread of the message of the kingdom of heaven.  The demons will cause believers to fight against unbelievers and this will bring about destruction.  Brothers who grew up together and loved one another will turn and become enemies.  One will give up the other to death because of the evil that is in man's hearts.  Fathers will sacrifice their children to death because the children will not change from their belief in the message of Christ.  Children will rise up against their parents because they think that their parents do not embrace the old teachings of the kingdom.  Destruction will reign and this is the will of the evil one.  They will not be able to change the beliefs of those who hold to the beliefs of Christ so they will persecute, and torture, and beat, and kill the bodies of those who believe.  And Christ will accept them into his kingdom as saints.

Today in our society and in societies all over the world believers in the one true God face the same persecution.  They are tortured, slain, and put to death for their beliefs because the devil has taken control of those areas of the world and invaded the hearts of men.  In this society, in America and more civilized countries, we still have the same persecution but not quite as severe.  Fathers deny their children and cast them out because of their beliefs.  Children give up their parents when they enter into the world because of the teachings that their parents instilled in them .  They are indoctrinated and blinded by the dazzle of the world and give up their spiritual values handed down by their parents.  Brothers separate and build walls between themselves because of their religious beliefs.  The principles of love and family die and the evil one cuts the ties that bind them together and places a wall of separation between them.  We still face the same enemy today, only hidden from us in the cloak of industrialization, glitz and glamour.

Love conquers all and the love of Christ  will open doors to fight the enemy.  The lessons that Christ  has given his disciples must be applied today.  Do not be surprised if you are separated from your family for following the message of Christ .  Do not be surprised if you are persecuted, ostracized at work, unpopular with friends, left out, denied opportunities, talked about, and looked down upon.  All these are the tactics of the devil to sway you into his plan.  Keep the faith.  Hold the course.  Rely on the Lord for your strength.  He will provide.  He will see you through.  You will not be alone because there will be others to share your burdens and walk with you along the path of life given  you by Christ .  Keep the message of the kingdom of heaven and remember the words of Christ , "Do not be anxious!"   Keep your hearts calm and free from anxiety, for the Spirit of the Father will come to you and will speak through you.  Are you ready for the coming separation, brother against brother, father against child, children against parents?  Prepare yourself.

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 20, The Enemy and his Tricks.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Opposition foretold) Part 7.  

Christ now unveils the ultimate bombshell to his disciples.  He is training them for warfare with the spiritual enemies that they will face in their solo journey preaching the gospel of the kingdom of heaven to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  He has instructed them to not become anxious about what they will say or how they will say it when they are delivered up to the enemy.  They will face the enemy in the kings and the governors that they will be brought before.  For the enemy is the spiritual evil that has occupied the men of power in the towns and villages of the lost sheep.  The evil one has conquered these peoples and occupied their towns and villages.  Now Christ is sending out his warriors to do battle with these evil spirits to cast them out and deliver the lost sheep back to the Lord.

Christ warns his disciples that they will be delivered up to kings and governors.  He tells them who they will face.  And he shows them that even in the face of the enemy they should not be anxious or allow fear to rule them.  They should not think about what they are to say in their defense.  They should only close the door to anxiety, keep their minds clear, keep their hearts steady and calm their spirits so that the Holy Spirit will come to them.  For the enemy will try to rattle them.  The enemy will try to confuse them.  The enemy will seek to open the door of fear in them so that they can have access to their minds and read their hearts.  But Christ tells to them to not be anxious, for what they will speak to the enemy will be given to them in the hour.  What they will say will come to them through their spirits.  What will be spoken will be given to them from the spirit of the Father.  Christ tells them,  "For it is not you who are speaking, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks through you."  

Christ now reveals to his disciples that they are to be spokesmenn for the Spirit of God the Father.  This will be their weapon to defeat the enemy.  The enemy will not be able to defeat them.  The enemy will not see the weapon that they are carrying.  The enemy will not know what hit them.  They have brought the weapon into their midst not knowing that it is a weapon but thinking that they have captured lambs.  Christ has told his disciples that he was sending them like sheep amongst wolves.  But now he reveals to them that they are lions in sheep's clothing, carrying the voice of God with them.

This is an awesome example for us today.  Christ tells his disciples and also tells us today, through the writings of St Matthew, that we are not to worry about what to speak or how we should speak when facing the enemy.  We are only to remain calm and to not allow anxiety to enter into our hearts and minds.  By doing this and staying focused on his words we can open ourselves up to the Spirit of our Father to speak on our behalf.  What a wonderful gift.  What a wonderful weapon in our arsenal, to be able to deal with whatever we face in our daily lives.  Do not be anxious.  Do not allow fear to come in.  For the Spirit of the Lord will speak for us and through us to the enemy.  Are you ready to allow the Spirit of God to speak through you to your enemies?