ATTACK AND COUNTER ATTACK
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus, speaking to Peter said, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it.
How many of you have ever felt the need to claim that promise before? I felt the need to claim that promise when the Lord first called us to start this church. I felt the need to remind myself that this is the Lord’s church. He is the architect of this church. He is the Builder of this church. He is the purpose of this church. It exists for His glory.
I believe that Christians from the very beginning have felt the need to claim that verse because, the Devil has attacked God’s people and God’s church from the very beginning.
This morning, as we think about the church, I would like us to think about some of the many attacks the Devil has made on the church and the many weapons the Lord has used to defend His church from attack.
I. SOMETIMES THE DEVIL ATTACKS WITH ACCUSATIONS
- Acts 2:1-13
Can you imagine how exciting it was for the disciples and followers of Jesus that day? Jesus was gone and before He left He told them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” So they remained in the upper room. They remained. They waited, and they prayed.
Finally, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came on them in power. There was a sound like a mighty rushing wind. Tongues of flame came and rested on each one of them. The Holy Spirit gave them the ability to speak in different languages.
As each person spoke, all of the people gathered there in the city were each able to hear them speak in their own languages. I count 15 different nationalities or people groups listed there, not to mention that verse 5 says that there were devout men from every nation under heaven there. All of a sudden, each one of these people, from around the world is able to hear these disciples speak in their native languages.
You would think these folks would recognize that a miracle has taken place, but no. Instead, the Devil tries to place doubts in their minds and tries to convince them that these 120 disciples are drunk.
Is that stupid or what? Since when has being drunk given you the ability to speak in other languages that people can understand? A stupid accusation. Attack.
The same thing happens today. When one member of a family comes to know the Lord and starts acting in a Christ-like manner toward their family members, people start accusing them of being brainwashed. If you come to know Jesus and He changes your life, some of your old friends will say you’ve lost your mind, or that you are crazy.
Society will say that Christianity and Christians are tearing down this nation, when the opposite is obviously true. It is painfully obvious that it is the devout, those living with Christian morals, who hold this nation together. A stupid accusation. Attack.
* The Counter-attack – Acts 2:14-36
How did Peter respond to this attack? He responded with the truth. He showed them the error of their accusation. He also responded by sharing the Gospel with them.
* The result – Acts 2:37 The people were pierced to their hearts. About 3,000 people were saved that day.
Now, the Devil is not one to give up when his first attack fails, so he attacks the church again.
II. SOMETIMES THE DEVIL ATTACKS WITH THREATS
In Acts 3 and 4 we read that Peter and John went up to the temple and while there, that they healed a lame man. The people in the area ran toward them to see what was happening. They were filled with amazement. So, Peter and John started preaching. The religious leaders didn’t like that so they had the two arrested.
- Acts 4:18, 21.
The religious leaders threatened them and told them they couldn’t preach and teach in Jesus’ name anymore.
* The Counter-attack – Acts 4:19-20, 31.
How did Peter and John respond? They said, “We can’t help but talk about our Lord. We can’t help but do what He tells us to do. Verse
* The result – Acts 4:31
The place where they were gathered was shaken and they began to speak God’s message with boldness. Their boldness was increased.
III. SOMETIMES THE DEVIL ATTACKS WITH SIN
- Acts 5:1-2
The Devil couldn’t stop the church with accusations. He couldn’t stop the church with threats, so next he tried sending sin, sold-out sinners to attack the church from within.
- Explain what happened. How God hates sin in the lives of believers and within the church.
* The Counter-attack – Acts 5:5, 10.
* The result – Acts 5:11
A great fear fell on the whole church and on all who heard these things.
I know of instances when the growth of a church has been curtailed, or the fellowship contaminated by one person or a group of people. I have, on occasion, seen the Lord take those people out of the picture and then the church move forward and grow again.
The Lord doesn’t take it lightly when people mess with His people or with His church.
IV. SOMETIMES THE DEVIL ATTACKS WITH SUCCESS
- Acts 6:1
In football, when one part of the plan is not working, the offense usually tries something else. If the running game is being shut down by the defense, then they will try passing. If the defense shuts down the short passes, then they’ll try the long passes. Every time they meet an obstacle they try something else.
Well, let me tell you, the Devil is the smartest quarterback to ever play the game. He knows how to pull plans out of thin air. He had tried to stop the church again and again and for 4 years he had failed miserably. So what did the Devil do? Did he quit? Did he give up? Not on your life. He just attacked from another angle. He began to have the Christians fight among themselves.
Just when the church was growing, just when things seemed to be progressing, a dispute arose within the church. It is amazing the number of people who think that tings would be OK, if only the church would grow. Why there would be more people tithing, supporting the ministry of the church; there would be more people to teach classes, more people to help in the nursery, more people to help with the buildings and grounds, more people to help plan activities. That is not the case. With more people come more opportunities for disagreements.
There are also people who think everything would be OK, that the church would be fine and we wouldn’t have any difficulties, if only we could get back to the way things were in the early church, if only we could get back to the way things were in the 1st century. If only we could get leaders like they had in those days; leaders like the apostles.
Let me tell you my friend, the 1st century church was not perfect, for it was made up of fallen men, women, and children; just like the church is today. There was nothing special about the early Christians. They knew the same joys, frustrations, and setbacks in life that you and I know. They still had jobs to work. They still had families to rear. They still had bills to pay, and children to discipline, and parents to obey, and they made some of the same mistakes we make today.
The early church was not perfect, for it was made up of fallen people, and the church had a problem.
Jewish society in those days was made up largely of 2 groups of people. First, there were those who were born and reared in Israel. All their lives they had lived in the promised land. Most of them still held to the old ways, and most of them still spoke either Hebrew or Arabic. The second group was made up of Jews who had been born and reared elsewhere in the Roman empire. Most of them spoke Greek, and were a bit more modern, a bit more open-minded. They weren’t quite as stringent in their beliefs. Many of them returned to the holy land late in life, so that they could die there. As a result, there were many Grecian widows in the early church.
Now, Jesus said that Christians are supposed to help take care of widows, and the early church tried its best to do so, but there were several problems in the church.
1. Success – First, the church suffered from it s own success. The church was growing daily. There were new believers joining the church everyday. Baby Christians, and many of the more mature Christians in the church resented them. They expected them to act like mature Christians. They didn’t like them coming in and changing things.
2. Selfishness – Second, the church suffered from selfishness. It seems that many people in the church were only concerned about what the church was doing for them. They were worried that perhaps someone else was getting more attention, or that someone else’s family might be getting more help from the church than their family was getting.
3. Sarcasm – Third, the church suffered from sarcasm. Jesus said, “If you have something against your brother, that you are to go to him.” What did they do? Verse 1 says that they began to complain. They began to murmur. They began to complain and talk about the injustices they saw, and every time they repeated what they thought, the murmuring grew.
Things haven’t changed all that much in 2000 years has it. The church suffered from its success, from selfishness and from sarcasm. Satan’s goal was to divide the membership and to discourage the leadership, but he was stopped because the disciples, led by the Holy Spirit devised a counter-attack.
* The Counter-attack – Acts 6:2-6
The disciples, instead of becoming discouraged and instead of getting angry or defensive, devised a plan and the plan was in 2-parts. First, the disciples said they would devote themselves to what they were called to do.
1. Disciples devote themselves to what they were called to do. – v4. Devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.
Not a preacher today who is too good to wait on tables. …
2. Others devote themselves to areas they are gifted in.
a. Gospel men – v3 Church members. Christians.
b. Good men – v3 Good report. Live Christianity in the community as well as at church.
c. Godly men – v3 Full of the Holy Spirit. Men whose lives have been changed and transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit within them.
d. Gifted men – v4 Full of wisdom. Able to make wise decisions.
* The result. Acts 6:7
The church grew and multiplied.
Explain the responsibilities our deacons perform in this church, and the requirements we place on them. They are major components in the defence of this church.
Deacon ordination.
