In 2 Corinthians 4:4, the devil is referred to as the “god of this world” or “the god of this age.” And in John 12:31, he is called the “prince of this world.” In Ephesians 2:2, Paul calls the devil, “the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” The Bible teaches us that the devil is the major influence on the ideas, opinions, goals, and views of this broken world. When people live as if there is no God, they by default follow the god of this world, whose existence, they also, amazingly seek to deny as well.
Men don’t believe in a devil now, as their fathers used to do; They’ve forced the door of the broadest creed to let his majesty through; There isn’t a print of his cloven foot or a fiery dart from his bow to be found in earth and air today, for the world has voted so.
But who is mixing the fatal draught that palsies heart and brain,
and loads the earth of each passing year with ten hundred thousand slain? Who blights the bloom of the land today with the fiery breath of hell? If the devil isn’t and never was won’t somebody rise and tell?
Won’t somebody step to the front forthwith, and make his bow and show how the frauds and the crimes of the day spring up? For surely we want to know. The devil was fairly voted out, and of course the devil is gone; but simple people would like to know who carries his business on?
The Bible teaches that the devil is real and he is the enemy of the Child of God. He has great influence in the world, and of course, wants to keep the world right where he has it, under his thumb. Which is why he works so hard against the church. And if he can gain entrance into a church, he will gladly do so in order to sow chaos among the saints.
Sometimes even the most committed can sometimes be used by the devil (Matthew 16:13-23). Sometimes even godly people can behave badly.
Which is why, as Paul concludes his letter to the church at Rome, he talks about what to do when the devil comes to church.
“. . . give no opportunity to the devil.” - Ephesians 4:27 (ESV)
We are not supposed to give the devil an opportunity to influence our lives. He is the enemy of God and wants to destroy God’s people. So, as Peter tells us, we need to . . .
“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” - 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
In 2 Corinthians 2:10-11, Paul speaks of conducting the work of the church in such a way “ in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (v. 11).
Let’s see what Paul has to say about when the devil comes to church.
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1. The devil’s strategy - v. 17
The devil’s strategy for causing chaos within the church is two-fold:
A. He wants to divide God’s people - v. 17a
The desired effect, of course, is to hinder our work for God.
In a horse pulling contest at a county fair, the first place horse moved a sled weighing 4,500 pounds. The runner up pulled 4,000 pounds. The owners of the two horses wondered how much the animals could pull if they worked together. So they hitched them up and loaded the sled. To everyone’s amazement, the horses were able to pull 12,000 pounds!
God’s people can accomplish more working in partnership than on our own. This is why, when Paul talks about the devil’s strategies in passages like Ephesians 4:27 and 2 Corinthians 2:10-11, we find he is doing so within th context of speaking about how to deal with anger and choosing to offer forgiveness.
The devil knows this, so if he can divide us in any way, he will. His strategy in creating chaos within a church is always to “divide and conquer!”
B. He wants to distract God’s people - v. 17b
The desired effect is to hinder our walk with God. If he can, the devil will get us majoring on minors so that we might be distracted from what should be priorities for us as God’s people.
Some may remember General Norman Schwarzkopf. For those who don’t, he was commander of U.S. Central Command under President George H. W. Bush and led our forces in the 1st Gulf War & Operation Desert Shield, to defeat the Iraqi forces that had invaded Kuwait.
After the war was concluded, Schwarzkopf became a very popular man. He wrote a book, “It Doesn’t Take a Hero,” and toured the country, giving lectures on leadership. In his lecture, he would share 11 principles that guided him to victory in the war. Principle #5 was, “No repainting the flagpole.” And he would share how important it is to make sure all the people in an organization are doing things that contribute to the priorities of the group.
If churches aren’t vigilant, we will become more focused on things that do not help us achieve why we exist.
Mark Dever is pastor of the Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. He’s written extensively on church health. He summarizes the purpose of the local church this way: “The proper ends for a local congregation’s life and actions are the worship of God, the edification of the church, and the evangelization of the world. These three purposes in turn serve the glory of God.”
The local church exists to glorify God through worshipping Him, edifying his people, and evangelizing the world. But if he can do so, the devil will try to distract us from our reason for existence.
2. The Lord’s solution - vs. 17b-20
A. Paul’s analysis - v. 18
Paul says those the devil uses to create chaos in the church “are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.” In other words, they are concerned with themselves and their agenda, as opposed to being concerned for others and God’s agenda.
Control is always the issue in a local church. If there are divisions and distractions, then it is always an issue of control - you or me wanting control. But if the church is staying on task, if we’re glorifying God through worshiping Him, edifying one another, and evangelizing our world, it is because God has control! That’s why the most important question we need to always seek the answer to is not “What do I want?” but “What does God want?”
B. Paul’s advice - vs. 17b; 19
Paul says we should avoid those who are causing problems in the church, seeking to divide or distract us from what should be priority. How? Put yourself where that person isn’t - doing what God has told you to do (v. 19)!
“If a person will focus on rowing the boat, he will not have time to rock it.” - Anonymous
As Nehemiah said (Nehemiah 6:3 - ESV): “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”
Conclusion: C. Paul’s assurance - v. 20
Paul assures us that when the devil comes to church, seeking to divide or distract us from glorifying God by worshiping Him, edifying one another, and evangelizing the world, if we’ll commit ourselves to avoiding and isolating those who are causing trouble and refuse to take our eyes and efforts away from God’s priorities for us as a church, then “The God of peace will crush Satan under our feet.”
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” - James 4:7 (ESV)
As we trust the Savior, seeking to focus on His priorities instead of our preferences, then when the devil comes to church, any way he tries to divide us or distract us will not succeed.
Paul tells us that when it comes to our involvement in our church, we should always take the “high road.” But how do I know I am taking the “high road?” Easy. It’s the road Jesus is traveling down. Focus on going the direction He is going and you will always take the high road!
Which brings me to a concluding thought. Sometimes people refer to the local church as a volunteer organization. It is not. It is a community of the called. God has called us to follow Jesus. To worship Him, to become more like Him, and to tell others about Him.
In their devotional book, “The Insanity of Sacrifice,” Nik and Ruth Ripkin point our that there’s a big difference between a person who is a volunteer and one who is called:
A volunteer looks upon service as just one more thing to do, one more obligation to fulfill. The called are eager and ready to be used by God.
A volunteer is offended by correction. The called are hungry to learn and grow - and will listen to godly counsel.
A volunteer puts in minimum effort. The called give all they have.
A volunteer complains when things are hard. The called embrace sacrifice in view of a higher goal.
A volunteer is intimidated by the gifts of others. The called are secure in their calling and celebrate the variety of gifts that God can use.
A volunteer is easily discouraged. In adversity, a volunteer might consider walking away. The called persevere.
A volunteer might avoid situations that would require change. The called are always ready to be transformed.
May your church not be a volunteer organization. May you be a community of the called! If you are, then the devil will find that he is not welcome when he comes to your church.
