The church has a great responsibility on the earth today. On the negative side, the church has to subdue the power of darkness and continue the warfare that Christ waged against Satan. On the positive side, the church brings God’s will to earth. Wherever we are, we should stand firm. When we read the daily news, we can find where the enemy is working, and we should render proper, opposing prayers. Second Corinthians 10:4 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly but powerful before God for the overthrowing of strongholds.” Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our wrestling is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies.” Our prayer must be powerful before God in order to oppose the power of darkness. Before we can reign in the future, we have to learn to rule over everything today. We rule over the thrones on earth by the throne in heaven. Believers fail because they have not exercised their authority; they have not prayed to reign over the political events. As soon as we see the devil’s power or work, we should exercise our authority to pray. If there were no Christians on earth today, the world would be like hell. We have to learn to exercise the overcoming authority of Christ to rule over the power of darkness.
Everyone in this world is a captive of Satan. But God wants the Christians to recapture the captives through the gospel and win them back to God’s side. When God wins one more person, Satan has one less person. First Timothy 2:4 says, “Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth.” This shows that the gospel is part of God’s will. God delivers men with the purpose of saving them to the extent that God’s authority can be fully manifested through them. God wants us to preach the gospel and through it to carry out His will. Those who do not open their mouths and do not testify for God have failed to uphold God’s will.
Every believer should be able to cast out demons; this act also carries out God’s will. When we cast out the demons by the Spirit of God, the kingdom of God has come upon us (Matt. 12:28).
We have to overturn anything on earth that is not found in heaven. In heaven there is no lawlessness, sickness, weakness, or hunger because God’s will is done in the heavens. If these things come to us through God’s permission, they will go away after awhile (Matt. 10:29; Job 38:8-11; Jer. 5:22). But if they are from Satan, they will not go away, even after months and years. We have to differentiate between the things that God has allowed to come upon us and the things that Satan has set to ensnare us. We have to reject anything that comes to us without God’s permission. The earth should have only that which is found in heaven. Whatever heaven does not have should not be found on the earth. This is the church’s responsibility on the earth.
The church must obey God’s will absolutely. His will must be done in man before it can be done on earth. Nothing can replace God’s will, not even sacrifice, zeal, or work. It is not a matter of good or evil but a matter of God’s will. If a work cannot be linked to God’s will and cannot inflict loss to the gates of Hades, it is useless. God brings us through many trials because He wants His will to be done, not because He is cruel. God tests us again and again to see what and who we are living for.
In the casting out of the demon in Acts 19:13-16, we see that the enemy fears only those who do not associate with him in private. He recognizes those who refuse to associate with him. In the kingdom of the demons, a well-recognized name carries much weight. The devil knows and fears men such as Paul, whose names are well-recognized and who are absolutely for God. Some Christians secretly want to associate themselves with the devil. The devil only laughs at such ones because they are not absolute for God’s will. They can never shake the gates of Hades. Only those who are absolute and who do not associate themselves with the devil privately will bring God’s will to earth.
Genuine prayer is a joint labor with God to bring His kingdom to the earth and to carry out His will on earth. Hence, prayer is nothing less than a spiritual battle (2 Cor. 10:2, 4; Matt. 6:10; Eph. 6:12). Prayer overturns the power of darkness and opens the way for God’s will to be executed on earth.
We are above the world; we do not belong to this world (John 17:16). Through the cross God delivered us out of this world unto Himself and His will (Gal. 6:14). We should not belong to this world, and we should not return to the reign of Satan. Once we are not of this world, Satan will not have any ground in us. When we are not of this world, we will be free from Satan’s authority, and we will be delivered from His reign and kingdom. In this way, God’s will can be carried out on earth.
May God execute His will and accomplish His purpose through the church. The church’s responsibility on the earth today is to perpetuate Christ’s victory on the earth and to bring in God’s kingdom. When the church is faithful to its position and responsibility, God’s eternal purpose will be accomplished.