Civilians

October 26, 2019

“We grew up as civilians in a war zone. We learned to live in it without fear.” I was having a conversation with Ken, brother of the man whose life we honored as we gathered to say our final earthly goodbyes today. I had met him a year ago as Joel and I left on another of our trips to Cuba, and approached to express my condolences to him. A quiet foil to Joel’s ebullience, Ken is just as passionate about the Gospel, but much more subdued. His calling in life has been to teach in Bible schools, whereas Joel’s was criss-crossing the country drumming up support for the Cuban churches and people he knew and loved so deeply. Ken’s focus in teaching these days has been in the area of spiritual warfare and inner healing. He didn’t actually say so, but I suspect he was thinking, “A lot of those speaking and writing about spiritual warfare don’t really understand how it works.” If he wasn’t thinking that, I was.

Ken went on to explain, “It’s the angels and demons who are fighting the battle. We aren’t the warriors; we’re just the civilians living in a war zone, doing what we do to spread the Gospel and bring people to Jesus.” I’ve listened to a lot of preachers and teachers speaking of spiritual warfare. I’ve read my share of books on it, but I had never heard spiritual warfare described this way before. Too often, I’ve listened to too many people brag about “kicking the devil’s butt,” or “binding the devil.” The latter I can accept if it isn’t accompanied by the braggadocio I often hear. The former I’ve never been able to understand, given Jude’s reminder that even the archangel Michael demurred from cursing Satan, instead saying, “The Lord rebuke you” (Jude 9). We are instructed to “resist the devil,” not rebuke him (James 4:7). We aren’t the warriors; we’re the civilians, called by God to live and speak the Gospel in a war zone.

“Civilians in a [spiritual] war zone;” I’ll be ruminating on this for some time to come. Joel traveled in different circles than I. Today I met many of those in his circle, and came home grateful once more to have been invited in. Once more, I feel like a midget among giants, and have drunk deeply at a well of wisdom and experience that God willing, not only blesses me, but will become channels of blessing to others through me.