1. What are some practical everyday steps that we can do (individually and corporately) to make sure we are not falling for the lies of this world?
Individually
One thing that I prayed would not result from this series is an obsession with the other side. I am not stating that the person who asked this question is obsessed with the enemy, but please track with me as I explain! The individual, in an effort to be aware of the counterfeit, begins to focus every bit of their energy, time, and study on what the enemy is doing. However, haven’t we concluded that the enemy gathers his ideas from the truth?
Here is essentially what happens to us if we are not careful: Believers end up focusing on the counterfeit as the enemy focuses more on the truth. Have you ever run into someone outside of the faith that knows, in-depth, the Word of God? This is a practical example of this in action.
To answer this question, we need to focus all of our energy, time, and study on the truth, and we will be able to easily identify the counterfeits as they present themselves. I am not saying to be “unaware” of the world around us, but I believe Jesus gives a clear answer. In John 15 Jesus informs us: “If my words remain in you, you will remain in Me.” Our greatest resistance against the counterfeit is to remain in Him! To put it simply: An obsession with His Word, constant prayer, and a heart of service will help us remain in truth.
Corporately
We say it all of the time in Cœur Church, “The church cannot save you, but it can ‘keep’ you.” There are several ways in which we “keep” one another. The book of Hebrews specifically states that we should not stop meeting as a community (Hebrews 10:25). I have personally found that when we neglect being with one another, isolation pulls us closer and closer to the counterfeits. We begin to fall for various schemes of the enemy. We begin to put our spiritual walk further down the priority list. We begin to slip from the path we were once on. We need to lift one another up, protect one another, and edify the body of believers.
The way that the church can do this is pretty simple: Preach the Word of truth. We need to hear the whole counsel of the Word, not just the little portions that we “like” to hear. Paul tells Timothy that all of the Scripture that we read is God-breathed. Not only did God perfectly breathe this Word, but the Bible we lean on is useful for preaching, teaching, correcting, rebuking, and edifying (2 Timothy 3:16).
The church will be able to stand against the counterfeits if we allow the Bible to shape our worldview - not allowing our worldview to shape our Bible. We need to focus on the Word with one another, so that others can help us identify if there is anything false that we are leaning on or adhering to.
2. How do I differentiate the enemy's plan from God's plan without straying from my faith?
We have come to realize that the enemy steals everything he possibly can from our heavenly Father. With that said, God has formed an incredible plan for your life....so of course the enemy would try to form a plan for you as well.
One of the greatest ways that we can easily distinguish between God’s plan and the enemy’s plan is simply the fruit. This perspective is found within the Word, especially from Christ Himself. Jesus reveals to His disciples that a good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree will bear bad fruit (Matthew 7:17). We will be able to tell what plan we are adhering to based upon the fruit that is produced.
I think there are 2 simple yet obvious distinctions between God’s plan and the enemy’s:
Freedom vs. Captivity
Jesus states that He has come to bind up the brokenhearted, set the captives free, and release the prisoners (Luke 4:18). It is pretty clear His mission is centered on freedom for whoever would call upon His name. The question that we can ask ourselves often is: “Will this step produce freedom? Will this conversation bring about healing in my family? Will this act of generosity aid someone in their walk with Christ? Will this next step help build the kingdom?"
These questions are not natural for humanity to ask, and proves where our heart is at. It reveals to you and I that freedom is the overflow of the Holy Spirit’s presence within us (2 Corinthians 3:17). Following God’s plan will always have difficulties, challenges, and hurdles, but it will always produce freedom for the believer and all those around them.
Selfless vs. Selfish
Jesus did not come to earth to serve Himself, but rather to give His life for others (Matthew 20:28). Often, if we are truly honest with ourselves, we know when our steps are either self motivated or kingdom motivated. We know deep down inside when we are trying to glorify ourselves or our king.
A lot of believers, especially in today’s church culture, love to elevate themselves with the title of “Christian”, but forget to elevate Christ above all else. Some love to play “Christian” on Instagram, but behind the scenes, do not want to do anything selfless. Many are not willing to sacrifice their time, their treasure, or their talents to serve anything other than themselves. If we are following God’s plan it will always be driven by selfless motives and probably come with a great case.
3. How can the church better partner with the world to address "hot topic" issues, acting in heavenly kindness, without co-signing the sin (ie. LGBTQ, abortion)?
I believe that for far too long, believers have embraced counterfeit kindness. Now we face a difficult change in addressing such serious topics. Believers often feel severely underprepared or ill-equipped to navigate these conversations with true heavenly kindness.
Before we jump into how, I want to state something very important for all of us believers to understand. Jesus promises us that the world will not like us, in fact, the world will hate us at times (John 15:18-25). When we approach a person who is not in alignment with the Word, the conversation is always going to be challenging, oftentimes offensive, and sometimes uncomfortable. There are many times where the world wants nothing to do with Jesus or His church. And many times the world may not want to “partner” with us - after all both kingdoms are completely incompatible. Instead we need to shift our mindset: We are not setting out to partner with the world, we are to show the world the truth, which is Jesus.
Now to the “how” portion.
There are two routes that believers within the church often follow that I believe are ineffective most of the time. First, complete silence in regards to heavy topics. Second, complete aggression in regards to heavy topics. Both the silent believer and aggressive “Bible-thumper” are missing instruction from Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples.
Peter encourages us to be prepared to give our reason for the hope that we have in Christ, and to do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). More than “proving our point” or “staying clear,” we need to practice sharing our testimony. Our testimony is incredibly powerful. I have heard it said that “a man with an experience trumps a man with an argument.”
All throughout the scriptures, especially within the book of Acts, it was the fervency and testimony that changed the hearts of others (Acts 4). These were ordinary men that shared theological truth that was partnered with a life-changing experience of walking with Christ. Our testimony, partnered with the truth, is what can reach the broken or hardened heart.
If we are talking about these harder topics from a nationwide perspective, I believe that the church needs to find its voice again. Many of the founding fathers of this country were of faith in Christ Jesus. Nearly all of their guiding principles in establishing this country stemmed from a Biblical framework.
If we want to get back to a Bible-led nation, we are going to have to get involved politically and take a stand. For far too long, the Church has given ground away to the enemy through counterfeit kindness. In turning a blind eye to the course of our nation and to who is establishing law, we find ourselves in a nation that is very lost and misguided right now.
I believe we can turn it around if we are bold, take a stand, get involved, and help “steer the ship” back to its desired course. This is not for the faint of heart, but for those who are truly called to politically represent the church body....and the church body needs to constantly be praying for those to take a stand, and for other politicians to confess Christ as Lord and submit to Him as Savior. Throughout the Word, God moved through great “positions” to establish and build His kingdom, and He can certainly do it today!