If you’ve decided to follow Jesus, expect enemy attacks. – David Alan Campbell

The Great Wall of China is a gigantic structure that cost an immense amount of money and labor. It was built to protect China from raids and invasions of their northern enemies. When it was finished, it appeared impregnable, but the enemy still breached it. They didn’t do it by breaking it down or going around it. They did it by bribing the gatekeepers. 

We too have an enemy! Satan attacks Christians and churches seeking to honor and obey Jesus. Sometimes the attacks are from the outside, usually persecution, but some of the attacks come from the inside. Read the New Testament and you’ll find that some of the greatest attacks on a church were often from the inside.

Currently, we’re focused on a big outreach this coming Easter. Seekers, who wouldn’t attend a church at other times, will attend at Easter. Recently, our staff has discussed being prepared for spiritual attacks. 

At Grace, we’re seasoned and just a bit battle scarred from this pattern. We know that as we seek to gain ground spiritually, begin to see Christians get excited about living for Jesus, see the lost come to Christ – spiritual scud missiles will begin to fly. It was the case with the early church and it’s the case with us. Many of the attacks the early church faced were not from pagans on the outside but professing Christians on the inside.

We’ve weathered that a few times at Grace. It seems nearly every time we take a step of faith and move out of our comfort zones we find ourselves in the Enemy’s crosshairs. The pattern you find in Scripture of hostile assaults on the people of God are similar to spiritual attacks on a church today.

Frequently, it’s one or two individuals who sow discord or begin a whisper campaign, seeking to cause a rift and engage allies. The heartbreak is that young Christians are frequently pawns for the agitator and become collateral damage. Some after seeing Christians behave very “unchristian,” may never darken the doors of a church again. What a tragedy!

Elisabeth Elliot wrote, When the church prays ‘Hallowed be Thy name, it is usually pretty obvious that that holy name is far from hallowed in the way we as church members behave. How sad that’s too often accurate.

On His last night Jesus prayed for two things for His Church that are frequently missing in a church. Our Lord prayed that His Church would love each other (John 13:34-35) and that they’d have unity (John 17:20-23). Though it was Jesus’ priority, it’s not what most Christians value in a church. Surveys show that American Christians evaluate churches based on children’s programs, worship music, sermons and pastors. While none of those are wrong and should be done well, our first priorities must be Jesus’ priorities – love for each other and spiritual unity. 

Consider this – how will a lost world believe we’re Christ followers and that God loves them, when His own followers don’t love each other? By the power of the Spirit the early church, in spite of great diversity: ethnic, economic, political, genders, occupations, and a host of others – had love and unity. Love and unity in the midst of great diversity is a powerful message of Jesus’ transformation of His followers. 

So, what are common sources that damage our love for each other and cause disunity? 

Agendas. Often one or two individuals have an agenda and it’s usually not over a bad thing. More often it’s a good thing that has become warped. It might be something like a children’s ministry, like wanting a children’s choir. It could be a senior citizens’ ministry and more focus on the older saints. It might be wanting a certain kind of music or more political involvement. It can be fixated on a certain brand of prophecy, creationism or a method of doing Bible study. It can even be on how the church is decorated. I had a pastor friend who had a member leave because she thought Christmas trees were evil and one should never be in a church. There are often a few anti-Halloween “missionaries” in most churches.

Cliques. We’re naturally attracted to those like us (socially, economically, politically, with kids, without them, older, younger, etc.). There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be around those like us. Yet a local church is to be a diverse family and not exclude anyone. Study Jesus’ twelve disciples. They were the foundation of the early church, yet they were extremely diverse. For example, Matthew was a tax collector and Simon was a revolutionary. 

Jane and I were part of a church many years ago that had a clique of the “in-crowd.” Most of them had a long history with the church. New folk couldn’t break into their clique. It’s a problem when others in the church family aren’t invited to a group because they “don’t fit.” Some years ago, Jane and I were excluded from a group who met to watch Packer’s games because we didn’t drink, at least that was the cover story. It seemed that they didn’t want us there because they wanted to gripe about the church without accountability. One “issue” was that our church was incorporated. According to one of their “leaders,” it made us a government “stooge.” 

By the power of the Spirit, the early church had slaves and masters in the same church worshipping and fellowshipping together. When any church group limits who is invited, warning bells should sound. 

The Pastor’s Critics Club. There can be a group that has problems with the pastor or his wife. Usually, it happens with a new pastor. He does things differently from the previous one and begins to make changes. The group of “we’ve never done it that way before” is agitated. One friend in ministry, when he became the new pastor of a church was told by one leader, that his gift was “to be the pastor’s critic.” 

Spiritual growth always brings forward movement and transformation. God used Joshua to take Israel into the Promised Land, not Moses. God has different leaders for certain periods in the history of a church. Churches easily become lethargic. God’s will is for the Christian life to be one of continued growth. We’re in a spiritual war and wars aren’t comfortable. 

Then, ours is a day addicted to the latest fad or trend. I’ve heard new church leaders who’ve actually said, “if we could get rid of the old people, our church would grow.” Even Moses had a group who wanted to oust him. Fads won’t bring spiritual growth, only God’s Spirit does. It’s His church. We must obey and do things His way, depend and trust Him. We must not be anti-change, yet we must not be addicted to trendiness. 

The bottom line is that Satan doesn’t want us to reach lost individuals or for us to grow in grace. Our Adversary loves division and distraction, so strap on your spiritual armor because it’s coming (Ephesians 6:10-20).