Christian Warfare

Christian Warfare

Do you remember the song Onward Christian Soldiers? I remember singing it mightily as a child:

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war
With the cross of Jesus going on before
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe
Forward into battle see His banners go

Do you recognize that we are in a war?

When you think of this war, what comes to mind?

Jesus said,

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it (Matthew 11:12 NIV84).

But what does this mean? How do forceful people lay hold of God’s kingdom? Can God’s kingdom be obtained by force, might, or power? Didn’t God previously say that it is “not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit” that His kingdom advances? (Zechariah 4:6 NIV84). So how can forceful people lay hold of God’s kingdom if it doesn’t advance with might and power?

The Good News translation helps clear up the confusion:

From the time John preached his message until this very day the Kingdom of heaven has suffered violent attacks, and violent men try to seize it (Matthew 11:12).

God’s kingdom is the kingdom of love, truth, and liberty. It is built upon design law, the protocols upon which the Creator built reality to operate. It cannot be advanced through might, power, force, coercion, external control, imposed laws, or inflicted punishments.

That’s why God cannot win people to love and trust by threatening to torture and kill those who don’t love and trust Him. Such actions result in just the opposite outcome—more rebellion, less trust, and the destruction of love.

It is Satan’s kingdom that operates upon imposed law and advances through external control, inflicted punishments, and violence.

So Jesus is telling us that since John the Baptist came preaching about the true kingdom of God—the kingdom that operates within the hearts and minds of men (Luke 17:21)—violent men, humans who embrace Satan’s kingdom of imposed laws and coercive force, have been trying to take control of it. Meaning, violent men who use imposed law, imposed punishments, and external control have been trying to take control of the Christian message and, ultimately, control of human hearts and minds.

And sadly, they have succeeded far too often.

We are in a war, fighting upon the same battlefield against the same enemy, and utilizing the same weapons that Jesus did. Jesus won every encounter, but after His ascension, the violent people slowly took over the “church” and rebuilt it not upon God’s design laws of truth, love, and freedom, but upon Roman law, Roman power, and violent methods of coercive control.

The idea that God’s law functions like human law, imposed rules requiring God to use power to punish rule-breakers, has become assumed truth to almost all Christians. Thus, violent people have taken control of the theology of Christianity and teach a violent, punishing god that wars against Jesus and what Jesus lived, taught, and revealed.

 

The Gates of Hell

But Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against His true church, which is built upon Him (Matthew 16:18). What a strange and interesting expression—the gates will not prevail? Think about that imagery. In warfare, what role do gates play? Do people carry gates into battle? No, gates are used to close out opposing forces and to seal in a captive people.

Jesus is saying that Satan, with his lies about God, has taken the hearts and minds of people captive in fear and selfishness. The enemy has closed the minds and hearts of many through fear and falsehood, but his gates of lies, of fear, of selfishness cannot prevail against the divine weapons given to us by God.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3–5 NIV84).

Our divine weapons have the power to demolish the gates of hell, to open hearts and minds to healing and salvation, to set the captives free!

  • The divine weapon of truth demolishes lies—“you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 NIV84).
  • The divine weapon of love demolishes fear—“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18 NRSV).

We war against lies with truth and against fear and selfishness with love—the infinite love of God found only in Jesus. We do as Jesus instructed:

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. … Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:44, 45, 48 NIV84).

We can never win the war for God’s kingdom by embracing and practicing the methods of this world. We cannot win people to love by seeking to control, dominate, punish, and destroy those who disagree with us. So we move forward with the truth, in love, leaving others free.

But we also cannot win the war by compromising with the enemy, by agreeing with their falsehoods, in order to get their approval. The truth cannot be exchanged for a lie for the sake of peace. No, we are at war. We must war against all lies, all falsehoods, and all violations of the kingdom of God.

In a war, the force that takes the initiative dictates the place and the flow of the battle and often wins the conflict; the force defending scrambles to react to the force directing the terms of the engagement.

As Christians, we are to be advancing the kingdom of God by taking the initiative, moving forward the truth about Jesus, and standing firm for reality as God created things to be. But all too often, reacting to the false allegations of God’s enemy, too many good-hearted people find themselves placating the enemy rather than advancing the truth God has given them.

Have we fallen into a trap of reacting to the methods, standards, practices, rules, and logic of the world, trying to meet the worldly on the platform of godless standards, or are we advancing the kingdom of God on God’s terms, with His methods, holding to His principles and refusing to step down into the perversion of the world?

When COVID swept the world and the fear-messaging, mind manipulation, and other coercive tactics were employed, did Christian organizations stand for the principles of truth, love, and liberty of conscience—or did far too many embrace the methods of the world and justify coercion of conscience and collusion with the false governmental narratives? (If you would like to know what the false narratives were and how minds were manipulated, see my presentation COVID and the Manipulation of Your Mind.)

When greed-driven corporations and power-hungry politicians divide society based on race, sex, gender, or any other identity issue, does the church fall into their trap and seek to prove how inclusive it is by holding sensitivity training and working to be inclusive of each and every identity group—or does the church stand for the principles of God’s kingdom and stand firm on the truth that there are only two groups of people: the righteous and the wicked, the sheep and the goats, the wheat and the tares, the saved and the lost. Do Christians recognize that in God’s kingdom, race, sex, nationality, tribe, language, marital status, or vax status doesn’t matter? What matters is character. In God’s kingdom, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28 NIV84). In God’s kingdom, there are only those who are like Jesus in character—and we are to advance the kingdom of God by keeping Christ, His character, methods, principles, and design laws central.

Martin Luther King Jr. understood this and dreamed of a country in which his little girls would be judged by the quality of their character and not by the color of their skin. Has the church continued to advance this high standard of godliness—or has it fallen into the devil’s trap and worked to prove to the world how inclusive it is?

Yes, we are at war, but it is not a war of might or power; it is a war of methods: truth, love, freedom at war against lies, fear and selfishness, and control. I invite you to embrace the kingdom of God and advance it by using only His methods—truth, love, and freedom.

 

 

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Testimony 68

Your message of design law vs imperial law is so uplifting and makes so much sense- it is a game changer for me. The fact that Jesus’s death is not a big payment by an angry God is , quite frankly, a relief.

Laura G., London, Ontario, Canada

 

Testimony 54

I had a lot of pressure, as a pastor’s kid, to conform and be “good.” I was good at being “good.” I thought my life was going along well until it all started falling apart and I could not figure out why! In my search for “why is this happening to me, God?” I came across your book, “Could it be this Simple,” and God started revealing to me the many distortions I held about His character, His principles, and how He has designed His universe to operate. I remember thinking, “Wow, I have had this all backwards.” I was happy and angry all at the same time. Happy to have the light of truth break through the darkness, revealing a wonderful, beautiful way of understanding God and His plan for His children, and angry, because I felt deceived and cheated by the church, my family, and myself!

My heart thrills when I listen to your bible study lessons. Literally I have gone from death to life. It is a journey I look forward to every day, as God reveals areas this distortion affects. Praise GOD! I will ever be grateful to God for this ministry and your cooperation with the Spirit!

Karen S., Portal, AZ, USA

 

Testimony 61

I grew up in a prominent protestant church and had what I like to call religious anxiety. I’ve always had questions about God and Salvation that no one could seem to answer.  I didn’t know how to find resolution. During 2020, at the height of my anxiety, I fell to my knees and begged God to show me truth and light and to give me the hope that I’ve been longing for. Days later, I stumbled upon your online videos and it was like a veil was lifted and EVERYTHING made sense! For the first time in my almost 39 years of life, my religious/spiritual anxiety has lessened. I feel a sense of freedom and peace I’ve NEVER had before… and it’s all because my view of God has changed. Thank you!

Ashleighn C.

 

Testimony 19

I truly believe that to know who God really is the first step to understand ourselves in a balanced and kind way, so the healing can take place. Your approach really makes sense – Thank you for your ministry!

A.M., Pittsburg, PA, USA

Testimony 26

Your teachings about our heavenly Father have changed my life. Thank you sooooooo very very much! I know He’s doing some serious healing in my heart and life and I look forward to each new day to learn something new about Him and to just hear you speak about Him. Thank you, forever.

Nancy S.

 

Testimony 11

I would love to have a copy of “Healing the Mind” DVDs to have in my therapy office. I enjoy having clients check out materials to enhance their therapy experience. I have sat under Dr. Jennings’ teaching at an American Association of Christian Counselors convention and respect his work greatly.

K.B., LA, USA

 

Testimony 63

I’ve been very blessed by “The God Shaped Brain” and this ministry, through video and podcast, over the last few years. It’s truly opened up my eyes more to the truth about God and the importance of that truth in the present world. The message is so inviting, freeing and enlightening and MORE people need to know about it. I believe it is the last message that can truly, not only prepare a people for salvation and translation, but vindicate the character of God.

Michael V., Yonkers, NY, USA

 

Testimony 27

Your teachings about our heavenly Father have changed my life. Thank you sooooooo very very much! I know He’s doing some serious healing in my heart and life and I look forward to each new day to learn something new about Him and to just hear you speak about Him. Thank you, forever.

Nancy S.

 

Testimony 8

Thank you for the ministry you are sharing with us, it is a real blessing to us and especially to my husband and myself! You are encouraging us to think for ourselves and not just to except everything, without thinking it through, with God’s word!

M.K., USA

 

Testimony 35

I am so pleased with the response your message is receiving at my church from the middle-aged to the young adults. I have given out 100 copies of the first two seminars and there are more request every week. One of my [class members] came to me after viewing the series, grateful and impressed with how easy the message was retained. He had been a Seventh-day Adventist in fear all his life, and felt like the scales were removed from his eyes after viewing the seminars. I am so impressed by the change I see in members who have received this message, we are in one accord. However, I am sadden by the negative response of the older people. I am verbally attacked anytime I talk about imposed laws, but I believe my mission is to enlightened everyone I can. I watch your Bible Study Class on YouTube every Friday night and I feel like I am apart of the class. All of you are in one accord and I am so blessed to have found you. I pray that all of you continue to spread this message and I am committed to doing my part.

Clara S., Westfield, MA, USA

 

Testimony 58

I have been watching your videos in The Power of Love seminar and I must say these have liberated me and have improved my relationship with the Lord. I am no longer terrified of him as I was before following your teachings.

Thando N., South Africa

 

Testimony 40

I was brought up in a different faith and have been petrified my whole life of God. I believed that I would burn in hell for eternity. When I was 12 I started pursuing the things of this world, but for the next 45 years the Spirit was always calling me, as I knew there was a God through nature. I could see the vast sea of stars in the universe and knew there was something bigger out there. Five years ago, through a Revelation seminar, I was blessed to learn about God’s character and government.

Then I found Come and Reason Ministries and have come under some extreme pressure when I speak about the ministry. One time a member sent me an internet article titled “Whats wrong with Tim Jennings?” I asked her what she thought of it and she said “I don’t know, I didn’t read it.”

I have always wanted to find out for myself the truth about God, so I stayed with the Design Law construct and have been liberated to understand the big picture. Once we consider Design Law, all other Bible stories and prophecies seem to fit perfectly. It is truly beautiful to see people grasping how God operates this Universe of Love and the liberation it has provided in their lives. It blows my mind to see how consistent Design law is with what our founders believed. I hear statements like “This makes so much sense.”

Tom W., Mt. Pleasant, MI, USA

 

Testimony 45

I have been confused for years about what [christianity] calls [its] most disgusting teaching. It has never made much sense to me and for that reason has been evermore empty. I have listened to your class off and on and have struggled determining what is truth, because of the resistance design law encounters in the church. So, I thank God for your ministry. What you teach makes sense. It’s logical and backed up by the power of love. I have never seen that in Christ until now. I am astounded by the insight that is found when we look at God’s ministry through design law. All strength to this message, as I believe it to be the power of God.

Brendon S.

 

Testimony 64

I’ve been reading the bible and walking with Jesus since I was around 16. I’m 42 now. I’ve mostly been alone in my walk although I went to several churches in different denominations. For the past 3 years God has been showing me His character of agape. It’s been a blessing and changed how I view God and my walk with Jesus. About a year ago I came across the power of love and the principles of design law. These teachings changed how I read scripture and have been such a beautiful blessing. I’m very excited and grateful for these truths. We share these truths of agape, design law and the reality of the principles of the two trees in the garden of Eden with people on Facebook and YouTube. People all over are learning to trust God and His agape design law which makes life possible. Thank you for everything you shared with me. May God continue to bless your ministry and lives.

Bradley M., Hinsdale, NY, USA

 

Testimony 7

Ok, so last night I listened to “The Law of Liberty” and “How to Achieve Victory: Freedom, Truth and Spirtual Warfare.” These are both MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITES so far! The logic is just soooooo beautiful. I had to re-listen to them a couple of times. I just want to EXPLODE! (<< we assume with joy and happiness)

N. B., Canada