A CALL TO BATTLE

The following is a speech written by David Anthony B. Chan, a theologian, apologist and a good friend. It was inspired by a forum he attended at the Asian Theological Seminary. Since it's so good to see a person who uses the grey stuff between his ears for the glory of God, I am reposting it here, with his permission of course:

My friends, my fellow believers, greetings.

Satan does the work of a theologian. He possesses knowledge of God. He has ministered before the Throne since time immemorial. The knowledge of God is what Satan uses to deceive. We, as believers, must be armed by the Wisdom of God. Experiencing God for all His goodness could only go so far. We are in a war. There is no time to slack, to rest, or to give way to foolish complacency. Each and every believer, regardless of what God's call is in his or her life, must do the work of a theologian, for there is no greater pursuit than to knowing God through His Holy Word.

Theology will define our beliefs, for we can not live out what we can not even define. Theology will help us declare our faith. We can not declare what we can not define. And lastly, we are in a war not against flesh and blood but against supernatural forces. This is a fight of faith, a battle of beliefs. We can not defend what we can not define. Theology is not limited to the mind. It is experienced, lived out, fought for, and died for.

The days are evil, my friends, for we see before us a generation of Christians who are uninformed. Unprepared. Unequipped. We see before us a generation of Christians marching to the front lines only to be slaughtered. Devoured. Why? Because the crucial importance of theology has been replaced by a feel-good-Christianity. The flocks we see in churches come to church for the goose bumps, the emotional highs, the uncontrollable tears, the self-help therapeutic teachings, the entertaining preachers who tell them what they would like to hear, and the mushy feelings that deceive them into thinking that these experiences are all that Christianity is about. My friends, my fellow soldiers, we are in a war. Satan will not show mercy. Satan will not show compassion. Satan’s desire is to see you torn from the protection of God, killed before his eyes, utterly destroyed. This is our enemy.

And as I look at the men and women whom God has called to be bearers of Truth, my heart breaks. Only so few have come to realize, to grasp the ever-growing need for the renewing of the mind. The rest read their Bibles as they would a devotional, self-help, how-to pocket book. The Scriptures were meant to teach us how to destroy the works of the devil and to set his captives free! The Scriptures were never meant to give us a “feeling” Christianity!

My dear friends, I have perused many surveys and many polls on what so-called Christians believe about their faith. A catastrophic majority of people who claim to be Christians live as the world lives, BECAUSE they think as the world thinks! These Christians love the emotional uproar and seek revivals in their hearts, forgetting that greater joy awaits in the renewal of the mind! Yes, there is a time to feel. There is a time to relish God’s love and I pray that we do so everyday. But just as important is the study of the Word. Have we become so comfortable with the false teachers of today who tell us what our itching ears want to hear?

The time has come for us take a look at the past few years of Christianity, of our Christian walk, and re-assess ourselves. The call of God is to renew our minds. Have we been renewing our minds through the Word? Or have we been complacent? The time is coming and has now come. The battle cry is heard in the heavens. The blasts of the trumpets of God’s angels resound in the very ends of the Earth. We are called to take arms now. Now, people. Are we ready? Are we prepared? I say again. This is a fight of faith, a battle of beliefs. We can not live out what we can not define, can't declare what we can't define, and we can't defend what we can't define. Theology is more than just the work of the few, but the duty of all.

My friends, before you is the army of the devil, seeking entrance into your minds. Are we prepared to take captive every thought and to make bend every knee to the Lordship of the Almighty? Or are we ill-equipped?

My friends, welcome to Christianity.