Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

I turned on the television last week and saw an advertisement for an upcoming boxing match. Both boxers were saying how good they were and how the other person was a “poser,” evil, and false. Both boxers were focused on beating the other person and proving that they were the better boxer. To show the prowess of the contending rivals, the commercial showed the damage that they had inflicted to other boxers which they had fought: the bleeding lips, the bruised eyes, and the broken teeth. They were fighting and contesting against each other for a prize of glory, money, and honor.

As Christians, we are the soldiers of God. As Christians, we are the light of Christ being shown to the world, yet oftentimes we see ourselves in opposition to the non-Christians of the world. We see ourselves in a celebrity fighting match against prominent anti-Christians, fights such as “Billy Graham vs. Hugh Hefner” or “James Dobson vs. Al Gore.” We focus on the people (“Them” and “Those-like-them”) who oppose Christianity (or rather “Us” and “Those-like-us”). Instead we need to force ourselves to focus on Christ and that those who are not “Us” are still loved by our Savior and Redeemer – and theirs – Jesus Christ!

It is not the prostitute or the alcoholic who live down the street that is wrong and sinful, rather the sin is the spiritual darkness that holds them in bondage. Our calling (and one method of worshiping God) is to show Christ in every way we deal with these people. We are to love them and care for them. We are to pray against the demons and spiritual forces of darkness that oppress them. We are to try and change the conditions surrounding them, from one of sin and shame to one of Christ’s grace and mercy.

Why should we treat them differently from ourselves if they are offered salvation from the same lives of sin that we were rescued from? The only difference between them and us is Christ. We too lived in sin, in shame, in darkness, and in spiritual oppression. Let us, therefore, take Christ to them. He is our banner and our leader, they – sinful and also beloved by Christ – will not come to Him, unless we try and bring them before His throne.

Christ for the world we sing,
the world to Christ we bring,
with fervent prayer;
the wayward and the lost,
by restless passions tossed,
redeemed at countless cost,
from dark despair.