Many Christians believe they’ve nothing to do with the devil anymore, because he is a defeated enemy. Due to this mindset, many Christians became passive in prayer and spiritual warfare. It’s true that Jesus defeated the devil and has the keys of death and hell. Nokho, Jesus Christ gave His authority and power to His Church, because the devil is not cast into the eternal lake of fire yet. He is still the god of this world and still exists. UDeveli usaqhubeka njengengonyama ebhongayo, ngifuna yena angamshwabadela. The devil still tries to deceive and spiritually disarm the Church, so that the Church becomes ineffective and powerless and the devil has nothing to fear. This was the mission of the devil from the Day of Pentecost and still is. Manje, let’s look at whether the mission of the devil is successful or not.
What is the mission of the devil?
The devil is the adversary of Christians and his mission is to silence and devour the believers and destroy the Church of Jesus Christ (assembly of born-again believers). Ngobani? Ukuze, the devil can continue his destructive works on earth without interference and resistance of the Church.
Hlanganyela, qaphelani; ngoba isitha senu uSathane, njengebhubesi elibhodlayo, uhambahamba, efuna angamshwabadela: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world (1 UPetru 5:8-9)
The mission of the devil is to enter the Church, deceive and tempt the Church, and cause the Church to go astray and disobey God and His Word and obey to him.
The devil tries to stop Christians from doing the works of God and destroying the devil’s works and cause them to do his works and destroying the works of God.
Ngale ndlela, Christians enlarge the kingdom of darkness instead of the Kingdom of God, lapho uJesu Kristu eyiNkosi.
The devil is always looking for openings in the lives of believers, obani iBandla.
As soon as the devil finds an opening he enters the lives of Christians and attacks. The devil comes as an angel of light with his deceptive lies, izilingo, and power causing supernatural revelations and manifestations.
Ngamanga akhe akhohlisayo, which derive from his kingdom (Umhlaba), and the focus on the flesh, the devil makes the people prideful towards God and passive and lukewarm for Jesus Christ, His mission, and the works of God’s Kingdom.
The devil sows doubt and lies in people’s minds
The devil sows doubt and lies in the minds of people, which causes unbelief and false doctrines.
The unbelief and false doctrines, okuyizo izimfundiso zamadimoni, ensure that the Church doubts God and His Word and stays silent about the truth of God and the commandments and warnings of Jesus Christ.
How the devil changes the truth of God into a lie?
The devil changes the truth of God into a lie by using a partial truth of God and mixing it with his lies. Ngamanga akhe, the devil has spiritually disarmed, destroyed, and appropriated many churches.
His carnal ministers, who have a carnal and ingqondo elahlekile are puffed up and full op pride just like their father. They believe his words and speak his words. They use their father’s power and exalt themselves above God and His Word and walk in sin and even promote sin. (Funda futhi: Ingabe UJesu Ungumbukiso Wesono?).
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, ukuhlazisa imizimba yabo phakathi kwabo: Owaguqula iqiniso likaNkulunkulu libe ngamanga, bakhuleka bakhonza okudaliweyo kunoMdali, obongekayo kuze kube phakade. Amen.
Ngenxa yalokho uNkulunkulu wabanikela ekuhuhekeni okuyichilo: ngoba nabesifazane babo baguqula ukwenza kwemvelo kwaba ngokuphambene nemvelo: kanjalo namadoda, ukushiya ukusetshenziswa kwemvelo kowesifazane, bavutha ekukhanukeleni kwabo omunye komunye; amadoda namadoda enza okuyichilo, bemukela phakathi kwabo umvuzo ofanele ukuduka kwabo.
Futhi njengoba babengathandi ukugcina uNkulunkulu ekwazini kwabo, UNkulunkulu wabanikela emqondweni obolile, ukwenza lezo zinto ezingafanele; begcwaliswe yikho konke ukungalungi, ubufebe, ububi, ukuhaha, unya; egcwele umona, ukubulala, phikisa, inkohliso, ubulwelwe; abahlebezi, Abahlebayo, abazonda uNkulunkulu, -nesizotha, uyaziqhenya, abaqhoshayo, abaqambi bezinto ezimbi, abangalaleli abazali, Ngaphandle kokuqonda, abephula isivumelwano, abangenalo uthando lwemvelo, kungenasici, ongenasihawu: Owazi ukwahlulela kukaNkulunkulu, ukuthi abenza okunjalo bafanele ukufa, hhayi nje ukwenza okufanayo, kodwa bathokozise abakwenzayo (AmaRoma 1:21-32)
IBandla; uMzimba kaKristu
IBandla, the assembly of believers who are born of God, is appointed on earth as a representative of God and His Kingdom and ought to preach His Word and establish His Kingdom on earth.
The more the Church spiritually matures, knowing the will of God, futhi alikhumule ikhehla futhi gqoka umuntu omusha and walk in the authority of Jesus Christ, iZwi, and the power of the Holy Spirit in the will of God on earth, the greater threat the Church becomes to the devil and his kingdom.
If local churches lay down all carnality and walk after the Spirit and do what Jesus commanded to do and pray and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the will of God and sanctification, they would be the light of the world.
As the light of the world, they would draw many souls, who live in bondage in darkness, to the light.
They would save and deliver many souls from the power of darkness and hell and plunder the kingdom of darkness.
If the churches would really believe in the Word and the Name of Jesus Christ (Igunya likaJesu Kristu) and do the will of God, then they would grow up into the image of Jesus Christ and preach, bring, futhi amise uMbuso kaNkulunkulu emhlabeni.
Khona-ke, the churches would stop relying on the wisdom and knowledge of the world. The churches would stop referring Christians to the world for help and solutions. Kunalokho, the churches would rely on God and walk in His power and be able to provide for the needs of people, njengoJesu.
Do churches walk by faith or by sight?
Ngeshwa, most churches don’t walk by faith in Jesus Christ; the Word in the power of God, due to carnality (ingqondo yenyama, carnal will, inkanuko lenkanuko yenyama, and carnal works. (Funda futhi: ‘Ngingathola Ukukholwa Emhlabeni?’)).
Most Christians are not willing to lay down the flesh and put off the old man, bese ubeka indoda entsha. Ngakho-ke, many Christians keep walking after the flesh and keep sinning. They want to receive the blessings of God and do signs and wonders, which belong to the life of the new man, but they refuse to lay down their will and flesh.
If you sow in the flesh, you shall not reap the fruit of the Spirit
Ungakhohliswa; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting (KwabaseGalathiya 6:7-8)
They feed their flesh with the things of the world and expect to bear the fruit of the Spirit. But if you sow in the flesh, you shall never reap the fruit of the Spirit. When you sow in the flesh, you reap the fruit of the flesh, okuyisono, futhi ekugcineni, inkohlakalo.
If you want to reap apples, but put kiwi seeds in the ground, you shall not reap apples, but kiwis.
If the natural man understands this simple principle, why doesn’t the spiritual man understand this principle?
Why do so many people, who say they are Christians and say they believe and claim to be spiritual, sow in the flesh, expecting to bear the fruit of the Spirit and life everlasting?
Those who walk after the flesh are led by the old sinful nature. They’ll feed the flesh and bear the fruit of the flesh and walk in rebellion towards God and His Word.
They’re carnal and think like the world. They speak the same words as the world and act the same way as the world.
They put their trust in the wisdom, ulwazi, and words of the world and everything that derives from it. Instead of putting their trust in Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God.
And so the local churches with carnal believers, -phi the devil is seated and in charge, are built upon carnal wisdom, ulwazi, Imibono, kanye nokuhlangenwe nakho kwabantu.
The words of God are replaced by the word of man
The churches have taken God’s words out of context and mixed them with their personal beliefs, Imibono, kanye nokuhlangenwe nakho. Ngale ndlela, they’ve created a sensual humanistic gospel, where people are the center instead of Christ.
The church gatherings are sensory appealing. The sermons revolve around the flesh of man and the things of this world instead of the spirit of man and the things of the Kingdom of God and cause the people to persevere in sin.
Instead of feeding the spirit of man with the truth of God, the flesh is fed with the devil’s lies. Ngenxa yalokho, the old man continues to exist and the new man goes to the wall.
There is hardly any difference between Christians, who say they believe and belong to Christ and go to church, and unbelievers, who are sinners and belong to the world.
Many churches are no longer a Amandla kaNkulunkulu, who acts in the Name of Jesus and through the fivefold ministry and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, raise Christians in the will of God unto spiritual mature sons of God (lokhu kusebenza kokubili abesilisa nabesifazane). They no longer make them spiritual soldiers of Jesus Christ, who are active in the spiritual warfare and resist the temptations of the devil and expose and destroy the works of darkness and save souls from hell.
Kunalokho, many churches became social institutions, a place where everything revolves around the flesh of man. A place, where the flesh is entertained and pleased with the purpose to motivate the people and experience supernatural manifestations, whereby many churches move into the occult. (Funda futhi: ‘Isonto lemimoya‘ futhi ‘Inkathi entsha esontweni?‘).
How did the devil accomplish his mission?
Kancane kancane, the devil accomplished his mission and succeeded in deceiving and appropriating many churches and making them lukewarm and passive for Jesus Christ. Many churches remain carnal and sensual and don’t have the Spirit of God. They belong to the world and listen to what the devil has to say and believe his words.
Laba ngababubuli, abakhonondi, behamba ngezinkanuko zabo; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, ukuba nabantu besilisa ngokutuswa ngenxa yenzuzo. Kodwa, bathandekayo, Khumbulani amazwi abhalwe ngaphambili kwabaphostoli beNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu; Ukuthi bakutshele kanjani ukuthi kufanele kube nabahleko ekugcineni, Ngubani okufanele ahambe ngemuva kwezinkanuko zawo ezingamhloniphi uNkulunkulu. Laba babe abazihlukanisa nabo, -kwenyama, Ukungabi noMoya (Jude 1:19)
Many Christians are spiritually blind and don’t see the mission and Imisebenzi kaDeveli. They don’t discern the devil’s lies from the truth of God. And they don’t realize that they live in the devil’s power and are bound by the devil’s lies.
Instead of being witnesses of Jesus Christ and preaching His truth and keeping His commandments, doing what He says and abiding in His love and doing righteous works and bearing the fruit of the Spirit, they have become witnesses of the devil.
They preach the devil’s truth and do what he says and abide in his Uthando lwamanga (the love of the world), which ensures that they keep walking in darkness and bear the fruit of death, okuyisono.
Let the Church arise and accomplish her mission
But luckily there is still time for the churches, who have left the Word and God’s truth and gone astray and are seated in darkness, kwa- phenduka and return to Jesus Christ.
Let the church arise and submit to Christ; the Word and keep His commandments. Let the church make Jesus the Head of the church again and walk after the Spirit and preach, bring, and establish His Kingdom on earth.
‘Yibani usawoti womhlaba’
