While stationed in Germany, one of the things that I enjoyed doing on my free weekends was travelling the European countryside. One thing that I never got tired of doing, no matter how many I had already seen, was visiting the castles that dot the European countryside. Sometimes, the castles were well maintained and contained a museum about local history, some still had the descendants of the family that had constructed the castle living within the security of the walls, or sometimes the castle was simply in ruins. One of the features that always amazed me was the castle gates.
Although no two castle gates were the same, there are some common features. Normally, the castle had an iron gate, two sets of thick, reinforced wooden doors, and fastened to iron hinges that extended deep into the adjacent stone blocks. Essentially, gates are the weakest part of the castle defenses so every effort was made to make them difficult to breach. Even at that time, the castle gates always made me think of when Jesus said, And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).
Just like the castle gates, the gates of hell are defensive. They are fastened and cannot be moved nor can they attack. Within Jesus’ statement to Peter, the rock is the revelation that Peter shares with Jesus and the other disciples as recorded earlier in that passage: When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 16:13-17). The “rock” that Jesus referred to is the fact that He is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God. It is upon this foundation that His church was built and it is the church that the gates of hell will never overcome. The gates of hell are affixed, they cannot move, and are powerless to attack the church. It is the body of believers that will prevail against the assaults of Hell.
All it takes is to spend a few minutes of watching the news to realize that the church has become powerless – not because of anything that Satan has done. It is because Christians, the members of the local body of Christ, have somehow forgotten that the body of Christ, through the local church, when acting according to its scriptural foundation, is more powerful even than the gates of hell. We’ve forgotten that gates are defensive – they don’t go marching onto the battlefield, they do not shoot arrows, draw a sword, or even give a battle cry. This is a far cry from the way that the apostle Paul describes the Christian; he tells Timothy, Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (II Timothy 2:3). The comparison of a Christian as a soldier, for anyone that’s been in the military, is truly a call to action. Soldiers drill, they practice and learn the techniques used in warfare, and they obey their superiors. It is only through these things that when the orders are given that they can actually meet and overcome their enemies. As Christians, we are always in a battle against temptation, the flesh, and Satan and his devils.
Just as today’s modern soldier has their weapons, training, and other equipment that help them in battle, we also have equipment to fight in our spiritual battles as described by Paul. He wrote to the early Christians at Ephesus, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints (Ephesians 6:10-18).
No matter how big our plans are we all have a tendency to check the local forecast before we head out to work, school, or even a family vacation. We want to be ready for whatever the weather might bring for that day. We want to know whether to pack for warm temperatures or for cold; we want to know if we need to worry about rain or take sunscreen for those bright sunny days. With the development of smart phones, some of us have even begun to check the weather nearly every hour out of the sheer need to know everything that might affect us later that day. Over the last fifteen years, there has even been a cable channel, The Weather Channel, that devotes a 24 hour cycle of the latest weather prediction for the local area. With all our changes in technology, we still are amazed when we see the stories of people caught off guard by storms. In fact, I even had someone tell me they found it nearly impossible to believe that so many people can be caught unprepared for what the weather may bring.
As many of you know, I do mention the spiritual revival I had in 2006 quite often. It is not because I am proud of what I did back then, but because I am amazed at the long-suffering, guidance, concern, and kindness of God for me. In 2006, while facing some real spiritual battles and going through my Ph.D. program, I came across three verses that would change my life: But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul (Deuteronomy 4:29), Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you (Hosea 10:12), and That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us (Acts 17:27).
