Go to the Spiritual War Already Marked for Victory
Values of the Kingdom of God vs Values of the World
The power of the kingdom of God is the cross. The world is hostile to this cross. Belonging to one kingdom means being an enemy to the other. The world, stirred up by Satan, claims to follow God’s will but actually opposes His law and sets the self as king through self-righteousness. The Bible describes this as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15–16).
The values of the world focus on self-pursuit—self-fulfillment, self-satisfaction, and self-love. In contrast, the values of the kingdom of God are found in denying oneself and standing with God, which is the way of the cross. Which kingdom we belong to is revealed by our values.
The Way of the Called, the Way of the Gospel of the Cross
Only those who have died at the cross can become citizens of God’s kingdom. To enter the kingdom of God, one must come out of the world and unite with the cross. The one who dies to worldly values and lives to the values of the kingdom belongs to it.
God calls His people out of the world. The gathering of the called is the church, or “ekklesia” in Greek. The only way people in the world can respond to God’s call is by faith in the gospel of the cross. Since faith is the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1), choosing the unseen values of His kingdom through faith makes one part of His people, the church.
To be called out of the world and become the church is to be called as a soldier in the war of God’s kingdom. The church stands in the midst of the battle against the world, sent back into it to live in the victory of Christ (John 17:18). All whose identity has been changed by the life of Christ have been called to this spiritual war. Only the church can fight in this great war of salvation.
It is impossible to fight God’s battles while clinging to the values of the world. Jesus said that anyone who would follow Him must deny themselves and take up their cross (Matthew 16:24, Luke 14:27). When we deny self-love and walk the path of the cross, we gain the strength to follow Christ and surely overcome in the spiritual war.
D-Day before V-Day
What we do know for sure is this: the kingdom of God has already absorbed all of Satan’s fierce wrath, and it has overcome and endured. The darkest hour has already passed, and the final victor has been decided. Yet, some people still suffer under Satan’s unlawful power.
Although the victory is already secured, the battle goes on. A good example of this is World War II. On D-Day, the Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, and many believed that victory was certain. However, there were still many hard battles and sacrifices until Victory in Europe Day (V-Day) came.
In the war between God and evil, D-Day was Christ’s death and resurrection. The final victory has been secured. But the fight will continue until Christ’s glorious return—our true V-Day.
During this time, the church must fight against evil that remains in the world. Blood will be shed in this fight, and some of it may be ours. But we fight with confidence, knowing the victory already won will be fully revealed in the days to come.
》Prayer Points
1. Those who do not respond to the cross, the highest value of the invisible kingdom of God, belong to the kingdom of the world. Likewise, those who are sensitive to worldly values and live swayed by trends, money, and desires do not belong to God’s kingdom. Let us reflect honestly before the Word: whose values are mine, and which kingdom do I belong to? Let us pray that for me and my church, the object of love will shift from self to God through the cross, and that we will be transformed in values from the world to the kingdom of God.
Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound (Psalm 4:7, NIV)
2. The church has been called to carry out God’s war in the world. Only the gospel of the cross enables the church to overcome through God’s power. Yet many believers still live with the same self-centered values, belonging to the world. Victory at spiritual warfare begins when each person chooses the values of the cross and holds on to it. Let us pray that the church, the body of Christ in the world, will deny itself, take up its cross daily, and boldly proclaim the gospel of the cross.
For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4, NIV)
3. Let us pray that all the churches across the nations will fight through the gospel and prayer in the midst of the spiritual battle until the secured day of victory, the return of Jesus Christ.
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, LORD Jesus.(Revelation 22:20, NIV)
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