READING: 1 Corinthians 9-11
As Christians, we are trying to reach a world that includes millions of followers of other world faiths. We seek to reach international neighbors that have come to our cities, and we send missionaries to centers of other religions around the world. This evangelistic task is a spiritual battle that can be exhausting and defeating when we don’t see the immediate results we’d like to see. The work seems overwhelming, in fact.
That shouldn’t surprise us, since we’re engaging our spiritual enemy when we share the gospel with adherents of other faiths. In the context of addressing the issue of believers eating in pagan temples, Paul told the Corinthians that “the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons” (1 Cor 10:20); thus, to follow pagan faiths was to follow the enemy.
At the same time, the apostle had already said that idols themselves were really nothing (1 Cor 10:19, cf. 1 Cor 8:4). Those man-made objects the people worshiped were not gods, nor did they have any inherent power in them. To worship them or to offer food to them, though, was to give offerings to demons — to decidedly real supernatural forces who are not God, but who nevertheless have power. Those demons delight when people worship false gods and invest themselves in pagan religions.
That’s one reason why reaching people of other faiths is often difficult. It’s hard to convince others to leave the faith of their heritage to follow Jesus. In some cases, following Jesus may lead to excommunication from one’s family and friends. Relational and economic loss could be the result. More pointedly, though, it’s hard to reach other adherents because the demons want to keep them in darkness. They fight to keep non-believers in the enemy's kingdom by enticing them to worship idols that actually have no power.
Evangelism itself thus becomes offensive spiritual warfare, a deliberate choice to enter the enemy’s kingdom while carrying a message of light and hope. God calls us into that battle, but He also guarantees us the victory. False gods will not win.
ACTION STEPS:
- Determine if you are living with one foot in God’s world and the other foot in the devil’s world. Repent as needed.
- Pray for new believers around the world who are struggling to leave behind their pagan practices.
PRAYER: “God, open my eyes to any false gods I may be following today. Remind me that I’m following idols that are ‘nothing’ — but that’s where the demons want me to be.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 1 Corinthians 12-14