From Darkness to Light

It seems that many readers of the material on this site think it wrong to devote much time to studying the dark things, the things of Satan. Let me say here and now I understand and almost agree with them. Satan and his associates are not where we focus our efforts nor our attentions normally. But consider this. Times change and so does the plan of God. Not as in deviate from the plan, but as in deviate from our perspective of the norm. The plan of God doesn’t change; the plan of God changes times. Consider this:

The time was during the ministry of Christ, when the disciples were walking with Him daily. That was the norm. He tried to tell them on several occasions that He was nearing His crucifiction and resurection but they wouldn’t believe Him. Why? Because it wasn’t what they expected, it wasn’t what they wanted and it wasn’t conceivable. But it happened because it was the plan of God. God never deviated from His plan. But the plan of God changed everything with this miraculous event.

Shortly thereafter Paul, who thought he was doing God’s work persecuting Christians, received a message from the Lord Jesus:

Ac 26:17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them

18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.

Jesus told him He would rescue Paul from his own people (the Jews) and the Gentiles (dogs unworthy of Christ or so they thought at the time). But what next? Jesus was sending Paul right back in to the very people He was rescuing him from to “open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

In other words, to save people not considered by God’s people, the jews, or Christians either for that matter, to be worthy of God or His son Jesus Christ. Was this a deviation? You bet! But it was God’s plan. And Paul’s response? “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.”

Friend, in this day things are changing rapidly. What was the norm yesterday is different tomorrow. Yesterday I was probably like you, concentrating on God with no time to give thinking about the devil. But God changed my thinking, my understanding and my mission. Exactly like Paul except without the miraculous events (oh there were miraculous events but you wouldn’t believe them at this point). In any event my answer to God is “I will not be disobedient to the vision from heaven.”

So where are we at, really as a Church, a true people of God? From my experience, the Church wants nothing to do with Satan and demons, possession and deliverance. Why? I believe its two things: ignorance and fear.

Next I’ll write on the state of the Church relative to this subject. It’s not pretty but it’s the truth. For now, don’t be content to read the title and move on. Read the articles and realize that there are far more articles about God, Jesus Christ his Son, and the Bible than about Satan and his devices. But we must expose the darkness to the Light so that they may leave the power of Satan for the greater power of God. So that they might exchange the darkness for Light and might receive forgiveness for sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ.

Pray for this ministry. Pray long, hard and often. And please comment. We’d love to hear your opinion.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 6th, 2008 at 12:41 pm and is filed under Musings of a Wretched Man. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.