| Kneeling Warrior (Dr. David Ireland) | | | |
The term good Samaritan was originally coined from the biblical story and has long been an English colloquialism used to label behavior that is virtuous toward a stranger in need. Jesus told the parable in response to a lawyer’s thorny question, “… who is my neighbor?”
While the question was designed to trap Jesus, the story demonstrates the fundamental principles of faith, compassion, equality,jurisdictional authority, and the love Jesus prescribed for mankind. These qualities, recommended by the Bible to be practiced in society, originate from the commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).
Jesus emphasized the preferred behavior of the Good Samaritan over that of two religious leaders: a Levite and a priest. These two clerics did nothing to aid the wounded man. Rather, they walked on the other side of the road free from concern, guilt, or moral responsibility. This behavior highlights the action of isolationism, which connotes an ‘every man for himself’ attitude. Jesus denounced this article as destructive to the formation of a good society.
In the same way, a life without prayer – more specifically the lack of prayer-intercession – is equally detrimental to achieving a good society. I have coined the phrase kneeling warrior to represent the Christian who engages in spiritual warfare through prayer. Spiritual warfare is a term used to describe the vicious, deceptive, and consistent attacks of satan against the church, against believers and unbelievers, and against God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The kneeling warrior has answered the call to reform society through prayer-intercession much in the way that the Good Samaritan was moved to assist the wounded stranger.
C.S. Lewis writes in The Screwtape Letters of Screwtape(a demon in higher echelons of hellish status) warning his nephew Wormwood (a lower ranking demon): “Interfere at any price in any fashion when people start to pray, for real prayer is lethal to our cause.” Although Lewis’ writing was allegorical, the fact remains true: satan is bent on oppressing humanity and prayer is our only real weapon against his attacks. Hence, becoming a kneeling warrior is no-brainer, though many Christians haven’t assumed the responsibility. Perhaps Screwtape’s strategy is working.
The Weapons of the Kneeling Warrior
I’d like to give you some principles that can help you become a strong kneeling warrior. While I’m convinced that every believer has the potential to become a strong intercessor, I also believe that kneeling warrior need training to be effective. Instruction can be an intentional exercise performed by a master teacher, as was the case of Jesus teaching His disciple “how to pray” (Luke 11:1).
Learning to pray can also be learned privately, as the renowned English preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon declared, “Prayer itself is an art which only the Holy Ghost can teach us. He is the giver of all prayer. Pray for prayer – pray till you can pray.” In either case, one learns the power of prayer-intercession through the discovery of handling the defensive and offensive weapons associated with prayer.
Defensive weapons are designed to guard and protect turf and status. Status includes the level and condition of one’s spiritual and natural position in society. Offensive weapons, on the other hand, are intended to aid in strategizing and initiating attacks against the enemy. Both types of weapons are valuable and needed to win battles along with the overal spiritual war.
Some of the defensive weapons include:
- righteous and holy living (Eph. 6:14)
- obedience to God’s will and to His Word (2 Cor. 10:3-6; Eph. 6:15,17)
- practicing forgiveness (2 Cor. 2:10-11); and submission to God (James 4:7a)
Some of the offensive weapons for kneeling warriors include:
- worship and praise (Acts 13:1-3)
- tithing and giving (Mal. 3:10-11)
- intercessory / warfare prayers (Col. 4:12-13)
- resisting the devil and his schemes (James 4:7b; 1Pet. 5:9).
How Shall We Use Our Spiritual Weapons?
While we’ve learned the types of weapons God has given the believer, the question of how to use them must be answered. The Apostle Paul holds up Epaphras as a model of a New Testament kneeling warrior. This saint is introduced in the sacred text as a man, “who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured” (Col. 4:12). In examining the text, we learn that five of the eight aforementioned defensive weapons are used by Epaphras to secure victory for the Christians at Colosse, Laodicea, and Hierapolis.
In protecting his turf, Epaphras uses the defensive weapons of:
1) righteous and holy living evident in his lifestyle of prayer
2) obedience to God’s will and word are sought for the other believers
3) submission to God is made a matter of concern in prayer
4) the prayer shield as seen in his desire for the Colossians, Laodiceans and Christian residents of Hierapolis to stand in ALL the will of God
5) his stance against the enemy as apparent by Paul’s usage of the word wrestle to describe the intensity of his prayer
On the offensive side, Epaphras wields three of the seven itemized weapons of prayer by:
1) interceding and fighting for the believers
2) resisting the devil’s schemes against the targeted group by praying for their maturity and full assurance
3) exercising self-control and alertness by always wrestling in prayer.
Epaphras was so effective as a kneeling warrior that Paul vouched for his hard work in prayer.
The Kneeling Warrior as Christ’s Servant
One of the primary reasons Epaphras assumed the role of a kneeling warrior is because he was “a servant of Christ Jesus.” The word servant, translated from the Greek language in which the New Testament was written, is doulos which means a slave, a bondservant. This class of servant was characterized by three distinctive traits:
1) his will was in submission to that of his master
2) his interest was interwoven with his master’s
3) he was a servant for life
Epaphras saw himself as a permanent servant of Christ and wrestled in prayer for the churches. The word wrestle in Greek is the word agonizomai, which means to contend with an adversary. We get the English word agonize from this Greek word. Epaphras agonize in prayer for others by focusing on the positive outcome of his intercessory prayers.
There are many biblical examples of people who used prayer as a fighting tool against the intentions of the enemy. I encourage you to search the Scriptures and emulate their effort as kneeling warriors so that a good society is experienced on a greater level.
(source: KAIROS magazine, July – August 2003 vol 6 issue 4).
