Ehh… no.

“Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m man of wealth and taste. Been around for a long, long year, stole many a man’s soul and faith. Was around when Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain, made damn sure that Pilate washed his hands and sealed his fate. Pleased to meet you. Hope you guessed my name. But what’s puzzling you is the nature of my game.”

That’s Mick Jagger’s take on the rebellious one we know as the Devil. Sure, not someone you want to hang around, but he doesn’t sound like too bad of a guy in the song (maybe it’s the catchiness of the tune).

But Peter had a bit of a different, more sobering take–one he experienced first-hand, no doubt:
“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

That’s someone even Siegfried & Roy would not want to be around. Pete says you’ve got to always be at Defcon 5, be locked and loaded, never a chance to relax. Because we have an adversary. Some one (or thing) that wants to take you down. If Peter were writing today, he might describe him or it as “your adversary, the devil, is like Kimbo Slice, or the Joker on a rampage, wanting to pummel you beyond submission.” My friend John says he (Satan, not Kimbo) is hell-bent on “stealing, killing and destroying.” That’s a serial killer on CSI to the millioneth degree.

So all that said, diving into Friday’s questions…

1. Do you believe Satan is a real personality? Explain.
How does your previous answer impact you in a practical way?

Looking at the world around us, the pain and suffering endured in third-world nations, the lustfulness, greed and selfishness that plagues our society, the ways those Victoria’s Secret ads berate you during any bit of TV you watch, and how one small thing you say to, or hear from, your wife can get so easily get twisted, miscommunicated and misconstrued (that may or may not necessarily have anything to do with TV ads featuring scantily-clad models) and then blows up into a huge argument leaving you wondering where all that just came from as you survey the carnage around you, yeah, it’s not hard to believe he’s a real personality working against you.

How ’bout you?

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
1 Peter 5:8

“I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”
2 Corinthians 2:10-11 (TNIV)

2. What stands out to you in the verses above?

Sober. Don’t drink and deal with the devil. Probably a wise choice. But not just regarding alcohol. (I know that’s not what he really meant). If you consume too much of this world, the one he controls and over which he has jurisdiction, your mind’s not going to be clear. It gets easily clouded.

And schemes… there’s a plan set in place for us, or rather, against us by him. For me, it’s usually the same three or four things time and again. He’s not all that creative. Unfortunately, I make it so that he doesn’t have to be. But, because of being forgiven “in the sight of Christ,” there’s hope for not being outwitted.

Your thoughts?

“But resist him, [standing] firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 1 Peter 5:9

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Luke 22:31-32

3. From the verses above, (including 1 Peter 5:8 and 2 Cor. 2:10 -11) list /circle 10 tactics we can deploy to rebuff the Enemy’s attack. From the list you made, which one is absolutely indispensable to victory?

1. Already mentioned one–being forgiven in the sight of Christ
2. Be of sober spirit
3. Be alert
4. …. what else?

Absolutely indispensable to victory? I go back to Mick Jagger’s lyrics… of when Jesus had his agonizing moment on the cross, shouted, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” then gave up His spirit, tore the curtain in two, conquered death, set us free. It’s the trust in that. The belief that even though the battle still wages, He determined the course of the war once and for all right there. He conquered the weapon of mass destruction in our sin, and His exit strategy involved walking resurrected out of a tomb.

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UNC meets weekly at the Atlanta Bread Company in Cumming GA. Each Friday, the morning’s opening talk is posted to the blog. Don’t forget, you can easily subscribe to our RSS feed.

Also, you can subscribe to our Podcast in iTunes. Start iTunes, enter the iTunes Store, and search for “UNC Friday Morning”.

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Produced by: Andy Waddell • Matt Wilson • Chris Arias | revolutionEYES
Voice talent: Doug Maudlin

One evening an argument broke out among Jesus’ friends. The naked display of selfish ambition might have found its way to the cutting room floor were it not forever cemented into the Word of God.

The Disciples argued as to who among them was the greatest. The kingdom of God was at hand and the men were marking turf for their inevitable ascent. Within that moment, the debate’s outcome might have seemed important because the moment was all about them. Them… and their greatness.

In the center of the debate, no doubt, was Simon (called Peter on his good days). This, by the way, was not one of Simon’s good days. Among the Disciples, Peter would certainly have carried a legitimate claim to the prize. Peter, after all, walked on water and it was Peter whom Jesus commended for streaming God. 

Jesus addressed this same Peter when He interrupted the debate with news from another dimension.

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat…”

To more vividly capture the texture of this frame, we must twist the lens for a wider view. The  scene moments prior framed a recognizable still. Perhaps this is familiar to you:

“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table.”

While his friends are staking their claims, Jesus is surrendering His life. A study in contrasts. And, while the Disciples argued, Satan agitated, working his mischief in the minds of men who would be kings.

Satan, that great adversary of the people of God and stuff of heaven had been eyeing the Disciples with intense interest for some time - enticing them towards their impetuous puffery.

The same way he entices…. you!!

Several years and a resurrection removed from his disgrace, Peter looked upon the reality of the invisible war and penned these words:

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith…”

Peter knew of which he spoke.

You and I live in a world at war. We square off against a powerful and invisible adversary bent upon our destruction. In this war, the stakes are higher than life and death.

In this war, there is no such thing as neutral.

Great to be back at UNC after the summer break. If you missed it, check out the podcast in the post below. Questions from the morning discussion were:

1. What’s the most interesting thing that happened to you this past summer?
2. Do you tend to view the world as a naturalist or supernaturalist? Explain why.
3. Do you belive there is more to this world than you see? How much more? Explain.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Epheisans 6:12)

4. What stands out to you in the verse above?
6. How might this impact your week?

Well, I don’t know about you, but a lot of interesting things happened with me over the summer. I got my first traffic citation ever, I sold a car on e-bay, we got rid of our Dish (meaning no more ESPN), I saw brilliance on film in the Dark Knight, we had fun with a video camera (of the PG-rated version for this men’s ministry… shame on you…), and I left behind one industry in turmoil and stepped out on faith into the never certain world of contract employment for the opportunity of doing something I love. So, maybe not all of that qualifies as most interesting, but overall, the entire summer was definitely of the interesting vibe.

But about this 5th Dimension thing… the topic we’re covering over the next few weeks, it is most certainly what I would call “interesting.” Outside of the Christian faith, thinking about what goes on in the spirit realm is usually given no more consideration outside of Harry Potter hocus pocus, action fantasy like Hellboy 2 (great set up, “only hope for humanity” message way off), bad horror films from Rob Zombie, or spoofs like the Church Lady on Saturday Night Live. Just how real is it?

My son has really gotten into Transformers this past year, which is cool because I used to be into Transformers, though it’s also not so cool too because that was a really long time ago and it makes me realize that I’m getting old. But still, it’s fun to see him get excited about the robots in disguise toys that I had. There is a point to this digression: The Transformer product tag line is “More Than Meets the Eye,” which gets back to the question of just how real is it? The Bible’s pretty clear about there being more to this world than what we see. Jesus said it too. Almost in a non-chalant way, that yeah, there’s another dimension out there. So if you believe in Jesus and the Bible, then you must buy into that as well. Or even if you don’t, but find Jesus and the Bible interesting, you have to give it some very serious consideration.

The problem is many churches give it too much consideration, where the focus is strictly on the battle rather than the One who’s already won it, or they ignore it completely. . So where should we stand?

Most of our discussion to the 2nd and 3rd questions landed in the middle of the naturalist/super naturalist thing, taking heed from C.S. Lewis who basically said it’s an error to either believe that element doesn’t exist or take an excessive, unhealthy interest in it.

At our table, we all believed it’s out there and thought Paul wasn’t kidding when he wrote the Ephesians verse. Because he used the word “against” five times, that stands out to me more than anything else. But also, it’s interesting that Paul says there are spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly realms–we typically regard things associated with “heaven” to only be about the good guys.

How does it impact our week? We didn’t get to that part because our discussion was pretty meaty, like of the Arby’s Super Roast Beef version, but I’d have to say personally, it’s looking through a different lens… not behind doors and around corners, wondering what’s lurking in the shadows with an agenda to make my day hell (pun intended), but rather a conscious frame of mind that says, “Hey, I may be a Westernized, mega-church attending Christian without any real persecution for my faith who has all the comforts that most of the world never gets to experience such as a warm bed, a non-leaking roof over my head, 250 TV channels (actually, now just seven), working A/C, a nearby grocery-store chain, Wi-fi, personalized checks and the option to upgrade even more of this stuff, but I’ll be ready for the battle when it comes my way.”

What a sec… Could I already be in the battle? Could all of those “creature” comforts be part of the enemy’s plan? Have I been slumbering in the trenches because of the Americanized, say-a-prayer-and-everything’s-happily-ever-after version of Christianity you see on Sunday morning TV? Just where does this 5th Dimension fit in our world?

Your thoughts? Dare I even ask your experiences? Please do share. We promise not to respond with “Hmmm, now isn’t that special?”

Click the ‘play’ button below to listen.

(If you cannot see the audio controls below, click the title of this post to refresh. Flash Player is required,click here to download.)

UNC meets weekly at the Atlanta Bread Company in Cumming GA. Each Friday, the morning’s opening talk is posted to the blog. Don’t forget, you can easily subscribe to our RSS feed.

Also, you can subscribe to our Podcast in iTunes. Start iTunes, enter the iTunes Store, and search for “UNC Friday Morning”.