IN THE MIDST OF ABOUNDING LAWLESSNESS

One feature of the close of the present age that Jesus warned His disciples about was an upsurge of lawlessness.

Matt 24:12
And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Jesus indicated that many Christians would be infected by this prevailing lawlessness and as a result their love for God and His people would grow cold.

The essence of lawlessness is a rejection of authority. This has become an obvious feature of our contemporary culture. There is a widespread contempt for any rules or regulations that interfere with each person’s individual liberty. People are very forceful in asserting their "rights”, yet very reluctant to acknowledge their corresponding responsibilities. At times, the consequence is a condition bordering on anarchy. As Christians, we have to guard ourselves against this kind of attitude. We are required to show our respect for legitimate secular authority .

But first and foremost, we must cultivate and maintain an attitude of respect and obedience toward God our Father and toward Jesus our Saviour. This will be expressed in a corresponding attitude of respect and obedience towards God’s Word, the Scriptures.

John 14:23-24
Jesus says, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word … He who does not love Me does not keep My words.

We may claim to love God and we may even pray long and eloquent prayers or preach long and eloquent sermons. However, we do not honour and obey God by going through religious actions without having a lifestyle of holiness. In the midst of prevailing lawlessness it would be appropriate for each of us to make a fresh affirmation of our unreserved and total submission to the authority of Scripture.

2 Tim 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.

OUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
One main area in which our submission to God and His Word will be tested is that of our personal relationships. Jesus laid down some very strict rules. For instance, He says concerning forgiving other people:

Mark 11:25-26
And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Again, at the end of the pattern prayer which Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew 6:9-13, He added only one comment: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses”.

We always need to remember that forgiving another person is not an expression of emotion but an act of self -discipline. For this we can depend upon the Holy Spirit, who is a Spirit “of power, of love and self -discipline” (2 Tim 1:7). Self-discipline is also required to produce the kind of attitude Paul describes in Ephesians 5:21: “submitting to one another in the fear of God”. This attitude of mutual submission is the key to right relationships both in the home and in the church.

Christians who refuse to forgive others or to submit to one another are in defiance of Scripture. Their root problem is lawlessness. They have opened themselves up to the spirit prevailing in the world around them. It will inevitably make them vulnerable to the evil angels who are their relentless enemies in the heavenly places.

THREE UNCOMPROMISING DEMANDS
We are confronted with three areas in which Scripture reveals clear, uncompromising demands of God, that apply to all Christians.

1. Respect for Christ’s authority operating in and through each local congregation.
2. Unqualified forgiveness for all who have wronged us or harmed us.
3. An attitude of submissiveness toward all our fellow Christians.

Obedience in these three areas provides Christians with a covering of scriptural authority that protects them from the attacks of satanic forces/demons in the heavenly places. Conversely, disobedience inevitably makes Christians vulnerable to such attacks. Clearly one needs to understand that attacks could also arise from:

a) Involvement in wilful, unrepented sin
b) A trial or tribulation set by God (Job)

On the basis of many years of experience in the Body of Christ, we as prayer leaders are convinced that the consequences of disobeying these three requirements of Scripture can be tragic in the extreme. We believe that it is one main reason why many fine, dedicated servants of the Lord have become casualties. We pray that God may grant us all a new respect for the authority of Christ vested in His Church and that He may renew in each of us an attitude of forgiveness and submissiveness.