1Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews.

²He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones?”

³Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, “Even what they are building–if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”  (Nehemiah 4:1-3)

We’ve already examined strategies one through three in a previous post.  For now, I’d like to pick up in verse 2 with the fourth enemy strategy:

Strategy #4:  Discourage the believer by showing him how far he has left to go. In verse 2, Sanballat says, “can they rebuild it in a day?”  The idea behind this statement is to call into question the ability of the believer to withstand the period of time between the present and the conclusion of the work of the Holy Spirit by pointing out how much work is left to do.  Perhaps some of you can relate, as can I, to the sentiment of being a perpetual work in progress.  I have so much growth and development left to undertake in the Lord that it would overwhelming if I were to focus on it.

I’ve often found that it’s more beneficial to focus on the finished work of the cross than it is to focus on my state.  Lifting up your eyes to the Lord means that you can no longer look at yourself.  Remind yourself that you are being transformed by the renewing of your mind, and that it is a process that takes an entire life.  Nevertheless, Christ is being formed in you, and your enemy is not happy about it.  Any attempt to get you to focus on how far you have left to go is an attempt to get  you to forget how far you’ve come by the grace of the Lord.

Strategy #5: Tell the believer that he can’t be used by God because He’s too messed up. Sanballat says, “Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble, even the burned ones?”  The enemy would have you to believe that the pieces of your life, broken and burned and neglected as they have been, can never be formed again into any semblance of an existence.  This flies in the face of the redemptive work of the cross.  The same Son of God who turned water into wine and multiplied fishes is more than capable of doing a creative miracle in your life.  He can, will, and is using you for the purpose of the Kingdom.

The entire point of this argument is to get you to disengage from the prosecution of God’s will by having you believe that you are an unworthy vessel, or that you are somehow incomplete because of your past.  If he can cause you to be introspective about how you’ve been hurt, who you have been, and how undeserving you are, he can get you to lose sight of the work of the Lord in your life.  Don’t fall for it.

Strategy #6:  Call into question the strength of the finished work. Tobiah the Ammonite is another one of the devil’s minions in this story.  He said, “Even what they are building–if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”  Once you have had some success in allowing the Holy Spirit to build the proverbial walls of your life, you will find that the enemy is always trying to get you to believe that you are weak and frail, and that you can’t stand against him.  Folks, you are covenant sons of the most high God.  You’ve been grafted into the branch, given spiritual title and authority in the Kingdom, and reconciled to the Creator of heaven and Earth.  You are more than able to stand.

It’s all about the topic of agreement.  Your mouth is a covenant making machine.  If the enemy can get you to articulate your weakness, discouragement, or unworthiness, he has effectively gained jurisdictional authority to torment you.  Don’t fall for the school yard tricks of a defeated foe.

Immorality in the church grieves Jesus’ heart, injures our heart and family (natural and spiritual), and grants Satan “legal doors of access” into our lives.  Immorality causes Jesus to lose part of His inheritance and investment in His people as well as part of their inheritance in Him.  It acts as a barrier to the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and makes it impossible to fully grasp the fullness of God’s glory in our lives.

The scripture promises that judgement begins in God’s house (1 Peter 4:17), and that if we will judge ourselves, we will not be judged by God (1 Peter 11:31). 

A Radical Christian will do anything to remove the barriers that prevent him or her from coming closer to Jesus.  The Revolution Brigade, as a community of radical Christians, is committed to supporting every member in their decision to become and stay pure before the Lord.  As such, we endorse the following Purity Covenant, as adopted from IHOP and The Call:

7 Personal Commitments Before The Lord:

Commitment #1:  I refuse to participate in conversations that promote or joke about immorality.  If I do speak this way, I will confess to those I was conversing with that I have sinned.

Commitment #2: For men and women.  I commit to wear modest clothing that in no way promotes sensuality.  I will “occasionally” ask a Godly believer who does not dress the way that I do if my clothing is too revealing (too tight, too short, etc).

 Commitment #3: I commit to confess each time I view pornography or have any form of sexual contact with someone (not my spouse) to the same trusted friend (who embraces this covenant).  I commit to register with the technology of choice that promotes the wisdom and safety of accountability whether or not I struggle with pornography.

Accountability software:

www.covenanteyes.com ($2.50 per month), www.x3watch.com (free), www.integrity.com (free), www.accountable2you.com (free)

Commitment #4: I commit to hold any confession of my friend’s failure in strict confidentiality.  If I do speak it to another, then I commit to tell the one who confessed their sin to me.  The one who breaks confidence should confess it also to the one to whom he breaks confidence.

Commitment #5: If I “repeatedly” stumble in immorality, I will show fruit of repentance by going with my friend to confess to the leadership and then accept the boundaries that they give me.

Commitment #6:  I commit to share with the leadership if my friend “repeatedly” stumbles in immorality.  I will first tell my friend before going to leadership to convince him to go with me.  I refuse to yield to “unsanctified mercy” that allows sin to increase in my friend’s life.

Commitment #7:  For Leaders. I commit to follow through on the process of bringing those who continue in immorality to the appropriate discipline without offering “unsactified mercy.”

We must make a personal committment to one another, that we will never bring public shame upon anyone who repents.   We hope to never uncover anyone’s sin publicly.  There are many levels of discipline which do not require public exposure.

If you’ve decided to take this Purity Covenant, we’d like it if you leave us a message here and let us know.  Be blessed.

1) To draw near to the Lord.  We love prayer and fasting here at the Revolution Brigade.  We pray for revival.  We fast for the Lord to raise up an army of young people who will be totally sold out for the cause.  But, the revival is not the reward for prayer and fasting.  The movement is not the reward.  The reward is the intimacy with Jesus that we get from removing the barriers of the flesh from between us and Him.   Revival and the Militant Faith Movement are just nice byproducts of our awesome relationship with Jesus.  Radical Christianity is more about the King than it is about the Kingdom.

2) Raise a Prophetic Army. We believe that it is the Lord’s desire to raise an end-time prophetic army that will burn with a pure passion and devotion to His cause.  We believe that this army of prayer warriors will be instrumental in ushering in the coming of Christ because of their fanatical devotion to the bridegroom God.  We exist to recruit, train, and equip the forward-most elements of this army.  Radical Christianity is about strapping on your combat boots and doing something for God.

3) Expeditionary Love. We eat, sleep, and breathe a love for the nations.  We desire to see the knowledge of God’s glory fill the whole Earth, as the water covers the seas.  We will get “expeditionary” in our love for the nations.  In other words, we’ll go places and do things that will cause the nations to turn to Christ.  We’re raising an Army.  Armies fight.  We will contend for the nations through crack squads of intercessory masters, raised up and equipped through the anointing of the Holy Spirit for world-changing prayer.  Radical Christianity is about exporting God’s love to the entire world.

4) Awaken a sleeping generation.  If the Revolution Brigade is the “spiritual special forces” of the coming Nazarite Army, then the rest of the generation will be the general infantry.  We believe that this generation is the “valley of bones” spoken of in Ezekiel chapter 37, and we are prophesying to them to wake up, stand up, and receive flesh.  The world sees dry bones, but we see an army.  Radical Christianity is about seeing with the Lord’s eyes and believing in people.

You don’t know who you’re messing with.  This thing is for real.  The Militant Faith Movement is on the scene.

I believe that we have arrived at a pivotal moment in history.  The stage is set for the rise of the Lord’s end-time prophetic army.  Never has a generation of young people been so apathetic, so calloused, and so disinterested in the things of God.  My belief is that this generation IS a valley of dry bones, wasting away beneath the hot sun of the status quo and waiting for a prophet to speak life into them.

“I’m just radical enough to believe that God can use me as the prophet.”

Radical Christianity was intended for every single believer who ever accepted Jesus into their heart.  The very nature of the gospel is radical.  Radical love.  Radical sacrifice.  Radical power.  Jesus revolutionized a culture in the space of three years of public ministry because of the uncompromising, in-your-face nature of the truth that He spoke.   He was a revolutionary.

We tend to think of radical Christians as fringe dwellers, way out on the edge of faith and purity with their fasting and devotion, their love and belief in the Word of God.   In truth, every single human being was intended to go off the deep end in their journey with the God who created us all.  Radical faith is not an innovation.  It’s the way life was intended to be by the giver of life.

You’re looking at prayer and fasting as a major imposition and interruption to your life, but the truth is that if you’re not praying and fasting you’re not yet living life the way that it was intended to be lived.  You’re not sold out yet because you’ve not yet experienced Jesus as the center of your being.  He was never intended to be “fit in” to your schedule, marginalized by your endless to-do list.

Radical Christianity is for YOU.  It’s for all of you.  Every one of you.  Period.

radical: thoroughgoing or extreme, esp. as regards change from accepted or traditional forms: a radical change in the policy of a company.

Christian: literally, little Christ; of, pertaining to, or derived from Jesus Christ or His teachings.

Radical Christianity is not a tool for terrorizing the nation.  It’s an extreme application of the basic biblical teachings of Jesus.  Prayer, fasting, extreme worship, and total consecration.  Radical Christianity is a commitment to live above the influence of “religion” and pursue relationship with Jesus.

Matthew 11:12 tells us that, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.”  The violence mentioned here is fervency of spirit, devotion to apprehending the fullness of God’s glory on Earth, and commitment to the calling of the bride of Christ.  Prayer and fasting has the same effect on the spiritual realm that a bomb has on the physical realm.

When I think of a radical christian, I think of somebody who loves the Kingdom more than he loves himself.   I think of somebody who’s willing to do anything to draw nearer to Jesus.   I think of a person who will stop at nothing to see the nations discipled.  I think of somebody who is willing to devote their time, money, and blood to the cause of the kingdom.

Radical Christians believe that when the Word says it, that settles it.  It’s amazing, but I sometimes think that most Christians don’t think the bible is true.

Radical Christians pray reckless prayers like “God, give us the nations.”  They are also willing to go out and reap the harvest.

Radical Christians spend more time in prayer than on the Xbox.

Radical Christians devour God’s word.  They can’t get enough.

Radical Christians love radically.  Jesus loved the world with perfect compassion, and gave himself for it.

Radical Christians would rather save money for a missions trip than buy a new pair of shoes.

You get the point.

I’m going to revive an old principle here, and most of you will blatantly reject it.  I’m fine with that.  I already know that you think you know best about your life, and that’s probably the attitude that has resulted in the situation in which you currently find yourself.  I pray that you will find peace.  But, for some of you, you’ll hear what I have to say here today and it will change your life.

You’ve asked yourself, “Why do my relationships never seem to work out?  Why can’t I find that special someone?  Am I supposed to be alone?”

My answer is not the kind that people talk about at parties.  The conciliatory response of, “Don’t worry, you’ll find somebody eventually” will not be uttered here today.  My belief, and the belief of many who associate with me, is that some people are not supposed to be married, have kids, and live happily ever after.

Some people are called to be eunuchs for the Kingdom of God.

I submit that the reason you’ve never been able to find a partner who lives up to your standard is because you’ve been fearfully and wonderfully made by a creator who set his own perfection in your heart as your default standard for love.  You were created to transcend the limits of “worship” and find romance with your creator.  You’re called to be a warrior, totally devoted to nothing but your King, who will also become your husband in the last days.

I’ve actually heard a gay man tell me, “I’m gay.  I just never liked girls, you know?”  That doesn’t mean you’re gay!  It means that you were intended to devote your life to something else besides the status quo of a wife, a dog, and 2.5 children.  You were supposed to engage the globe with the Gospel of Christ.  Did the thought ever occur to you that God didn’t want you to have a wife so that you could be free to travel to Zimbabwe on a moment’s notice for the Kingdom?  Come on!

I swear to you, if these words are registering with you today, you will never find happiness outside of Jesus.  You have a God-shaped hole in your being, and no man or woman will ever fill it.  You might as well surrender now and live loved.

God loves you with a perfect love, and you will begin to grasp the extent of that love when you totally devote your life to worshipping Him.  Prayer, fasting, and late nights of fervent worship will replace myspace, facebook, and the bar and club scene.  Why?  Because true love causes you to change things.  Mark my words.

If this is you, ask me how it works.

What’s interesting to me is that these people live this sort of uncompromising life with relatively little higher purpose, other than brotherhood and good music.  I tell you the truth, if I could get my hands on some Christian teens who are willing to dedicate themselves to this type of purity and devotion, mix in a little prayer and fasting, we could raise up an army that would totally revolutionize the culture of our country.

In my opinion, the straight edgers have several character traits that are in high demand in the kingdom.  They display a tenacity, energy, and focused devotion that put most of us to shame.   They obviously have no problem living according to a moral code.  They live more righteously than most christians I know. They major in brotherly love, at least towards other straight edgers.  Two thousand years later, the church is still working on that one.

My question has always been, “Why aren’t these people part of the kingdom?”  I think it’s a natural progression for people of such radical purity to wonder about God.  If straight edgers ever got ahold of the kingdom message, their radically pure and devoted lifestyle would yeild to them power to perform signs, wonders, miracles, and to do exploits for the Kingdom.  So, how have we failed to bring them in?

Simple.  The church has offered a pre-packaged form of godliness totally lacking in power and relevance to these people, and straight edgers have seen right through the facade.  We can’t expect to conform them to our version of “church.”  They simply will not wear shirt and tie to church on Sunday morning and coexist.  They are radical, and they need a radical expression of worship.

I’ve been weeping in prayer for these young people all night.  I see such potential in them, and yet they live in a counterfeit form of righteousness.  I pray that the Lord would draw them to this post, and that those who come here would have the courage to ask the question, “Is there something more beyond self-discipline?”

It’s tough being young. Believe it or not, I was young once also. I remember having been told by the good folks over at the first church that I ever attended that “all things come with time” and that “when I grow up I would make a great preacher.” Then, one day, I stumbled upon this scripture.

In the context of the verse, Paul is telling Timothy not to allow people to look down upon him because he was young. You see, Timothy was a young man, some sources say he was even younger than most of his congregation. Still, Paul encouraged him to keep on keeping on.  Here are three reasons why you can do anything that the Lord has put in your heart to do:

1. Philippians 4:13- “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”  The bible tells us that we can do anything through Christ, who lives in us.  Because you’ve accepted Jesus into your life, you have access to His miracle working power.  It lives within you.  You can do anything that the Lord has placed into your heart because He is with you!

2. Ephesians 3:20- ” Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us…”  This scripture tells us that God can and will do things that will blow your mind, and he wants to do it with and through you.  That’s why the last part of the verse talks about the “power that works within us,” which is Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our life.

3. Acts 17:6- “But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” God wants you to turn the world upside down.  He knows that you won’t achieve that goal unless He gives you power to accomplish things that would seem absurd to the world.  If your vision isn’t revolutionary, get a bigger vision.

I challenge you to pray about what God wants you to do for the Kingdom.  Instead of limiting His power and putting Him in the “box” of traditional thinking, pray about your destiny as if nothing were impossible.  The Lord has power to work miracles.