Spiritual Theft
“and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.” Mark 4:15
Takes Away – If you understand (eido – remember yesterday?) the parable of the sower, then you will understand why there is a war going on over the lost. The first causalities are these poor souls. Satan attacks them as soon as the word reaches them, snatching it away before there is a chance to secure permanent change in perspective. These people never had a chance. The good news was stolen from them eutheos (instantly).
Do we really believe that Jesus speaks the truth? He tells us that the first battle in evangelism is not collecting a mailing list or developing a door-to-door campaign or producing a handy brochure. The first battle in evangelism is to bind the enemy, and that battle can only be accomplished by prayer. If Satan is allowed to prowl the streets, he will snatch away the word. He is a very accomplished thief. His victims will never even know they are missing God’s greatest treasure. He will rob them blind. If we want to stop his first attack, we will have to deal with him, not with his victims. They are pawns in his chess game with God. He is quite willing to sacrifice every one of them in order to insult God’s sovereignty. Do you remember what Jesus said about the strong man? If you are going to plunder Satan’s house, you better overcome the strong man before you step inside the door.
Too often we think that our evangelism efforts fail because we didn’t use the right approach or the right program or the right message. If God can confront a man through the voice of a donkey, it seems quite unlikely that our efforts to spread the good news fail for lack of proper media techniques. It is much more likely that we forgot to take the first step first. This is war! And you don’t go into this battle without proper preparation. If you want to see God’s word return a bountiful harvest, try spending a year or two on your knees before you knock on the first door in the neighborhood. God will accomplish more with you weeping before Him, than all of your plans and concerts and advertising messages will ever do.
Did you notice one other implication of the use of airo (to take away)? The victims of Satan’s attack have no defense. They don’t even see Him coming. Their only hope is you. Unless you enter into the battle on their behalf, they are destroyed. Satan is there, confusing, confounding and castigating the word the very second it arrives. But because you share God’s perspective, because you understand (eido) this parable, you know what needs to be done. You know that the battle is not with the people who resist or the government who declares Christianity illegal. The battle is in high places with the authorities of this dark realm. If you aren’t fighting there, you are wasting your time. You will never rescue the ones robbed blind if you don’t first bind the thief.
Evangelism training begins on your knees. It ends when God tells you that you have prayed enough.
