The Spiritual Battle of Remnants 12/1/2024
Eternal Answer of 1st, 2nd, 3rd RUTC:
The Spiritual Battle of Remnants 12/1/2024
If even one remnant like David is raised, he can revive a crumbling field, save a church under fierce attack, and restore an age covered in darkness. David was a remnant prepared by God, and more than that, he became the commander leading the Israelite army. It’s hard to believe that a teenage remnant could be used in such a way. Many things that God does surpass human standards and understanding. From there, our true faith must arise.
Ultimately, it was God who raised him, made him fight, and turned him into a masterpiece that saved the age. In this age, we are called as the remaining ones, the remnants (Romans 11:4).
How did such a remnant arise, and what kind of battle did he fight? Why is this recorded in the Bible? It is because it is a blessing that we need to enjoy. Here are three works that God accomplished.
- God raised Samuel first to use David. Who was he?
1) He was someone who loved the covenant and was trained to have no choice but to hold firmly to it for all his life.
① His beginnings were rooted in the prayers and vows of his mother, Hannah. Hannah was a woman who fervently prayed to have a son (1 Samuel 1:2-16). This is why the covenant and prayers held by parents are important (this is also the reason for infant baptism). The child reflects the parent.
② Eli, the priest who blessed and supported Hannah and Samuel. As we know, Eli did not particularly have spirituality. He was not successful in educating his own children (1 Samuel 2:22-25). Yet God used this servant to bless Hannah with a child (1 Samuel 1:17) and placed Samuel under his care, raising him near the Ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel 3:3). He even taught Samuel how to hear God’s voice (1 Samuel 3:9).
③ This is the role of God’s servants. God raises His servants to teach and bless God’s people. Do not expect perfection from servants of God. Believe that they were raised to bless you, and when you believe and hold onto the words they deliver, God’s works will arise (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
2) Samuel prepared a remnant disciple like David to face the time of crisis. Are the times difficult? Remnants must firmly hold on, for God has prepared you for such a time.
① Remnants are the ones prepared by God to be used during times of crisis. God doesn’t need many people. He can use one person to replace a thousand or ten thousand (Isaiah 60:22).
② Do not be deceived by numbers or appearances. What is revealed or visible is not everything. That is why God looks at the heart, not outward appearances (1 Samuel 16:7).
3) Samuel was a servant who resolved to never cease praying (1 Samuel 12:23), establishing the bartizan of prayer.
① If we pray without ceasing, God will also send angels who work without rest (Isaiah 62:6-7). Even if you lack everything else, do 24-hour prayer. Make time for personal time of concentration with God. Hold onto that and enjoy it 24 hours.
② Our children feed on our prayers, and our remnants feed on the prayers of all church officers and believers. They grow through the spiritual power, spiritual grace and answers that come from our prayers (absolute, unexchangeable background).
- Through David, who was raised by this Samuel, What warfare did God accomplish? God accomplished three battles through David. Believers must prepare for and live these three battles. The believers are the watchmen (Ezekiel 3:17), God’s army (Exodus 12:41, Ezekiel 37:19), and soldiers of Christ (2Timothy 2:3).
1) Spiritual warfare against Satan. The word “Satan” in Hebrew originates from “satam,” meaning adversary or tormentor. Satan tempts and torments believers, as he did with Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. However, Christ, as the King, crushed Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15) and destroyed his works (1 John 3:8).
2) Summit warfare against Satan. Satan holds power over this world’s principalities and authorities (Ephesians 6:12). He raises unbelievers as summits in various fields to dominate the world and oppress God’s people. In the passage, Satan ridicules God’s people through mighty Goliath (1 Samuel 17:43). To stand against these powers, He raised David as the spiritual summit, skill summit, and culture summit that possess the mystery of 300%.
3) Future warfare through David.
① When David arose, he gave courage to the people during a time of crisis (remnants must save the older generation). That is only the beginning. Through many suffering and crises, the real time schedule of God comes.
② Later, God raised David to be the king, and through him, He raises up the nation of Israel. Through his descendants, world evangelism is fulfilled. This is what David truly restored when he overcame Goliath. God is the God above all nations. This is what David restored through all suffering (Psalm 2:8, Psalm 22:27, Psalm 57:9-11). God allowed David to realize that God is the one to be glorified in all nations and peoples (blessing of evangelism and missions).
- From now on, we must engage in three specific battles to raise such remnants.
1) The battle of the gospel.
① “I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45). Are you faced with weaknesses? Have you failed? Have you been met with shame? Rise up again for Satan’s to see and begin anew (Psalm 60:1-2).
② The gospel is the mystery that surpasses myself (scars, failures, destiny), the world, and the authority of Satan. That authority is Christ Himself. He sets us free with the authority of the Priest (Colossians 1:13-14), and promises victory with the authority of King (1John 3:8). With the authority of Prophet, he became our eternal way and future (John 14:6). The solution to overcome all things is the gospel.
2) The battle of prayer. “The whole world will know that there is a God in Israel” (1 Samuel 17:46).
① Prayer is the only way to overcome oneself (2 Corinthians 10:4) and the forces of darkness (Mark 9:29).
② Prayer is the only way to change the flow (Psalm 62:6-7). There are good flows and bad flows. There are flows of light and flows of darkness. Prayer transforms all flows. Even if there is one person that prays in the family, that person becomes the bartizan to save the family. Same goes for the church. That is why we pray for missions fields. With transcendence of time and space, we are transforming the flows.
⓷ Without prayer, we cannot do great things. On the other hand, prayer has power to change the world (Jeremiah 33:2-3).
3) The battle of evangelism and missions. “It is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves” (1 Samuel 17:47). What is evangelism and missions? It is telling others that salvation comes from only the Lord (Romans 10:14). For this evangelism and missions, God will make everything in our lives into evidence (Acts:1:8). Then, the end will come.
Conclusion – As the end times approach, we will hear constant news of wars (Matthew 24:7). May you stand as a true victor in spiritual warfare.