By Festus Ndukwe
Some years ago, we were teaching Spiritual warfare to a class of evangelists and ministers in Benin Republic.
As I began to speak on the blood of Jesus as one of the believer’s spiritual weapons of his warfare, and opened to 2Kings.3:27 with reference to the Moabite King that took his eldest son and dashed him upon the wall as an offering, I saw the eyes of some of the evangelists pop up.
They literally stopped the class. They said in their history a reigning king or chief had built the wall in their town with human blood. To get the quantity needed to build the wall round the town so much blood might have been shed. They said it had brought darkness to their land, and that with what I was saying they were going back to apply what I was teaching to bring deliverance to their land.
What was I telling them? I told them that to build His Church that will stand the gates of hell, God needed a foundation, a Stone that is tested and precious for all time. This Stone is Christ. Christ laid the foundation of our faith with His blood, and the enemy cannot violate it. That is why when ministers trivialize the Gospel to just money, breakthrough and buying expensive shoes, it is an insult to God. That is why the enemy, through all the false religions around, is harassing the Church.
Instead of building with Christ we are building God’s Church with Prosperity Gospel. Other blood, be it that of human, cow, goat, chicken is corruptible, having been corrupted by sin, but Christ’s blood is not. His blood is without spot and blemish. That is why He was qualified to redeem mankind, not with gold but with His blood, in other words, His life, 1Pet.1:18, 19.
That the cross or the blood of Christ has power to save and secure looks foolish, and so offends some people. For others the blood of Jesus is not sufficient, so they must give seed faith to a man of God or employ prayer contractors and consultants to undo what ancestors had done over the years.
What did the ancestors sacrifice to bind generations after them? At most, they sacrificed corn, yam, chicken or at most human blood. What did God sacrifice to build His Church? God sacrificed the blood of God, that is, Christ. The blood of chicken, or human, and that of God, which one is greater? You know the answer.
But why are some Christians afraid when the heathen sprinkle the blood of Chicken or whatever blood at a junction or their office? Why do they call ministers to come and anoint the place? And why do they disturb the neighborhood with fire prayers? Very painful.
Jesus told Peter: “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, Mt.16:18.
Christ laid our lives’ foundation with His blood. Any power that must get to us must undo or circumvent the blood, and it is impossible. Brethren, in the face of opposition, let us bring the superior claim of Christ’s blood over and above every contrary claim of the enemy. When the enemy is saying that he is not releasing the soul of an unbeliever of whatever genre or your family member, stand on your secure position in Christ and establish the superior claim of the blood over that soul and command him to be released.
When the enemy says because of the sin you committed in the past, even if it is murder, abortion or whatever your ancestors have done- that you will not make progress in life or they will take your life or that of a family member, tell him he is a liar, that Christ paid it all, and bring this superior claim of the blood of Jesus. Show him the invoice of the purchase by the blood of Christ and make your claim.
Those evangelists in Benin Republic went back and established the superior claim over every contrary claim that had harassed their land. They even invited us to one of their rural villages to teach more on Spiritual warfare, a meeting where a mad man was instantly healed.
If the Lord permits, next time we will look at another spiritual foundation and rock that many stumble over- the Cross. The Lord help us focus on Christ and Him crucified. Therein lies the power of the Church.