thoughtlife

Missional Warfare: Representing the King

A primary difficulty in understanding the Kingdom of God is its already/not yet nature.

Scripture gives various indications that the Kingdom of God is a reality which is already “here”

and active on some level. In Matthew 10:7, Jesus instructs his disciples to go and preach saying

“the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” and in Luke 17:21 He says that the Kingdom of God is in their midst- implying that the Kingdom has come on the scene.

Though this present Kingdom has come in Christ, it is not yet fully present in our experience.

The full manifestation of the Kingdom is something Christ told his disciples to pray for and thus it is

anticipated as yet a future reality. In Matthew 6:10 the prayer Jesus taught his disciples reads,

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Christ’s disciples were told to

pray that the Kingdom would come and break into the darkness. They knew that God was

ultimately reigning as King of all, but that this reign was not fully realized by humans on earth. In

fact, the human experience is such that God’s reign appears to be continuously challenged by the

forces of evil. The suffering, injustice, and evil that is characteristic of the Kingdom of darkness

and pervades our world is so overwhelming that one is often left wondering if God’s Kingdom is

truly triumphant. And yet, compassion, justice, love, and goodness are relentlessly breaking into

the darkness at all times. The Kingdom of God is here and yet it is not yet here completely. The

war is not over.

The fact that the Kingdom of God is yet to be fully manifest indicates that the war between

the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of darkness is still being waged on some level. If the

Kingdom of God were fully manifest, then the Kingdom of darkness and all its effects would be

fully defeated. However, evil remains and so the war is still on. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:10-12:

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the

Devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers,

against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual

forces of wickedness in the heavenly

places

.”

The entire bible is wrought with the language of war and it views the entire scope of reality

as a cosmic conflict between the Kingdom of God and The Kingdom of Satan/darkness. In

attempting to formulate a theological foundation for a Kingdom church, this paper does not

attempt to put forth an exhaustive apologetic for the existence of either of the kingdoms. Nor

does it attempt to theologically or philosophically clarify the exact nature of the two Kingdoms. In

other words, the paper does not try to clarify the already/not yet reality of the Kingdom of God,

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nor does it seek to explain how the Kingdom of darkness is defeated and yet is still a real

problem. Rather, it assumes that the conflict of these two kingdoms is a foundational aspect of

reality and human experience and it attempts to offer insight into the role of the Kingdom church

as an army on a mission for Jesus, the King, as He advances His Kingdom through His people.

Therefore, this paper will attempt to show that the call of the Kingdom church is to engage in

missional warfare for the King. This engagement is not with weapons of the world but it is a battle

in the realm of ideas and their consequences. It is a battle to destroy the works of the evil one

who is the father of lies. It is a battle to demolish false ideas that result in evil action and to

promote the truth of God which results in goodness. The mission of the Kingdom church is to act as

a representative of the King to the world by testifying to the truth of Christ and ministering

reconciliation. This representation is most effectively accomplished when Christ’s army is: 1.

Growing in substantive knowledge in order to better understand the person of the King and the

content of His message; 2. Growing in strategic knowledge in order to wisely communicate the

King’s personal message in context; 3. Growing in experiential knowledge- being personally

transformed by the knowledge of the King and His message in order to help demonstrate the

veracity of the message as a credible messenger of it.

The Missional Warfare of the Kingdom Church

The call of the Kingdom church is to engage in missional warfare. For over a decade now the

term “missional” has grown in popular usage and is understood in a variety of ways. However,

the term used here in connection with the term “warfare” means that everything the church ought

to be and do involves intentionally participating in God’s warfare mission. The war-like nature of

the Kingdom of God, is a theological motif found throughout Scripture as was indicated above.

The Kingdom church therefore has as its core identity and mission to be an army of Christ

worshippers intentionally engaging the darkness at all times and in all places.

The missional warfare of the Kingdom church can be summed up in two general activities. First,

the missional warfare of the Kingdom church involves testifying to the Truth of Christ. In the gospel

of John chapter 18, Pontius Pilate interrogates Jesus and Jesus responds to one of his questions

saying, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants

would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not

of this realm.” Pilate prods a bit more and asks Jesus if he is truly a king. Jesus answers him and

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says, “You say

correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into

the world, to testify to the truth.” Jesus tells Pilate that he is a King and his reason for coming into

the world is to testify to the Truth. In other words, Jesus comes into the world to engage the

darkness by testifying to the Truth. The Kingdom church is thus an army of warriors on a mission

for Jesus to engage the darkness by testifying to the Truth of Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 the apostle Paul states:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of

our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

We are

destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of

God, and

we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

It is interesting that the battle which the church is involved is not a battle using the weapons of the

world. It is a battle in the non-physical realm. It is a battle for the Truth. Paul communicates to the

Corinthians that the warfare the church engages in is a mission to “destroy” false ideas that are

raised up against the knowledge of the true God and to “take captive” every idea to make it

obedient to the Truth- which is found absolutely in the person of Christ.

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Second, the missional warfare of the Kingdom church involves the ministry of reconciliation. It is

interesting that the warfare of the church is ultimately a mission of reconciliation- a mission to

make enemies friends. Paul writes in Romans 5:10, “For while we were enemies we were

reconciled to God through the death of His Son.” This reconciliation “rescued us from the domain

of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” Also, in his second letter to

the Corinthians, Paul says that God “reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the

ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not

counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” In

other words, God’s mission is to reconcile His human enemies to Himself- transferring them into His

own Kingdom out of enemy territory and enlisting them as new recruits into the ministry of

reconciliation.

Therefore, warriors of the King on mission as members of the Kingdom church are to act as

representatives of the King to the world by testifying to the truth of Christ and ministering

reconciliation. To most effectively represent the King in battle, His representative warriors must

grow in substantive knowledge, strategic knowledge, and experiential knowledge.

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John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”

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Substantive Knowledge

Representatives of the Kingdom of God stand between the world and the King with a

message to communicate from the King. The substantive knowledge that is required to be an

effective representative of the King includes knowledge of the message as well as knowledge of

the One whose message is being carried. This substantive knowledge is obtained primarily from

specific revelation contained in Scripture, but is also learned from the general revelation of

creation. The greater the intellectual understanding of the King, His creation, and His message of

reconciliation will inevitably help the follower of Christ to more effectively represent the King. If

the Christ follower, as a representative of the King, is to testify to the truth and minister

reconciliation, he must have specific knowledge of what is actually true and false about God and

His message.

Areas in which the Christ follower can grow in substantive knowledge are endless. The

potential subject matter for this knowledge is all of reality. However, the two primary areas of

knowledge to pursue include: knowledge of God and knowledge of God’s message of

reconciliation (a.k.a. the gospel).

Knowledge of God

To be an effective representative of the King, an accurate knowledge of the King is essential.

This knowledge includes the existence and attributes of God revealed in Christ as made known in

both Scripture and creation.

Knowledge of God’s message

To be an effective representative of the King, an accurate knowledge of God’s message is

required. What is this message? It is God’s message of reconciliation- the good news of the

Kingdom. It is God’s message of salvation for humanity summed up in Romans 6:23- “For the

wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Also, the

Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that God “made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin

to be sin on our

behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. This great exchange with

Christ- our sin for His life is at the heart of God’s message of reconciliation.

The good news message is rather simple, however, it is not simplistic and thus a thorough

understanding of God’s message of reconciliation is important for growing in substantive

knowledge. The message involves an understanding of the human problem and God’s solution.

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The Human Problem- The Story of Sin

The first humans, Adam and Eve, fell into sin as a result of a personal choice to disobey God’s

command.

2 Before this personal choice of self over God, humanity was in intimate communication

with God bearing the fullness of His image and likeness. After the fall, the image of God in man

was marred and his nature became corrupt. Thus, he became unable to encounter God as before.

Because of sin, nobody in the flesh is able to please God.

3 The sinful activity which presses out

from a corrupt nature causes a separation from God that cannot be fixed without the grace of

God.

4 This spiritual inability of a human being to make himself right with God is an effect of his

sin nature and is why a movement of God is required to bring reconciliation and redemption.

God’s Solution- The Story of Salvation

Because of the human condition, a movement of God is necessary to bring fallen men and

women into a right relationship with Himself. This movement of God is the story of salvation which

ultimately started in eternity past. It is a movement to save men and women from their sins by

taking away their guilt at the cross and by regenerating their corrupt sin nature- imparting God’s

own life to them.

This change in human nature is only possible because of the incarnation of God Himself. In his

infinite knowledge God knew that humanity would fall into sin and planned to make atonement

for those sins.

5 He was motivated by His goodness to send His Son to pay the penalty for sin

demonstrating His great love for mankind.

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Christ’s work on the cross to accomplish human salvation can be understood in various ways.

The Bible says that Jesus Christ on the cross was a substitute for men who died in their place

taking their sins.

7 He was the Lamb of God whose blood was offered as a sacrifice for sin once

for all. Jesus was the propitiation for sin to appeased the wrath of God for those in Him.

8 Christ

also accomplished redemption for His people from condemnation and reconciled them to God.

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As mentioned above, humans are unable to free themselves from their inherited sin nature.

They can only be changed by the grace of God. This change is not a change of the corrupt nature

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Gen 2:16-17; 3:1-19; 1 Tim 2:13-14.

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Rom 8:7-8

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Eph 4:18; Rom 3:9-20,23; 6:16-18; 8:7-10; Titus 1:15-17; 3:3-5; Jer 17:9

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1 Jn 2:2, 4:10

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Heb 8:12; John 3:16; Rom 5:8

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2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 3:13; Isa 53:6,8; Col 2:14

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John 1:29; 36; Heb 9:12-14; Heb 10:10,12; Rom 3:25; Heb 2:17; Rom 5:9; Col 3:6

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Lk 1:68; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14,20; Rom 5:10-11; 2 Cor 5:18-21, Rom 8:1

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itself into something new as the corrupt nature can still be passed on to its posterity. Rather, the

change is an impartation of God’s own life to the human person when the Holy Spirit takes up

residence within. The corruption in the human nature remains, but the nature now has new life

because of the indwelling Spirit of God. At this point, God forgives the guilt of the sinner and

imputes Christ’s righteousness to him. He thus declares him to be righteous in His sight even though

the corruption of his nature remains.

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This righteousness of Christ which is given to us is our new essential identity; it is a gift of God

based solely on His grace which comes through faith and not upon any merit within ourselves.

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“Justified” persons, therefore, are those whom God makes to be members in His family adopting

them as His own children so that now they are able to relate to Him as an intimate Father.

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Strategic Knowledge

The greatness and goodness of the King and His message of hope for humanity, especially the

personal appropriation of it, should give the representatives of the King significant motivation for

communicating His person and work to others. A passion for witness that results from the

knowledge of God and His message is undoubtedly helpful for testifying to the Truth and

ministering God’s message of reconciliation. However, “passion” is not the only thing necessary for

the Kingdom church to effectively engage in missional warfare. It needs strategic knowledge.

The next main area of knowledge necessary to be an effective representative of the King is

strategic knowledge. Strategic knowledge is the kind of knowledge which helps the Christ

follower take his substantive knowledge and communicate it wisely and purposefully with the

world. Where substantive knowledge is more of the intellectual assent to truth claims and involves

the mental digestion of beliefs and ideas such as the content of the message and the character of

the King; strategic knowledge is the practical skill or know how to effectively communicate the

substantive knowledge to people in a way that it can and will be received. Substantive

knowledge is more theoretical asking the question “what is the message?” where as strategic

knowledge is more pragmatic asking the question “how or when is the message best

communicated?” The goal of strategic knowledge is to take the knowledge of God and His

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Rom 3:20-28; 4:3-7; 5:1,17-19; 6:23 8:1, 30-34; 10:4; Gal 2:6; 3:24; Isa 5:23; 1 Cor 1:30; Phil 3:9

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Rom 3:20-26; Rom 5:1; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:7; Gal 2:16; 3:11; 5:4

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John 1:12; Matt 6:9; Gal 4:7; Rom 8:15-16

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message and communicate it winsomely. Not in the sense of slick marketing, but by means of

whatever method is actually effective for the culture in which the message is being communicated.

Strategic knowledge includes such knowledge as the cultural context which the message is to

be presented. This would include knowledge of the language, dominant philosophies in the culture,

worldviews and other cultural beliefs and baseline narratives, etc.. Strategic knowledge also

includes ideas for how the beliefs of the culture would be most effectively engaged with the

gospel. This knowledge might also include how and when to most effectively utilize various forms

of evangelism such as relational, confrontational, and activistic methods in the appropriate

context.

Experiential Knowledge

The third primary area of knowledge essential for the representative of Christ to effectively

engage in missional warfare is experiential or transformational knowledge. This is the knowledge

received by the Christ follower which brings change in his affections. This knowledge results in the

representative of the King growing in virtue. Rather than simply growing in substantive knowledge

which primarily impacts the intellect, the Christ follower is called to move that knowledge from the

mind into the heart- to not simply know about God but to be in relationship with God. The

Christian is not simply to know the content of the gospel message, but to live it out in an authentic

way.

Experiential knowledge does not ask the “what” or “how” questions- it asks the question,

“why?” Why should one believe the message of the King? and Is the messenger himself changed

by the message? As the representative of the King engages the culture, the culture will inevitable

wonder if his claims make any real impact. In other words, do his actions comport with his claims?

The representative is the vessel or package that the substantive and strategic knowledge

come in and so it is partly by means of his character or lack thereof that the message will be

accepted or rejected. Does the character of the King’s representative, reflect the character of the

King and His message? Does he exhibit the fruits of the Spirit? Is he humble, authentic, passionate,

kind, selfless, etc. as the King’s character supposedly is? If the actual impact in the lives of those

who receive the message and thus become messengers is great, then this helps the message to be

received as true by potential new recruits. If the messenger’s actions reflect a life a virtue, then his

words are more likely to be received with credibility.

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How can the representative of Christ grow in the experiential knowledge of God? Growth in

this area of knowledge is often difficult in this culture because the conditions desirable for growth

are divergent from the conditions that define lifestyles in the contemporary society. However,

some ways to encourage growth include: prayer, replacing vice with virtue, practicing spiritual

disciplines such as Scriptural meditation and study, etc. These are all potential ways to facilitate

growth in the experiential knowledge of God for the representative of Christ who seeking to

engage in missional warfare.

Conclusion

This paper has sought to put forth a theological foundation for a Kingdom church as an army

engaged in missional warfare to effectively represent the King in the world. Missional warfare is

the activity of the Kingdom church to participate in God’s conflict against the darkness by

testifying to the truth of Christ and ministering reconciliation. Representatives of the King are most

effective in this missional war if they are: 1. Growing in substantive knowledge to better

understand the person of the King and the content of His message- especially the story of sin and

the story of salvation; 2. Growing in strategic knowledge to thoughtfully and tactfully

communicate the King’s message contextually; and 3. Growing in experiential knowledge of the

King- being personally transformed in character through the message and its Author to become a

more credible and attractive messenger of the gospel.