The Best Defense
There’s an old adage that says “The best defense is a good offense.” The idea behind this saying is that by causing the opposition to remain in a defensive position they will not be able to mount an offensive against you. It’s actually pretty cool. And it works! It’s true.
In the context of Christianity, it means that if we keep our enemy on the defensive, he will be less likely to be on the offensive against us. Unfortunately, The Church has often found itself on the defensive. We seldom operate offensively. We tend to naturally take up a defensive position against our enemy. Let me give you a couple of examples of what I mean.
Prayer
Our prayers are more naturally voiced in response to an attack on us or someone we know. When someone we know gets sick, we pray for them. When we face a difficult situation in life, our first line of defense is, and should be, prayer. When our bank account gets low, we pray. When things get tough at work, we pray. When our relationships fall apart, we pray.
Don’t get me wrong – prayer is the proper response to all these situations. But more often than not, these are the only times we pray. Or at least the only subjects that we pray about. I know that in my personal prayer time, it’s hard to think of anything to pray about when things are going great. It’s when I face some opposition that my prayer life really comes alive! When I’m going through something tough, I have plenty to pray about.
Victim Mentality
Social media has provided a means for all of us to be heard. Got a beef with someone? Just jump on Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat and let the world know about it. Social media opens a window that allows others a glimpse into our lives. Family or friends that we’ve lost touch with over the years can instantly reconnect with us via Facebook. Got something to brag about? Post a picture on Instagram and all of your friends can instantly celebrate with you.
Another aspect of social media is that it also provides a collective voice for groups of people. People with similar beliefs or values can join with other like-minded individuals to lend their voice of support or opposition to whatever cause they believe in. This includes Christianity. Christians from all over the globe can join to express their solidarity in opposition to whatever evil is besetting us at the moment. The problem is, we seldom express our solidarity unless it is in opposition to something. We’re reactive instead of being pro-active. We wait until the news reports tell us that someone or something is infringing on our rights as Christians to worship freely. Then we all jump on the soapbox in defiance of the enemy.
A Good Offense
We’re all familiar with the popular Christian soapboxes against abortion, or forcing Christian business people to bake cakes for non-Christians, or complaints about how “they” took prayer out of schools. While these are all noble social issues, they are not the real problem. These are all symptoms of the deeper issue. We can attack symptoms all we want, but new ones will rise in their place as long as we continue to be manipulated into addressing symptoms and failing to address the root cause of these things. The real issue is not abortion, or being gay, or whether we have organized prayer in our schools. The real issue is sin.
As long as we continue to wait for the enemy to make a move and then move in opposition to that action, we are being kept on the defensive. In case you haven’t been watching the news, let me point out that the world is in pretty sad shape. There is a world that suffers terribly because they have collectively rejected Christ. THAT is the real problem.
What if, instead of waiting for the enemy to attack us and then praying against that attack, we were proactive and went after him? The truth is, many, if not all, of these social issues could be cleared up in a decade if we as Christians did just one thing. Yep. It’s that simple. Just one thing. And it’s something that Jesus himself gave us as a mandate. Make disciples.
If we went on the offensive and began making disciples like Jesus told us to do, how many of these social issues would take care of themselves? I can tell you that no one has taken prayer out of schools. As long as there are exams, there will be prayer in schools. But how different would it be if our schools were filled with Christians? What if being a Christian was considered not only normal but desirable by others? What if the non-Christians were the minority? What if?
As long as we remain in a defensive posture to the enemy’s work, we will continue to be on the fringes of our culture and ineffective. The Church was never intended to be defensive in nature. That’s not to say we will never see times of having to counter an attack defensively. But we should not live in a defensive state, only reacting to a move of the enemy. The Church was placed in a position of authority by Christ and left with a mandate to make disciples of everyone. Being a Christian should be the standard in society. It’s time that we, The Church, step up to our God-given mandate and purpose and move from a defensive posture to an offensive one.
Tom Rawlings
Tom Rawlings is an author, speaker and church leadership expert. Tom works with churches and church leaders to develop sound principles for church health. For questions, or to inquire about having Tom speak to your church or group, please click the button below.
