Most of the issues we face in life arise from our own failure to confront and battle the gates of hell. Yes, we have failed to confront our enemy — Satan — and tear down those gates he’s established in the world. This is where it gets tricky. How so? Some of us think that Jesus’s finished work at the cross means we no longer have to confront or battle Satan’s kingdom. Yet, the reality remains — Satan’s kingdom, although dealt a death blow by Jesus Christ, remains in full operation unless and until the Church confronts, battles, and tears down his kingdom. That’s what I’d like to talk about in this blog post.
Jesus made this statement in Matthew 16:18, ESV, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Jesus made that statement while speaking to the Apostle Peter: “I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church”. Prior to this point, the Apostle Peter was called Simon. Jesus didn’t accept the Apostle Peter’s given name, Simon, which means, reed; rather, He changed His name to what He truly was, Peter, which means, stone.
...the Church has been more like a Simon, “a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind”.
Like the Apostle Peter, prior to Jesus changing His name and calling him, Peter, the Church has been more like a Simon, “a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind”. Matthew 11:7, NLT. But that is about to change. The Church is about to change. What do I mean? I mean the Church has been given a name. The Church has been viewed as weak, ineffective, within the world. But that will change. How? We’re being given a new name by Christ. Just like the Apostle Peter, we’re going to become “rock solid”.
That’s right! The Church will no longer be shaking in the wind by every wind of doctrine formulated by the Devil. No we’re about to be transformed into a mighty force who can not only confront but battle against and tear down Satan’s kingdom. The Church is about to recover its apostolic and prophetic voice — the voice that shakes hell’s kingdom and grinds it down to powder. And that’s what we need in our day. Why is that? Because, as in the day when Jesus walked the streets of Galilee and visited Caesarea Philippi, which was where the idols of mankind were located, the gates of hell must be confronted with the truth of who Jesus Christ is.
Those idols represented the identity of false beliefs among the people of Jesus’s day. Those false beliefs were the strongholds of their day. False beliefs are still the strongholds of our day. We have accepted false beliefs about who Jesus is. Still, the question remains: “Who do you say I am?” Matthew 16:15, Berean Standard Bible. Our answer to that question, “Who is Jesus Christ?”, will determine what happens in our day just as it determined what happened in their day. That means, we must make every effort to know Him and learn how to share the revelation of His to the world we live in today.
That’s how we defeat Satan’s kingdom. We don’t shadowbox against an invisible enemy.
The Apostles, a ragtag group of Jewish people who believed Jesus was the Messiah, impacted their world with the revelation of Him. They brought that revelation to the far reaches of the known world then. We must do the same. We must carry the revelation of Jesus Christ with us wherever we go and share that revelation of Him with whoever we can. And we must learn to do that in their language. The Apostle Peter did. So did the Apostle Paul. So did the other Apostles. Each spoke the language of the culture they were sent to, and they brought the revelation of Jesus Christ
That’s how we defeat Satan’s kingdom. We don’t shadowbox against an invisible enemy. Rather, we fight the very visible enemy seeking to control the narrative about Jesus Christ, squelch the revelation of Jesus Christ, and silence those called to share the revelation of Jesus Christ. That’s what Satan fears; he fears a Church who has learned to see him and what he is doing because their eyes are fixed on Jesus Christ. Hell fears the answer the Apostle Peter gave Jesus: “You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16, Amplified Bible.
That answer pulverizes Satan’s kingdom; it reduces that kingdom to rubble. Yes, we must raze the gates of hell by raising the revelation of Jesus Christ. That, and that alone, is how Satan’s kingdom can be overcome in our world today. And God is looking for an army of spiritual warriors, revelators, who have gained the revelation of Jesus Christ for our day and are able to communicate that message in the language of today’s culture to deliver this present (and future) generations from bondage to Satan’s thought destructive processes: deception, temptation, and accusation.
That’s how we battle, and defeat, the gates of hell. Yes, it’s possible. Charlie Kirk proved that point by bringing the revelation of Jesus Christ. We can do what he did. We can gain and bring the revelation of Jesus Christ to our generation. They’re waiting! Let’s go above and beyond the call of duty into the calling of Christ. As the Apostle Peter said, “Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.” 1 Peter 3:15-16, Berean Standard Bible.
Bring Christ, the revelation of Him, wherever you go, and you will become an unstoppable believer doing miracles, signs, and wonders in Christ’s name. Always! Everywhere! All the time! Reveal who Jesus Christ is by the Spirit of Christ, the anointing that can and will break every yoke of bondage.
Let us pray!
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