Ever wonder where Satan was the night Jesus was born? Here’s the chilling answer and a survey of the devil’s war against your redemption in Christ:

http://churchoftheopendoor.com/index.php?s=rs&nid=145567&grpid=24428&grpDetails=true

Living Nativity

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening, weather permitting, we celebrate Christmas on the Hillside of Church of the Open Door with worship centered on the Incarnation of our Savior, Jesus Christ and wrapped around a living nativity scene.

Saint Francis of Assisi is credited with creating the first nativity scene in 1223 (a “living” one) intending thereby to cultivate the worship of Christ. The scene’s popularity inspired communities throughout Christendom to stage similar pantomimes and eventually to create elaborate and ever more elaborate static exhibitions with wax and ivory figurines garbed in rich fabrics set against intricate landscapes.

Another Player

These nativity scenes are accurate, if you’re limiting the players to those described in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, but if you expand the search to include all of the books of the Bible, you discover that one very important personage is missing—important if you want to understand what’s really going on in the universe.

The Bible tells us that there is a war going on that we cannot see with our eyes. Spiritual warfare is the ongoing war between invisible, angelic forces that affect you and me. A biblical view of the universe is this—everything visible and physical is the result of something invisible and spiritual. Christian, we are at war against the forces of evil and the battles are being lived out in our daily lives and the lives of those we love.

And never was that battle raging more intently than that holy night Christ was born away in a manger, in the little town of Bethlehem.

There was someone besides the Mary and Joseph anticipating the birth of the Son of God…an evil one, a liar and a murderer…the devil.

(more…)

A lot of teaching on the armor of God is really detailed and difficult to understand. Here’s my take–simple, everyday, practical ways to put on the armor of God and prepare for the battle.

http://churchoftheopendoor.com/index.php?s=rs&nid=145567&grpid=24339&grpDetails=true

The Discipline of Smelling Smoke

As a young man I fought fire for the US Forest Service. They taught us was the discipline of smelling smoke. It may seem a fire is out, but if you still smell smoke, there’s fire somewhere and you’re living with a false security. If you walk away from that fire, it will rekindle and may burn the forest down.

In the same way, Christians need to learn to smell smoke. Not the type of smoke that would burn down a forest, set off our smoke detectors, or initiate our sprinkler system. But a spiritual smoke, smoke from the pit of hell, the putrid stench of the forces of evil.

The Smoke of Hell

Right now there are hundreds, probably thousands of the invisible beings that inhabit the spiritual world in your immediate area. They are angelic beings with awesome powers to make spiritual war, and they have been sent to the battlefield of your life with specific orders having to do with you and me by their perspective commanders.

Some of these angelic beings have been sent by God Himself to do His bidding—to protect and guard His people on this battlefield in the war for souls. Others of these angelic beings have been sent by Satan to tempt, accuse, and confuse God’s people. These fallen angels the Bible calls demons, and they are here among us this morning to promote division, to encourage doctrinal error, to discourage followers of Christ and slander the name of Christ. Now do you smell the smoke?

(more…)

I asked a seasoned, second generation missionary statesman from Africa to speak to my emerging leaders’ discipleship/mentoring group at Church of the Open Door.

The first question I asked was the last we would have time for: “Herb,” I asked as he stood in front of twelve of the most devoted disciples in our church, “Here is the future of Church of the Open Door. What is the one insight from all of your time planting churches and making disciples among the tribal groups of Africa that you feel is the most significant lesson these young men need to learn?”

He didn’t hesitate:

“The devil is real!”

For the next hour he told stories of spiritual warfare, demonic oppression, and personal battles with the forces of evil.

(more…)

Do you have a place in your home that you just don’t want to think about because it’s so full of junk that even opening the door makes you tired? Maybe it’s that garage, closet or spare room you’ve been promising yourself you’d clean up someday, but you just keep throwing the stuff you don’t know what to do with in there.

When you throw something else in there, you pause for a minute, feel a little guilt and a lot of shame, but turn off the lights and close the door.

“I’ll take care of that later,” you promise yourself.

Most of us would have to admit that there are places in our lives that are the equivalent of those dark rooms full of junk. Junk we don’t know what to do with, so we just turn out the lights and close the door.

“I’ll take care of that later!”

(more…)