The lies of the evil one—a lesson in self-defence

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” Such was the Bible text from 1 John 4: 1, 4, which formed the basis of Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider’s sermon on 10 January 2016 in Uyo, Nigeria.

Doing everything with God

“The Spirit from below does whatever he can to separate the believer from God,” was the basic message of the divine service. “And this spirit can only be conquered if God is great in one’s own heart.” Concerning this, the Chief Apostle cited five examples.

Lie number one: “You do not need God. You can become like Him. You will manage just fine without Him.” The serpent already whispered these thoughts to man at the beginning of their history. In order “to resist this, we must do as children do. A child knows that it needs its parents, because there are many things the child cannot do on its own. There are so many things that we cannot understand, know, or do without God.—The fact is: we need God and do not want to do anything without Him.”

Liberating faith from earthly purposes

Lie number two: “If you do not have success, if you are sick, if you have no money, then your faith is simply not great enough.” This spirit seeks to bind our faith to earthly life. It was in this manner that Satan attempted to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. But the Son of God always responded with the words of His Father, because that was what lived in His heart. “Seek first the kingdom of God,” said the Chief Apostle in reference to Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33. “This is what lives in us, and it is for this reason that we do not pursue any earthly purposes with our faith.”

Trusting in the strength of Christ

Lie number three: “Jesus isn’t telling the truth. His gospel will not work in my situation.” The adversaries of God appear very powerful today, and often scoff at believers. Yet in the awareness that His God was guiding the battle for him, David already triumphed over Goliath in his time. “Jesus, His love, and His Spirit tell us, ‘Trust in Jesus Christ. No one is as perfect and strong as He is. In the end He will gain the victory!'”

Remaining faithful to Jesus out of love

Lie number four: “My master is delaying his coming. He is slack concerning His promises.” Mary had been given the promise that the kingdom of her Son would have no end. And as He ended His life on the cross, everything seemed wrong. “But she remained with Jesus because she loved Him.” We too remain with Him because we love Him. Our love for Jesus Christ is greater than any other.”

Allowing ourselves to be prepared by Apostles

Lie number five: “These are not true Apostles! They have no power.”—”The Apostle ministry of the present day does not prove itself by working miracles,” said the Chief Apostle, and then went on to apply this to some issues of a regional character. “Our answer to this is, ‘I am aware that these men are not perfect, but they believe in their commission. I believe that they can prepare me for the return of Christ.'”

“So those are the spirits against we must battle today,” said Chief Apostle Schneider in conclusion. “But in our hearts, there is one who is greater than he who is in the world. It is for this reason that we are able to resist all of these influences. May this year be a year of victory over all of these things!”