“…And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” Acts 11:26
Did you know that the term Christian was originally used as a derogatory term meant to label believers in Christ in a demeaning way? That’s right, it was meant to mock them as “little anointed ones!” Unbelievers do the same today to believers in Christ! Recently, I heard one of the news media labeling Christians as the “…Taliban of western culture, that they need to be exterminated!”
The Bible says in Isaiah 54:17, that “No weapon formed against us will prosper…” This includes labels. A label is just as much a weapon as the barrage of words that come against Christians all day – every day! The words of fear and intimidation are WEAPONS, and we do have a Covenant responsibility to condemn those tongues that rise against us in judgment. (Isa. 54:17) This is not a passive instruction to God’s people. It is an active, Covenant position that we have with God! I believe however, that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spirits that drive them. When we condemn the tongues that rise against us, we are directing our condemnation to the words of those who speak against us. We shouldn’t let any words spoken against us go unchallenged. We need to speak the Word of God against those words until they are shown to be in the wrong!
Words are not just harmless things that don’t mean anything. Words are powerful! Labels aren’t harmless either. They seek to get you to buy into them. They are meant to subvert our faith, destroy our expectations and make us feel weak, isolated, vulnerable and fearful!
Next time you hear a disparaging remark come your way with a derogatory slur to it, treat it as a weapon formed against you. Treat it as an enemy of your faith! God says that word will not prosper against you, but there is something you have to do too! You need to speak against it and condemn it! The Words of faith that live on the inside of us are more powerful than any words of the enemy! The Word of God will stand forever, but the words of the enemy are lies, and they will perish with the world. 2 Corinthians 10: 4-5, says that we are to “pull down strongholds and every high thing that opposes the knowledge of God!”
When we speak against the words of the enemy, whether they be labels, media lies, deceptive twists of truth, or outright false narratives, we need to counter them all with the Word of God. Paul said that the Word of God is a two-edged sword that cuts to the heart of everything! Let’s start destroying labels by speaking the truth and revealing who Jesus really is, and why we live for Him! Let’s begin to allow the Word of God to define us with the excellence of His wisdom and power! Let’s show the world that Christians aren’t the weak, fearful people they thought we were! When we’re armed with truth and fearlessly speak the truth, it will begin to undo the works of the devil in their lives, and we’ll see this confused and lost nation wake up and come back to life!
With Love,
Pastor Tom