Are You Part of the Resistance?

In France, during World War ll there was a group of civilians who resisted the takeover of their country by Hitler. The French Resistance (French: La Résistance) was a collection of groups that fought the Nazi occupation of France and the collaborationist Vichy régime in France during the Second World War. Resistance cells were small groups of armed men and women (called the Maquis in rural areas) who conducted guerrilla warfare and published underground newspapers. They also provided first-hand intelligence information, and escape networks that helped Allied soldiers and airmen trapped behind Axis enemy lines.

These groups were not trained for this, but their convictions drove them to become battle-ready soldiers and expert spies. The battle came to their homeland and they had to either give in or resist and they resisted. We as believers have for far too long just gone along and not fought this battle on a spiritual front and now the battle has come to us more and more every day. We need each other to fight this battle and our unity is vital to each of us being able to fight more effectively. Look at what Peter wrote about this battle in 1 Peter 5:8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. There will be some who do not believe that we have a battle. Some believe there is no enemy out there, and some believe that the battle is here where we live. The latter group is the most informed group and we all need to join in with them and their intelligence.

The above scripture gives us a battle plan that needs to be followed by all who realize the enemy is in our midst. 1. Stay alert! Do not get lulled to sleep in an apathetic world that is just "cruising" with no purpose or vision. 2. Look out for the enemy. If you are looking you can see the enemy movements very quickly and know what to do to thwart the enemy. 3. If you see scarey things happening around you, don't be scared because our God is faithful and He will fight for us. 4. We are called to stand firm in the face of adversity. We can do a lot of behind-the-scenes battles like praying for victory, building up our fellowship, and coming alongside those who are drifting. The truth in the above verse is we are all going through this battle so we must bond together in unity and fight the good fight together. What doesn't need to happen is to fight among our ranks with our brothers and sisters in the faith and we must resist the tendency to tear each other down because we are falling into the enemy's hand when we do that.

The main thing is do not fold. Do not give in to the enemy's threats and do not let the enemy in our camp, because he will destroy our fellowship from the inside out!! Paul realized this since he had seen both sides of this battle and here is what he said to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters,[a] by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

It is never too late to become one and rally the resistance. Here is what happened among those who were part of the resistance in World War 2. During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them. Among the Brethren assemblies, half complied and half refused. Those who went along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not faced harsh persecution. In almost every family of those who resisted, someone died in a concentration camp. When the war was over, feelings of bitterness ran deep between the groups and there was much tension. Finally, they decided that the situation had to be healed. Leaders from each group met at a quiet retreat. For several days, each person spent time in prayer, examining his own heart in the light of Christ's commands. Then they came together. Francis Schaeffer, who told of the incident, asked a friend who was there, "What did you do then?" "We were just one," he replied. As they confessed their hostility and bitterness to God and yielded to His control, the Holy Spirit created a spirit of unity among them. Love filled their hearts and dissolved their hatred.

The Pilgrimage Continues

David Warren