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Spiritual Mapping and Spiritual Warfare seem to be getting more acceptable in our churches these days, but what could be behind these terms? Are they part of acceptable doctrine or could they belong to false doctrine? Billy Graham had a crusade in NYC on the 24th-26th of June 2005 and since he adheres to these practices, it may be worthwhile to take a look at them.
What is spiritual mapping?
"Spiritual mapping is the process of collating and putting spiritual information concerning a region or people on a map. The accumulated data is used in spiritual warfare to seize that region or people group from the enemy." Definition from SPIRITUAL MAPPING, FOR EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE by Diane Buker. http://www.keepersofhisgates.com/spiritualmapping2.htm
The site contains information on how to do spiritual mapping.
Spiritual mappers not only put this information on paper but in computers when mapping out a city or region. One organization called Lighthouse even records personal information that its members can gather about their co-workers, friends and neighbors, those that are not participating in previously surveyed local churches are specially targeted for evangelization, even Christians that no longer may want to attend local churches for doctrinal reasons. This sounds a lot like accounts that East Germans told me about the way that East Germany functioned before the wall fell in 1989. I have another word for this kind of surveillance - SPYING.
Billy Graham, Generals of Intercession (Cindy Jacobs), Campus Crusade for Christ, Ted Haggard, Pastor of New Life Church and co-founder with C. Peter Wagner of The World Prayer Center and those of numerous other ministries hold to a new belief that if we only would pray over a city fervently enough and cast the demons out of it we can "conquor" it for the Lord. This is called spiritual warfare. If this could be so, why hasn't anyone done it in the past? Why did the Twelve Apostles not simply pray the kingdom of God in? If anyone was empowered and enlightened then certainly they were. It would have been much simpler and less painful than constant travelling, being shipwrecked, suffering and being martyred for the faith. In order not to have to adhere to Scripture those forwarding the new movement say that God is doing a "new thing" (according to Isaiah 43:18,19). The adherents to this new intercession belief say that they have already seen results, reduction in crime to name one example, but if these results are compared with police records they turn out to be false. Intercessory prayer is encouraged by Paul in: Ephesians 6:18, Philippians 4:6, and 1 Tim. 2: 1,2. But the way that it is being taught now is in my opinion not what he meant. This new teaching also supposes that those that excell in it, especially the new apostles and prophets, will eventually become immortal not by the coming rapture of the saints but before Jesus should come back. Everything will be perfect and he need only come to claim the kingdom that the saints have already conquored for him.
This is unscriptural. Jesus spoke to us concerning the end time: "Watch out that no one deceives you...You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pangs. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." Matthew 24: 4,6-13. What Jesus tells us here is the exact opposite of the Dominion teaching and Kingdom Now teaching. Instead of peace there will be increased crime and war. Instead of the Church being victorious and overcoming the rest of the world it will be persecuted. If anything that looks like the Church seems to be helping to unite the world in peace; if it seems to be gaining power and influence it will not be the real Body of Christ.
Here is a link about spiritual mapping:
A Misguided Focus on the Demonic by Leanne Payne / Pastoral Care Ministries Newsletter. Spring / Summer 2001:
"For the last three decades we in Pastoral Care Ministries have had to deal with the extraordinarily grievous effects that misguided practices of spiritual warfare have had upon Christian leaders, communities, and families, and most particularly upon children growing up in homes where an all-consuming focus on the demonic has crippled the formation of their minds and imaginations.....These effects include even dissociative identity disorders as well as other emotional and spiritual illnesses. To see evangelical leaders such as C. Peter Wagner and others dress up these unscriptural ideas and methods in pseudo-technical language and then give to them a universal platform has been and continues to be for us among the gravest of concerns."
Here are some articles that question the scriptural validity of the popular form of spiritual warfare and spiritual mapping:
A definition: Apologeticsindex.org
Once on the page go to "Warfare, Spiritual".
Spiritual Mapping by Kent Philpott
"Unhappily I shocked this old friend and "servant-leader" for Marinvision by opting out of the mapping project; I would not be in one accord. If at all possible, I would have liked to have been included. I do not relish standing apart from my colleagues and brothers in Christ. Besides, I knew that to many I would once again be viewed as a "nay-sayer" and a spiritually outdated cynic.....If this were indeed the biblical pattern for evangelism we might expect to see some expression of it in the New Testament. Yes, Paul does speak of principalities, powers, strongholds, but they are not put together as Otis and Dawson have. If spiritual mapping was the means of salvation for the lost, we could expect a clear command, instruction or example of its use in Scripture. Instead, Jesus sent His disciples out to preach the gospel. Jesus did not give means other than preach, witness and disciple."
Spiritual Warfare—False Clichés* by Biblical Discernment Ministries
"Why is this becoming so popular? I believe it is because today's new generation of evangelicals has absorbed a mystical worldview, which interprets experiences from a mystical framework instead of from Biblical categories." Some terms to watch for are: Binding Satan, Rebuking the devil, praying a hedge around someone, praying the blood, inherited curses, strongholds, warfare flags, holy laughter.
Spiritual Warfare, Biblical Binding and Loosing by Let Us Reason
"It is a restoration theology that is being promoted which is foreign to the scripture. It is Christ who will restore the Earth in the Millennium he has not given this power or authority over into the hands of man.We cannot Christianize the world but we can make individual people Christians. Not by binding the demons to set them free but by preaching the Gospel and making disciples."
Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare in Historical Retrospect by Gerald Ediger
"This essay addresses one dimension of such concern, namely, the degree to which spiritual warfare, and especially strategic-level spiritual warfare (SLSW), is a recent innovation without a longer-standing provenance in the history of Christianity."
"Spiritual" and "Holy warfare"
"Some evangelical Christians are seriously questioning the practice of so-called "spiritual warfare," reports Associated Press......
Perhaps the best defensive weapon people possess against such potentially destructive warfare is critical thinking. After all, according to the bible didn't God provide humanity with that capacity? And isn't it one of the best defensive weapons we personally possess?"
So it is not all negative, here are some pro Spiritual Warfare sites.
Battle Focused TM Ministries
"Discipleship is spiritual warfare!...Remember, we fight as a TEAM. Report all enemy contact to higher AND to the other soldiers on your flanks...."
Gospelcom.net
A list of book recommendations on Spiritual Warfare.
Prayer and Spiritual Warfare by Tom Houston
Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization - "The Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization grew out of the 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization held in Lausanne, Switzerland. The gathering was called by a committee headed by Rev. Billy Graham."
"Perhaps the best way to account for the very great interest in spiritual warfare is to say that circumstances have conspired to expand it for many sections of the church, into what theologians call a hermeneutical principle. A hermeneutical principle is a major theme or metaphor which is consistently used as a way of understanding and explaining as much as possible the contents of the Bible. At the time of the Protestant reformation, that theme was "justification by faith alone". Following the 1859 revival, for nearly a hundred years in some evangelical circles the theme was "salvation". At different periods the overarching theme was "the kingdom of God". Now it seems it is helping some people to relate everything to "spiritual warfare"."
Here are some pro Spiritual Mapping pages.
www.peopleteams.org
"Spiritual mapping is an important way to find the enemy’s strongholds in a city or among a people. There are three major ways to gather this data to prepare for strategic praying: Historical Research, Observation: Walking the Land, Divine Revelation."
Spiritual Mapping, Prayer Emphasis and Evangelism Planning for Topeka, Kansas by Ian B. Johnson
"As I understand it, the purpose of spiritual mapping is to determine, through a study of a city's history and present characteristics, the spiritual strengths and purpose of the city, the nature of the demonic strongholds that restrain the city and the Body of Christ in it from accomplishing its purpose, and those events and attitudes in the city's background that have created or nurtured those demonic strongholds. This information can be used first, and most importantly, to..."
Would you want to be included in their prayers and lists? I wouldn't.
What about spiritual warfare, is it legitimate at all?
Yes it is, but not when it is being promoted as described above. There are different aspects to spiritual warfare, prayer is one of them. What does scripture say about prayer?
So we see that there are conditions for prayer being listened to. Of course God will hear any of us if we call for his help, Jesus has promised that he would never let one of those that has been given to him go, but the help may not come in the form we hoped for. He has promised to protect our spirits from death. Physical suffering and death may be required of us. See Romans 8:31-39.
For certain kinds of prayer there are requirements, even from the Christian. Righteousness is given to us through Jesus Christ, but according to John 15:17 we are required to remain in Christ as a condition for answered prayer. If our minds are being transformed according to Romans 12:2, that is we are thinking more like him, avoiding sin and even sinful thoughts, we will be one with the Father and will know what he wants us to pray. If we are praying the prayers he wants us to, then that is the guarantee that he will answer them The guarantee of answering all prayers - the way we want them to be answered - is never given in scripture, unless isolated verses of scripture would be taken out of context. We are righteous in Christ, but this righteousness must be evident in our lives and in our minds if God is to answer all of our prayers. If we are thinking according to his will, we won't be asking for anything wrong, will not be trying to satisfy greed or be praying with selfish (profitable) motives.
The strategy of praying over an area to conquer it for "the Lord" often hides the motive that those praying will have power over that area, this is associated with the Kingdom Now idea, that Christians will rule the world before Jesus Christ comes back. The concept may not be mentioned when spiritual mapping or spiritual warfare is applied, but it is often implied. Joel's Army is also a related concept. Some that pray have no notion what is behind such intercession attempts, but some do, and are praying in a selfish manner.
Can we pray continually?
This is in no way an endorsement for one form of intercessory prayer that is linked to the ideas of spiritual mapping and the New Apostolic Reformation. There are precedences for continual prayer, or prayer that takes place very often, in scripture, yet they include the above requirements as well and, just as with normal prayer, require living in the Spirit, also called walking in the Lord's ways. Walking in the Lord's ways: Romans 8:5, Galatians 5:25, Deuteronomy 10:12,13, Psalm 128:1, Hosea 14:9, Micah 6:8.
Just after Jesus' ascension, they were praying for guidance in the ministry Jesus had commanded. They were gathered together when they were filled with the Holy Spirit, upon which they went out and started preaching the gospel immediately.
Those who adhere to spiritual mapping would say that they were praying so that the area could be conquered for the Lord, but there is no evidence of that in this passage. Surely they were praying for more to come to the Lord, but Jesus had already said that not all would believe, and that Satan is currently the prince of this world. If they were praying according to the prompting of the Holy Spirit then they were not praying for all to believe, nor for the area to be conquered for the Lord, as that is not an idea that originated with God at all.
The surest way to practice spiritual warfare is to live a righteous life, thus minimizing or even eliminating the devil's influence over it. Walking in the Spirit, transforming one's mind to conform to God's will is one thing that all Christians can do. Once this is well in progress (no one is perfect) and a level of maturity has been reached, ministry, telling others the gospel and helping them wherever possible, will help draw others OUT of the world as we ourselves have been drawn out of it, out of the devil's kingdom and into God's kingdom. In fact, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the vessels of clay, our bodies, replace the temple of old that used to contain God's presence. God's kingdom on earth before Jesus Christ's return is not a visible one, but an invisible one inside of believers. It has nothing to do with geography. God's kingdom, God himself, is wherever we are. "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20.
Jesus assures us, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33.
We conquer the devil in our own lives by living as God commands, and telling others the gospel, helping them to affirm it and follow Christ too. That is real spiritual warfare.
Those that exercise the popular but unscriptural practice of spiritual warfare that is coupled with spiritual mapping are uselessly trying to do something that Jesus Christ has already accomplished for us. In my opinion this is ignoring the works of Jesus, ignoring the gospel itself. Does this sound like a harsh assessment? Not at all, I was on the fringes of such a group and am therefore familiar with that state of mind.
If you are in a group that practices the unscriptural methods I have described, consider leaving it and finding one that promotes scriptural spiritual warfare, a group where everyone helps and encourages others to be all that God has commanded them to be, where they are interested in what scripture really has to say and are eager to apply it to their daily lives, humbly, lovingly, mercifully, prayerfully, in freedom, with no thought for personal gain.
Transformation
What is Transformation? by Lynn and Sarah Leslie, www.crossroad.to
"This word no longer refers to the humble sanctification of the individual believer. Rather, it now refers to an orchestrated, systemic and revolutionary overhaul of the global church, including the “transformation” of cities, societies, cultures, marketplaces, and more."
Third Wave
The Third Wave, by Rob McAlpine, is a compact and fair account of the history of the Third Wave. "My intent here is not to discredit or excessively applaud the charismatic movement, but the questions surrounding why the number of post-charismatics is growing also cannot be ignored. My hope and desire is to sort through some of the teachings (and practices based on those teachings) and emerge on the other side with a praxis that is Spirit-empowered but without the unnecessary baggage of charismania."
Kingdom Now
Biblical Discernment Ministries has a good article about this: Dominion Theology/Kingdom Now/Reconstructionism
"While there are relatively few who would call themselves reconstructionists, a number of the movement's ideas have infiltrated the thinking and actions of many professing believers, often without them knowing it. The movement is led by such theologians as Rousas J. Rushdoony; Gary North; Ray Sutton; Greg Bahnsen (deceased); David Chilton, and by Charismatic leaders such as Earl Paulk. But their ideas are often reflected by non-reconstructionists such as Pat Robertson, D. James Kennedy,..."
Joel's Army
Discernment Ministries has a great little online booklet about the subject that can be ordered in print as well, including the source matierial! Go to the first page of Joel's Army by Jewel Grewe.
"This book is a snapshot in time. Originally published in 1991, it was a helpful sketch of the Latter Rain doctrines coming forth from the “Kansas City Prophets” and entering the Charismatic and Pentecostal churches. This movement had existed on the fringes of the Pentecostal community, and there was little reason to worry that these aberrant teachings would affect the mainstream evangelicalism. In retrospect, this book is so much more important than anyone ever realized. We now know that what was then called the “New Wave Theology” movement has now tremendously grown to become the New Apostolic Reformation...."
Image Acknowledgements:
Apostles Peter and Paul by El Greco from the Web Gallery of Art.
Praying hands from IndianChild.com
Mikhail Kalashnikov from Tribune India.com
Ghostbusters logo from upx.primenova.com
All websites, even though publicly available are not public domain. This according to The Digital Millenium Copyright Act of 1998.
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