Spirit of Power
Sooner or later, everyone should be arrested and imprisoned for a good cause. Or if not arrested and imprisoned, put in a position of suffering and sacrifice. Or if not that, at least be criticized or inconvenienced a little. Because if we’re coconspirators with the Spirit of God to bring blessing to our world, sooner or later it’s going to cost us something and get us in trouble.
Jesus told his followers to “count the cost.” He promised that those who walk his road would experience push-back, even persecution. And he often described that push-back as demonic or Satanic in nature. Some people today believe Satan and demons to be literal, objective realities. Others believe they are outmoded superstitions. Still others interpret Satan and demons as powerful and insightful images by which our ancestors sought to describe shadowy realities that are still at work today. In today’s terminology, we might call them social, political, structural, ideological, and psychological forces. These forces take control of individuals, groups, and even whole civilizations, driving them toward destruction.
Think of it like this: You can have a crowd of normal, happy people dancing in a popular night club. Suddenly someone shouts, “Fire!” and people panic. Within seconds, everyone stampedes toward the exits. Soon, some people are being trampled — even killed — in the chaos, which means that others are doing the trampling and killing. None of the happy dancers in that club would have been seen as heartless killers before the scare. But we might say “the spirit of panic” possessed them and drove them to violence. That spirit had a will of its own, as it were, turning peaceful, decent individuals into a ruthless, dangerous mob that became every bit as dangerous as the threat it feared.
Now, imagine a similar spirit of racism, revenge, religious supremacy, nationalism, political partisanship, greed, or fear getting a foothold in a community. You can imagine previously decent people being possessed, controlled, and driven by these forces, mind-sets, or ideologies. Soon, individuals aren’t thinking or feeling for themselves anymore. They gradually allow the spirit of the group to possess them. If nobody can break out of this frenzy, it’s easy to imagine tragic outcomes: vandalism, riots, beatings, lynchings, gang rapes, house demolitions, plundered land, exploited or enslaved workers, terrorism, dictatorship, genocide. Bullets can fly, bombs explode, and death tolls soar — among people who seemed so decent, normal, and peace loving just minutes or months before.
You don’t need to believe in literal demons and devils to agree with Jesus and the apostles: there are real and mysterious forces in our world that must be confronted. But how? If we respond to violence with violence, anger with anger, hate with hate, or fear with fear, we’ll soon be driven by the same unhealthy and unholy forces that we detest and are trying to resist. To make matters worse, we’ll be the last to know what’s driving us, because we’ll feel so pure and justified in our opposition. “We must be good and holy,” we will say to ourselves, “because what we’re fighting against is so evil!”
We can see in this light why ancient people described Satan as a deceiver, an accuser, and a liar. When we allow ourselves to come under the spell of an ideology or a similar force, we feel utterly convinced that evil is over there among them, and only moral rightness is here among us. In this accusatory state of mind, focused so exclusively on the faults of our counterparts, we become utterly blind to our own deteriorating innocence and disintegrating morality. Even when we begin to inflict harm on those we accuse, we are unable to see our actions as harmful. Self-deceived in this way, we lie to ourselves and live in denial about what we have become.
That’s why Paul had so much to say about “spiritual warfare” against “the principalities and powers” that rule the world. He kept reminding the disciples that they weren’t struggling against flesh-and-blood people. They were struggling against invisible systems and structures of evil that possess and control flesh-and-blood people. The real enemies back then and now are invisible realities like racism, greed, fear, ambition, nationalism, religious supremacy, and the like — forces that capture decent people and pull their strings as if they were puppets to make them do terrible things.
In that light, being filled with and guided by the Holy Spirit takes on profound meaning—and practical importance. Where unholy, unhealthy spirits or value systems judge and accuse, the Holy Spirit inspires compassion and understanding. Where unholy, unhealthy spirits or movements drive people toward harming others, the Holy Spirit leads us to boldly and compassionately stand up for those being harmed. Where unholy, unhealthy spirits or ideologies spread propaganda and misinformation, the Holy Spirit boldly speaks the simple truth. Where unholy, unhealthy spirits or mind-sets spread theft, death, and destruction, God’s Holy Spirit spreads true aliveness.
How do we resist being “possessed” by the unholy, unhealthy spirits that are so prevalent and powerful in today’s world? Sometimes it’s as simple — and difficult — as responding to harsh words with a kind, disarming spirit. When a website vilifies a group, for example, you might add a gentle, vulnerable comment: “You’re talking about people I count among my closest friends.” When a religious group, overly confident in its own purity or rightness, condemns others, you might humbly and unargumentatively quote a relevant Scripture: “Whoever thinks he stands should take care, lest he fall,” or “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” When powerful forces organize to do harm, you may need to form or join some sort of collective, nonviolent action — a march, a boycott or buy-cott, a protest, even nonviolent, civil disobedience. Whether in small, quiet ways or big, dramatic ones, if we join the Spirit in the ongoing mission of Jesus, we won’t be overcome by evil; we will overcome evil with good.
But don’t expect overcoming evil with good to be popular, easy, convenient, or safe, as Paul’s words to his young protege, Timothy, make clear: “God has not given us a spirit of cowardice but of power, love, and a sound mind.” When people are threatening you, hating you, and calling you a heretic, an infidel, or worse — a bold and courageous spirit of empowerment, love, and a sound mind is exactly what you need!
Paul, of course, spoke from personal experience. He had once been a confident, accusatory, violent persecutor of those he considered evil — utterly sure of himself, utterly convinced of his moral rightness in all he did. When he encountered Jesus and was filled with the Holy Spirit, he soon became the one being persecuted. The Spirit gave him nonviolent boldness to face repeated arrests, beatings, imprisonments, and ultimately, according to tradition, beheading by Nero in Rome. Clearly, for Paul, being a leader in the Spirit’s movement wasn’t a boring desk job!
No wonder one of the most oft-repeated themes in the New Testament is to suffer graciously, echoing Jesus’ words about turning the other cheek. In 1 Peter 2:21 and 23, for example, we read: “Christ left you an example so that you might follow in his footsteps… When he was insulted, he did not reply with insults. When he suffered, he did not threaten revenge. Instead, he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.” To do that takes courage and power. It takes love. And it takes a sound — or nonreactive — mind. In other words, it takes the Holy Spirit.
As we walk this road together, we are being prepared and strengthened for struggle. We’re learning to cut the strings of “unholy spirits” that have been our puppet masters in the past. We’re learning to be filled, led, and guided, not by a spirit of fear but by the Holy Spirit instead … a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind to face with courage whatever crises may come.
When a crisis hits, unprepared people may be paralyzed with fear, but we’ll set an example of confidence and peace. Unprepared people may not know where to turn, but we’ll have this circle of peace in which to welcome them. Unprepared people may turn on one another and pull apart, but we’ll turn toward one another and pull together. Unprepared people may withdraw into survival mode, but we’ll have strength enough to survive, and more to share. Through the Spirit, we will have unintimidated power, unfailing love, and a sound, nonreactive mind. When necessary, we will suffer graciously. For we will know that for us, whatever happens, even the end of the world … isn’t really the end of the world.
Brian McLaren from We Make the Road by Walking