Going on Offense and Defense
Sunday Bowl 57 between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles showcased some of the best offense and defense ever seen in football.
True, the offenses were better in the Chiefs 38-35 win, but both teams made it to the big game by playing good defense. Philadelphia, the best defensive team in the NFL, didn’t live up to that billing in the second half–and lost.
Here’s how we can apply the lessons of football to the current culture war for Western Civilization. People of faith must turn up the heat offensively and defensively to save their nations.
Here’s how.
Going on Offense and Defense
The good, the revival, and the freedom of a nation is far more important than any athletic contest. One is for fun and entertainment. The other impacts the destiny of individuals and nations in God’s plan for world evangelization and the expansion of the Kingdom of God
Some sporting events involve life and death issues–e.g. the recent cardiac arrest of Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills. But national life always involves life and death through receding or rising crime, war, and issues like abortion that kill thousands of innocent babies every day.
Getting involved in “seeking the peace” of your city and nation (Jeremiah 29:7) is critical. Lives, families, health, security, and God’s blessings are all at stake.
The Western World is culturally collapsing for two primary reasons: 1) The people of God have become apathetic–essentially “turning out the lights” of salvation, conscience, good works, and civic involvement that bring freedom and blessing to nations. 2) The darkness of evil has filled the void with ignorance, division, sensuality, crime, hatred, class warfare, narcissism, and anarchy that threaten our civilizational freedom.
Here’s what’s happened in the past few generations: the ungodly human forces of evil, incited by the thoughts and ploys of the demonic world, have been more committed to destroying America and the West than believers have been to renewing and saving it.
We’ve been outplayed on every level. And we’re approaching the “end of the game” if we don’t rise up on both offense and defense to bring a Christ-centered renewal to the Western World.
Here what we must do on offense and defense to rescue our civilization from collapse and subsequent tyranny.
Defense
Many people believe that “defense wins championships.” That’s because the ball doesn’t always find the intended receiver, bounce the right way, or swish through the hoop. Sometimes the “breaks” just don’t go your way on offense.
That’s where good defense can keep you in a game if you’re having trouble scoring. You just have to make sure that the other team scores less than you do on a bad night.
The Kansas City Chiefs accomplished that in the second half of Super Bowl 57 by holding the Philadelphia Eagles in check and scored more points than they did to win the game.
How do you play defense to save a culture?
Prayer – Intercession is both an offensive and defensive tool that affects the spiritual realm. Though prayer remains an amazing mystery, the Bible gives numerous examples of people resisting the powers of darkness and bringing change through their petitions to God.
Daniel is a powerful example of nation-changing prayer. He fasted and prayed for weeks, was visited by angels in combat, and prayed through the blessings of God in his generation.
We must mount a prayer surge in America against evil by 1) Prayer walking every street in the nation, 2) Launching prayer watches and “burns” in every church to tear down the spiritual strongholds of our day, 3) And praying in our schools and universities against the forces of wickedness. (The Collegiate Day of Prayer is February 23.)
A glimpse of that type of prevailing prayer is currently taking place at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky–just as it did in the 1970s. We need to “defend” our nation against the powers of darkness in every city and town in America.
Who will lead these prayer thrusts in all 35,000 cities and towns in the USA? The Church is there. Who will rise to defend America in prayer?
Apologetics – This theological word has always been used to describe “defending” the faith in a hostile culture (Jude 1:3). In the past few generations, believers in the West have gone mostly silent over the growth and dominance of evil.
We need to march peacefully in the streets to stop violence in our inner cities. We must speak up at school board meetings against evil curriculum and policies that hurt our youth. We need to write “Letters to the Editor,” and use all the new technologies to share truth. We need to pour so much “godly water” into the sewer of social media that it dilutes and removes the “poison.”
We must become more vocal than the destroyers of our culture.
Righteous Use of the Law & Courts
The enemy has used legal means for decades to change standards and mores in America. We must do better than the atheists in this realm–even using righteous lawsuits to roll back the onslaught of woke evil. The Bible says we shouldn’t sue fellow believers, but not the wicked so that righteousness can prevail.
A good example this week was former Georgia police officer, Jacob Kersey, hiring lawyers to defend his social media views on morality that cost him his job. He’s fighting back. It’s time to engage the “bullying” with firm methods of legal resistance.
Offense
The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl 57 because they scored every time they had the ball in the second half. They beat the Eagles with superior offense.
We must do the same for an eternal crown–not just a human trophy.
Evangelism – Every believer in America and the Western World needs to be reignited and trained to share their faith with others. The “nones” are taking over because very few of us are talking to them about Jesus and leading them into the forgiveness and joy of salvation.
Surveys have revealed for years that most believers in the West never lead one person to faith in Jesus in their lifetime. This is the primary reason we’re losing the country–lack of outreach. Far more are being “converted” to atheism and narcissism with all the negative results.
Share your faith today. Print a personal tract to hand out. Encourage your spiritual leaders to make evangelizing and discipleship the main thing once again.
Voting – The American Church has sinned against God for decades by nearly fifty percent of its members failing to vote in local and national elections. “All that’s necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing” (Edmund Burke). In terms of societal leadership, we’ve done nothing in this area to turn the tide. We’ve been outworked and out voted in numerous elections.
Running for Office
Some of us need to step up and serve in politics–at all levels. Government is a critical leadership domain due to its handling of power. Godly people must run for office.
Take five minutes and be inspired by one of the best parts of Super Bowl 57 held last Sunday in Glendale, Arizona. Here’s the moving rendition of Ragged Old Flag by Johnny Cash that brought tears to many eyes.
It portrayed the sacrifices of former generations who went on offense and defense to birth and defend our free nation under God.
Let’s honor God and their memory by imitating their faith in 2023.
