1. Ten Traits of the Christian Warrior
II Corinthians 10:1-18

2. I. Some review from the past studies

3. II. Ten Traits of the Christian Warrior
II Corinthians 10:1-18

4. 1. The ability to balance gentleness and boldness in spiritual warfare (1-2, 10-11 )
All of us are born with naturally tendencies to be either softhearted (gentle) or hardhearted (bold). You may have little control of over how you are wired, but you are a Christian soldier and are called to balance grace and truth.

5. 2. The ability to recognize the real war (3)
The Christian warrior must identify what the real war that the universe is engaged in as opposed to the minutiae of life by which so many Christians become entangled.

6. 3. Uses the Bible Sword proficiently in spiritual conflict (4a, 5a)
As the Christian grows in the truth of Scripture, he or she becomes proficient with its use as a spiritual weapon to overcome the forces of darkness

7. 4. The ability to bring down spiritual strongholds (4b)
The Christian warrior through the word, the Holy Spirit, and spiritual maturity must be able to break Satan’s best defenses.

8. 5. The ability to change stinking thinking to conform with God’s fragrant truth (5b)
We as Christians are to compare any thought, ideology, position, or perspective with Scripture. Next, we are to change the thinking to correspond and submit our wills to Biblical truth. This goes for us and others.

9. 6. The ability to exercise spiritual discipline on others (6)
In the church, we are to hold one another accountable both corporately and individually. That is, we are not to allow a church environment where anything goes and we have no standards.

10. 7. The ability to look at things inwardly and not the trappings of externals (7)
Humans generally succumb to evaluating others on outward physical traits, credentials, and honors rather than inward qualities of character, spiritual life and God’s approval. Christian warriors are too wise for this error.

11. 8. The ability to recognize true spiritual authority (8-11)
The true Christian warrior has the ability to ascertain who is speaking for God and who is not. It comes through Bible knowledge, wisdom, maturity, and a dependence on the Holy Spirit.

12. Paul beseeches the Christian Warriors in Corinth to recognize his true apostolic authority…
Paul builds a case for his own spiritual authority: 8 For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame, 9 for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters.

13. 10 For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.” 11 Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present. II Corinthians 10

14. What if you were in a spiritual pickle without hindsight and had to choose between true and false leadership?
Moses and Korah – Numbers 16
David and Absalom – II Samuel 15
Elijah and the Baal prophets – I Kings 18
Jesus and the Pharisees – The Gospels
Paul and the false apostles – II Corinthians
You can’t always default and support the guy in charge. Above score: First two, those in charge were in the right, last three those going after leadership (or, those in charge) were in the right.

15. What about Friends Church?
1978
Friends leadership or John Wimber
2003
Friends leadership or John Werhas
Note: The Biblical examples were between truth and heresy. Friends history is about differences between non-essentials.

16. Modern issues which need the wisdom of Christian Warriors
Whether a conservative church should stay in a liberal denomination and fight for truth or leave.
The disagreement over church music
The emerging church versus the traditional church

17. The call to discernment…
The Psalmist asks God 66 Teach me good discernment (judgment KJV) and knowledge, For I believe in Your commandments. Psalm 119 Teach me a good taste (so the word signifies), a good relish, to discern things that differ, to distinguish between truth and falsehood, good and evil; Matthew Henry

18. The role of Bible study in discernment
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Hebrews 5

19. As we learn to wheel our Bible Sword our skill in discernment improves

20. The difference to whether a church will weather a spiritual attack will often be determined by that group of Christian warriors in that local body who can determine who is speaking for God.

21. 9. The ability to resist the trap to use one’s self as the spiritual standard rather than God and His word (12)
A trait of false religion is to use oneself and religious group as the ideal standard to which everything must measure up instead of God and His revealed word. The Christian warrior has the wisdom to recognize and denounce such behavior.

22. Paul’s says there is some fuzzy calculations going on…
12     For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.

23. The New Living Translation…
12  Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant! NLT

24. The trap…
The most obvious one, expressed in II Corinthians 10:12, is that we will judge ourselves in light of other people. This fatal trap deceitfully provides us with self-justification for the way we are. The result is that we will not change or grow because we will be judging according to our own standards—and why change perfection? Self-examination by our own code produces self-righteousness.

25. Jesus gives a snapshot of this dysfunctional spiritual behavior
9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

26. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get
12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18

27. Here is the Lord’s ruler to compare yourself by…
48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” I Peter 1 13 “You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 18

28. Apparently this is a common problem even in churches…
3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Galatians 6 3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. Romans Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. I Corinthians 3