"Darkness covers the earth and gross darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you," says God to Isaiah (see Isaiah 60.2). At this season of the year followers of Christ around the world remember his birth.   He came as the Light of the world to begin to dispel the darkness.   His coming was in a blaze of heavenly light - at night - when "the glory of the Lord shone around" the shepherds.   His coming was accompanied by a "bright star in the East".Thank God for Jesus.   Thank God that His coming has made a difference.

And yet - the darkness has not been entirely dispersed.   In fact, it seems that spiritual darkness has intensified.

As we look at the world we see the acceleration of the kingdom of God in certain places, but we also see the increase of evil and the acceleration of opposition to the Gospel.   When we consider the terror and trauma being meted out on millions of innocent people in the conflicts at present occurring, or we look at the political alliances and their use of power, or the subtle ways in which ungodly policies are being imposed on nations by governments, or the corruption endemic in various economies and economic practices, or the new alliances being created as power shifts take place, we are left in no doubt that the world is going through traumatic changes.

How alert are we to these changes and the challenges they bring?

If we look at the progress of the church since its beginning, we perceive that every advance has been fiercely contested by our enemy, Satan, and all his demonic powers.  Paul, writing to the Corinthian church, shared that he had been in prison frequently, been flogged severely, faced death again and again, had been beaten and stoned, and had been shipwrecked.   He had been in constant danger, often going without sleep and food, and faced many deprivations (see 2 Corinthians 11.23-29).

Today it is no different.   There are many situations on this planet where, in the past year, believers have been driven from their homes and churches, beheaded or shot, narrowly escaped death, have had to move home frequently to avoid detection, have been imprisoned for their faith, and live in constant danger.   Consider Iraq, where ancient forms of Christianity are in danger of being wiped out, and thousands of Christians have fled for their lives.   Consider Syria, where the civil war has severely affected the church.   Consider Nigeria, where despite the growth of the church in the south, the activities of Boko Haram predominantly against the Christian population, has brought kidnappings, burning of churches and the slaughter of hundreds of followers of Christ.   Consider North Korea, where the church that experienced widespread revival a century ago is now a beleaguered minority with many thousands of Christians have lost their lives or been confined permanently to harsh concentration camps.

Whilst the gospel undoubtedly has spread (there are now more believers in Christ on the planet than ever before in history), it is true to say that collectively the body of Christ is more at risk than it has probably ever been.  

However the prevailing darkness is expressed in many other ways.   Millions are being brought into or left in modern forms of enslavement.   The grip on power globally that strong secret societies have is also a severe threat to religious liberty.   It seems that there are dangerous spiritual factors at work.   The powers behind false religions, religious fundamentalism, global terrorism, political and financial alliances and the primary sources of manipulation need to be understood and counteracted by well-targeted prayer.

In the past year or more, the IPC has begun to bring into being a global task force to focus on the dark places and dark powers.   There have been consultations with a few leaders in North America and in Europe.   The working group for Europe has met three times in the past year, and has explored some of both the historical and contemporary influences that have been at work in the Continent, that God first chose for the Gospel to spread, but which is in urgent need of re-evangelising.   A gathering in June in Macedonia sought to address some of the issues raised by the two 20th Century world wars (recalled and commemorated Continent-wide during the past year), which made Europe the most blood-stained Continent in the world.   Over 100 million people were estimated to have died in these two wars!    The Europe group, who met last month in Greece, wants to tackle in on-site prayer and through teaching some of the factors that we have been up against, and to release a spirit of hope in the Continent that things can change and that revival can again be experienced.

A day conference in South East Asia last September will, it is hoped, be followed by a consultation in South Asia in the first half of 2015.   Those we have brought together globally have experience of spiritual warfare and knowledge of principalities and powers on each of the Continents.   We are together seeking to understand better what we are up against, how the enemy has been at work throughout history, and where his power, time and attention is focussed today, and how modern forms of communication are aiding his work.   

A book, examining in more detail how our enemy Satan works in individuals, communities, nations and through Governments and other institutions of power, and how we can combat him, is being written.   The church, particularly in the West, needs to be reminded of what we are up against and how we can take our stand against the devil and his schemes.   Interestingly, leaders in Africa are well aware of the demonic powers they face.   Many have written books on the subject.   But in Westernised nations there is religious debate even about whether Satan actually exists!   Fortunately Scripture is not silent about this.   Satan is mentioned over 50 times in the New Testament.   Jesus Himself knew that his calling was to preach, heal the sick and cast out demons (see Matthew 4. 23-24).   He commissioned his disciples to do the same (see Matthew 10. 7-8).
 
We are looking for connections with practitioners, researchers, those with knowledge of how Satan has worked in different cultures, with a view to seeing more regional consultations taking place.   We are wanting to connect with people who are active in the seven pillars of society and have understanding as to what agencies Satan is using today, and has used in history.   If you are such a person, or know anyone who is, please get in touch with us, with a short bio concerning what you have been involved with, and in which country you are based.   We have a name for the group, but do not wish to release it in an open context such as this!

So, at this season of the year, our call is for more intentional prayer for more of the light of God and less of the darkness of the evil one in society around us, and in the rest of the world.

Brian Mills

IPC Senior Advisor
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