Spirtual Espionage...

Reading Mark 1 today and I see something I've never noticed in all the times I have read it. And since I love a good action adventure flick... this intrigued me!

Jesus' ministry is just beginning, hasn't even called all the disciples to follow Him yet but He goes to the Synagogue in Capernaum (where they've been staying) and begins to teach the people. While Jesus is teaching and reading from the scrolls no doubt, a guy stands up in the crowd and shouts at Jesus, "Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God!"

Pretty strange to have a dude stand up in church and begin to shout at you (though it has happened to me before!) but what makes this story so interesting is that in verse 23 the man is identified as, "a man... who was possessed by an evil spirit". Imagine! Having church and a guy stands up, demon possessed and begins to shout!

But here's where it gets really interesting to me! Didn't the people there know the guy? Wasn't he someones father, or brother, or husband? Wasn't he uncle Ben's best friends cousin? How did a demon possessed man get into church that day?!

And then I started thinking... if a demon possessed guy could waltz into church with Jesus, what's to keep them from coming into any church service? Who's to say that we don't have covert agents working for Satan infiltrating our services all around the world? Which begs the question, Why? Why would Satan care what goes on in church? And before you say something like, "the demon possessed couldn't possibly get through the doors of my church because (add whatever super theological argument you've got here)." Think for a minute. Satan is the master mind behind every evil, sinful, wrong thing that is done...correct? And you're gonna tell me that everyone in your church always and forever does the right thing all the time? You've had no affairs, divorces, offenses, etc. in your church? Come one now... it is Satan that can "look" like an angel of light.

Perhaps the same thing that is true about the angels in 1 Peter 1 is true about all spiritual beings, "they long to understand prophecy and the Word." Maybe there is spiritual espionage going on because Satan wants to know where to hit the church (where the weak links are) and find out if we know something spiritual that he hasn't figured out yet...

Maybe there are double agents, and war rooms, covert operations and black ops happening all time!

Perhaps this is why the disciples warned us to, watch ourselves, our doctrine, our friends, our lives, our relationship with our Savior, watch yourself or you may also be tempted...