Fight, church, fight!

How many came to hear the word of God? I believe that his word is necessary in our lives and I thank God and the pastoral body, Pastor Roberto for this opportunity. And I want, brothers, to take advantage of the time to enter into the word, and the Lord has given me a message. I want to greet the brothers who are going to follow us on the internet, in Germany, Pastor Ernst, I am already declaring him a pastor there in Germany; to the brothers in Italy, in Spain, in South America, in Central America, who have called us, have prayed, have fasted.

Brothers, we are going to let God speak to us. How many want to hear the voice of God this morning? Raise your hand and move it like this, saying, here I am Lord, speak to me. This morning I have asked the men's ministry and the WPD group to help us during the preaching and let's go, brothers, let your word run freely.

I would like you to open your heart, let the word reach your heart. In these days God has been moving the church in general, including Pastor Roberto has been talking about the church, the book of Acts, and brothers, I think we all know that when the church was born, many things happened and one of the things more outstanding than when the church was born, there in the book, Chapter 2 of the book of Acts that was already spoken, says that it was born with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with a mighty wind, with a roar.

And the church has always taken the position of a militant church. Everyone say militant. A church that fights, a church that must fight. And naturally everyone who has accepted Christ, how many know what I'm talking about about that fight we have in life? I think everyone.

And after several years the Lord has dealt with my life and in these days he gave me a fresh message. It is the first time I have preached it, the Lord gave it to me, and he told me, son, you have been fighting and you have won some battles, but I want to teach you to fight the way I want my church to fight.

Who are the church, brothers? Raise your hand if you are part of this church. The 4 walls are not the church. You and I are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And brothers, let us ask for prayers so that God gives us the fresh anointing to be able to voice this word that the Lord has given us, it is a fresh roll.

Turn to your brother and say so, Buckle up to fly. Tell someone. Fly. How many know that the word of God makes them fly to heaven? And brothers, here by my side I brought my squire, because every warrior has to have a squire, and God bless my squire, brother Renzo Rojas, one of my sergeants from the men's ministry, a good size.

There are temples of the Holy Spirit, but there are also cathedrals of the Holy Spirit and I and brother Renzo are those cathedrals. Brothers, I am going to ask you, we are going to enter into the word of God and we are going to read some Scriptures to be able, brothers, to enter and give the basis of the message that I bring.

In Jude Chapter 1, the word of God gives us a Scripture and establishing that the church is a militant church, Jude writes:

“… Beloved, because of the great desire I had to write to you about common salvation… ─all say, common salvation─ …it has been necessary for me to write to you to exhort you to fight ─all say fight─ ardently for the faith… ─all say ardently for the faith─…which was once given to the saints…”

Another well-known Scripture in Matthew, Chapter 16, verse 18 and 19 that I think has been heard many times where it says:

“…I also tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not dominate it, says one version, or they will defeat it, says another… and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and everything what you bind on earth will be loosed in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be bound in heaven…”

And the last Scripture in Ephesians, Chapter 6, verse 12 where the Apostle Saint Paul says, we would like you to read it with me out loud with one voice, all together:

You also did something this morning to preach. Fight, fight, war, fight. We live in times where the Lord's church on earth has great conquests, great things are happening throughout the world. The Gospel is preached on the radio, on television, on the Internet, and, brothers, there is a word spread throughout the world. And glory be to the Lord for it, because the word of God has power.

How many say amen to this? The church is born, things are happening in the book of Acts that we are hearing, but one of the characteristics of the church that is born on the day of Pentecost with a militant, military, guerrilla, fighting attitude. Immediately Peter's first message converts 3000 people; the second 5000, there is revival, there is growth, there is war, there is persecution too.

In order to have war there must be an enemy. How many say amen? Now, there are people who even fight with themselves, that is already another type of war. And I don't know if there is someone here who fights with himself, but to have a war, an enemy is needed, someone who is trying to get in the way to achieve the goal that we want to achieve.

And, brothers, there are people who fight and studying war strategies, I found a book that most of the generals in all the republics, in all the governments where there are armies, talk about this very famous book, the 33 strategies of battle or war And in this book I realized that there are ways, many strategies to fight, to war, and all these 33 are based on two main strategies.

The first is a strategy called defensive warfare. And this strategy was used a lot in the First World War, in the Second and even in the Vietnam conflict where the soldiers made holes and went inside and there they fired bullets at the enemies. That kind of war is a very protective war, it is a war, he says, it is fighting backwards, without moving forward in a hole hiding from the enemy.

Ask your brother if he is hiding from the enemy. But without being able to be sure of your strategies and be sure that the bullets are coming and hitting the enemy. Defensive warfare was a strategy that was tried, many lives were lost because many soldiers there in the hole, in the Marine Corps they used a three letter phrase, defense fighting position or strategy. And many people, many soldiers taught them that there in the hole, if they made a hole and stuck their heads out and fired bullets and the bullets would arrive and knock down the enemy. But they realized that the soldiers felt very protected in their own hole. Because? Because they did hear the bullets, they did hear the war, they knew they were at war, they had the uniform, they had the weapons, they had their rations to survive, but they did not advance, they stayed fighting in a hole.

And that kind of defensive warfare, church, for many years many churches have fought with this strategy of staying and not advancing. We're fine, why so much movement? We are quite comfortable. The soldier in the hole felt very comfortable, protected in the hole. Some even made their little kitchens, their little holes, it was my home, some soldiers said. Because? Because there in the hole they felt protected from the enemy.

And many people in the spiritual life also fight like this. And defensive warfare causes the soldier, the believer to live in a comfort zone. I am serving, but the question this morning, are you making progress? Are you conquering? Are you having victory? When the soldier fired bullets, some fired, fired, they didn't know if they hit or didn't hit. Over there a soldier fell, they heard a scream and rejoiced and said, all right, we are winning! But they didn't know if they were really winning. Because they were hidden, they were hidden. There was no vision to see why there in their hole they were fighting.

Now, this strategy caused a lot of loss of life, a lot of people died. And I am going to tell you that there are thousands and thousands of soldiers who died in these holes. And this morning my question is, how many of us are in those holes fighting? Holes of self-pity, holes sometimes of depression, of personal struggles, sometimes a hole that seems like we're not going to get out.

It comes to my mind when the psalmist said there in psalm 103, "rescue me life from the hole." And I would like in this church morning, that we go to the word of God because the defensive war has not been the will of God but rather that man feels more comfortable fighting in this type of fight. Because? Because there is not much risk there. Yes, there is a risk, but I want to tell you something, something happened that the enemies realized that all they had to do is start throwing bombs and bullets into the holes and the soldiers would bury themselves.

Brother, sisters, the devil wants you to bury yourself. You make the hole to defend yourself, not knowing that in that same hole the devil wants to destroy your life. But the Lord rebuke him. How many know that there is power in Jesus? How many know that there is victory in Jesus? Now, one of the things in the defensive war that in the Vietnam War many began to use drugs, opium, heroin, to stay awake all night, because they were afraid that while sleeping the enemy would arrive and destroy them.

And, brothers, if you go out into the streets you will realize that the majority of homeless people, the majority are soldiers, veterans of Vietnam or of the first or second war, because the enemy tricked them into using these drugs during the war, some out of fear, some out of feeling it, they fell asleep in the holes and the enemy, whatever the enemy had to do, passed by and swept away with bullets or threw grenades and the same little soldiers came out and fell buried.

A soldier said, we didn't know where the enemy came from because the Vietnamese made a strategy, they made holes and dug and then they didn't have to do anything, or just throw a grenade slowly and they killed the soldiers. Many lives were lost.

Another defensive strategy is offensive warfare. This war is not fought in a hole, it is fought advancing, it is fought, brothers, he says, it is a system that has been used since…. Of conquest and attacked. The great generals always take advantage of the offensive, because they seize the careless enemy, attack him, knock him down, go out, they are not buried but they are marching, they are advancing.

How many know that God wants the church to advance, brothers? So, this offensive strategy is, not to bury yourself, but to take up arms, get up and march and conquer the ground that God wants us to conquer. Let's go to the Bible, I'm studying the Old Testament, in Joshua one of the great warriors, in Joshua 11:16 where it says:

"... So Joshua conquered all that land..."

All say conquered. This implies a strategy of offensive, of attack, of not going back but moving forward, marching. I went to Hebrews, Chapter 11 and also there in the book of the heroes of the faith, in Chapter 11 in verse 33 he says a phrase that catches my attention, he says:

“…all of them by faith conquered kingdoms…”

Everyone say, they conquered kingdoms. It says, "... they did justice, reached promises and covered the mouths of lions..."

A strategy of conquest, an attitude of conquest, I am not going to go backwards but I am going to walk, even if it is a small step, but it is forward, not backwards. Come what may, I will praise God. Whatever happens, I am going to give glory to God. In good times and bad I will raise my hands, I will acknowledge that he is God, that he is worthy of praise, I will recognize, I will conquer, I will fight, I will cancel, I will give glory to the King of kings, I will say that he is with me. But with action.

And I want to finish, brothers, quickly because I have some illustrations. An acrostic caught my attention to explain that offensive war a little. The acrostic of God's favor. This acrostic is very important because God revealed to me that in order for us to have victory we need God's favor.

How many say amen to this. In a very key sentence, the Lord Jesus Christ made it clear to his disciples, “without me….” So brothers, if Jehovah does not build the house, then God's favor is very necessary.

Let's quickly explain this acrostic a bit. The word favor, the first letter, f, that word faith. Everyone say faith. It is one of the first weapons to fight offensively because without faith. In that same Chapter 11 he says, "faith is therefore the certainty of what is expected and the conviction of what is not seen."

To have God's favor we need faith. Someone say give me more faith, Lord. Turn to your brother and tell him to give us more faith. Because faith is one of the first things that brings God's favor into your life.

They know that God delights when his children depend on him. I said that God delights when his church by faith depends on him. But faith without works, letter a for action. I looked up that word action in the dictionary and I realized, brothers, that this word means the attitude of acting on something, developing something. So, faith is useless if we don't use it. So faith needs action and the church fights by faith but also by action. Everything we do we do based on his word and we have faith that his word is true.

How many say amen to this? The f for favour, is vision. A soldier who has no vision is going to be defeated because he is going to die in his own misery or self-pity. He himself is going to bury himself and he is going to say, I can't, it's impossible. This word vision in Second Kings, Elisha, the prophet Elisha once had a war and his squire, mine already left, but his squire was on one side and he began to tremble, he began to worry, and the prophet says it, Second Kings, Chapter 6, verses 16 and 17, Elisha answered and said:

"…do not be afraid…"

Turn to your brother and say, don't be afraid. He told him “…don't be afraid because more are those who are with us than those who are with them. Elisha cried saying, I beg you, Jehovah, open his eyes..."

Many times we have to ask God to open our eyes. How many say amen to this? Learn to use the eyes of faith and the heart. Not what I see, what you see may not be what God is seeing. It takes vision to have God's favor. God delights when his church uses faith, uses action, but has vision. Without vision there are no brothers, without vision the people perish. It takes vision to be able to feel the favor of God.

The o for favor, that famous word, prayer. Everybody say a prayer. In other words Jesus once said it in another way: “…watch and pray…” that word prayer, this flesh does not like to pray. Every Saturday at 5 in the morning some come to drink with their heads, with Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks and some even angry they don't say hello. But brothers, when they begin to talk with God, they begin to feel God's caresses, that sadness turns into joy, that regret, that pain, because prayer has results. I said that prayer has results. God hears your prayer.

Prayer is that communication that God wants to have with you with that church relationship. The r for favor is the famous word resist. Everyone say resist. Say it louder, resist. It's easy to say but hard to do.

Submit yourselves then to God, said James, resist the devil, resist whom? To the enemy. I don't even like to say his name. We give more glory to the devil. When I was there and sometimes he enjoyed it, I like it. But brothers, one thing we have to know about the enemy, but the Bible says, resist him.

F for faith, action, vision, prayer and resist. In this acrostic we see that the word favor gives us weapons, if we use them there will be victory in our lives. Now, one of the most powerful words is the word God. And let's quickly the D, everyone say dedication. That word when you dedicate yourself to something, you enter soul, body and spirit. How many want to dedicate themselves more to God?

A brother told me early yesterday at 5 o'clock I was going up the steps, he told me, pastor, pray for me because I am praying that God gives me the faith to love him more than my own life. Wow, that brother never expected it.

And, brothers, when he told me that, I realized that sometimes dedication also implies consecration. The church fights defensively with God's favor because we are dedicated to what we do day after day, service after service, activity after activity. Brothers, day by day, minute by minute, second by second, we are sure that the word of God is the truth, we believe in his word, we have experienced it, we live it and we fight believing that this word has power.

Dedication, dedicate yourself, brother. Many brothers, the good weather is coming, a brother told me, pastor, don't count on me, I'm going on vacation. After winter arrives we will see each other in prayer, because I need a vacation. Vacation from God told me. Wow, I said, brother, watch out that God is not going to take a vacation from you.

God, dedication. The next letter, the i, integrity. Everyone say integrity. This is honesty, being sincere with God. To receive God's favor, I believe, brothers, that one of the most powerful weapons is to be upright, to be transparent with God, to recognize that without him we are nothing, without him we can do nothing. Because? Because he gives us the ability and the blessing of being able to be whole with him.

The o, again, comes to me that is connected with vision, which is observation. If anyone thinks to be firm, look, he says, look, said the Apostle, look…. Tell your brother, watch. Not all that glitters is gold. How many have been fooled by fake gold? Be honest, how many have been deceived? Nobody wants to raise their hand? How many told him they were 14 carats or 18 carats and he went and took them and they told him. There in Naples, Italy, for the Italian brothers in Naples, there is a place that sells gold of all kinds... they sell clothes, they sell Nike, they sell Louis Vouitton, they sell many things, and the brothers bought me a very beautiful watch, and the Pastor said, this is gold, I put it on and my hand immediately turned green. And he said, pastor, they deceived us. We don't know about gold. Watch out, watch, watch, watch.

Turn to your brother and say, it's time to watch. It is time to observe. False teachers, false prophets will arise, there will be deceit, but thank God that the church has someone to fight with and for what? What we do we do trusting that God will direct our steps. Observe. Observe.

I know of God, it is such a powerful word, holiness. Everyone say holiness. I believe that the word is not mistaken where it says that peace and holiness are. That word for some is a very strong word, very difficult, but it simply means separation from practicing sin. How many know that the blood of Christ forgives us every day? How many already asked for forgiveness today? Raise your hand if you asked the Lord for forgiveness. If you have not asked, ask for forgiveness because that is one of the most important things. To be saints we must apply the blood of Christ to our lives.

Brethren, church, it is time to fight on the offensive. Let's get out of our holes and go on the attack, let's fight the good fight. Pablo said it in that sentence, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race”.

But I investigated that good word in Greek, Spanish, Italian, English, French, and in all languages it means the same thing: they fought successfully. God has not called us to defeat. How many say amen to this?

When Paul wrote “we are more than conquerors”, I mean in all these things we are more than conquerors. He was declaring that he had realized that even though he was in jail, in prison, he was in the deepest catacomb, God was with him. Brothers, God is with you, sister, God is with you. There is power in Jesus.

And I want, brothers, to finish and, as I said, I want the group of men and also the youth of WPG to help me make some illustrations to explain a little of everything that we try to leave to the whole church. Everybody say fight, fight church. Say it louder: fight… say favor of God. I want God's favor more. I feel that God is already here looking at us with a smile and saying, my children want to fight like I want them to fight. We are more than victorious, we are more than conquerors. And you have to take the attitude of victorious soldiers.

Brothers, I am going to ask that the brothers who are going to prepare to do this illustration, I would like you to listen to us, have a little patience, I am going to try to be quick. I want to explain one thing; that in these illustrations I am going to make the altar call after each scene, because it represents a very important thing. If you listen to me, I would like all of us to enter as if we were at the military base and that God is telling us, army, church, I want to lead them to win a great battle.

How many are in a battle this afternoon? Raise your hand. How many do you have? If they have more than 2 battle, raise two hands. If you have more than 3, raise your feet too. I, brothers, believe...

Well, let's go brothers, to establish something first, that the church is a militant army. In the study of the church in theology we realize that the church is an army, the body of Christ, the universal church, the catholic church, of the whole world, universal, it is a militant church. Tell your brother, we are military. Amen.

Brother Bruce. How many can give Christ a round of applause, brothers? These soldiers represent you and me. But we have to fight as God wants us to fight. There are many things to fight for. I would like, brothers, that just as these men represent warrior soldiers of Christ, we all realize that God has called us to fight the good fight.

And if you carry something in your heart, it is that every soldier has an enemy, but he has a victory. Now, I would like the Holy Spirit to prepare you, brother friend, who are here this morning or seeing us on the internet. It is time to fight, church, we have not won the battle yet, but Christ has already won it for us. I said that Christ has already won it for us.

Hallelujah! Give glory to God. Learn to march, and we are learning to march. Now comes the good. We show that we are an army, but now I want to show some battles that you and I go through in life. Every Christian has battles and maybe the first one won't identify you, but I'm almost sure you will, because one of the biggest things the devil wants to do is steal your salvation. Let us not neglect such a great salvation that God has given us.

And the first scene we are seeing that the enemy, the first thing he wants to do is steal your salvation. The more you dedicate yourself, the more you seek God's favor, strange things begin to happen, you begin to search, to read, and the enemy arrives. Oh, but thank God that when the enemy comes we too can fight, we can fight, we can fight and we can win the battle of our salvation.

Brothers, yes you can be saved, yes you can. Hallelujah! Now, I want to make the appeal, there is someone who needs to fight for their salvation. This is for the already saved, not the unsaved. Someone who arrived a little discouraged who wanted to pass. We want to help you fight for your salvation. Is there anyone who wants to come? Come in brother, come in sister here, the sermon is over, now the Holy Spirit wants to deal with your life.

All that first person who wants to be whole with God and say, I have been going through a few moments that sometimes we even doubt that God is with us. Where is that first person who says, I am that soul? God bless you brother. God bless you sister. God honors your sincerity.

Men go to minister to them. Will there be someone here? God bless you sister. Is there anyone else here to tell God, am I needing to fight for my salvation? Yes, you can be a winner. Need help. Christ wants to help you fight this morning. Come on, don't be afraid. Pass by believing that God is going to give you victory. Do not be afraid. Sometimes we are ashamed, what are they going to say? What does it matter if they say what they say. The important thing is that you are victorious. God bless you brother. God bless you sister.

Raise your hands in victory now. The next thing, I'm going to say something, the one who wins salvation is almost the winner in all things, but sometimes the enemy attacks us, sometimes where it hurts us the most. The next scene is marriage for all the married and weary. Look what a beautiful couple. Marriage what God united man does not separate. But the devil wants to destroy the marriage in this last hour. No matter how many years you have been married, the devil wants to destroy. But you can also fight for our marriage. Yes, you can find the solution and repair what is broken. Yes, you can fight for marriage because God united marriage.

There will be a couple this morning that will say, I need help. Come in, if your husband is not here you go in his place. But many say, no, everyone will find out. You all know it, brothers. No more than we are diplomats. Oh, how is the wife? He hasn't seen her for a year now, oh, okay, all good. Come in, fight for your marriage, fight for your marriage. Yes you can stick together. God bless you brother, God bless you sister.

The devil always hits us where he is closest. The next thing that the devil attacks us a lot is for those, they say over there in Mexico, the sons, the daughters. God bless you brother. Someone to minister, here are some sisters, we are finishing. The children, all say children. Brothers, children are so important that the enemy often attacks us when he begins to plant rebellion, when he begins to want to destroy our children, to lead them down paths that are not his. But you can fight for your children, you can fight for your children.

If you have children that you want to fight, come, come representing this altar. Brothers, children are precious. How beautiful when they are little and do everything you tell them to do. But sometimes the devil starts robbing us and sometimes we lose faith that our children are going to be saved. How many know what I'm talking about, brothers, that sometimes our children are a disappointment, but today we can fight for them, yes we can win our children for the Kingdom of God.

Oh this is beautiful! Church, fight, fight for your children. Fight for your salvation. Fight for your marriage. In life we have many battles, some small, some big. Sometimes they are battles that we don't see coming but they come. There are battles that we need to conquer in victory. Many times, brothers, there is no victory because we do not fight for our victory. We are here representing, God bless you.

Victory in our lives sometimes we need them. Do you know why? Because we are in the hole and suddenly the devil sends a grenade and we have no victory. Suddenly a problem comes into our lives and we start to lose strength. But God wants to give you victory. Yes you can win the victory. Yes you can win the victory.

Yes you can win that victory. There is victory in the name of Jesus. There is victory in the name of Jesus. Will there be someone who wants to fight for his victory? Happens. I know the altar is small, but find a little place or stand up where you are, you don't have to go, stand up where you are. God bless you, brother, God bless you, God bless you, brother.

Victory is yours. I said victory is yours. Victory is yours, sister. Victory is yours, brother. Someone give glory to God for the victory. God's favor for your life, nobody move brothers, I'm going to finish. There is victory this morning.

The last scene, which is one of the most important scenes, one of the commandments was to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. There are lost souls that die in the holes because they don't know how to fight but God wants us to be able to go all over the world and win souls.

Look, brothers, souls need someone to fight for them. The devil wants to destroy them but you have salvation, you have Christ in your life. Yes you can save souls for the Kingdom of God. Yes you can win souls who need Christ. Souls are Christ's. It happens, it happens, it happens.

Souls go all over the world and preach the Gospel. Somebody give a round of applause for Christ for the blood of Christ. Brothers please give me a minute, I am going to leave this place to Pastor Omar. I believe that now comes the most important thing for us as a church, we fight, but now we have to snatch souls from the kingdom of darkness.

Will there be a soul this morning that wants to accept Christ? Raise your hand where you are, I know that there is not much field here. Will there be someone who says, I want to confess with my mouth that I need Christ in my life? Where is that person or people who want to accept Christ? Rise your hand. Christ through his word, which is represented by the sword of God, how many know that the word is the truth, brothers?

Friend, friend that you are listening to me, today is the day of salvation. Here is a young man who wants to accept Christ? Somebody give a round of applause to Christ for this soul. Another gentleman, God bless you. Another person. Where are the women, the young ones? Two men. Will there be a sister? God bless you. God bless you, young man.

Now, church, say with me 3 times, church fight. Say it again. Say it again. Pastor Omar with us. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We are only going to pray very quickly, there where the people who have come forward, we are going to pray. We are going to declare that blessing of God on this war that we are waging. I know that this is something that is very dramatic but it illustrates a lot of what we experience in our daily lives and how God sends his angels to fight on our behalf on a spiritual level.

And he also sends people around us who cover us with their prayers. They are different fronts from which we always have to keep, that relationship with God, our salvation, our family, our children, and those people who still do not know him.

Lord, as a church, we come before you to pray and we ask that it be you, Lord, celebrating this word in the midst of each of our hearts, Lord.

Father, for all these people who have passed here in front, any of these scenes with which they identify themselves, Lord, we declare that it is your favor, it is your mercy, Lord, who covers them, strengthens them and encourages them to keep going, Lord, it is only because of you, my God, that we can manage to do this.

Father, we ask that each family, each person, Lord, who is struggling in some way or another, that today through this time, from this word that has been preached, Lord, that they may receive strength and energy, the stamina , the strategies they need to continue fighting in favor of their own, Lord, fighting for those things that you have given us as a gift in life, Lord. We adore you, my God, we adore you, Lord Jesus. And we declare that you are the Lord of our lives, that only by your mercy, Lord Jesus, that we can remain firm, it is only because of you, Lord, that we remain firm. What are we, Lord Jesus, for you to visit us?