The persuasive power of the word

I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. - 2 Corinthians 10:1‭-‬6 ESV

Pastor Paul Park

The word is for spiritual battle. The devil and demons are real. We forget or often dismiss that we are in a war. Unless you know what the word is for, it is hard to understand why we need the word. The word is referred to as a sword. Who goes to battle without a sword?

But it not just about carrying around the Bible. We must know and use it. We battle in the flesh, but not according to the flesh. All of us are human with limitations, but not all of this is sinful. We don't know everything. We are created and not divine. There is a humility in trusting in God's wisdom and not our own.

What are the strongholds?

They are rationalizations and lofty opinions that are anti-gospel. They keep us from living lives devoted and joyfully for God. We are not trying to take down the castle walls, but the inner defenses within the castle. We need renewal from these ways of thinking. Here are some questions that can guide us:

How can a good God allow suffering?
How can God send people to hell?
Why is Christianity so exclusive?
Hasn't Christianity caused many wars?
Isn't science truer than any religion?

What can take our thoughts captive? Here's some popular modes and ways of thinking.

"Be all that you can be!"
Celebrity/consumer mindset - (we follow what is flashy and attractive to our eyes and ears.)
"You can do anything you want/Chase your passions"
Relativism/intolerance - (it's true for you, not for me/don't judge me/don't offend anyone)
Materialism - (there is only what you can see/touch/taste.)

If we don't take every thought captive to Christ, then the thought is captive to something else. It is in rebellion. It is a question of autonomy. Who is in charge? Jesus or us? When we don't do take them all captive, we are effectively saying, Christ is not better than ______. We are saying we know better than God what is best. Many of our sins and addictions stem from this. Is Jesus better than any of your goals and dreams? Is Jesus better than your life? Jesus calls us to submit our thoughts, dreams, goals, and lives... Not just once, but everyday. If your heart is not captive to Christ, how can you captivate others to Christ? If Christ is not persuasive in your life, then how can you persuade others?

We are not persuasive in being argumentative. It is being gracious and loving. We aren't trying to prove a point or be correct. We are trying to rescue the other person from destructive ways and habits. We are not dropping "truth bombs" but walking with them. We need to suffer with them and love them.