The
Speakers
Dr.
William Ury taught Kingdom Warfare as described in Mark's Gospel, the first
half of the book dealing with the person of Jesus and the remaining eight
chapters on the passion of Christ.
"The Kingdom of God is proclaimed and fulfilled in Jesus Christ -
revealed in His person and passion," Ury said, "and kingdom warfare
began in the wilderness, recapitulating all of creation at the source of its
chaos."
Commissioner Max
Feener led study sessions on "Our Spiritual Warfare" - "The
Battle Call" and "Fully Prepared." The soldier's equipment
described by Paul in Ephsians 5:22-6:9 provides the preparation, power and
position for battle.
"Here, then, is the Spirit's strategy: Overlaid with God's
armor we become more than conquerors," Feener said.
Commissioner Israel Gaither spoke on the rules of
engagement for Kingdom Warfare: "Engage the Advantage" and
"Eliminate the Distractions." Christ is the center of God's
Kingdom. Where He is, therefore, justice is present, hope returns, evil is
confronted and the enemy is defeated.
"There is no retreating in this war,"
Gaither said. "This is the time for Salvationists to be brave soldiers. We
are stewards of a magnificent outcome - the reign of Jesus Christ as
King!"
Majors John and Anne
Read employed a team-teaching method, both bringing their unique style for
illustrating aspects of spiritual warfare. They spoke of the army of dry bones
which God resurrected to convince Ezekiel of His power. In a passage from
Revelation, they described Christ as "a War Lord victorious in
battle."
"We wage war with love. All wars spread terror, in a way - but God
is not a God of terror, and not to be confined with judgment," Major John
Read said. "He is also a God of love, mercy and grace. The world can never
offer grace."
How has this SBC equipped you for spiritual
warfare?
"I understand better about what kind of spiritual
warfare is going on. We think that 
it's mostly angels and
demons fighting - but it's really a battle that we all face every day. The
headlines scare me, but those are earthly things. But as spiritual workers, we
have to purify ourselves to be ready to resist temptations and to live for
Jesus."
- Janet Hawley, New Orleans, La., disaster recovery
counselor
"I have been rejuvenated. It's important for
me to know that God is the core of my existence. We hear reports every night on
the news about wars, so when I have my personal time with the Lord, that's
when I'm reminded about where I've come from and where I'm
going."
- Beth Arrowood, Dallas, Texas, ARC staff
member
"With terror
everywhere in the world, Christians need to always be on guard. We need
to be positive in our faith, willing to work for God, and especially willing to
spread the Good News of Jesus Christ."
- Bobby Baker,
corps secretary, Sumter, S.C.
"The speakers have been excellent and I've been blessed. I also love
to see old friends again."
- Major Patsy Brewer,
retired officer, Concord,
N.C.
"This made me
aware about the war between good and evil, and to learn about the weapons we
have at our disposal in this spiritual warfare."
- Jerome Sellers,
Nashville, Tenn., ARC
"In
light of what's going on in the world right now, it's very important to
remember that we are in a spiritual war every day of our lives. When the end
does come, we'll be ready for life eternal."
- Major Bill Mockabee, Georgia divisional commander
"In light of world events, it's plain to see
that we need to get back to the roots of what 
Jesus taught. The world wants peace,
but the only true peace comes through the Lord. I sense a special anointing
because the speakers have been so dynamic. It's what we need to hear."
- Captain Johnny Poole, Macon, Ga., corps
officer
"I've only
missed one Bible conference since it started over 50 years ago, and that was
because I attended the National Seminar on Evangelism that year. This study on
Our Spiritual Warfare is right down the alley. The world is in bad shape and
it's not going to get better until Jesus comes."
- Lt. Colonel
Jack T. Waters, Winston-Salem, N.C. , area commander