The Offensive Church by Pastor Philip Olubakin: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The church was built for war

Text: Matthew 16:18

Hebrews 11, men who through faith subdued kingdoms. The word subdue already shows imposition — you cannot subdue amicably, in the middle ground. It has no element of persuasion or negotiation.

Matthew 16:18: "And I say also unto thee, thou art Peter. And upon this rock" — the rock is not Peter, as the Catholic Church thought, but the revelation that Christ is King. "I will build my church." This church belongs to Jesus, purchased with his own blood. Nobody belongs to a denomination.

"And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." That automatically goes into the element of war. It is clear from the outset that this church is built for combat. If you are uncomfortable with contention, opposition, or upsetting people, you will not be able to express the church's mandate, because this church is built for opposition.

Matthew 10:34-36: "Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. I have come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household." What we call peace is actually subdued opposition — there is no such thing as peace when there is no war.

Two points from the text

1. Jesus is saying my church is for war. Everybody here is a soldier in the army of the Lord.
2. We are at the gates of hell. It didn't say the gates of the church will not be subdued — it said the gates of hell will not prevail. That means we are offensive, advancing toward the enemy. We are not "live and let live."

The devil does not have anything — if you see anything with Satan, he stole it. Everything belongs to God: the first person to sew clothes, paint, create art and entertainment, create rhythm, speak, and write, was God. Even the rainbow belongs to the God of the Bible.

Characteristics of an offensive church

1. Boldly proclaims the gospel

   An offensive church doesn't wait for seekers to wander in — it takes the gospel to the highways and the edges. This church preaches with urgency because souls are at stake.

   John 3:16-20: God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

   • Anyone who does not accept Jesus is condemned — no matter how nice, kind, philanthropic, or morally good they are. We don't go to hell because we are bad; we go to hell because we rejected Jesus. Nobody can earn their own salvation

   Acts 5:29: "We ought to obey God rather than men."

   Acts 4:13: "when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." Being with Jesus gives you boldness. We have a generation that is bold with foolishness, but timid with righteousness. You must be able to put your foot down boldly.

   Romans 1:16: "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." I'm not ashamed to be called SU, not ashamed to be associated with Jesus.

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   Pastor Philip Olubakin

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   • A Muslim pure-water seller I saw laid his mat in the middle of a busy road at prayer time, bowing down, not caring who was watching — but believers are often afraid to even be caught praying

2. Actively breaks down strongholds

   The church doesn't merely identify problems in society — we see beyond the surface to the underlying demonic fortresses that hold people captive.

   2 Corinthians 4:4: "the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ... should shine unto them."

   2 Corinthians 10:4: "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal." We don't come with sweet words only — we break the yoke of the enemy.

   Testimony: a lady who had a fibroid for over 15 years, whose 15-year marriage broke because of it, was healed when hands were laid on her — the doctor checked four times and couldn't find it.

   1 Corinthians 2:4: "my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."

   1 Corinthians 4:20: "the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power."

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   • People are bound to sexual addiction, homosexual addiction, alcohol, drugs — beyond their own natural power. There's a demonic root behind these strongholds, not just a surface explanation

   Isaiah 49:24-25: "shall the prey be taken from the mighty... even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away."

3. Leaves out (preaches) a robust gospel

   The offensive church rejects a reduced gospel that deals only with the afterlife and postpones everything till heaven. It preaches a gospel that transforms every dimension of human existence — spiritual, emotional, relational, physical — and demonstrates that Jesus is Lord even over politics, economics, and education.

   Luke 4:18-19: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me... he hath sent me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."

   • The brokenhearted are not physically sick — Jesus is interested in your emotional health too. People going through divorce, grief, and loss must be included in our messages
   • Recovering sight to the blind includes spiritual ignorance — people need to see the opportunities around them

   Colossians 1:28: "Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom." All wisdom includes financial wisdom and wisdom for health.

   • It takes wisdom, not anointing, to build a home and manage money. There is a wisdom for finances and passive income — some Christians remain broke for lack of it
   • People have died young simply because they were not wise about their health

   An aggressive, offensive church cannot be boxed into one corner. That we may present every man perfect — complete in every area of life.

4. Strategically places members in top and influential positions

   The offensive church does not undermine the power of strategic, influential positions. It is no longer optional but compulsory for us to be deliberate about putting believers in top places — it takes influence to preserve the body of Christ, the way it took the influence of Joseph in Egypt to preserve Israel, and the influence of Joseph of Arimathea to preserve the body of Christ.

   Daniel, once promoted, brought up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and influenced their promotion. We have to have believers in land offices to ensure the body of Christ does not lack properties, and believers who can speak to those in authority — the way Esther needed to be in the palace to speak to the king while Mordecai prayed outside.

   Luke 16:1-9 (NLT paraphrase): the parable of the shrewd, dishonest manager who used what he had to make friends for his future. "The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light." We have to use our resources deliberately to benefit others and build influence — we can't keep playing church safely.