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4 Walls Destroying God’s People … and Why Walls Are the Work of Satan

Last weekend, the Powells went to Zaxby’s for a family Valentine’s dinner. As I placed our food on the table and prepared to “do work” on a Wings and Things combo (with extra Zaxby’s sauce, of course), a Mennonite family caught my eye. All eight of them.

Now, seeing Mennonites isn’t a big deal. I see them regularly. What caught my eye was the father, who proceeded to pray for the whole family.

As I watched the father pray for his family, I thought to myself, “I am glad I am not a Mennonite. I feel bad for them, actually. I could teach them so much about Jesus and the gospel.”

After this pseudo prayer to God and total exaltation of my elitist mentality, God said to me, “No, your understanding of me is no greater than the man you are labeling as inferior. And unless you break down your elitist wall, your view of me will be skewed and narrow.”

You see, culture conditions us to divide and throw up walls. It is not something we know inherently. Any bystander at a local park would notice this. Kids don’t throw up walls. They don’t see skin color or status. But somewhere in the journey of life, we become enlightened. At that moment, we discover our place in the world, good or bad.

Be sure of this, however. This enlightenment is not from God. In fact, the very opposite is true. When we believe our knowledge, race, culture, generation or gender is superior, we buy the lie of the accuser, Satan.

How do I know? The Bible tells me so. Look at Revelation 12:10. Here Satan is called “the accuser.”

NOW, DON’T MISS THIS. The greek word for “accuser” is “categor.” This greek word comes from the same root that gives us the English word “category.”

See what’s going on? Satan is the eternal “categorizer.” The eternal divider.

And if Satan’s eternal plan is to divide, what is God’s eternal plan? To unite. To bring together. To destroy walls.

Unity is so interwoven into God’s nature he sends his son to the cross to re-unite us.

At the cross, Jesus destroys the barrier between man and God, and in the process, annihilates any barrier between man and his neighbor (BTW, “man” is gender neutral. I don’t want to build a “wall” between myself and the ladies. Love you guys … I mean girls.).

So, what categories (or barriers or walls, whatever you choose to call Satan’s handiwork) are prevalent today? There are many, but I want to highlight four. I pray you strive to do everything in your power (through God’s power) to break down these walls.

Here are four walls Satan uses to destroy God’s people and diminish the power of the gospel.

1.) Generational Wall

This wall is one of Satan’s most effective methods of dividing the church. Here is the typical mindset that creates this wall.

A younger generation sees outreach, evangelism, etc. differently from previous generations. Older generations are skeptical of their practices. And why not? They were once in the shoes of the younger ones. They remember the “sins of their youth” and the lack of wisdom that led to many dead-end roads. So, instead of getting to know the younger generation, older generations transpose their past experiences on to the younger generation.

The younger generation notices. But instead of acting in step with the gospel, they create a wider gap by allowing frustration and anger to drive them. The younger generation sees older generations as “out of touch,” and reaching the lost in the world means tossing aside any resemblance of the way previous generations operated.