There is a world that we cannot see. It is a world of witnesses. Whether a great cloud of them or whether principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places, they watch. We walk in the unseen world. Saints walk in the spiritual reality of all existence. And the power of those who walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh is the power that shakes the gates of hell and the kingdom of darkness.

In order to shake the gates of hell we have to understand our spiritual reality. It is totally apart from any religious notions or pious intentions. Vanity. Loving our enemies is where the real power lies. Why? If you can love your enemies then this causes violence in heavenly places. Every saint who breaks through into this reality has broken through into enemy territory. You are now behind enemy lines and you are causing chaos in the ranks of hell.

I want to give you two examples of this is action. In Acts chapter five we see some remarkable displays of the true power of God. First the Apostles are imprisoned and then they are supernaturally released. Do they go into hiding? No, they went right back into the lions den so to speak, they went into the Temple. Now remember, they had been told not to preach in the name of Jesus, but there they were with all the boldness of Spirit filled men.

They were arrested again and dragged in front of the leaders, men who had the power of life and death (they would have had no power unless it had been granted to them) And they begin to tell those leaders that they had crucified the Christ. They testified that the Christ had arose and was exalted by the hand of God. They proclaimed that they would obey God rather than men and therefore continue to preach Jesus. They announced themselves to be His witnesses The men whom they spoke to were “cut to the heart.” The power of God was on the move.

Now I want you to see this. They were beaten that day for their troubles. And as they walked home, battered and broken they rejoiced because they “were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” You see, they held no recrimination against the ones who beat them, nor the ones who ordered them beaten, they simply rejoiced that they were counted worthy to have entered into the sufferings of the Lord. This is the power that flows from Calvary “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.” This is the power exhibited in Stephen who cries out, even as he is being stoned, for God not to hold this against the ones who were killing him.

Truly remarkable power. In this world they had no rights and were abused and would appear weak to men. Yet, in the spirit world they were giants and they were more that conquerors. Weak in this world, mighty in the Kingdom. Saint, when you can see the battle with spiritual eyes then you can walk in the power of the Spirit. Yes, men know what they are doing but Jesus says forgive them Father for they know not what they do. The two things are true at the same time. Men can “know,” what they are doing in this world and have not a single clue as to what they are really doing in the spiritual world and who they are doing it for.

For many saints it wILL be offensive to suggest that the Apostles were exactly where they were supposed to be as they were being beaten. Stephen was exactly where he was supposed to be as he was being stoned. And, of course, Jesus was exactly where He was supposed to be as He was being crucified. Can you see it saint? Close your eyes to this world and open your spiritual eyes. If you can walk in the Spirit then it no longer matters who beat you or who ordered you to be beaten. They become quite irrelevant just as Pontius Pilate was irrelevant. What matters is that darkness is overcome by the power of light, the light of Christ. And in this, the gates of hell and the kingdom of darkness shake.