by Scott H. Northrup
We find ourselves tonight in the midst of a great conflict of global proportions. I'm not just talking about the war against terrorism, or the Middle East war, or the war against poverty, or thewar on drugs. There is a War behind all wars. It is a struggle between the world of light and the world of darkness, a "war of the worlds," if you will. God's word tells us that "...we do not war against flesh and blood." In other words, people are not our real enemy, although our real enemy does use people to do his will. Instead, we war "against spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places."
As Christians we have been enlisted as soldiers in this spiritual/knowledge war. The truth of God is our rifle - we are well "equipped for every good work." As soldiers we need to know how to take our weapon apart and put it back together in the dark, "always ready to preach the word," to "make a defense of the hope that is in us." We need to be ready at all times to "fight the good fight of faith" and to "suffer hardship as a good soldier of Christ Jesus."
And the Bible says, "No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier." We cannot allow our passions to be directed toward our hobby. Our full passion needs to be to advance God's kingdom, that "all men might be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth."
In an army company there is an "esprit de corps" that holds the group together and inspires its members to do great exploits for the good of the whole. The esprit de corps, or literally "spirit of the body" that holds the Body of Christ together is the Holy Spirit. "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body...and we were all made to drink of one Spirit." The Holy Spirit is the great behind-the-scenes Organizer of this Army. When the Spirit of God is operating in you, He will lead you to be a "joiner", not a "withdraw-er." He will lead you to love and work alongside others who are different from you, and to appreciate their specialties.
And just like an army full of specialists, each with their own unique function, the Army of God has its specialists - each one of us. For by the Holy Spirit, "the whole body, [is] being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part."
Having laid out the analogy of Christians as soldiers in an army, it irks me sometimes how really soft and flabby and undisciplined this army is. While soldiers and athletes will go to great lengths to train and to serve, it's hard to get some Christians to remain faithful to a church ministry activity that takes a couple hours a week. They've had their little itsy-bitsy feelings hurt by the choir director or some such nonsense. I marvel at how petty some of us can be, when we're in the midst of such a war. The U.S. soldiers in Iraq are in 115 degree heat in full gear, while people sit in a church pew and fuss because the temperature isn't to their liking, or the music too loud, or the pastor's wife isn't wearing what they think she should be.
It's time for Christians in this Army of God to "cowboy up" and start being good soldiers of Christ Jesus, able to endure a little hardship for the sake of the kingdom of God.
Scripture references used here are: Ephesians 6:12, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7, 2 Timothy 3:12-17, 2 Timothy 2:3-4, 1 Corinthians 12:14, and Ephesians 4:16.
@ copyright 2003 by Scott H. Northrup. All rights reserved.