This is a Real War
This is not just a social war; it is a spiritual war. To face the enemy and to fight the battle, we must be spiritually strong and take on a thoroughly scriptural warrior mentality:
Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle. - Psalm 144:1
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. - 1 Timothy 6:12
Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. - 2 Timothy 2:3
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. - Ephesians 6:11
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. - 2 Corinthians 10:4
Jesus Himself exhorts us to engage in the battle: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” (Matt. 11:12).
Did you join or enlist?
Consider your local church. Does it look like an army or a social club? Think about these differences:
A Club Member:
-pursues a common interest
-consumes some free time
-gathers acquaintances
-passes the time to make the day fun
-considers preparation as optional to staying involved
-finds courage unnecessary
A Soldier:
-pursues a common mission
-dedicates a whole life
-gathers fellow warriors
-seizes the day to make the battle count
-considers preparation as crucial to staying alive
-finds courage indispensable
My point: Jesus didn’t give His life to start a social club; His church was meant to be an army If this is the case, then we are to be soldiers, enlisted men and women.
…most Christians don’t realize there’s a real war going on. They view our struggle as purely symbolic.
Not so in our real combat! There is nothing symbolic about 33 million teens under withering fire. Nor is it symbolic for the teens caught in the vortex of MTV’s hypnotic spell as it attempts to transform them into mooks and midriffs.
For a clarification of ‘the mook’ and ‘midriff’ - check out this commentary: Merchants of Cool
The pain is real, and these kids are the casualties of war.
Many are just so absorbed in today’s destructive media entertainment business that they don’t realize the damage being done, and neither do their parents.
A good soldier lives the code.
When we become Christians we declare our loyalty to the person of Christ and to the lifestyle He requires of us. Romans 6:17 states it plainly: “You wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.”
As enlisted soldiers, we can’t silently vote on which part of the Bible we feel like living from day to day As if God’s code (His Word) is up for debate!
As soldiers, we go to church services every Sunday because we want to learn how God wants us to live.
A good soldier finds his assignment.
There is an assignment that only you can fill. People are waiting to be rescued until you find that assignment.
And Christians who’ve enlisted for spiritual battle in a real war for real lives come before God with humble hearts pleading, “O Lord, show me my part. I want to be deployed into the battle for this generation! Please show me my mission.”
Will you surrender the civilian life?
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20
You were bought at a price - 1 Corinthians 7:23
As soldiers we are no longer the owners of our lives. Our joy as a soldier is to find our Commander’s assignment and throw our lives into embracing Him and His mission for us.
More to come…
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