Posts Tagged ‘soldier’

A Soldier of Christ

Posted: November 19, 2012 in Books, Charismatic, Christian, Church, Evangelical, Liturgical, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Reformed, Renaissance, Repentance, Sacramental
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Miles Christi!  I am a Soldier of Christ! There’s so much interfering in the way of doing what God has called us to do. As an adult, it’s a little easier. I don’t have to worry about popularity, school, peer pressure, or any of that stuff. Still, I’ve been in your shoes. I know what things conflict you and what challenges you have to face in order to fulfill your calling.

In the U. S. Army, a “brigade” is a large group of soldiers. I would like to see God raise up an army of believers (Militia Christi) who will be sold out to the Lordship of Jesus Christ: to advance the Gospel and glorify Jesus Christ. I chose the military theme on purpose because I recognize that in order to achieve the goals that we’ve set out to accomplish, we have to discipline ourselves and become mentally tough and fully devoted, much like soldiers preparing for war.

When the verse from 2 Timothy 2:3-4 talks about “enduring hardship,” that’s exactly what it means: there is a price to be paid if we are to reach our objective. In a physical war, every inch of ground is bought with the blood of the soldiers who are attempting to advance against the enemy. In our spiritual war, every square inch of ground that we conquer has been purchased by the blood of Jesus, along with our sweat and tears.

I was a real soldier. I can testify that, while you are fighting, nothing else matters. You can’t worry about what your family is doing back home. You can’t worry about your mom and dad, your girlfriend, or your bank account. The only thing that matters is accomplishing the mission and staying alive. Anything that doesn’t accomplish one of those goals is a distraction, and should be treated as such.

God tells us in the scripture above that, if we hope to accomplish the goals that He has for us, then we need to have a similar devotion to Him and His Lordship in our lives. It also tells us that the only way to please your commanding officer (Jesus Christ) is to set aside every other concern in life and fight the war.

You can be a soldier of Christ! God equips us with the weapons of our warfare to fight the enemy.  We must wisely use these weapons to bring others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and into the fullness of His Holy Spirit through His Bride the Church.

The Armor of God

Posted: November 16, 2011 in Charismatic, Christian, Church, Evangelical, Liturgical, Pentecostal, Reformed, Sacramental
Tags: , , , , ,
0

Ephesians 6:13-18

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth,

and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation,

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints…”

God reveals Himself as the divine Warrior who fights on behalf of or against the people who profess to bear His name, depending on their faithfulness to His covenant. While this truth was known under the old covenant (see, for example, Ex. 15:3; Dan. 10:10–14), now under the new covenant we have a clearer perspective on spiritual warfare, especially insofar as we are called to fight on the Lord’s side against the Enemy and his minions.

Paul explains how we are to equip ourselves for this spiritual warfare. In Ephesians 6: 10–12, he reminds us that our struggles with sin and with those people who hate the living God are not battles against flesh and blood but against the Evil One. Before we knew Christ, we were in Adam and enslaved to the powers of sin and death. Having been reconciled to God through Jesus, we no longer have the Devil as our captain but now serve in the army of the Lord (Rom. 5:12–21). Still, the influence of sin does not disappear at once, for the world, the flesh, and the Devil strive to make us forget whose side we are on as servants of the cross (Romans 7:7–25; 1 Peter 5:8–9).

The only effective way to keep us from going against the way of Jesus and acting as traitors to His cause is to continually put on the uniform that identifies us as His soldiers (Eph. 6:13–17). Paul uses the analogy of a soldier’s armor to describe the armor of faith. While it is possible to draw some inferences as to the reason why each particular piece of armor is linked to its specific spiritual characteristic, it is more important to see that the roots of Paul’s thinking go back to the Old Testament. In Isaiah 59:15b–17, the prophet speaks of God wearing the same kind of armor as we are to wear in battle against Satan. Putting on spiritual armor simply means that we continually clothe ourselves in the Lord, relying on His gifts and graces to resist temptation and to enable us to risk even our own well-being for the sake of the kingdom.

Continual prayer in the Spirit both for ourselves and for the needs of fellow believers is the means by which we wear this armor (Eph. 6:18–20). Praying in the Spirit is not a mystical experience but rather an alertness to pray, along with a quickness to pray, because, knowing the Holy Spirit gives us power to pray, He intercedes with and for us as we pray, we recognize that power in acknowledging our dependence on God (Rom. 8:26–27).

John Calvin comments on this passage, reminding us that we should not let the “injurious treatment” of others provoke us to revenge, for those who bother us are merely darts from Satan’s hand. “While we are employed in destroying those darts, we lay ourselves open to be wounded on all sides.” Instead, “we must go straight to the enemy, who attacks and wounds us from his concealment — who slays before he appears.”

Enemies of Jesus Christ and the Church

Posted: October 20, 2011 in Ancient Faith, Biblical, catholic, Christian, Church, Church History, Covenant, Covenant theology, Evangelical, Evangelism, Faith, life, Ministry, Orthodox, orthodoxy, Preaching, Protestant, Reformed, Renaissance, Repentance, sanctification, Scriptural, Testimony, Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

Esther 9:22 – “As the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, & from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor.”

There can be a lull in the battle. The enemy, Satan, waits for a time or a season to bombard us with something painful. When you are feeling somewhat good about your life, the attack begins. The enemy comes at you with curve balls, hand grenades, mortars, and a frontal attack. All this to test how fragile you are. This is to test your faith in God.

There is no rest from our enemies. They stand ready to attack at a moment’s notice, regardless of the situation or timing. They are ready to pounce heavily. These attacks happen daily to those in the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ must maintain its guard, and watchfulness to protect itself.

That is why the Church, the Body of Christ exists, to help one another and to stand together and fight the enemy.

We are soldiers of Christ (Miles Christi). The Church is One and reveals a great and generous heart. The Church, deeply moved by the heart of Christ, struggles with how indifferent people respond to God’s love through her. She looks to the Cross upon Calvary with affection, knowing all too well all that has been left at its foot. A change must come upon the Church. The Church fears in horror that she may become mediocre, useless, and express an empty life. Now, the Church must look upon the Lord and ask, “What have I done for You, what am I doing for You, and what must I do for You?”