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We Need an Army of Soldiers, But
Do We Need You?
by Captain Genevieve Peterson
When I think of soldiers I think of war, and
when I think of war I think of fierce soldiers equipped for
battle. I think of big groups of men going off in
tanks and going into other lands to fight. Soldiers
have one purpose - to fight in the battle, and soldiers have
one objective - to win.
Soldiers join an army, they train for battle, they know and
believe in the mission and then they go out there and fight.
On occasion, they may dress up in their clean and impressive
uniform and march around, but eventually they will perform
their duty and go into battle and achieve their mission.
You can't stay and train and look pretty forever. At
some point you have to fight.
I hear the voices already; "We are a 'salvation' army.
We don't fight. There is no battle." Wrong!
We are an army and we have a mission. What is it?
To win the world for God! There is a battle on between
God and Satan for people's lives both in the now and for
eternity. Satan's mission is to destroy and God's
mission is to give life. Our mission as God's Army is
to introduce people to God so that they can repent and
believe and be free and have life for eternity. And
our mission is also to help people to be free and have real
life now, to help take away some of the hurt and pain of
living in the day to day. We need to transform
lives from the inside out.
So, are we in peace time? No, we are at war whether
you are fighting or not! How do I know? Because
I see death and anger and sadness and hunger and pain and
loneliness and emptiness and depression and jealousy and
crime and abuse and desperation and separation and isolation
and degradation and oppression and war and greed and
sickness…and the list goes on.
The world is lost in sin and is drowning in pain. You
don't need to be a soldier or even a Christian to know that.
So God needs us to go out into battle. He needs an
army and he needs it filled with soldiers.
Some people say, 'isn't The Salvation Army cute with all its
little metaphors to help explain stuff.' You've heard
it before, soldiership is membership, corps are churches,
officers are pastors. It's the way we explain
ourselves so we can gain legitimacy within the wider church.
But people, The Salvation Army is no metaphor! We ARE
an army and the battle is raging. If you are a
soldier, you are not some member of a club, you are a
soldier, equipped to fight and sacrifice your life to God.
We are not a church happily meeting on a Sunday, we are a
Corps united with a mission and on the move as an army unit.
And I am no pastor…I am as officer ready to deploy God's
troops.
So let's say you are a soldier, and you are (of course)
fired up by this piece of fine literature before you.
What do you do now? Well there are three steps as far
as I can see.
1. Get
sanctified!
Get down on your knees and repent and clear the air
completely between you and God and then pray that He will
fill you, and that you will be equipped with a passion for
battle.
2. Then,
take your next step from Ephesians 6:10-18 which says…
"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the
day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and
after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm
then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with
the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your
feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of
peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,
with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the
evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Ø Put on the truth! And
what is the truth. Jesus is Lord! God is mighty
and the battle is won! Death lost all victory through
Jesus and as such we are invited to join God in Heaven
forever! This is the truth! If you went into a
battle and you knew you were going to win, how would you
fight? Confidently and without fear. I want you
to be confident that the battle is already won and we cannot
be defeated and then fight like that.
Ø God is a righteous God and He is good and He wants
what is good for us. He also wants us to be the same
way, righteous. In battle, you can't be all talk.
What will happen if you do? You get pummeled. If
you go into battle and you are not holy, and you don't
actually live all that you declare, you will be defeated.
We need to be holy people. We need to 'be', and not
just want to be the people God wants. The breast plate
guards our chest. We need to guard our hearts and keep
our motives fixed on the will of God if we are to have any
success in the battle.
Ø Boots, they help us walk
over whatever ground may come before us. We are going
to take the good news wherever we go. In our fight to
win the world, we use peace and good news that Jesus can
save and that God loves us.
Ø Faith conquers doubt, and
doubt is all Satan needs to break you. Satan cannot
get you unless you remove your shield of faith. Do not
remove your shield of faith!
Ø Why a helmet of salvation?
Because the helmet protects the head, the brain, our
knowledge that we are saved! Knowledge that we are
forgiven and that nothing will separate us from God's love.
Nothing! No matter what your logic tells you!
Ø Why do you believe in God?
How are you saved? It is just not very convincing if
you have to 'um' and 'uh' about that on the spot. So
learn God's word and be ready for God to speak through you
at any moment.
3. You need
to be ready to give up everything!
Have you ever watched a child with a lollie (candy) bag?
When they offer you one they do it with such conviction and
joy. But when you say yes, they tend to look a little
sad. They poke their head in their bag and pull out
the worst possible lollie there could be. You end up
with one of those hard bananas. And while you
appreciate the gift, you are also aware that you feel a
little ripped off. I think of this when I read about
the story of the rich young man (Mt 19:16-30) – what was he
prepared to give up? A great deal actually, which is
commendable. How many of us could declare we do as
much as this young man? He lives a good and moral life
and gives this in service of God. He gives a lot, but
not everything. Giving yourself means giving all of
yourself, every part of you, no mater the logic, no matter
the cost. Why? The answer comes in verse 26.
'With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are
possible.'
Which one will you choose to rely on? Most of us
choose man. Using man, you will rely on the world and
all it has to offer. Career, money, status, friends, sport,
plans, travel…these things will become your salvation and
your joy. But they will not be eternal. Either
you will die or Jesus will return. Either way, when
that happens, those things will disappear and you will be
left with just this; God. What did you do for God?
Did you commit your heart, your life, your career, your
time, your love, your loyalty, your money, your plans, your
friendships, your relationships? Did you commit all of
these things to God? Did you live according to his
plans for your life, or yours?
In my opinion, the second greatest gift God has given us is
the gift of life. Yes, life is a great gift. But
the greatest gift God gives us is grace that flows from
God's love. God forgives us so that we can be in
relationship with him and live our lives with a purpose.
Without grace, our life would be so frustrating and lifeless
as we would have no interactive relationship with God.
That, for me, would make life quite pointless. So what
will you do with the gift of grace? Will you continue
to live only using the second greatest gift, life?
Will you continue to live life as though that is the
ultimate aim? Or will you accept the greatest gift,
and live life with God as your Leader, your Master, your
King, your Father, your God?
So…
Are you prepared to relinquish your plans and live
completely to God?
Are you prepared for a battle?
Are you prepared to stand up and be a real soldier?
Are you prepared for life to get hard and messy and
uncomfortable?
Are you prepared to be sanctified, so that nothing of your
will remains outside of God's?
Are you prepared to live a life that is worthy of a soldier
in The Salvation Army?
Yes? Then you can stay and fight.
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