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Forward
to the Fight!
by Captain Andy Miller
Here
is a brief explanation for why I close all my correspondence
with the line “Forward to the Fight.”
One of the early leaders in the Salvation Army, George Scott
Railton, wrote a hymn called Soldiers, Rouse Thee! I
love its focus, particularly the chorus:
Through the world resounding,
Let the gospel sounding,
Summon all, at Jesus’ call,
His glorious cross surrounding.
Sons of God, earth’s trifles leaving,
Be not faithless but believing;
To your conquering captain cleaving,
Forward to the fight. (SASB
#693)
As a Salvationist I want every email I send, sermon I preach,
letter I send, tweet and facebook message I post, meeting I
lead, advisory organization I facilitate, and moment I spend
to be focused on “the fight.
Don’t get me wrong, this “fight” is not violent brawl. Though
the “fight,” here is more than a metaphor. We really are
fighting against something, but fighting against what?
Sin. Sin and its impact in our world is what I’m fighting. I
want people to be freed from the guilt of sin by
experiencing salvation through Jesus Christ. I want people to
be freed from sin’s power by the regenerating and
sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. I want to fight
daily against the various ways that sin corrupts our world. I
fight with a holistic focus that connects Jesus’ work to The
Salvation Army’s task of serving those who are hungry,
homeless, and hopeless. Most of the time dire social
situations arise because of sin in our world, so let’s fight
sin in Jesus’ name.
The fight I believe is a part of my task as a husband and
father. Rejecting passivity and moving forward to the task of
being the man God has called me to be for my wife and my
children is a key part of my fight. I am moving “forward to
the fight” when I throw baseballs to my boys, have tea parties
with my daughter, or I take my wife on a date.
I also recognize that
there is a "good
time coming" when
the fighting will be over. “When the old order of things have
passed away” and our conquering captain says, “Behold I am
making all things new!” (Revelation 21:5). Then, in the new
creation, I will sign my emails, “Through the Fight.” By God’s
grace I will continue marching forward until the fight is
over. And I am assured that victory is coming. As another
great hymn says:
We shall not lose the fight of faith,
For Jesus is our Lord,
We lay all carnal weapons down
To take his shining sword. (SASB
#701)
If you are not a follower of Jesus and you want to know more
about what that means send me an email. It’s time to join the
fight.
Forward to the Fight,
Andy Miller III, Captain
I wrote a horn solo for my brother, Nathan, using Railton’s
song. While arranging this piece I discovered this powerful
line, “Forward to the Fight” and have sense claimed it as a
focus for my life (click here
for a recording of this piece).
Also I wrote an article that explores the ecclesiolgical
dimensions of the fight for the Wesleyan Theological Journal you
can find a link to it here.)
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