This past week our nation honored those who have served in the military. Perhaps we should take some time to reflect and be thankful for those who have served in the Lord’s army. The church is God’s holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9). Christ gave His blood for the church (Acts 20:28). Is it precious enough for you to defend? Christians do not fight against flesh and blood, but rather spiritual wickedness (Eph. 6:12) for Christ’s kingdom is not of this world (Jn. 18:36); yet we should be thankful for those who have in faith served in the struggle against Satan’s lies.
Many have been convinced to believe one or many of these lies: that God does not exist, the Bible is inaccurate, grace means the Bible does not really need to be followed and won’t be the standard of final judgment, marriage covenants are just human innovations and can be broken for any number of reasons, any kind of worship that pleases me is acceptable, drinking alcohol and gambling are just fine as long one remains responsible, et cetera. When the devil tries to secretly bring in false teaching, spiritual veterans who are familiar with God’s word, contend earnestly for the once-for-all-delivered faith (Jude 3). On the other side of things, those who have attempted to bind that which God has not bound (Mt. 16:19), such as how we care for orphans, whether we can eat in a building owned by the church, that divorce for any reason is sin, or that a woman should not teach children the Bible, have been answered by faithful followers of God who would not allow the Lord’s work to be hindered by man-made laws. We often depend on past precedents. If we have thought through these issues, we’ve likely benefited from the service of others who have spent time in God’s word and communicated it effectively to others. Elders who are seasoned in the faith, well-versed in God’s word, have proven experience in nurturing faithful souls, and can with self-control convict those who contradict God’s truth are so vital to the Lord’s church keeping the faith (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). We should be thankful for such servants (1 Thess. 5:12-13). The easy way out is to never confront error or to be unbalanced and blow up over insignificant pet issues. But to handle God’s word properly and be consistent and balanced takes effort (2 Tim. 2:15). As a faithful soldier of Christ, Paul would not allow moral laxity to run rampant among God’s people (1 Cor. 5), nor would he stand idly by while those who had liberty in Christ were brought back into bondage (Gal. 2:4, 11-14; 5:1).
We reap the benefits of God’s servants who have in the past fought the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7). No matter who you are, you came to Christ because someone was willing to influence you with the Gospel. We need to be willing to endure hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 2:3). If we want to be a connecting link from those who have taught us in the past to faithful individuals who can teach others in the future, then we must (2 Tim. 2:2). Being preoccupied with the distractions, riches, cares and pleasures of this world will not get the job done (2 Tim. 2:4; Luke 8:14). If we are to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ, then we must be willing to make sacrifices for His cause.
-Mark Day
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