A Call to Arms

I issue a call to arms. I urge you to join the war effort. Get militant. It’s time to mobilise the army.

Are you a Good Soldier of Jesus Christ? 2 Timothy 2:3-4 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. (4) No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

Endure hardness. This means affliction, hardship, and trouble. We must endure - through the thick of the fight. A soldier is willing to sacrifice and suffer. And go the distance. He will not turn back when the battle’s on

He can be depended upon... To take his post. To battle on. He will not give in.

Endurance comes as we go through trials and learn perseverance. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; (9) Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed…

Trouble gives us endurance. We need to be ready for the muddy fox-holes and trenches. The relentless attacks. The discomforts. Most heroes of the faith have endured extreme hardship…
We need to develop a mind-set of obedience.

Being a good soldier of Jesus Christ means going to war. This is warfare. It’s real. This is a real fight. A real battlefield. We face a real enemy. 2 Corinthians 11:14, Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

This is a battle for the souls of men, women, and children. This is the good fight of the faith. This is a spiritual war. It’s a war in which the entire cosmos is involved.

A good soldier is called to PLEASE Him who has chosen him into the army – the one who selected/enlisted him. Will we seek to please our Chief Commanding Officer? Do we meet His expectations?

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

A Good Soldier seeks to please the Commander. Pleasing our Lord ought to be the first priority of every child of God. Some conduct may be deemed “unbecoming” – not acceptable - it brings dishonour and shame. This is conduct unbecoming - and it is a serious matter.

Paul prays that Christians will walk in conduct becoming of their faith in Christ. Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God…

Do we live in a way that honours the Lord Jesus? Paul says… Philippians 1:27, let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ…

The Lord wants His army to be an effective and disciplined fighting force…. Let us march forward. Let’s get in the thick of the fight for souls. Let us take a stand for Christ at any cost. 1 Tim 1:18 …war a good warfare.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. We should be in a state of combat readiness. On full alert.

The early disciples were described as: Acts 15:26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to be drilled, trained… in the pressure cooker of life.

Faith involves combat. An active conflict with evil. We are engaged in a battle. Let us have no reservations, no holding back. Jude 3 …ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

The church is meant to be a fighting unit. This is a war zone. In the world you are going to have tribulation (Jn. 16:33, Ac. 14:22). In Christ we have safety.

We are called to Action. 2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us... Controls us - compels us.

Praise God, victory is assured. 1 John 2:14 Ye are strong, and the Word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. Romans 8:37 Through Christ we are more than conquerors.

I issue a call to arms. I urge you to join the war effort. Get militant. It’s time to mobilise the army.

This coming week is your battlefield. Let's go forward and gain the victory.