When we decide to follow Jesus, we are basically enlisted into the Lord's army. An army is a very good metaphor for the Kingdom of God. If we thought of it that way, Christianity would take on an entirely different meaning. That would mean that we would actually have to be dedicated followers of Christ willing to risk it all.
When you are in the army, all the troops move with one purpose in mind. Some are assigned to lead, while others follow-- but all are honored for their service. All soldiers will suffer in the line of duty and some will even lose their lives for the cause. While civilians live day-to-day just hoping for change, the troops are the ones who are actually out there making a difference.
It is our duty to work together as Jesus' army to accomplish His purposes on earth. An army that is busy fighting amongst itself is not a successful one. We have to be united to make a difference in this world. Some are called into leadership, and some are not. It is not our duty to decide, but instead to honor whom God has appointed, while remembering that every part of the army is necessary. The road to Heaven is marked with suffering and some of us will even be martyrs for the cause of Jesus Christ, but it is all for the greatest reward imaginable-- an eternity with Jesus.
One thing is for certain, the army of Christ doesn't have room for those who sit on the sidelines and are not willing to get their hands dirty to accomplish His cause. Jesus didn't send us out into the world to sit on our bums and talk about how "righteous" we are; He sent us to go to the ends of the earth, to every dark and dreary place, to win hearts for Him. Where do you stand? Are you in formation with His troops or are you on the sideline calling yourself a warrior?
1 Corinthians 12:12-20 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. (NIV)
Ephesians 4:11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers (NIV)
Acts 20:28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. (ESV)
Mark 3:25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. (NIV)
Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake (ESV)
Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (NLT)
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (ESV)
Titus 1:16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. (ESV)
Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. (NLT)
When you are in the army, all the troops move with one purpose in mind. Some are assigned to lead, while others follow-- but all are honored for their service. All soldiers will suffer in the line of duty and some will even lose their lives for the cause. While civilians live day-to-day just hoping for change, the troops are the ones who are actually out there making a difference.
It is our duty to work together as Jesus' army to accomplish His purposes on earth. An army that is busy fighting amongst itself is not a successful one. We have to be united to make a difference in this world. Some are called into leadership, and some are not. It is not our duty to decide, but instead to honor whom God has appointed, while remembering that every part of the army is necessary. The road to Heaven is marked with suffering and some of us will even be martyrs for the cause of Jesus Christ, but it is all for the greatest reward imaginable-- an eternity with Jesus.
One thing is for certain, the army of Christ doesn't have room for those who sit on the sidelines and are not willing to get their hands dirty to accomplish His cause. Jesus didn't send us out into the world to sit on our bums and talk about how "righteous" we are; He sent us to go to the ends of the earth, to every dark and dreary place, to win hearts for Him. Where do you stand? Are you in formation with His troops or are you on the sideline calling yourself a warrior?
1 Corinthians 12:12-20 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. (NIV)
Ephesians 4:11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers (NIV)
Acts 20:28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. (ESV)
Mark 3:25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. (NIV)
Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake (ESV)
Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (NLT)
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (ESV)
Titus 1:16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. (ESV)
Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. (NLT)
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