Were you ever in the Military?

Matthew 3:1-2

“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:1-2 ESV)

I often wonder would anyone in our day go out to see or hear a John the Baptist if he was in a remote area, not accessible and his message was; “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  My first thought was that the message does not play well in a world that teaches (your Ok and I’m Ok philosophy) a culture of no fault, no evil, and no responsibility for the choices one makes in life.  My second thought is who needs repentance in a culture that has a mentality to blame everyone else.  Third, when a culture ignores good and evil, right and wrong, how would they come to a place of needing to repent?  And forth, it would be inconvenient and maybe embarrassing to leave the comfort of all our ipads an iphones to go into a wilderness area where we might not get a connection.

Folks, that is the culture we live in and the only hope is that you and I, who claim to be followers of Christ, come to the place of being willing to be made willing.  To our understanding we’ve entered the army of Christ and we did not come in as advisers but as privates.  Were you ever in the military?  I was, and as a civilian I entered into a wilderness called the United States Army.  I hope you will see the contrast to the new life in Christ and my boot camp in the U.S. Army.

When I enlisted in the United States Army, I went to boot camp, my civvies were taken from me, and I was issued a new set of clothes.  I was introduced to a man we called Sergeant Major he told me the old Bob was dead. The old Bob could wear what he wanted, eat what he wanted, and go and do what he wanted, all of that was history.  I would look to the United State Army and its rules and commands and I no longer needed my opinions; all I needed was to obey his orders.

How does the United States Army and the Christian Army differ, and how similar are they?  First, let me share what I experienced in the United States Army.  We were given an order many of us had not understood; it was not a request-it was a command.  For a short period of time I acted like the old Bob (the civilian), only to experience this important truth-the old Bob was not welcome, and he had been replaced.  You may ask, “How did the Sergeant Major convey the message so that I understood, that I had to obey commands?”  Simple, we were told to go back into our barracks and pick up our M-1 rifle and our 30-pound packs.  The Sergeant Major referred to that as full gear.  Then we were told to return to the parade area.   Sergeant Major knew something, which we Christians must learn; if we were going to be Warriors, it required obedience. 

Sergeant Major asked us to put on our gear, pick up our weapon (M-1 rifle) and join him in a six-mile run with our weapon held at arms length above our head.  You did not make it six miles.  In fact, you learned a spiritual truth; you learned to ask for mercy and forgiveness and there in was a big problem, the Sergeant Major was not into mercy.  When that happened day after day, you finally began to enjoy dying to the old Bob, and discovered a new desire to be a soldier in the United States Army.  At the end of six weeks of boot training, you understood your new identity; you are a soldier in Uncle Sam’s Army.

Now, what about those earlier questions about the Christian Army?  In your mind do you see yourself as a warrior of Jesus Christ?  Are you in the front lines of the battle?  Have you joined the battle?  Are you engaged?  In the book Wild at Heart, John Eldredge put his finger on the problem of this Christian army, and I quote; “to beat the enemy called the flesh, you must embrace the promise of the New Covenant - that God has given you a new heart.”

What is this new heart?  Look at Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  Have you been drafted into the army of Jesus Christ?  Are you still trying to wear your old civvies?  If so, please look, pray, and listen to Colossians 2:20; “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”  Paul goes on to tell us that all these rules made by man are destined to perish, because they are based on human commands and teaching.  “This represents, the member of the Christian army wearing his old “civvies” and living by the world’s belief system-refusing to be empowered by his new commander-in chief to live by His new commands.” (Quote from Dr. Forrest Lowry) 

As you read Matthew’s account in Chapter 3, pay attention to who was coming for repentance, it was the leaders of the religious culture, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, found in verse 7, and how did John refer to them?  It was not with the title these men were accustom to, he referred to them as how God saw them, and you may ask, how did God see these leaders; “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice