How To Help A Fallen Comrade

HOW TO HELP A FALLEN COMRADE

Genesis 14:13-16

In battle, United States armed forces are expected to resist as far as they are able. They are expected to never surrender, to attempt to escape if captured, and to resist revealing information which could help the enemy or harm the United States. The US Government demands complete devotion. In turn for their devotion of their soldiers, the U.S Government promises to never abandon any Service Member to the enemy. This is summed up with the motto "No Soldier Left Behind".

It has often been said that “The Christian life is not a playground, it is a battlefield.” Every person who is born again is expected to live and serve as a soldier in the army of the Lord. Paul references our commission to service in God’s Army in 2 Timothy 2:3-4 “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier”.

I would like to ask you to take a moment and look around at all of these empty seats. Understand that the empty seats that fill our sanctuary are not representative of lost people, they represent soldiers who are no longer on the battlefield. It is important for us to remember that these men and women are our “fellow soldiers”.

It shows a tremendous lack of compassion and extreme selfishness when we realize that we have fallen comrades and rather than doing all that is within our power to see them restored, we write them off as being “backslidden” and leave them to fend for themselves.

- Concerning those brothers and sisters who are no longer active in battle, there are a host of different circumstances and situations.

1) SOME ARE A.W.O.L (Absent Without Leave)

A.W.O.L is an acronym that is used to describe a soldier who is away from military duties without permission, but with the intention of returning.

Some of our brothers and sisters were once in the heat of the battle and fighting the good fight of faith. However, for one reason or another they stepped away from the battle. Perhaps they were weary and wounded from the fight. Or maybe there was something or someone that enticed them to leave the battlefield. For whatever reason, they put down their arms and walked away. Though it was not their intention to say away, they have been gone much longer than they ever expected. Some of these individuals walked away without their spiritual armor and it may be that they are lying somewhere wounded and in desperate need of help. Others may have been captured and they are currently being held captive by the enemy. Either way, these people are no longer fighting and they are in grave danger.

- Some are A.W.O.L, but others are guilty of desertion.

2) SOME ARE DESERTERS

Desertion is defined as "abandonment of duty or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning”.

As Paul instructed Timothy about fighting battles for the Lord he encouraged him to cling to his faith and to keep his conscience clear. Following this Paul mentioned two men named “Hymenaeus and Alexander” who deliberately violated their consciences and shipwrecked their faith.

Unfortunately, there are some in our day who began to walk with the Lord but made a conscious decision to turn from Him. Some are apostates who never truly experienced salvation. Others are true believers who have or will experience severe chastisement if they fail to repent and return to the Lord. In either case, we have a Christian duty to reach out to the deserter and implore them to turn (or return) to the Lord Jesus.

- Some are A.W.O.L, some are deserters, and:

3) SOME ARE M.I.A (Missing in Action)

M.I.A is "a casualty classification for those who are reported missing during active service.” A soldier who is M.I.A may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or they have deserted their mission.

Many of our fellow soldiers could be described as M.I.A. These are those who have left the battlefield and we really are not sure what happened to them. Those of us who are in active service must decide whether we will write them off or go out and look for them.

- Some are MIA because they have been captured and imprisoned. This leads us to the fact that:

4) SOME ARE PRISONERS OF WAR

A prisoner of war is “one who is held captive by the enemy during or immediately after an armed conflict”.

Christian soldiers face many intense battles. At times the enemy surrounds them and overpowers them and they are taken captive and held as prisoners of war. We have fellow soldiers who were on the battle field fighting the good fight of faith and they have been captured.