GOOD SOLDIERS
2 Timothy 2:3-4 (NIV), Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
This phrase, good soldiers, is very appropriate. Christ is our Captain and we as soldiers have a very real and on-going battle with the forces of evil within and without. The Christian Soldier is to Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, (Ephesians 6:11-14a) (NIV)....
We must become effective soldiers of the Cross; following our Commander to total victory over the enemy!
The soldier's first article of faith is summed up nowhere more eloquently than in an 1865 letter from William Tecumseh Sherman to U.S. Grant: 'I knew wherever I was that you thought of me, and if I got in a tight place you would come--if alive.' This is the unwritten, unspoken but unbreakable contract of the battlefield: You will leave no one, dead or alive, in the hands of the enemy. ___U.S. News and World Report, July 29, 1991, p. 5.
Those who would be soldiers must meet qualifications. Here are a few qualifications for consideration: acceptance, separated, consecrated, persevering, and self-emptied.
Now, let us examine these qualifications in some detail. Soldiers of Jesus Christ are chosen and accepted. John 15:16 (NIV) says, You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
Not everyone is fit for a soldier. Moral and spiritual defects may hinder. Confession of and repentance of sin is required. We are told in Jesus' manual for service (The Holy Scriptures) that if we confess our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Through redemption accomplished and applied we can be accepted in the Beloved. It is not the righteous things we have done, but by His mercy and grace He has brought us into this vast army of spiritual warriors. Jesus is the Captain of the LORD'S host, so then He is very much qualified to conscript and muster the Christian Army.
Let us allow Scripture to speak for itself in these matters. 1 Corinthians 1:27 (NIV), But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. Next, please consider Ephesians 6:11-14 (NIV), In him [Christ] we [apostles] were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Having become accepted in the Beloved through the redemption accomplished and applied we can agree that, indeed, God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.
Another qualification of a good Christian Soldier is that quality of being called to separation--separated from the world and separated unto Jesus and the things of God. In this army there is no time to entangle oneself with other affairs. One must forsake everything that would hinder service to the Captain of the LORD'S host. Nowhere is precise and constant focus needed more than in Christian living and service. We cannot serve two masters. We must be seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven and Jesus' righteousness in order to become fructiferous workers and soldiers in the kingdom.
"We are not to be isolated but insulated," said Vance Havner, "moving in the midst of evil but untouched by it." Separation is contact with[out] contamination. Jesus was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (Heb. 7:26), yet He was "a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Luke 7:34). Vance Havner.
Consecration or one that is consecrated is an interesting quality for a good Christian soldier. Definition of consecrated is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. This quality is essential in Christian service because we soldiers of the Cross want to please the Captain of the LORD'S hosts (Joshua 5:14).
2 Timothy 2:4, 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.
Romans 12:1-2, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
It does not take great men to do great things; it only takes consecrated men. Philipps Brooks.
Also, there must be the quality of perseverance. Keep on keeping on would be the thought for the day--everyday.
2 Timothy 2:3, "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."
Theologian John Calvin was afflicted with rheumatism and migraine headaches. Yet he preached, wrote books, and governed Geneva, Switzerland, for 25 years. Source Unknown
The folk that participated in church services of yesteryear in churches that had wooden, unpadded pews can testify surely about enduring hardness.
Concerning persecution because of our Christian lifestyles, attitudes, actions, and reactions; we need to consult the Scriptures. Jesus said in John 15:20, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. The word persecute in this verse means to drive away, mistreat, pursue in a hostile manner. Hardness of heart in those to whom we witness, verbally or otherwise, seems to be the order of the day. It has been this way in every generation.
Please do not become discouraged because of struggles, trials, tests, set-backs, reversals, or loneliness. Now that declarative sentence is not to be construed as giving permission to allow the things not listed to discourage. We must be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power! Remember Scriptures say that the One that is in us is greater than the one that is in the world. Christ in us [Christians], the hope of glory.
Paul the Apostle is a wonderful Biblical example of a saint of God who experienced, endured, and overcame many hindrances and obstacles to his Christian ministry. One of the many reasons he (Paul) overcame was because he had fought a good fight (2 Timothy 4:7) in the name of the Lord.
Paul listed some of his troubles in 2 Corinthians 11:23-33. It is well worth the readers' time to review often this portion of Scripture. Please note verse 32, ("In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:") which relates to our definition of "persecution." found above. That is to pursue in a hostile manner.
One day George Muller [German born Christian Evangelist of the 17th Century] began praying for five of his friends. After many months, one of them came to the Lord. Ten years later, two others were converted. It took 25 years before the fourth man was saved. Muller persevered in prayer until his death for the fifth friend, and throughout those 52 years he never gave up hoping that he would accept Christ! His faith was rewarded, for soon after Muller's funeral the last one was saved.__Our Daily Bread
What happens if these Christian Soldiers with their acceptance, separation from the world, their consecration, and perseverance stumble and fall? I am glad you asked. The Biblical answer is found in Proverbs 24:16a, "For a just [man] falleth seven times, and riseth up again:..." One preacher of my acquaintance has said often, "If you fall down, get back up!" I think that is his interpretation of the Scripture verse just quoted.
Can you name several Bible Characters who demonstrated the quality of perseverance? Go ahead, you can do it.
Lastly on this particular list is the quality of becoming self-emptied.
Self must be crucified before you can overcome in the name of Jesus and receive the reward of the faithful. Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 221
The reason there is so little real rest and settled peace of heart, is because there is such supreme love of self. Self is mingled with all that we do. We must have less of self and more of Jesus. If we could stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and hear what is said of us, what a different estimate would we hear of our characters than we give ourselves. We must fall on the Rock and be broken, that it may be none of self and all of Jesus. Review and Herald, August 28, 1888
Self-emptying/self-effacement - the act of making oneself, one's actions, etc., inconspicuous because of humility.
To borrow a phrase from the fictitious "Borg" of "Star Trek" fame; "Resistance is futile!" In the Christians' battle with Satan and his minions and influences, human resistance is futile. However, one who is living and moving and having his being in the Holy Spirit that proceeds from God the Father and God the Son is an entirely different story. The Bible Book of James says that if the saints submit themselves to God, resist, withstand, and oppose the Evil One, he will flee from them (James 4:7). Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We are not to be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.
The Christian can put on the armor of God, having no confidence in the flesh and the victory will be certain. But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:57,58). By faith your walls of Jerico will come down. Yet, we must continue to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
In conclusion here are some facts about the soldiers of the Cross:
They volunteer. Hebrews 11:25 "Choosing..."
The are uniformed. Philippians 3:9; Revelation 3:4 "God's righteousness"
They are armed. Ephesians 6:1-18 "armour of God"
They are drilled. Ephesians 6:13 "having done all"
They are ready to advance. Exodus 14:15 "go forward"
They endure. 2 Timothy 2:3 "endure, as a good soldier"
They are victorious. Romans 8:37; 2 Timothy 4:7 "more than conquerors"
The will have a grand review. Revelation 7:13-15 "appear before the Throne of God"
