Devotion Weekly Message
November 10, 2019
Ephesians 6:12
Onward Christian Soldiers Marching AS TO War
Sermon Prayer: “Heavenly Father, I stand before Your people, to deliver Your message. Though the words are mine and I prepared this message, I pray that this message is Your message in its entirety. I pray your blessing and anointing on its delivery, its reception and most of all its application in our lives.” Amen
"Onward, Christian Soldiers" is a hymn from the 19th century that remains popular today. The hymn's theme is taken from references in the New Testament to the Christian being a soldier for Christ, for example, 2 Timothy 2:3 (KJV): "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." It was written to encourage Christians in their ongoing battles with temptations within themselves and the evil forces throughout the world.
"Onward, Christian Soldiers" is a 19th-century English hymn. The words were written by Sabine Baring-Gould in 1865, and the music was composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1871. Sullivan named the tune "St Gertrude," after the wife of his friend Ernest Clay Ker Seymer, at whose country home he composed the tune.[1][2] The Salvation Army adopted the hymn as its favored processional.[3] The piece became Sullivan's most popular hymn.[1] The hymn's theme is taken from references in the New Testament to the Christian being a soldier for Christ, for example II Timothy 2:3 (KJV): "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." (garnered from: https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/onward-christian-soldiers/)
1 Onward, Christian soldiers,
marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
going on before!
Christ, the royal Master,
leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
see his banner go!
Refrain:
Onward, Christian soldiers,
marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
going on before!
2 At the sign of triumph
Satan's host doth flee;
On, then, Christian soldiers,
on to victory!
Hell's foundations quiver
at the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices,
loud your anthems raise! [Refrain]
3 Like a mighty army
moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading
where the saints have trod;
We are not divided;
all one body we,
One in hope and doctrine,
one in charity. [Refrain]
4 Onward, then, ye people,
join our happy throng,
Blend with ours your voices
in the triumph song;
Glory, laud, and honor,
unto Christ the King;
This thro' countless ages
men and angels sing. [Refrain]
I well understand that the great hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers” is rarely sung in churches today, because it is considered Politically Incorrect. I also well understand that some will highly criticize this message for that very reason. So, let me begin by saying that YES, the crusades were a series of wars that lasted off and on from the year 1096 through 1291. Today, those wars are looked upon as non-Christian in motivation and a blight on Christianity in many circles. These crusades were not about real estate. They were not about oil or resources. They were about eradicating a large (VERY LARGE) religious following – that of the Muslims – and forcing Christianity upon them. They were religious wars NOT political wars.
The hymn – Onward Christian Soldiers was NOT written about the men, women and even children that fought in those wars.
When we sing this old hymn, we are singing it as to the everlasting “spiritual” war against evil.
We are the Christian soldiers of today.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12
I pray that we can sing this great hymn with the assurance that we are in no way using it to further any political agenda and without any malice or ill will towards any peoples, nations or religions.
Let us pray
Let us now go forth loving and serving God by loving and serving each other – EVERY each other.
I humbly and sincerely ask for your prayers!
https://churchleaders.com/outreach-missions/outreach-missions-articles/311609-how-to-pray-for-your-pastor-ronnie-floyd.html?utm_source=outreach-cl-daily-nl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=read-more&utm_campaign=cl-daily-nl&maropost_id=&mpweb=256-7370272[HG1]
“…but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:4)
Note: It is the practice of this church to preach straight from the bible. We follow the lectionary assigned readings from which the sermon/messages are derived.
