CASUALTIES OF WAR
On July 1 – 3, 1863, the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War was fought between the Union Forces under Gen. George Meade and the Confederate commander, Gen. Robert E. Lee. This single 3-day battle resulted in 51,112 casualties. On the 3rd day of the battle, Gen. Pickett led his men, 5000 strong, across an open field for about a mile under direct fire of Union artillery. Line, after line of his troops, marched ahead, never breaking formation until there was none left to form a line. Men fell right and left as they were struck, and some just simply vaporized as the shell struck them full force. Yet though the casualties were high, and numbers fell quickly, onward they marched until they reached the high water mark of the battle and a few that remained breeched the wall of defense for a brief time. No matter who feel, or how many dropped out of the battle line, the lines continued on to reach their objectives at all costs. In those 3 days, 23,049 Union defenders and 28,063 Confederate Army attackers lost their lives in a cause that both believed was right and just.
Looking back now on that time, we often wonder how it was possible for men who had experienced such terrible tragedy were able to continue on for two more long years before the war finally came to an end. We can only say to all of them that we admire their courage and tenacity that it took to stay the course until the fighting was done.
Even though I have no doubt that I would have been on the side of State’s Right and Succession from the Union had I lived in that time frame, today I am so grateful for the preservation of the Union that we call the United States of America. Where would our nation be today if the soldiers of that great war, and the many who followed them in every war had not paid the price for freedom?
Some of you, like myself, have spoken of the fact that for some unknown reasons, the attendance in our services has taken a sharp drop in recent weeks. Just a few months ago it seemed that we were on the verge of a major time of growth in our congregation but now that surge has slowed and stopped, and now the tide seems to be flowing out rather than coming in. In the past few weeks we have seen several who just stopped coming. Some have had some very legitimate reasons for their absence while others just seemed to fade away as though they were never here. In larger churches the small numbers that we are speaking of would go practically unnoticed, but in a smaller church even the gain or loss of one or two is so very noticeable.
Times of increase are invigorating and exciting and we thank God for them. But I am reminded of the old saying that says, “What goes up must come down.” Now I don’t necessarily subscribe to that defeatist point of view and mindset, but nevertheless, we must realize that we are fighting a war and there will be setbacks in the struggle.
Ephesians 6:11-12 describes our warfare with the devil this way, "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
The key point that I want us to realize is that we are in the middle of that great Spiritual War right now. The church is marching forward under the banner of the cross and we must remain in place, shoulder to shoulder, as we attack the strongholds of darkness and Satanic power. We must not waver in our commitment. We must take courage to continue marching on, no matter what the cost, because the eternal destiny of every soul that we may influence, even in the slightest manner, hangs in the eternal balance. We know that the battle is already won; yet we must continue the fight until it’s over.
Just as it was in those battles of long ago, and even in the battles of our military forces on the foreign fields of today, there will be casualties that will fall by the wayside. But like those soldiers who marched into the face of almost certain death, we cannot focus on the casualties; we must focus on the victory ahead.
In my time as a Christian, and especially in the time that I have served as a pastor, I have seen many casualties fall from the ranks of the army of the Lord. Satan’s darts all to often find their mark as they are fired at holes in the Christian armor. Many have fallen simply because they threw down their armor, turned their backs on God and ran away in fear, only to be destroyed by Satan anyway. Others may have only let their armor slip just a little, or let their guard down, but Satan knows just where he can get to us and that’s where his target is found.
Surely, the sight of their fellow soldiers and friends dropping around them must have been a very disheartening thing for those men who faced each other on the battlefield of Gettysburg. There is no doubt in my mind that those men wanted more than anything in the world to just turn and run to safety, but their love of home, love for one another, and pride in their obedience to the call to fight for their homes, wouldn’t allow them to do anything but march on.
I often wonder if we, as Christians, have that kind of love for God that will keep us faithful and committed? Is our love for God, our love for service in the church, and our desire to make Heaven our home, so weak that we are willing to give it up when the first fiery dart whizzes by our heart? Are we so weak that all Satan has to do is shout, “BOO”, and we run for cover?
All to often I see people walk away with no explanation, no reason, no excuse for leaving the battlefield, other than they just don’t want to be there anymore. Believe me, there are many times when all of us will feel that way. How many times have you wanted to just walk away from the battle? We all get tired of the struggle; we all get discouraged at the losses; and we all come to the place, sooner or later, when it seems easier to give up and walk away than to continue on.
Where would the church be today if our ancestors behaved the way that we do now? Suppose that those people who taught you about Jesus, ministered to your family the knowledge of salvation through the blood, and discipled your ancestors had the same commitment to Christ that so many do today? What if they had said, “I want to do my thing and I don’t want anyone telling me where I’m wrong. Just leave me alone to be who I want to be? It’s my life and I’m going to live it my way, and I don’t want to hear what the Bible has to say about what I want to do.”
I venture to say that none of us would be here today if they had taken that attitude and yet that’s exactly where the majority of Christians are today! It’s no surprise that we have lost a generation to Satan through our lethargy. It’s no surprise that the powers of darkness seem to run so rampant today, since so few in the church will stand up to those powers through prayer and fasting.
But, no matter why people leave, or fall away, or go back to where they came from before joining our ranks, we must remember that casualties in the battle do not stop the war and the fight must go on for those who are left.
I still remember the words of Don Wilson, a successful businessman, once said in a seminar that I attended. He spoke of the many who had begun the work and dropped out when it got tough. He spoke of the many who wouldn’t even start the journey. And he spoke of the relative few who would continue on to win. His key statement was, “Some Will, Some Won’t, So What!”
Some are going to start to go with us through this Spiritual Warfare, and in the building of this ministry, but they won’t stay the course. For whatever reason, sometimes legitimate and sometimes not, they will walk away. Most of the time, we won’t know why, they just do. Perhaps God will lead them to join another battle at another church or perhaps they are just trying to run from the fight forgetting that the fight will be wherever they go. Sooner or later we must stand up and be counted or forever be a statistic on Satan’s conquered list.
We must never forget that if we are going to live for Jesus, and we are going to see an effective ministry grow, it will not be without a fight to the death with the devil and it will not be without suffering casualties along the way. We can’t let the casualties discourage us to the point of surrender. We can’t let the casualties detour us from pursuing the victory in Christ that lies ahead for us all. We can’t allow the casualties to change our focus and bring us to defeat. We must march on and fight against every attack of the enemy, driving the devil back on his heels and then continue resisting him until he turns and runs from us.
James 4:7-8, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."
That’s the duty of a soldier of the cross; we are to be totally submitted to the will of God, continually resisting the devil, and that requires hard work and commitment against all odds. The great thing is that we have the promise that Satan will run from us if we just march on under God’s commands.
James says that we must get close to Jesus, if we want him to be close to us, and that means spending time with him, studying about him, learning of him, and developing a personal relationship with him. Most of those who end up as casualties of Spiritual Warfare only do so because they forget this all-important step. If we will only learn to develop a strong and committed relationship to Jesus, there would be far fewer casualties in this war. The Lord can only draw closer to us after we have begun to get closer to him. The Lord’s greatest desire to be close to us and to show us his love and grace, but we must make the first move.
We must learn to cleanse our hands of the things of this life and take a “hands off” approach to sin. Repentance of sin is that first step. Whatever is in our lives, that can become a stumbling block in our path, must be taken away before we can draw near to Jesus.
Then we must purify our hearts so that we can know the mind of Christ and the will of God.
James 1:8, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."
A double-minded man is one who is wishy-washy and riding the fence between righteousness and unrighteousness. He wants to live for the Lord but he also wants to live his life the way that he wants to. You can’t have it both ways. Make up your mind to either serve Jesus or not; to live for him, or not; to be a Christian, or not; and to get in or get out. Quit playing games with God and make up your mind. God has made the first move by paying the price on Calvary for our salvation, now it’s our turn to make a move toward him.
A man or woman who lives in a double-minded condition lives the most miserable life of all. Whether they are either a sinner or a Christian, they can’t enjoy being a sinner because they are constantly under condemnation for their sin, and they can’t enjoy being a Christian because they can never obtain the victory over the temptation and sin that has them bound.
Some people “will” begin like Don Wilson says, but they won’t stay the course. Others, who are the “won’ts,” won’t even get into the battle all.
But we must also never forget that there are many who “will” get into the church, in God’s timing, and they will stay to help us grow and become the ministry that God wants us to become. Yes, Some Will, Some Won’t, but So What! So what if some begin and then drop off? So what if some just don’t want any part of what is happening? So what if some leave for no apparent reason, or even for very good reasons. After all, even in the natural, there are constant reassignments going on in the military to place people where the commanders know that their skills are more effective for the battle plan. So What? God’s plan doesn’t change and the battle doesn’t stop, and the casualties will not change the final outcome because God has already foreordained that his church shall prosper and grow under the leadership of the Holy Ghost.
2 Corinthians 10:4, "(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)"
In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said to Peter, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Yes there will be casualties of this warfare! Yes, we will gain some and lose some and then gain some more and lose a few more before the war is over!
But what does any of that have to do with our ultimate victory? What does any of those who leave have to do with whether we go on or not? They don’t have anything to do with it unless we allow their decisions to discourage us or stop us from continuing the battle.
I thank God for having the opportunity to minister to everyone who enters those doors, both visitor and members alike. I thank God for the chance to tell them about Jesus and to preach and teach the Word of God. But I also know, going into every relationship with any member of this church, that there is always that chance that it may not last for long, and there will come a day when they may leave just like they came and there’s nothing I can do to change that. I’ve come to realize that we are in a constant battle and in this battle there are going to be casualties.
We cannot stop loving them when they leave. We cannot get angry with anyone. We just have to place all that happens in God’s hand and continue to love them and pray for them no matter what. We cannot stop marching on because they leave our ranks. There is still a ministry to build, a war to fight, and battles to win that lie ahead.
All we can do is commit them into the hands of the Lord and move on because the choice on what others do is not ours to make. Our choice is to decide what we will do when they leave! My choice is to fight on! My choice is to win this war with the help of the Lord! My choice is victory and I know I will win because the Bible has promised me the victory.
1 Corinthians 15:57, "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Our victory and this church and its ministries will not stand or fall because of any person or persons. It stands because of the presence and power of the Lord, or it falls because of our disobedience and surrender to Satan’s tactics.
Some will, some won’t, So What! We are going to march on to victory.
God is still leading the way. Others may come and go but the church will march on! Hold up the blood stained banner of the cross and keep on the firing line.
THE BATTLE IS WON! THE WAR IS WON! JUST KEEP MARCHING ONWARD!
