Please take time to listen to this sermon clip from Paul Washer. It inspires me greatly and I thought I would pass it along to you. If you would like to see a longer version go here.
Showing posts with label warrior. Show all posts
Showing posts with label warrior. Show all posts
November 3, 2009
August 22, 2009
Stand firm
In a recent post we saw that Jesus intends the church to be the gathering of God’s people to advance the cause of the kingdom by working to manifest the agenda Jesus declared to his hometown synagogue in Luke chapter 4. A conquering king announces significant change for those who are oppressed. He tells us the kingdom advances against resistance by struggle and force (Matt. 11:12).
As I prepare to preach this week the Lectionary texts remind me of the ongoing struggle and encourage me to stand firm. The Gospel lection finds Jesus still contending with those who oppose him. The hard sayings give many John refers to as “disciples” to have second thoughts, to discontinue association with the rabbi from Nazareth. Jesus turns to the twelve, for whose benefit all this plays out, anyway, and sternly asks, “Are you leaving too?” By this time they have decided to stand firm, because Jesus is the only rabbi with the words of life.
We see Joshua, in the twilight of his life, preparing to hand over reigns to another leader. He speaks of the great conquest they have made to enter the promised land, this gathering of God’s people. As I read I think back with him to the days of invasion, when God told Joshua to be strong, to stand firm. He obediently followed the most outlandish battle plans he had ever heard, and saw the Lord’s power crush the formidable defences of Jericho. I see his voice trailing off as he reminisces of the great victories, one after the other.
As his mind is called back to the present he challenges the people. “Choose today which gods you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” Even at his retirement he is still taking a stand, still standing firm.
Paul tells us how to stand firm. Be strong in the Lord’s power, depend on his grace. He uses the metaphor of Roman military armor, outfitting the strongest armies the world had ever known, to describe the unspeakable strength we possess. The kingdom advances against formidable resistance -- principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of the age, spiritual hosts of wickedness. I think he is thinking of all the worst the adversary can muster against us in cultural mindsets, behaviors, and expectations. The same type of resistance Jesus encountered by the religious officials. Against all that he tells us to stand firm at least three times.
The armor is all too recognizable to Paul’s readers. It protects the well-trained soldier’s body from injury during armed conflict. But in metaphor it represents to us all those things to protect heart and mind from the cultural onslaught and resistance we will face. Pressure to conform. Name-calling. Verbal attacks. Emasculation. All the things the prevailing culture throws at us as “normal.” We resist all these with Christ-like character and the resolve to stand firm as Jesus did.
Armor does not imply weakness. It does not suggest we batton down the hatches and go passive, waiting for the Lord to come get us one day. Armor means we wear protection while we advance the kingdom. Armor means we are out where bullets are flying and we are at serious risk. We are on the offensive.
Paul uses similar language in 2 Corinthians chapter 10. We have weapons that are powerful to the utter destruction of strongholds of thought, belief, and behavior that resist the kingdom. Arrayed in full armor we advance against the defences of death with victory in mind.
Men, our mission is clear. Make disciples by recruiting people into committed learning relationships so that they can be freed from the ravages of living death Jesus described in Luke chapter 4 and be released from captivity, brokenheartedness, and poverty. It is aggressive and goes on the offensive. Forget singing about the sweet by and by. We are in a campaign for the dirty here and now.
The adversary will throw everything he can at you to protect his territory. Whatever he does, stand firm.
As I prepare to preach this week the Lectionary texts remind me of the ongoing struggle and encourage me to stand firm. The Gospel lection finds Jesus still contending with those who oppose him. The hard sayings give many John refers to as “disciples” to have second thoughts, to discontinue association with the rabbi from Nazareth. Jesus turns to the twelve, for whose benefit all this plays out, anyway, and sternly asks, “Are you leaving too?” By this time they have decided to stand firm, because Jesus is the only rabbi with the words of life.
We see Joshua, in the twilight of his life, preparing to hand over reigns to another leader. He speaks of the great conquest they have made to enter the promised land, this gathering of God’s people. As I read I think back with him to the days of invasion, when God told Joshua to be strong, to stand firm. He obediently followed the most outlandish battle plans he had ever heard, and saw the Lord’s power crush the formidable defences of Jericho. I see his voice trailing off as he reminisces of the great victories, one after the other.
As his mind is called back to the present he challenges the people. “Choose today which gods you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” Even at his retirement he is still taking a stand, still standing firm.
Paul tells us how to stand firm. Be strong in the Lord’s power, depend on his grace. He uses the metaphor of Roman military armor, outfitting the strongest armies the world had ever known, to describe the unspeakable strength we possess. The kingdom advances against formidable resistance -- principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of the age, spiritual hosts of wickedness. I think he is thinking of all the worst the adversary can muster against us in cultural mindsets, behaviors, and expectations. The same type of resistance Jesus encountered by the religious officials. Against all that he tells us to stand firm at least three times.
The armor is all too recognizable to Paul’s readers. It protects the well-trained soldier’s body from injury during armed conflict. But in metaphor it represents to us all those things to protect heart and mind from the cultural onslaught and resistance we will face. Pressure to conform. Name-calling. Verbal attacks. Emasculation. All the things the prevailing culture throws at us as “normal.” We resist all these with Christ-like character and the resolve to stand firm as Jesus did.
Armor does not imply weakness. It does not suggest we batton down the hatches and go passive, waiting for the Lord to come get us one day. Armor means we wear protection while we advance the kingdom. Armor means we are out where bullets are flying and we are at serious risk. We are on the offensive.
Paul uses similar language in 2 Corinthians chapter 10. We have weapons that are powerful to the utter destruction of strongholds of thought, belief, and behavior that resist the kingdom. Arrayed in full armor we advance against the defences of death with victory in mind.
Men, our mission is clear. Make disciples by recruiting people into committed learning relationships so that they can be freed from the ravages of living death Jesus described in Luke chapter 4 and be released from captivity, brokenheartedness, and poverty. It is aggressive and goes on the offensive. Forget singing about the sweet by and by. We are in a campaign for the dirty here and now.
The adversary will throw everything he can at you to protect his territory. Whatever he does, stand firm.
August 13, 2009
Kingdom advance
The turning point in Jesus’ ministry on earth is in Matthew chapter 16. Jesus said something to his wild-eyed disciples that was absolutely radical. “[O]n this rock I will build My church, ” he said, “and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” He then gave “keys” to Peter, a metaphor for authority and accountable stewardship.
In our world where church means comfort and security and Aunt Mildred’s Sunday school class bazaars we overlook the huge impact of this statement that would have shocked and excited the young men standing there.
They would have understood church, εκκλησια (ekklesia) in the Greek, as the gathering of God’s people for a specific military purpose. The Old Testament is full of stories about kings and prophets sounding the alarm through the blowing of the trumpet to assemble the army. At the sound of the trumpet they stopped everything, picked up weapons, and went to the gathering place for orders.
Israel had been the gathering of God’s people in the wilderness, as they moved toward the promised land to invade it. The entire exodus was a military operation. Now Jesus is calling forth a new nation, a new army, to invade a new promised land.
Jesus’ military intention is clear. “The gates of Hades will not prevail against it,” he said. The clear suggestion is an offensive military action against the walled fortress Jesus called Hades, where all its defenses will fail and the invaders’ action will succeed. The church’s movement is aggressive, forceful, decisive, and successful. It advances forcefully.
This is not the first time Jesus used language of force. Another time, another place, Jesus said, “[F]rom the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). Still another time he said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” He goes on to talk about how his movement will disrupt and divide, not bring peace (Matthew 10:34-38). It’s enough to make Aunt Mildred spill her tea in her lap.
Just what foe is the assembled church taking on? Hades, Sheol of the Old Testament. The place of death, decay, and nothingness. The inherited result of Adam’s passivity and disobedience. In Hebrew thought everything living is active and fruitful. There is no state of being, only action and result. God’s Spirit moved over the face of the waters, and continues to move and create and produce today. To discontinue action is to be dead, unproductive, lifeless. A horrifying thought in the Hebrew (biblical) way of thinking. When we finish this life we are buried in Hades to await the restoration of life in the resurrection, where we are redeemed from the curse of Adam’s inaction.
To be in the church is to be called to arms, to prepare for war, and to move into action. Jesus began the militant kingdom movement to take back everything Hades had absorbed. Listen to what Jesus told his hometown synagogue folks about his ministry:
Jesus intends for the kingdom to advance forcefully, as a conquering army, overcoming the grip of Hades on the lives of people. He has called men, redeemed from the effects of Adam’s passivity, to become alive and dangerous and passionate to his cause. Take back ground. Restore. Rescue. Rebuild. Subdue. Fill with good things. Sounds like what Adam was supposed to do to begin with. It is what is hard-wired into our DNA.
So what are you doing? Sitting around on your blessed assurance singing about going to heaven? Setting up tables for Aunt Mildred’s bazaar?
This is a call to action. A call to war.
In our world where church means comfort and security and Aunt Mildred’s Sunday school class bazaars we overlook the huge impact of this statement that would have shocked and excited the young men standing there.
They would have understood church, εκκλησια (ekklesia) in the Greek, as the gathering of God’s people for a specific military purpose. The Old Testament is full of stories about kings and prophets sounding the alarm through the blowing of the trumpet to assemble the army. At the sound of the trumpet they stopped everything, picked up weapons, and went to the gathering place for orders.
Israel had been the gathering of God’s people in the wilderness, as they moved toward the promised land to invade it. The entire exodus was a military operation. Now Jesus is calling forth a new nation, a new army, to invade a new promised land.
Jesus’ military intention is clear. “The gates of Hades will not prevail against it,” he said. The clear suggestion is an offensive military action against the walled fortress Jesus called Hades, where all its defenses will fail and the invaders’ action will succeed. The church’s movement is aggressive, forceful, decisive, and successful. It advances forcefully.
This is not the first time Jesus used language of force. Another time, another place, Jesus said, “[F]rom the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). Still another time he said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” He goes on to talk about how his movement will disrupt and divide, not bring peace (Matthew 10:34-38). It’s enough to make Aunt Mildred spill her tea in her lap.
Just what foe is the assembled church taking on? Hades, Sheol of the Old Testament. The place of death, decay, and nothingness. The inherited result of Adam’s passivity and disobedience. In Hebrew thought everything living is active and fruitful. There is no state of being, only action and result. God’s Spirit moved over the face of the waters, and continues to move and create and produce today. To discontinue action is to be dead, unproductive, lifeless. A horrifying thought in the Hebrew (biblical) way of thinking. When we finish this life we are buried in Hades to await the restoration of life in the resurrection, where we are redeemed from the curse of Adam’s inaction.
To be in the church is to be called to arms, to prepare for war, and to move into action. Jesus began the militant kingdom movement to take back everything Hades had absorbed. Listen to what Jesus told his hometown synagogue folks about his ministry:
The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,This is the language of a conquering king, changing the regime and setting up a new government with definite plans to help the poor, bruised, oppressed, captive, and blind. It is reversing the death and decay that Hades has claimed.
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.
Jesus intends for the kingdom to advance forcefully, as a conquering army, overcoming the grip of Hades on the lives of people. He has called men, redeemed from the effects of Adam’s passivity, to become alive and dangerous and passionate to his cause. Take back ground. Restore. Rescue. Rebuild. Subdue. Fill with good things. Sounds like what Adam was supposed to do to begin with. It is what is hard-wired into our DNA.
So what are you doing? Sitting around on your blessed assurance singing about going to heaven? Setting up tables for Aunt Mildred’s bazaar?
This is a call to action. A call to war.
Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and mind and soul and strength
To serve the King of kings.
Rise up, O men of God!
The kingdom tarries long.
Bring in the day of brotherhood
And end the night of wrong.
Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait,
Her strength unequal to her task;
Rise up and make her great!
Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where His feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
Rise up, O men of God!
Journal notes: militant membership vows
Look at these membership vows, taken by persons who join churches of my denomination. Sounds pretty military to me.
We covenant together with God and members of this church to keep the vows which are a part of our confirmation and reception into the church:
We renounce spiritual forces of wickedness, reject evil powers of the world, and repent of our sin;
We covenant together with God and members of this church to keep the vows which are a part of our confirmation and reception into the church:
We renounce spiritual forces of wickedness, reject evil powers of the world, and repent of our sin;
We accept the freedom and power God gives to resist evil, injustice, and oppression;
We confess Jesus Christ as Savior, and put our whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as our Lord;
We will remain faithful members of Christ’s holy church, and serve as Christ’s representatives in the world;
We will be loyal to Christ through the church,and do all in our power to strengthen its ministries;
We will faithfully participate in its ministries by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness;
We will receive and profess the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
We confess Jesus Christ as Savior, and put our whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as our Lord;
We will remain faithful members of Christ’s holy church, and serve as Christ’s representatives in the world;
We will be loyal to Christ through the church,and do all in our power to strengthen its ministries;
We will faithfully participate in its ministries by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness;
We will receive and profess the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
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