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from The Prayerline Newsletter by Darrell C. Porter

"Called to War"

Every adult Christian on this earth has been called to war.  The battle lines are drawn.   The enemies of God have made themselves god.  To them, there is none greater than they.  If a true God does exist, then He is certainly impotent in their minds and most tolerant.

To these Godless minds the world is an open field for spreading their mayhem and their mischief.  Many rule with no fear of earthly or divine consequences.  Those who make laws do so apathetic of the laws of God.  Judges rule from their own authority, unmindful of the authority of heaven.  These are like children at play without supervision, without rules, without reverence.  They ramp and romp and do as they please.  They widen each day the pathways of hell.

Educated against Christ,  the world’s children and their children’s children major in defiance.  Secular movies, music and schools inject godlessness into their minds daily.  The “factories” of sin that produce iniquity of every variety run non-stop.  “Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.”  (Psa. 106:39)  Sin is made to order, according to your own wants.  Pay with your hard-earned dollars, then pay again with your everlasting soul.

Disturbingly, the children of God are often as the children of this world…ignorant, self-centered, confused and uncommitted.  They do not fight for life.  They are too busy consuming and being consumed.  The world loves for its offspring to stay like children; and, self-centered ministers love for theirs to remain likewise.

Yet, no war ever relies on children.  It relies on men.  Even then, it relies not on every man…but on certain men.  For war requires certain things from the warrior.  The man who is timid or afraid; the man who is uncertain or doubtful is not fit for war.  “And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted?  Let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.”  (Deu. 20:6)  This is not a “politically correct” policy.  This is life or death, heaven or hell.  The rules of engagement were laid down by God.

Yet, these mighty men of God do not fight against a moderate enemy.  They fight against a determined foe.  They fight other mighty men of valor who stand defiant of God and His Kingdom.  (cf. Jos. 6:1-2; 2Chr. 32:19-21)

The Church is at war with the world.   It is not a war we chose.  It is a war we were born into when we were born again.  No one can opt out or wish it away.  You cannot believe it away, pray it away or think it away.  It is a spiritual war.  It is here because sin is here, Satan is here, God-despisers are here.  It will continue here until the great God, King, General Jesus Christ comes to end it through His own perfect world peace.  (Mrk. 12:36; Isa. 9:6; Mat. 28:18; Zec. 14:9)

Meanwhile, we must take up our arms.  In fact, you must  “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”  (Eph. 6:11)  A soldier dons his “whole armour.”  His mind and heart are set for battle.  He knows he will either win and live or lose and die.  The fight is to the finish.  He is in the arena; the arena is this present world.

Children don’t fight,   obviously, because they can’t fight.  Adults fight; that’s their job.  The child, however, is to be trained (discipled) into manhood.  (1Cor. 13:11; Eph. 4:13; Mat. 28:20a)   However, it is the adult who goes to war for his family, the lost, the church, the nations.  God calls men to war; He calls specific men.   Not every man is called.   God doesn’t need every man on the battlefield.  He is highly selective.  Gideon had 32,000 at the start; and, God said,  “all I want is 300.”  (Jgs. 7:2-7)  Moses had an entire nation.  God said only those of a certain age.  (Num. 1:3)  Joshua selected the elite mighty men of valor.  (Jos. 8:3)  Who were these men of valor?  Why were they specifically selected?  They were men of courage; willing to fight under impossible odds; submissive to leadership and the authority of the Word of God.  They were willing to give their all…lay down their very lives…for God’s Kingdom.

Biblical history reveals that the nation of God supported its fighters.  This way the hearts and hands of the people also entered the battle.  Every adult Christian is called into the war.  Only some are called to the front lines of evangelism, social, cultural and moral battles to advance God’s Kingdom.  Some engage solely in spiritual warfare through strong prayers and intercessions.  Others fight through giving their financial substance to support those on the front lines.  Still, others provide physical and emotional havens for the battle-weary soldiers.  At the same time, there are also those called to train up and prepare new soldiers for front lines missions’ work.

Every adult Christian ought to be doing something to advance God’s Kingdom by faithful preaching, teaching, serving, helping, evangelizing; through ongoing prayers and intercessions; or, through the continual giving of their physical resources into God’s work.

Every adult Christian whose heart is in God must bear the burden of a ministry that they believe in with their earnest prayers and physical substance.  Those who do Christ’s work need the resources of other people of God.  Those called to preach must do so in season and out of season.  (2Tim. 4:2)   Those called to strong prayers and intercessions are called to pray always.  (Luk. 21:36)   Those called to give of their financial substance are called to do so generously and faithfully.

Disciplined giving is a major part of fighting the good fight of faith.  (1Tim. 6:12)   Money is a powerful weapon for war.  Laid up in the world, it produces rottenness.  Laid up in the Kingdom, it produces holiness.  No one fights by looking…we fight by fighting.  We don’t say to a brother in need,  “be ye warmed and filled.”   (Jas. 2:16)  We give what we can in order to strengthen that brother in need.  His fight is our fight.

Peter said,  “…such as I have, give I thee.”   (Acts 3:6b)

The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is at war!   Victory requires faithful preachers to preach God’s unchanging Truth; mighty prayers to pray night and day; and, diligent givers to give with heart to God’s work.

We are called as a Church to be lights that people can see and know.  (Mat. 5:14)   We are called to be salt that people can experience and taste.  (Mat. 5:13)

From my own experiences and observations, it appears that maybe one in every ten churches in America actually believes the Bible and hotly pursues its commands and teachings.  The other ninety percent are not at war with the world.  They are in love with it.  Many are empty of God’s Spirit and also of common sense.  There is as much uncleanness and injustice in these  “churches”  as it is in the world.  Man-made, God-despising beliefs are followed without thought.  Sadly, this modern church is often as much an enemy to Christ, His cross and His Word as is the world.

This makes the war of the saints all the more disturbing.  Often Christ-centered, Bible-believing churches bear the shame and criticism brought on them because of the ways of the cold, or at best, luke-warm, pretending Christians.  These often stand for adultery, homosexuality, abortion, pornography and the like…for they are despisers of Christ.  They reject the clear commands of God as much as does the world.   (cf. 2Tim. 3:1-7)

 The true Christian warrior      cannot always tell who’s who.  Pretenders frequent church; they read a bible; they laugh; they pray.  However, Paul said  “henceforth know we no man after the flesh,”   but after the spirit.  (2Cor. 5:16)   We are not moved the mere outward appearance of one’s life to determine what they are.  We regard their obedience to the Scriptures.  This is what the Bible refers to as walking in the Spirit.  (Gal. 5:16)   The Spirit and the Word are One.  (1Joh. 5:7)   Those who do not walk in the written Word of God and its straight, narrow path,  (Mat. 7:14)   likewise do not walk in the Spirit of God.  Though  “many are called…few are chosen.”   (Matt. 22:14)

In spite of this, true Christians do not always walk in the Spirit, either.  In fact, no one does all of the time.  (cf. 1Joh. 1:8)   Nevertheless, the difference between the two is that true Christians are in hot pursuit of their Lord, and, there is continual evidence of that pursuit.  (Joh. 15:5; Gal. 5:22-23)   The mature saints continually recognize their own shortcomings as they honor the authority of God’s Word over their lives.  We are not talking about them.  We are talking about those who have been in church for years, yet, possess little or no evidence of faith.  These are those in need of redemption.

Biblical faith is action.   One of the evidences of such faith is consistent prayer.  Consistent prayer requires faith.  You cannot pray to an unseen God each day without it.   “For he that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”   (Heb. 11:6)  Prayer places you in the presence of the Father.  Heartfelt prayer causes you to draw near to Him and to draw from Him.  As lungs need air continually to live, so the soul needs prayer continually for spiritual life.

No spiritual war can be won without God.  “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”   (Zec. 4:6b)  No soldier can war without his weapon.  No Christian can battle without God’s Word.  (Eph. 6:17)   None dare fight without faith.   (1Tim. 6:12)  Faith will not remain alive without prayer.  We are called to pray…always.  The whole Church is called to pray without ceasing…for we are called to war. ###  

 

The PRAYERLINE Newsletter is a quarterly publication of Darrell C. Porter Evangelistic Assoc., Inc.

www.oneaglewings.com

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