Prayer
Watch: Soldiers of Christ Arise
Fight the Good Fight of Faith.
by Alan
McKenzie
Reinforce
the guard, station the watchmen,
prepare an ambush! The Lord will carry
out his purpose.
- Jeremiah
51:12 NIV
Characteristics of Soldiers of
Christ
Over the last few months I have looked at the role
of soldiers in the Old Testament - mainly in
battles where faith in God our Father was
important and often dictated the outcome as
larger, overwhelming armies were overcome by
smaller armies.
In the New Testament Christians are called to
engage in spiritual battle with the forces of
Satan, sin, and evil. Disciples of Christ fight
with spiritual weapons, such as prayer and
intercession, and the spiritual armour of God
mentioned by Paul the Apostle in Ephesians 6. Paul
called Timothy to be a good soldier of Christ and
urged all Christians to fight the good fight of
the faith.
“Be strong in the grace that is in
Christ Jesus … Endure hardship with us like a
good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as
a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he
wants to please his commanding officer.” (2
Timothy 2: 1, 3-4)
These words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy apply
just as much today as they did to Timothy some
2000 years ago. The distractions of the world such
as long involved hours in daily work and travel,
time engaged in sports and other attractive things
to watch and do, travel to exotic places, etc.
constantly challenge our commitment to our call to
be a ‘community of disciples on mission’. The
immorality and spiritual immaturity of today’s
post Christian society is a constant temptation
for the believer who wants to live as a disciple
of Christ. We are a new creation in Jesus Christ
and the way we live now should be different from
the world which does not know Christ. We must
choose with God's grace to live Christ-centered,
blameless, disciplined, and loving lives that make
a difference for God.
The costs of discipleship and the price of being a
soldier of Christ are seldom mentioned today. The
world’s emphasis on self-centeredness in all
endeavours and on monetary success, and combined
with easy access to entertainment through various
media outlets can prevent us from satisfying our
commanding officer, the Lord Jesus Christ. Many of
the attributes of a good soldier, like discipline,
commitment, sacrifice, service and self-control
are less prized in today’s society. We can make a
difference for God.
Soldiers of Christ, Arise, and put your armour on!
Alan
McKenzie is the National Prayer Coordinator of
the Lamb
of God, a community of the Sword of the
Spirit with 7 branches located throughout New
Zealand..l |
