I’ve mentioned before that we as Christians have been thrust into war, when we were not fully prepared. We lived our lives to comfortably, but that is all over now. So what do we do to learn to fight. Unfortunately, our learning is going to involve serious bloodshed. Brothers and sisters faithful to the fight are going to lose their lives as they now know it. Church doors are going to close for good, because the enemy (at least from our current perspective) controls the battleground. Our job is to learn from those losses. We have to grow in knowledge about how to face our enemies head on, so that those we can advance in the battle, regain ground, and conquer new areas.
Trainers
The only way to equip an Army for battle is through proper training. You can hand people guns, tanks, air craft, and even a nuclear arsenal. If they do not know the tactical and strategic means and places to employ those implements, they are useless. God has not left His Army deficient of knowledge in how to carry out the battle. He has provided men to train His soldiers. The question is… are they ready and willing. Ephesians 4:11-12 says that God gifted men to serve as shepherds and teachers, and He did so for one purpose, to equip the saints for the work of ministry. Pastor, Elder, Bishop, Reverend, Minister; whatever name you might go by each week as you stand in front of God’s people, you have a job in this Army, and that is to train soldiers for battle. If your idea of doing that is to make them feel good about themselves, convince them that everything is going to be alright, and convince them that God will keep them from hard times, then you need to step down and find a true leader to take your place. Train up your people in the use of their swords that God has given them. Teach them to gird up their loins. Instruct them in how to put on the armor that God has issued them. Tell them that hard times are coming, and we are not to be in a defensive state. Jesus told His disciples that the gates of Hell would not stand against them. We are guaranteed a victory, but we have to fight.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
Curriculum
I spent many years working beside some of the most dangerous men on the planet. It was my honor to serve them and support them in the fight. What I observed from them is that the ones that are the most dangerous were not necessarily the ones equipped with the best and fanciest tactics or equipment. It was the man who had “brilliance in the basics.” These men could shoot, move, and communicate with the most antiquated equipment in the world and still be the deadliest one on the battlefield.
Ask yourself Christian, ask yourself Pastor. Do you have “brilliance in the basics?” Billions of dollars have been spent on the latest and greatest curriculum produced by the best and brightest the Christian media world could gather. But, God did not tell us He gave us a great class on Christian parenting techniques to defeat the enemy. He provided us with 66 books that contain in them all the secrets to overcoming any foe who stands against our King. We must return to the basics of battle training, in the original war manual.
Battle Hardening
“We sweat in training, so that we do not bleed in battle.” Military training is hard for a reason. And depending upon your assigned job within the military, the harder your training might be. Just as the guys completing Special Operations training each and every day. The same concept applies to training up soldiers of Christ. They are going to encounter things that make them highly uncomfortable. They are going to realize that if they commit to this battle along with their brothers and sisters, they are going to be hated, they are going to be called names, they are going to risk much. Therefore, when they gather to train we must not coddle. We must not tell them niceties that make them feel warm and fuzzy inside. They must encounter in the training environment a similar environment to what they will encounter on the battlefield. Challenge everything they and you thought you knew about God’s word, His plan, and the nature of being a Christian in a world which despises you and everything you stand for. Be ready for the onslaught.
May God strengthen each of you. Help you to face the enemy each and every day. And give you that eternal hope that comes with knowing the victory is His, and the resolve to do your part in bringing about that victory.
Militant Ministry 