“LOSING SOLDIERS”
We are engaged in a daily war for our souls. Each person must decide which army he chooses to be in. The Lord taught that we either hate or love, cling to or despise, but we will choose (Matthew 6:24). The Bible, therefore, paints for us the beauty of holiness as seen in the nature of God. It, likewise, shows us the horror of sin and what it does to our lives, families and our world. The means by which God tries to influence us toward the right way is through the gospel of His Son, Jesus (Romans 1:16,17). There are no hidden messages requiring a secret code to find the way.
The apostles, on one occasion, were concerned about following Jesus as to which way to go. The Lord replies and tells them that He is the Way (John 14:6). He shows them that He is not just one of the ways but rather the only way. Today many are trying to put Jesus on a level with others who have influenced mankind in a good way, the idea being to reduce the authority of Jesus Christ over the hearts of men. No man can come to the Father except by Jesus is what He taught. One of His closing declarations to the apostles prior to ascending back to heaven was that all authority had been given to Him (Matthew 28:18).
The truth that the apostles gave to the world came from Jesus and was not transmitted by thoughts but rather by words (Matthew 16:19; I Corinthians 2:12,13). The church recognized this authority being placed in the hands of the apostles and abided by it as the church began (Acts 2:42). Paul determined not to know anything among the brethren save Jesus Christ and Him crucified (I Corinthians 2:2). Once one sees that foundation of truth we then are motivated to know more about Him that loved us and died for us (John 3:16). One must search the truth to find the motivation to live a righteous life before God.
Jesus promised to build His church (Matthew 16:18). In this verse the idea is that nothing would prevail against that church. The church was to be a mighty army spreading into all the world and conquering souls for Jesus (Daniel 2:44; Mark 16:15). The first century world fulfilled this work of God because Paul would declare it had been preached to every creature (Matthew 24:14; Colossians 1:23). It was a small beginning in Jerusalem and within a few years had spread all over the Roman Empire. Even those within Caesar’s household had submitted to Jesus the Christ (Philippians 4:22).
A powerful army armed with truth should present a glorious picture in history of the world changing. However, the reality was that even though the army of the Lord broke in pieces and consumed all these kingdoms, the majority of the world rejected the Savior. God began to warn that soldiers in the Lord’s army would begin to defect and leave the battle and the battleground that had been secured through truth (I Timothy 4:1). The hearts of men once held by truth had to be maintained by that same truth. Men were to add to their faith and not allow it to lose its strength (II Peter 1:5-7). The serum needed to prevent this spiritual cowardice from forming in the hearts of the Christians was a constant diet of the Word of God (II Timothy 4:2).
In every generation the church faces the same style of problems. On one hand, we must be a militant army armed with the truth of God striving to show God to the world. In the second place we must maintain the army which marches all over the world. The enemy is always around us and must we willing to press the battle to him. God knew the difficulties that the Christian would face. Paul tells Timothy to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (II Timothy 2:3). If, in the heat of battle, I break and run, my actions may cause others to do the same. The example used by the Lord was about a man putting his hand on the plough and then looking back (Luke 9:62).
We lose some soldiers because the Word does not grow in their hearts and they become ashamed of the Word (Matthew 13:20,21). Others become sidetracked by the things of this life (verse 22). The way in which we keep from losing soldiers is to comprehend the truth and apply the truth (verse 23). When we see the fruit brought about by our actions we glorify God because He is the source (I Corinthians 3:6). Soldiers of Christ, arise.