Over the past two weeks I’ve been watching like millions of others what’s occurring with Israel and the Middle East. I will admit I’m not the best student on the different factions and the politics of it all. But I do know enough.
One thing that has captured my attention is how the Jewish people have rallied in their faith and love of their land. When the call was given for additional troops Jews from around the world came to serve without a second thought.
They left their families, friends, children, jobs to literally build an army of over 300,000 soldiers. All politics were set aside for another day. For now, the battle is of foremost concern. Many of these dedicated soldiers will leave home and not return. It’s the cost of war they are willing to sacrifice.
They stand shoulder to shoulder and there is no talk of what party they are affiliated with in the Knesset, Israel’s unicameral parliment.
Volunteers. Once again people from all walks of life, nonprofit agencies, older individuals doing what they can to secure victory. They are a much-needed extension of the army. How inspiring it is to see so many people pulling on the same end of the rope.
As I watch the war unfold it got me to thinking are we, Christians, ready for what’s coming. Are we ready to stand and defend the church? There are so many comparisons between the church and the challenges Israel is facing.
Yes, I know that we are constantly fighting Satan and his forces. As Peter would say, “Be ye sober, and wake ye, for your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion goes about seeking whom he should devour.” I Peter 5:18
As I’ve grown older, had the privilege to learn from outstanding people of faith, and grown in the Scriptures, I fear we may be our own worst enemies.
We are a divided army. We call ourselves the ‘independent’ (army) church. Like wheat we are scattered across the land. In most cases we only know of a few soldiers we serve with. Each congregation has its own commander with many lieutenants. Often there is a struggle for power. Or in many other cases situations where no one wants to take the lead and stand-up front.
We have senior pastors, interim pastors, pastors of education, youth pastors, jr. pastors, ministers of music, evangelism pastors, and the list of names goes on. Some say the pastor leads and others say the elders lead, if they have elders.
Our soldiers, (congregation) serve only part-time on Sundays. Granted others do better. Do we run these soldiers through boot camp to be prepared for the fights ahead? As I see it our soldiers are more concerned what they can get rather than what they can contribute.
I fear to think what the church’s “Israel” could be when attacked.
Believers, we are the INTERDEPENDENT church of Jesus Christ. How foolish to think that we survive on our own! A recent Barna Institue statistic states that only 37% of people attend church. Churches are closing at alarming rates. Pastors, ministers can no longer fight on their own and die on their hill.
We need to set aside egos. There are no BIG church pastors, small churches, and I guess medium churches. New churches. Old churches. When I first started my ministry in Tulsa, I was with a small-medium, hoping to be large church. Once a month all the Christian churches, Church of Christ in Northeast Oklahoma met for lunch and fellowship. Well, the BIG church guys had their clique, small church guys met in solitary, and the medium church guys were in the middle of the room. To this day I remember the feeling of not approaching the BIG church guys. Though not said you could feel the distance between. Those walls still exist.
Even small churches in the country have never met the folks of another rural church in their area.
It’s time for the church to re-evaluate where we’re at. Are we many factions serving the same Messiah or one body fighting on His side?
In a boarder sense do we have tested and true leaders available to step up and bring our church together across our fellowship?
In 1985, I served as a missionary for Toronto Christian Missions behind the Iron Curtain. When I announced to my congregation, I had been accepted one of my elders came up to me and said, “What the hell is wrong with you?” But I wanted to learn about who I was as a pastor and standing behind a pulpit every Sunday preaching to the same people was no challenge.
On my last trip in-country I had to clear one last communist border crossing. At 2:00a.m. I was detained, held at gunpoint and separated from my travel partner. My luggage was scattered on the ground as two soldiers searched. There it was my Bible. It was handed to the Captain of the Guard. She took it and turned to walk away. Well, here was my moment of testing. After three repeated attempts of “my biblia” the Captain handed it back. I was surrounded by soldiers, guard dogs, gun towers, and ten-foot-high fence. I had passed. Did I risk my life? Could I been imprisoned, disappear? For sure.
I pray that God will provide generals, battle-tested soldier willing to sacrifice to fight. And that one day our Commander-in-Chief will say, “Well done thy good and faithful (soldier) servant.”
“Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before!”
An editorial by Dick Creek
