Coming into the last stretch of June, I decided to watch, for the umpteenth time, the movie Gettysburg. This is an annual event for me, usually toward the end of June or early July, in celebration of that remarkable event in our nation’s history.
One of my favorite scenes is when the 20th Maine is set at the farthest left flank of the Union line. Colonel Joshua Chamberlain is told by his Commanding Officer that the 20th Maine is the “end of the line.” He is further told that he must hold “at all cost.”
In the movie, Chamberlain is seen reflecting on what it means to “hold at all cost.” He sets his men into motion to prepare for the battle ahead.
If you have seen the movie, you know what I am talking about. If not, then you need to rent a copy today and watch it. You won’t be disappointed.
Anyway, I digress.
The Church of Jesus Christ is much like the American Civil War, and this particular scene in the movie. The Church of Christ is on the front lines of a great battle for the unity and survival of the Kingdom of God. The fight is for the freedom of slaves, the preservation of the Kingdom, the healing of the land. It is for the Glory of God.
Yet, we somehow are missing the battle. We have settled into a comfortable place that “feels” right, “feels” safe. We bury our heads in the sand and pretend that all is well and that there is really no need to engage a fight if we don’t have to. And besides, is that not what we pay pastors and ministers to do, or what only those crazy evangelicals do?
I would like to suggest that the reason the Church is slowly dying and failing in so many arenas is that we have lost our sense of urgency, our sense of duty, our sense of God with us. We have withdrawn from the battle.
Now, I believe with all my heart that God wins in the end. I read the last chapter and verse of the Bible. And I believe He will win, with or without us. But that is not the point, or God’s best for us.
God calls us into His great adventure, His great fight, because He loves us. He calls us to “hold at all cost” because He loves those who have yet to discover His love.
God calls us to be His champions. He hands us the tools we need, to engage the enemy of our souls, and to win the day for Him.
Sunday morning worship for an hour is not what it takes. It takes a daily, 24/7 commitment to follow Jesus Christ in this battle.
So what are the tools? They are found in Ephesians 6:10-18.
There is the full armor of God (Eph 6:11-13).
The amour includes the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness (v. 14).
It includes your feet fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace (v.15).
In addition, we have the shield of faith (v.16).
Finally, we put on the finishing touches with the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit (v.17).
Having thus been granted and given the tools, we enter into the strategy of battle by Praying in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and petitions and requests (v.18).
Praying in this fashion, wearing the battle garments of the King of Kings, we affect the outcome in two ways. First, we discover that God moves to bring about a just end in the situations and lives of others. Second, and equally important, He brings about a just end in our own lives and situations. The more we pray, the more in tune we become with the mind of Christ, learning to pray as Christ would pray, discerning the will of God in the situations we face.
For the Church to regain its position of influencing the world in which we live, we MUST regain a sense of the battle we are engaged in, and we MUST regain a sense of the heart of God. And this can only come by putting on the armor and saying, “Yes, Lord. Here I am. Send me.”
Christ says to His army, the Church, “This is the left flank, the end of the line. You MUST hold at all cost. If the enemy over runs this position, I fear the entire line may collapse.”
And our response should be, “Yes, Lord. We will hold, even unto death.”
