As I sat in church this morning, something the speaker said (it was Youth Sunday) made me reflect on the choice me make about what kind of Christian we will be.
I have been through military survival training and military leader training. From my experience, there is a great difference in a survivor and a leader.
In survival school, students are taught to avoid the enemy or anthing that could threaten their safety. They are taught to become as invisible as possible and wait for somebody to save them. We have the option of living our Christian lives that way. Christians can try to stay in a safe sanctuary and have limited contact with the fallen world around us and still be secure in their salvation, but is that what we are commanded to do?
In my military leader training, I have been taught to prepare myself to meet the enemy, to seek contact with the enemy, and bring overwhelming force with me. I have been taught to fight the enemy, not to communicate with the enemy. I have also been taught that as a military leader, I am most effective when I am where the commander wants me, doing what the commander wants me to do, and reporting to the commander what I am doing and how it is going. It has been my experience that you will receive very clear guidance if you are not doing what the commander wants.
All of this experience and my reading of the Bible tells me that God wants us to be leaders who are constantly fighting for him and constantly talking to him about that fight. Despite the claims of some smiling hucksters who promise you a life of comfort, the New Testament promises Christians who follow Christ (and lead others) that they will face hardship. There many references to Spiritual warfare and the Centurion is singled out for causing Christ to marvel at his faith. These examples are instructional, not coincidental.
How can you be sure that we are to be leaders and not just survivors? I think Mark captures Jesus's instructions to his believers very clearly, to include describing the overwhelming force in the faith of a believer.
Mark 16: 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they[b] will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
For a while, I was probably just a survivor. Never again will I just survive when I have the opportunity to lead. What will you do?
