There is an article in The Atlantic magazine titled “The Christian Radicals are Coming”. It describes a tent meeting similar to revivals of the past. The speakers are concerned for America and the churches lack of warriors ready to take back America for God. There are several points on which I agree. American Christians should not be victims. God does appoint warriors to do what God wants. Christians do have authority from God. There is a war on earth and Christians are called to fight against evil.
There are too many American Christians who see themselves as victims and martyrs in our society. They talk about the lack of prayer in schools. The anger some Christians face in social settings. The lack of Christian morals on TV show and movies. The lack of Christian principles in our laws. They do not talk about The Voice of the Martyrs or Open Doors. Two organization that monitor and help persecuted Christians around the world. Christians who are thrown out of their families, out of their homes, out of their jobs. The millions of Christians worldwide who must worship in secret meetings for fear of being jailed, tortured, or killed. The almost 5000 Christians murdered in 2023 for their faith.
Rather American Christians talk about the fear of being publicly ridiculed or snubbed. They talk about all the other horrible people who do not believe as they do. The laws which seem to defy Christian morals. But in America there are churches everywhere. There is hardly a town or city without a church where people are allowed to worship all day long with no consequences. Too many of these churches have empty pews on Sunday morning. Churches lack volunteers to help with the work of the church.
American Christians do not acknowledge that they can own multiple Bible to study and compare to strengthen their faith. They do not acknowledge that Amazon and local bookstores will deliver a Chrisitan book, Bible study, or study guide to their doorstep. There are numerous APPs available to read the Bible, devotional, or Bible study on your phone rather than surfing through endless conspiracy theories and post of vitriol. America has more access to God’s word than any other place in the present or history of the world. Yet how many American Christians can even carve out an hour in their day to be alone with God and study the Bible. The Barma Group states that in 2021 only 16% of Americans read the Bible most days of the week. How many American Christians spend time preparing for a weekly Bible study group? American Christians are not victims or persecuted except in their own uninformed minds.
In the Bible, God did appoint warriors to lead people in wars. Real wars where countries fight to take over other countries, seize their treasures, make their women and children slaves. There are still these types of wars in the world today. Christians do have a responsibility to pray for these countries and the suffering of their people. Christians are free to join the military and fight for the freedoms of others. To bring a Christian perspective to other soldiers in violent circumstances. Christians are free to volunteer to the many Christian organizations which are spreading the word of God around the world. Many Christian churches do send volunteer teams to foreign lands to help foreign churches and teach the word of God. There is the difficult task of leading other Americans outside the church in Bible teachings and prayer. Schools can have Christian clubs to teach children about the Bible and how to pray and witness to fellow students. An adult led prayer group in school is a group of powerful child or teenage warriors helping to change their school one student at a time. Many libraries have conference rooms available for community Bible studies where someone can reach the unchurched.
When Jesus walked on the earth 2000 years ago, Israel was under an evil government. Rome was the ruler of the civilized world and compelled people to pay taxes and obey the Roman law. People were persecuted for not worshipping Ceasar as a god. Towns were destroyed and wiped off the map for causing disturbances which Rome would not tolerate. The slave trade was legal. People could be beheaded at the local Roman ruler’s whim. Such was John the Baptist’s fate. It was a time of fear, persecution, unfair taxation, and fickle rulers.
Jesus’ apostles thought that Jesus came to earth to establish his kingdom. A kingdom the Israelites could understand. A kingdom that would fight the Roman overlords and restore Israel as a powerful kingdom. But Jesus had no intention of ending Roman oppression. No intention of making people in Rome behave according to God’s law or will. Jesus did not tell his followers to go to Rome’s governing councils and use force, deception, or sly manipulation to change the evil ways of Rome.
Jesus did not call his followers to overthrow the government or any ruler who does not follow Jesus’ ways. Jesus called his followers to be the light on the hill, the salt of the earth. Matthew 5:12-13. We are to show others through our example what it means to follow Jesus. We are to preserve peace and civility, not to enter into fights, slander, or accusations. In Matthew 5:21-25, Jesus teaches about murder being a sin. But he goes further and tells us not to be angry with a brother or sister. He is not talking about people we like or love. He is talking about all people, especially those in the church whose views are different from our own. He says to go and be reconciled with them and to settle matters quickly with our advisories rather than going to court. Jesus frequently told people what behaviors to follow and which behaviors to stop participating in. The Bible and prayer are our best guide on how to behave in today’s society.
As Christians warriors we are to wear the armor of God. Ephesians 6:10-17. We are to stand firm in the Lord and in his mighty power. We are not fighting against flesh and blood but against the forces of Satan in this world. This means that our battle is not with elected officials, those who do not follow Jesus, or the unapologetically immoral. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23. Anyone who struggles to keep the law but struggles in one point is guilty of all the law. James 2:10. We are not to judge other people or become an accuser of the brethren the way Satan does. We are to fight differently from the ways of the world. We are to fight the way God wants us to fight. With love and forgiveness. We are to love God with all our heart and mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves. God tells us this in Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27, Deuteronomy 6:5, Deuteronomy 11:1, 2 Chronicles 6:14.
Loving God with all our heart means to discipline ourselves to pray and read the Bible, that we may know the ways of God. We do not need to know the ways of history, other people, or social media influencers. The ways of God are our main focus to learn how to be a warrior. Ephesians 6 tells us how to dress like a warrior of God. We stand with the belt of truth fastened around our waist. We surround ourselves with God’s truth not the truth of social media, popular politicians, or podcast influencers. We spend more time reading about God in the Bible than listening to pundits.
We wear the breastplate of righteousness. Knowing how to be righteous and at peace with God and his truth means we read the Bible and take all the do not verses seriously. Matthew 5:42, do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 6:14 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 7:11, Do not judge, or you too will be judged. Matthew 22:29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. Romans 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:21.
God’s warriors are to be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Jesus is the King of Peace. Though he will return at the end of this age to fight the final battle and banish Satan to the fiery pit, he does not call us to violence. We are not to fight each other over political beliefs or self-declared morality. We are not to slay the ones who do not believe in the morality we accept. We are to steady ourselves and draw peace from Jesus. Romans 9:6-9. In 1 Peter 3:8-12 Paul tells us to do good and seek peace and turn from evil. We are not to return hatred for hatred or wickedness for wickedness. God sees the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers. But God turns away from them who do evil.
We are to use the shield of faith to distinguish the fiery arrows of Satan. When we have faith in God to fight our battles and change the world around us then we are using the shield of faith to undo the works of Satan. We do not need to fight against every evil thing we see. We must work to draw close to God and he will draw close to us. James 4:8. We need to focus on the cleanliness of our hearts in God sight, not the evil of others. We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Psalm 37 tells us how the wicked will disappear from the land. They will be like grass which withers and dies. God laughs at the wicked because he knows their fate. But those who love the Lord and are faithful to his ways will be protected and blessed. They will inherit the land.
Warriors are to wear the helmet of salvation. We are to give ourselves over to Jesus and humbly admit we need his help. Ask him to guide and teach us as we promise to trust and obey him. The helmet protects our most vulnerable part, our brain. We can live without some parts of the body. We cannot live a full live without a functioning brain. Beyond the physical part of our brain is the thinking, deciding, understanding, memorizing, and focusing part. The part we give over control to Jesus, so that we may have the mind of Jesus. The part we must train on the word of God so that Satan’s lies will not deceive us. The part that brings back memories of Bible verses in daily activity. Reminding us how to behave as we follow Jesus. The part that keeps us from being led astray by smooth talkers, and persuasive pundits who seek followers to cause havoc and promote their wicked schemes. 1 Corinthians 2:2.
Warriors are to take up the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. Many times, in this essay the Bible, the Word of God has been mentioned as a fundamentally required part of a Christian’s life. It is where we learn what God did in the past. What God plans to do in the future. But most importantly, we learn what Gode wants us to do today. Through reading the words of Jesus we learn what made him mad, what frustrated him, and what pleased him. We learn how much he loves us and how much he wants to help us make wise decisions. The Lord’s prayer states that we are to ask God for our daily bread. Reading the Bible and applying it to your life is taking God’s daily bread and using it every day to nourish your mind. We have no ability to distinguish right from wrong, good from bad. The world deceives us in so many ways. There is so much information floating around us. We absolutely need a discipline of prayer and Bible study to know The Truth, Jesus. To know who around us is speaking the truth as God sees it and who around us is speaking as the world speaks or as Satan speaks. We cannot trust ourselves to know these things.
Concerning the article in The Atlantic, I agree with the problems, but I do not agree with the solution. Yes, our country has many problems. There are many things that we cannot agree on or even have a civil discussion to search for solutions. We are polarized on many issues. But there is an answer better and more effective than destroying the opposition. This is not a football game where we all go home and sleep in our beds at the end of the day. We are at war with the truth of the world and evil forces of Satan. These battles will only be won by turning back to Jesus, the Savior of the World. If he died to save the world, he will certainly save us from our divisions. We do not need to keep fighting each other. We need to start asking God individually to fix our angry and divided hearts. To teach us how to love our neighbor as Jesus said was second in importance only to loving God.
It is time to stop picking sides, rather we need to fill the pews with singing hymns, reading scripture, prayer, and teachings from God. If you think your pastor has made a mistake in the sermon, study the Bible to verify your belief and ask for consultation. Stop fighting each other and start civil conversation to debate what God says in the Bible. We are all subject to many mistakes. Accept that only God is right all the time, and all the time God is good.