Battle Array: Meet the Militants

There's a popular Christian hymn titled "The Church is marching on". Over the years, we sang it so melodiously, without actually meditating on that phrase. After a while, I had to ask myself a few questions:

Where are we marching to?

Why are we even marching?

Do we have to march? Why can't we just "fly with the wind of the Spirit"?

Well, I found out that ONLY Armed Forces MARCH. The Church is God's Army; Heaven's Ground Forces on the Earth.

"The day you became a Christian, YOU CEASED to be a CIVILIAN, You enrolled in the BARRACKS!" (Gabriel Israel (Rev) 2011).

Your prayer of salvation was your ACCEPTANCE SPEECH! That's why Apostle Paul says to "endure hardness as a good SOLDIER of Christ" (2 Timothy 2:3). Notice He didn't say, "Those of you who are soldiers should endure hardness!" Because the question is not whether or not you are a soldier, It's "what kind of soldier are you?"

BY THE WAY: HARDNESS is NOT the same as HARDSHIP. Hardness refers to DISCIPLINE.

Let me tell you few things about a Soldier. A Soldier has no comfort zone, He had one before he became a soldier, now, he only has war zones. A soldier is one who chooses inconvenience, so as to make others convenient. A soldier is one who puts his life on the line, so that others can have a life-line. A soldier is one who fights to maintain peace, so that others can live in bliss. A soldier doesn't live for himself. Infact, HE DOESN'T HAVE A LIFE OF HIS OWN. It is therefore vital to understand that the life of a Christian is a SELF-LESS one.

But make no mistakes about it; Christians are not "cool and calm people!" We may look cool and calm, but so do Lions until they ROAR! I know there are those who have believed an age-long traditional lie that JESUS was "cool and calm", they say he couldn't hurt a fly, He always took one step before the other and anytime someone stepped on him, He said "Bless you!"

NOT MY JESUS! Read your Bible! Yes, He was Full of Grace and Truth, Love and Compassion, and so are we as Christians, but there's a reason He's called THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH!

At one time, He went to the Temple and found out that money-changers had taken over the place. Jesus didn't preach a sermon, The Bible says He MADE scourges (whips) and used it to DRIVE (eject, pursue, cast out) these guys away! Both man and animal! I mean he overthrew their tables, released the caged animals, and spilled their coins everywhere! Listen, He didn't "pluck" whips, or look for whips, He MADE them! In other words, He took his time, got the "raw materials" required and wove them into a weapon! Jesus MADE A WEAPON! I'm sure the money-changers thought he was practising carpentry until the whips kissed their skin! And of course, you don't drive people out by whispering and smiling to them, Jesus raised his voice, and chased them out from table to table! He must have been so fierce that they all got scared of him and ran leaving their goods! (John 2:14-16, Read this from the Message Bible)

Was it the way He spoke? His words caused controversy! He taught as one having Authority (Matthew 7:29). You know, all of the Prophets of old came and said "Thus saith the Lord". When Jesus came, He said "Verily, Verily, I SAY!" The Prophets spoke FOR the Lord, but Jesus spoke AS the Lord. 

One time, He said to the Jews "Ye are from beneath, I am from Above..." And they replied and said: "Who art thou…" That's the King James English. In modern day English, that would read "Who the Hell do you think you are?!" or "Who you be?"(Nigerian readers ONLY) (John 8:23-25). They were very upset with him. Another time, He said to them: "I am the Living Bread, if any man eats my flesh and drinks my blood, he hath Eternal life…" And they asked themselves: "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" I mean, it sounded like cannibalism! They couldn't comprehend him. Infact, many of his disciples were offended by those words and left him! (John 6:51-69). As if that wasn't enough, again He said to them: "Before Abraham was, I AM". This time, they didn't debate with Him, they picked up fine, large stones to stone Him! But Jesus escaped! He had an escape plan! (John 8:58-59). That's some serious militancy!

So, get it! As Christians, we are nice and cozy, cool and calm, exchange pleasantries and niceties on the outside, but LIONS on the inside. We are Rugged in our Faith, Dogged in our Convictions, Militant in Soul-winning, Demon-casters, Sickness-Healers, Money-spenders, Game-changers, World-shakers, Light-beamers, Human principalities, Love-dispensers, Grace-factories, Power-brokers, and sworn rebels to the system of this world because we play by a special, different and elite set of rules! Infact, we are "et-cetera!"

The biggest risk a man could ever take is to take a Christian for granted. He's more dangerous than any terrorist group! The most dangerous specie in existence is the CHRISTIAN WHO KNOWS THAT HE IS THE MOST DANGEROUS! No wonder the Apostle Paul declared; "If ANY man be in Christ, He is a new CREATURE..." (2 Corinthians 5:17). Notice, He didn't say, that man becomes a better, renovated, or edited man, He said "that man" becomes "A NEW CREATURE!" Why?

Because there are four classes of beings on the earth:

Plants

Animals

Humans

And CHRISTIANS! 

It's easy to group Humans and Christians together, because they have the same "physical body", but when that glorious day comes, when Jesus, Our Commander, shall bodily descend from Heaven with a shout, and mortality shall put on immortality, and we shall all be changed; then the world will fully realize, that we were never in the same class with them (1 Corinthians 15:51-54, Romans 8:19, 1 John 3:2).

Ladies and Gentlemen, Meet the MILITANTS.

Finally,

What is their Dress Code? What do they wear? What have they been commanded? How do they conduct warfare? How do they rank? Where is their Barracks? What tactics do they employ?

There’s more. Next week.

Yours Militantly,

PeeJay