AN APPEAL TO PREACHERS AND ELDERS

A war is raging. The enemy is working day and night to undermine the authority of Christ's Word and impose their ideas on His church.  Many of our soldiers seem unaware of the fact. They go about their business as if all was rosy in the kingdom; seeing no threats of danger at all.  Others are trying to avoid the conflict like the draft dodgers who fled to Canada during the Viet Nam War.  If the church is to survive for generations yet to come, the soldiers of Christ must arise.

Arm Yourself. "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11).  Christ considers his preachers and elders to be soldiers in the army of heaven. They are not peacetime solders with weekend duty.  They are involved in a mortal struggle with the prince of the powers of the air (Eph. 2:2).  Daily they must face his hosts of wicked spirits (Eph. 6:12).

Take Your Place in the Lines. Christ's expectation is that we be good soldiers (II Tim. 2:3).  He expects us to "fight the good fight of faith" (I Tim. 6:12). There is no place for slackers, dodgers, malingerers, deserters or on-lookers in the army of Christ.  We are on active duty with a lifetime enlistment (Rev. 2:10).   We must faithful march forth with the King of Kings (Rev. 19:14).  One of the great problems facing today's church is that many preachers and elders have not the will, the desire or the sense of loyalty to their King to take their place in the lines against the forces of evil.

Use Your Sword.  To be of any significant value in war, a soldier must have a weapon, know how to use it and have the courage to engage the enemy. Christ has provided us a powerful and effective weapon, "the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17).  Not everyone that owns a Bible is prepared to use it effectively. Not every soldier has the fortitude to stand in the gap and defend the kingdom against her enemies (Ezek. 22:30).  Read your Bible, teach it and wield it effectively against every false teaching that appears before you.

"Quit Ye Like Men."  These words of Paul (I Cor. 16:13), remind us of the serious nature of our conflict. Christianity is not debate club or child's play. Neither is our war a game. It is a titanic struggle for the souls of men; for the heart of a nation. It is a mortal conflict with the devil and his angels.  It is a war for the heart of our civilization, our culture and the church. At stake are  the minds and hearts of our children. Faith and courage are essential elements in good soldiers.

Never Surrender. Victory is our only option.  As Paul wrote these lines, he had in mind those Roman soldiers who enabled Rome to rule the civilized world of his day. They were invincible because they were trained to never surrender. If defeated today, they were trained to regroup and fight again tomorrow.  In every war there is a problem keeping the fighting spirit of the troops at high level.  Surveying our Christian soldiers, it is evident that some have grown weary of the strife, some are discouraged by the success of our enemy. Some have been wounded, or have grown old in the conflict. As it was during the Viet Nam conflict, some have been persuaded that to continue the battle is wrong, useless or hopeless.  In the dark dreary day of Word War II, courageous Winston Churchill addressed the students of his alma mater. His subject was the war, which at that time was going badly against England. The eloquent leader  summed up his speech with these stirring words, "Never, never, never surrender." So it must be for those of us privileged to serve in the army of Christ.  There are thousands of foes without, arrayed against us with deadly intent.  Sadly there are traitors and turncoats within the church. They are devoting their energies to undermining the authority of our King. They are subverting the faith, worship and practice of the church by sowing discord among the citizens of the kingdom. In the face of all these enemies, of our Lord we must "Never, never, never, surrender."