Inside: May we be inspired by heroes from the pages of Scripture, who put on the armor of God, and got busy in the fight that God had for them.
Who is Sgt. York?
One of our family’s favorite movies is “Sergeant York”. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it! The movie tells the story of World War I hero, Alvin York, in the early 1900s in the mountains of Tennessee where he lived. It shows the remarkable difference in his life before and after his salvation, and also includes his struggle with whether or not he, as a Christian, could participate in World War I. Spoiler alert, he decides it is OK to go fight in the war, so off he goes… After his training, he goes to France, where he writes a letter home describing some of the things he has seen in Paris, like the Notre-Dame Cathedral. In Alvin’s letter, he says he heard his outfit is moving to the front and he continues, “I reckon that’s so, cause we got all our training, and they ain’t brought us here for no sightseeing tour no how…” Alvin understood there was a war going on and the reason he had been trained and equipped was that he was supposed to fight!
Armor of God
In Ephesians 6, the Lord describes how we are equipped as Christians. We mentioned the Armor of God in our last article entitled A Dragon Needs to Die. We are supposed to take on the “whole armor of God” and then do battle – not with flesh and blood, but with the powers of darkness and spiritual wickedness.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:10-12
I think too many times, as Christians, we feel like we are here in this world (to use Alvin York’s terminology), for a “sightseeing tour”… When instead, the picture of what God has provided for us to be equipped is a suit of armor! Suits of armor are not for sightseeing tours! We are in a situation today – as God’s people have so often found themselves throughout history – where we see the forces of darkness and spiritual wickedness pressing in from all sides. These are enemies of God. They hate everything we hold dear, everything that our nation was built upon, and they have infiltrated every part of our society. In light of this, what is the role of the Christian? Many times, Christians will say our duty is to be nice and show “love”, or in the case of tyrannical government, to submit. Well, if we wonder what God would have us do, I think it is a significant hint that He gave us a SUIT of ARMOR! A suit of armor is for fighting – it is for standing up for what is right – it is for refusing to do wrong – it is for defending the defenseless – it is for preserving and restoring that which is good and right! Yes, these are the roles of the Christian.
Suit of armor
We are to put on our armor, starting with having our “loins girt about with truth”. This means that truth is our belt which wraps completely around us. Truth is under attack like never before, which is not surprising that it is the first thing we’re supposed to put on. Truth is on our side – it is the first piece of our armor. Our breastplate – that part of our armor that covers our vital organs in our chest – is righteousness. In today’s world, if you are wearing truth and righteousness, you don’t have to go look for the fight – it will come find you! The “Gospel of Peace” is the covering for our feet, and don’t forget the Shield of Faith! Our primary defense is our faith in Almighty God. In fact, a great place to read examples of this is to go back to the “Cloud of Witnesses” referenced in Hebrews 12. It is referring to Hebrews 11, the “Hall of Faith”, and is filled with examples of Biblical heroes who demonstrated remarkable faith during demanding times. Our salvation is the helmet to protect our head, and don’t forget our offensive weapon – the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God! I also find it interesting the very next verse emphasizes we are a people of prayer. So, we do all of our engagements in constant communication with the Lord, our Commander, regarding our fight and the fights of the other believers.
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Ephesians 6:18
Get busy in the fight
Often times, it seems that the enemy of God is tyrannical government, or perhaps a tyrannical government official. At the beginning of this year, I decided to read through the Bible (I am running a little behind the schedule!), and it seems that over and over, I see the stories of God’s people standing up for what is right, against a tyrannical government. To borrow a phrase from Hebrews 12, it is this “cloud of witnesses” that serves to encourage us and inspire us to lay aside the sin and the stuff that weighs us down and to fight the battles the Lord is calling us to fight.
Once Sergeant York gets his training, his weapons, and gets to the battle, of course he fights with extreme bravery. It is clear he knew that indeed, he wasn’t there for “no sightseeing tour no how…” May we be inspired by heroes like Alvin York, and more importantly, heroes from the pages of Scripture, who put on the armor of God, leave the sightseeing tour, and get busy in the fight where God would have them plugged in!
Take a look at the following video – it is a friend of ours standing up for what is right and holding his City Council accountable. We need more of this!
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