Battles

In Psalms 144 we are told that Lord "trains our hands for war and gives our fingers skill for battle." If I were to put out a "sign-up" sheet for war and/or battles, I doubt too many would sign up. And those who would sign up, I would probably keep a safe distance from.

I really don't know a lot about wars or battles. About the time I start to think I'm going through a tough battle, I run into someone who is really going through a tough time and my circumstances seem like a small skirmish at best. So, I am not speaking as an expert. But I do want to speak from the Word and the Word says we are going to have some trials and tribulations along the way.

But If take the words of the Psalmist as truth, I will have to assume that wars and battles are going to come my way. Earlier in the Psalms 34:19 we are told that the righteous will have many trials or tribulations in this world. What's up with that? Isn't it enough to be righteous? Do we really need to have these tribulations?

When Jesus was with his disciples, he warned them about trials and tribulations. In John 16:33 he said, "In this world you will have many trials or tribulations."

I wasn't built for war……..probably wasn't built for love either…….but with God's help, I can do both! After all, the promise is that God will train me for war and give my fingers skill for battle and that in the midst of these tribulations, I should take heart because Jesus has already overcome!

One thing I know about wars and battles….you have to understand who your enemy is. Have you ever been on the receiving end of a tongue lashing when you were just the messenger? You didn't make the rules and you may not even agree with the rules but you took the hit. Been there, done that and even have a t-shirt.

Several years ago I stopped at a convenient store/gas station to get some gas. I knew everyone working in the store by name. They knew me. They knew I was a pastor and that I liked coffee; bought gas; and a newspaper from time to time. I never ever purchased anything else from them. But on this day as I was paying for my coffee and gas, the clerk slide a lottery ticket across the counter to me and proceeded to charge me for it. I didn't ask for a lottery ticket. I didn't even know how to order a ticket or how to play. (I'm not condemning those who do play the lottery….I just have some better things to do with the money God has provided.) The clerk got angry with me. I told him that I didn't ask for a lottery ticket and that I had never asked for a lottery ticket. The clerk was really getting hot. I looked at the manager and ask him if he had heard me ask for a ticket………end of the story is that things were tense. I left the store, walked back to my car. As I got into my car I looked over to my right and the driver of the car on the other side of the gas pump was visibly angry with me and started yelling at me and questioning my intelligence, etc. To this day, I don't know what I did. I started my car, pulled onto the road and drove off, happy to be away from that place. When I stopped at a red light, in the lane next to me was the driver who had been upset with me at the gas pumps. I rolled my window down and asked him what I had done back there to make him so mad…….he just started talking…I really didn't understand anything he said…but the light turned green and I pulled away. The cars in the other lane started honking at the driver who was upset with me because I just left him talking to himself. So, there is some justice in the world…….

So what happened? What caused all that? I didn't do anything to bring any of that about. I didn't order the lottery ticket; did nothing to the driver or his car. But you'd never know that.

About a block down the road after the green light, the Holy Spirit whispered to me and explained everything. The source of that little skirmish…..and it was little…..trust me….was simply a matter of the Spirit of Christ in me coming into conflict with the Spirit of the Anti-Christ. It really wasn't about me. (It's never supposed to be about me.) I didn't need to take what happened personally. The clerk and the driver of the other car were NOT my enemies. But my enemy was behind it all.

In 1 Peter 5:8 our enemy is identified. It's the devil. It's not your boss; your teacher; your son-in-law or your mother-in-law…….it's the devil.

Don't get confused about who your enemy is. You'll end up fighting the wrong battle; destroying the wrong person; or maybe even destroying yourself.

It's important to know who your enemy is but it is also important to know who your enemy isn't.

Always in Pursuit!

Dedication Minus the Casket

A couple of weeks ago I was privileged to teach a class in the Iowa Ministry Network School of Ministry, better known as ISOM. The class was, "Introduction to Assemblies of God World Missions."

While preparing for the class,  I was reading in the text about some of the history of World Missions as well as remembering some other sources I've read over the years.
Then during the class we all got a chuckle when we talked about the methodology of some of the early leaders. I think our favorite was Charles the Great or better known as Charlemagne. He was a missionary "of sorts" about 800 years after Christ. His favorite method for evangelism was the sword. I guess he figured it was the quickest way to get his point across……..

I also remembered reading about the Moravians. There are known accounts of Moravians selling themselves into slavery so they could take the Gospel to places they couldn’t get to through conventional means. There were some accounts of Moravians allowing themselves to be exposed to leprosy so they move into the leper colonies and evangelize. To be Moravian meant to be a Missionary. While I don't think we need to expose ourselves to disease or sell ourselves into slavery, it would do us well to have the same desperation as the Moravians when it comes to taking the Good News to the "ends of the earth."

It is also documented in the History of Missions that many of our early Missionary fathers and mothers would pack their belongings in caskets. The truth is that many died on the Mission field or buried their children and spouses there. It was a time of short life expectancies in many parts of the world. And the conditions many of our Missionaries faced only made their lives shorter.

My concern for the class was that when we talked about these kinds of things - the Moravians and packing their belongings in their caskets - we would begin to compare our Missionaries of today with those of a hundred or several hundred years ago. Personally, I don't see a difference in the commitment of today's Missionaries compared to what I’ve read about M’s from the past.

Over the past 20 years, as I've served as a Missions Pastor, served as the State Missions Director for the Iowa Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God, and I've become great friends with literally hundreds of Missionaries. I've had opportunity to spend time with many, talk to many on the phone and correspond with many via e-mail and even snail mail. To be honest, I've never met an M that didn’t make me question my own dedication to the task. In my mind there is no difference in the commitment it takes for our M’s today than it took for M’s several decades ago. Both groups are committed to taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth no matter the cost.

Times have changed. Fortunately, methods have changed as well. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that conversion by the sword isn't effective….as if it ever was. I love J. Philip Hogan's slogan, "Anchored to the Rock but geared to the times."
When I'm asked about modern day heroes, I point to our Missionaries. I pray for them often and do everything I can to assist them in their important ministry of taking the Good News of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

The dedication it takes to do the job is the same today as it was a hundred years ago…….…….just minus the casket.

Always in Pursuit!