Good Soldiers Willing to Fight
Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:3
The idea of fighting as a soldier is foreign to most pastors and church leaders. It smacks of pugilism, the opposite of turning the other cheek. The act of aggressively resisting false teachers and exposing damning doctrine is considered unchristian in many evangelical circles—especially if you name names. The prized pastoral persona of our day can be summarized in a single word: genteel. The Cambridge Dictionary definition is: “very polite, gentle, graceful, calm and gentle, correct in manner, or trying to be polite and correct in order to appear to be of a high social class.” While some of these characteristics are virtuous, appropriate, even biblical, as in the case of the apostle who “proved to be gentle among [the Thessalonians], as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children” (1 Thess. 2:7), there are times when, like Paul, we must “admonish the unruly” (5:14), name names (1 Tim. 1:20), oppose colleagues to their faces (Gal. 2:20), publicly expose heresy (3:1-5), publicly rebuke bickering church members (Phil. 4:2), reject factious men (Titus 2:10-11), and boldly preach the Word to those who reject it (2 Tim. 4:1-5). Then, like Paul, we can say, “I have fought the good fight” (2 Tim. 4:7).
When the wolves come after the sheep, all gentility must be abandoned. It’s time to go to war. It is often said there are three kinds of people in the world: sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We need more sheepdogs (shepherds) protecting the church, because the wolves are decimating the sheep! Worse yet, many shepherds are wolves in sheep’s clothing that only appear to care for the sheep—and convincingly so. But in reality, they only care for themselves. Many are genteel, narcissistic cowards; others are vicious wolves that prey upon gullible and ignorant sheep for their own advantages. In both cases, those who follow them are vulnerable to the schemes of the devil that are so deceptive and so nefarious that they must be confronted with the same force a man would exert to protect his family against a violent aggressor. The enemy has entered our homes and churches, and is now carrying away our children. It’s time to fight. And this requires a warrior’s mindset—one of fearless devotion to the truth and the glory of Christ.
“These are the times that try men’s souls.” This was the opening line of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, The American Crisis that George Washington ordered to be read aloud to embolden his demoralized troops on December 23, 1776, three days before they crossed the Delaware. Emboldened and inspired, they defeated the Hessian Army at Trenton and changed the course of the American Revolution. The times in which we live also “try men’s souls.” Faithful pastors and church leaders understand this and will help their people understand the cultural and political chicanery the enemy is using to destroy them, despite the shrill vilifications of those who try to drown them out. They will not only help them think critically, but they will also help them to think biblically. For this reason we are warned, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ” (Col. 2:8). May we all be dedicated to these ends.
© COPYRIGHT NOTICE 2023 BY DAVID HARRELL AND SHEPHERD’S FIRE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
