No one likes uncertainty, whether in secular life or the life of the church. The bugler plays on direct command from the General, so that the troops know if it is the start of the day, the end of the day, or a call to battle. We can’t blame the bugler if the wrong message is played. It has to go back to the Generals who are directing the charge.
I am more than a little troubled because there are times I can’t make out the bugle call. Is it the start, or the end of the day, or did I hear the muffled sound of a call to battle? I am not sure. When war is declared, and the soldiers line up to face the enemy, they do well to recognise the Generals’ clear and certain commands. The private in the army may not always know or understand the strategy, but he or she should recognise the call. There should be no doubt, because the result of the battle could depend on it.
In our times, war is a last resort, because it causes misery, casualties and bloodshed. So the leaders make every effort to debate, dialog, discuss, compromise and appease, all to avoid facing the obvious challenge that war is inevitable, and without a victor, there is no victory. So we are left with the situation where both sides take comfort in the fact that there were no losers, and therefore by definition, no winners either. A war ended like that, usually comes up again at a later time to be fought by debate and discussion all over again.
We are in a deathly struggle with evil day and daily. We dare not try to appease or compromise with the devil, no matter how appealing it is to avoid the horrors of war. We appease at our peril, because then the devil knows he has the upper hand and we are not fighting him, we are having a nice chat to avoid confrontation. The church of God has many foot soldiers, who belong to different regiments, and who react in different ways. I am thankful for those little bands of soldiers who hear the faint call to war, and get ready for the battle, no matter the personal cost. There are some Private Soldiers who would rather be in the other regiment doing what they were trained to do, fight!
Whether in the Regular Army, or God’s Army, if the Generals are uncertain about their plans or the strategy to adopt, beware because the war is almost certainly lost right at the planning stage. The bugler gets an uncertain message, and the troops do not know what to do, or how to react, so they might as well sit down and brew up a coffee or a cup of tea. Of course the generals might want to ask the enemy into their tent to have a chat, and get to know each other better. That always suits the enemy, and gets us nowhere because that army will have already compromised their position.
I have not even mentioned the college educated strategy advisors, who behind the scenes, are whispering compromise in the ears of the Generals. These advisors are the next Generals in your army. Yes, I am more than a little troubled, because the trumpet call is getting fainter every time there seems to be a need to face the enemy head on. Tea and sympathy is not enough. We need some Godly Church leadership.
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 3:15,16 NIV This is bad news, but look what John records just a few sentences later: To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Revelation 3:21,22 NIV
No comments:
Post a Comment