Are You A Soldier Under Command? Part 2
Is being a soldier of Christ about simply following one's "leadings," or is it about receiving clear directives from the Holy Spirit on where to go, when to go there, and what to do when you arrive? This may be a bit of an uncomfortable set of questions for the average Christian today because most don't really operate like that yet, though it is my contention after living out almost 40 years of Christianity that we should. It is the difference between truly being a soldier under command versus simply one constantly waiting for orders and having only a vague notion of what His commanding Officer would him doing on a day to day or even moment by moment basis.
Some might say this is taking the expression "being led by the Spirit" too strictly, but look at the precedent set for us in the New Testament of what God was doing early on in the spread of the gospel. You know who the first Gentile was to have the gospel preached to him? A Roman centurion, which means he was a soldier in charge of leading 80 men (the name "centurion" originally meant "leader of 100," but they eventually reduced the size of these units down to 80 instead to make them more manageable and effective).
Why is it important? Because this was a soldier under command. He as used to doing what he was told to do, not doing whatever he felt like, and both he and Peter received visions from God that eventually arranged this meeting. God was directing both their lives to a specific end, whether they understood it yet or not:
10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
Again, why was a Roman centurion chosen to be the first Gentile to have the Holy Spirit poured out upon him? The message appears to be that He ultimately looks for soldiers; soldiers who will simply obey orders, beginning with obedience to what the Spirit is telling him through visions and dreams. This same thought appears to be stressed in yet another passage preserved for us in the New Testament, the story of when a centurion came requesting of Jesus that He heal his servant, who was being tormented by demons:
5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” 7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that many will come from East and West, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour. (Matthew 8:5-13)
Did Jesus downplay the military connection here, or did He strongly commend the centurion for appealing to the principle of authority, and that just as men were under authority and would therefore do as they were told, so too would the demonic spirits? Not only did Jesus strongly commend him for saying this, but prophesied something very interesting: There was coming a time when many would come "from the East and the West" (i.e. many Gentiles like this centurion would come) and sit down with the great patriarchs of the Old Testament in Heaven, but many currently in Israel would not because their faith was not as strong. What kind of faith? The kind of faith that understands the principle of authority, and that things in God's kingdom are not haphazard but orderly, and that when the Commander of God's army gives orders those orders are carried out, just like with any army on earth.
As stated in Part 1, the days of haphazardly wandering about with no clear directives from the Lord Jesus Christ may soon be coming to an end. The army of God will find itself in increasingly dangerous times, where persecution and hatred against them could lead to incarceration, personal injury or even death. But those led by the Spirit of God will increasingly come under His protection and guidance, and like Joseph and Mary they will have their lives spared to continue serving Him. Those who don't draw close enough to God to hear what He is saying through visions and dreams, however, could end up paying the ultimate price. Being a soldier in the army of God will therefore require mastering the ability to receive specific directives from God, whether personally or together with the entire church as a whole.
Blessings in Christ,
Hidden In Him
Is being a soldier of Christ about simply following one's "leadings," or is it about receiving clear directives from the Holy Spirit on where to go, when to go there, and what to do when you arrive? This may be a bit of an uncomfortable set of questions for the average Christian today because most don't really operate like that yet, though it is my contention after living out almost 40 years of Christianity that we should. It is the difference between truly being a soldier under command versus simply one constantly waiting for orders and having only a vague notion of what His commanding Officer would him doing on a day to day or even moment by moment basis.
Some might say this is taking the expression "being led by the Spirit" too strictly, but look at the precedent set for us in the New Testament of what God was doing early on in the spread of the gospel. You know who the first Gentile was to have the gospel preached to him? A Roman centurion, which means he was a soldier in charge of leading 80 men (the name "centurion" originally meant "leader of 100," but they eventually reduced the size of these units down to 80 instead to make them more manageable and effective).
Why is it important? Because this was a soldier under command. He as used to doing what he was told to do, not doing whatever he felt like, and both he and Peter received visions from God that eventually arranged this meeting. God was directing both their lives to a specific end, whether they understood it yet or not:
10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
Again, why was a Roman centurion chosen to be the first Gentile to have the Holy Spirit poured out upon him? The message appears to be that He ultimately looks for soldiers; soldiers who will simply obey orders, beginning with obedience to what the Spirit is telling him through visions and dreams. This same thought appears to be stressed in yet another passage preserved for us in the New Testament, the story of when a centurion came requesting of Jesus that He heal his servant, who was being tormented by demons:
5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” 7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that many will come from East and West, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour. (Matthew 8:5-13)
Did Jesus downplay the military connection here, or did He strongly commend the centurion for appealing to the principle of authority, and that just as men were under authority and would therefore do as they were told, so too would the demonic spirits? Not only did Jesus strongly commend him for saying this, but prophesied something very interesting: There was coming a time when many would come "from the East and the West" (i.e. many Gentiles like this centurion would come) and sit down with the great patriarchs of the Old Testament in Heaven, but many currently in Israel would not because their faith was not as strong. What kind of faith? The kind of faith that understands the principle of authority, and that things in God's kingdom are not haphazard but orderly, and that when the Commander of God's army gives orders those orders are carried out, just like with any army on earth.
As stated in Part 1, the days of haphazardly wandering about with no clear directives from the Lord Jesus Christ may soon be coming to an end. The army of God will find itself in increasingly dangerous times, where persecution and hatred against them could lead to incarceration, personal injury or even death. But those led by the Spirit of God will increasingly come under His protection and guidance, and like Joseph and Mary they will have their lives spared to continue serving Him. Those who don't draw close enough to God to hear what He is saying through visions and dreams, however, could end up paying the ultimate price. Being a soldier in the army of God will therefore require mastering the ability to receive specific directives from God, whether personally or together with the entire church as a whole.
Blessings in Christ,
Hidden In Him
