Battle Drill #41:

Manage your Household Well!

Proverbs 31:25-31 (NAS95)

Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn Battle Drill #41 – “Manage your Household Well!” Interestingly, this is one of the requirements of church leadership. As Paul taught his protégé in 1 Timothy 3:5, “but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?” Before you complain that this is coming from a West Pointer and former military officer, I forthrightly acknowledge that I am bent this way in my personality type and professional training. I assure you though that this is a biblical exhortation and an important battle drill as you will see from today’s teaching of Proverbs 31.

Allow me to explain by using another example from my days as a paratrooper. Last week, Pastor Ken closed out the service talking about how those who jump out of airplanes trust the people who pack their parachutes. What he probably doesn’t know is that the soldiers who pack our parachutes are called Riggers. They are a special group of paratroopers, but do you know why we trust them with our chutes? Is it because they have a title, wear cool red hats, or have special training? Partly, but titles, education, cool clothes, and training are not enough to trust someone with your life! There is only one reason we paratroopers trust them; it’s because their Commander requires them to regularly jump their own parachutes, randomly selected from all the parachutes they have personally packed. They have an awesome responsibility, for which the Army has given them authority and recognition, but then holds them accountable to ensure they are willing to put their own lives on the line, just as we are asked to do. Their willingness to submit to their Commander builds trust with the rest of the paratrooper family!

The same thing is true in the church! James 3:1 emphasizes, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” While you may appreciate my specialized training, high levels of education, two decades of pastoral experience, and various titles and recognitions, what truly matters is that I submit myself to God, the Commander, for what I teach from the pulpit, how I conduct my ministry, and live my life. I must jump my own chute every day – my Commander requires it of me! Am I teaching the Field Manual accurately? Am I walking the talk and living up to the Field Manual myself? I will incur a stricter judgment. That should never be forgotten nor taken lightly by me or you – that’s part of me counting the cost in answering the call! Have you counted the cost of your calling?

Christian leaders must live lives that are worth following! Over thirty years ago, when I was learning about leadership as a plebe at West Point, I was taught this simple rule of leadership – “Look over your shoulder, if no one is following you, then you are not a leader!” After three decades of holding various leadership positions in numerous organizations I have found this to be true, but especially in the church. If your Christianity is not worth following, then no one is going to be convinced to follow the Jesus you preach. This is nowhere more visible than in our households, at home and in the church, so let’s learn how to manage our households well.

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying: “Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.” Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

We know what the Field Manual says, let’s now take the second action step to learn how to apply today’s battle drill to our everyday lives as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

As verse 31 concludes of the book of Proverbs, “Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.” You will reap what you sow! Your life will reflect that which you were devoted and the works of your life’s devotion that survive you will proclaim that truth.

Proverbs 31 is emphasizing the role of a wife and mother to her family, and the blessing that her well-managed household is on the entire community. She represents a life in submission to God. This passage demonstrates how we are to answer God’s call on our lives as a Proverbs 31 people. The Proverbs 31 woman is an embodied picture (a metaphor) of a faithful life. Some of my favorite biblical imagery about our relationship with God, and how we are to live, is found in this kind of familial language – we are the children of God! This family-oriented imagery cultivates a deep security of identity and a profound motivation for managing our lives according to His wisdom, as the beloved of Jesus communicated in 1 John 3:1-3:

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

There is a deep intimacy to be had with God when we understand Him through terms of such endearment, which is why Proverbs 31 leverages the image of a Jewish wife and mother, the one who manages her beloved household. A similar usage of embodied wisdom is Proverbs 6:20-23:

My son, observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother; bind them continually on your heart; tie them around your neck. When you walk about, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk to you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; and reproofs for discipline are the way of life.

Clearly, the foundational unit of God’s household is the home. This is the tried-and-true way of God’s people, generation to generation, generation after generation, as instructed through the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-9:

Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

This is God’s intent for each of our households. Our households are a training ground for the mission of God by learning from Proverbs 31 parents how to become Proverbs 31 people. Let’s now turn to the third action step.

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

How does a baby bond with its mother? How do children learn to trust their parents? Why is it parents or grandparents expect to have influence over their children and grandchildren? It’s all about building trust by first responding to their cries, then providing for their needs, then discerning their wants. The proper management of your household is about relationships because the Kingdom of God is a relational kingdom! We see the priority of relationships in the New Testament’s household codes for God’s family. There is clear teaching on marriage in Ephesians 5:22-33 and Colossians 3:18-19. These passages are immediately followed by clear instruction on parenting, emphasizing the parent-child relationship in Ephesians 6:1-4:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (cf. Colossians 3:20-21)

Parents, before you apply this to your children, you must first ask yourself if you are a Proverbs 31 person – are you submitted to the Commander in your mission? You must apply the household codes to your relationship with God as your Father, where you are the child, and He is the Father. His will for your life is that you mature in the discipline and the instruction of His Word for His glory! Therefore, you must learn to observe all His commandments, just as you expect your kids to know your expectations and obey. The people of God, as the children of God, shall not forsake the Word of their heavenly Father, but memorize it, meditate upon it, and apply it to their everyday lives. As we’ve seen, this is learned in the household of God – at home and in the church! Are you reaping at home what you are sowing with your heavenly Father? The same question can be asked of us as a church family.

This is the power of the Bible’s familial imagery – it is an embodied metaphor that helps us experience the security of our identity as God’s children and the motivation of living as loyal participants of God’s covenantal love. As one author explained of the household codes:

Relationships within the household thus become a concrete expression of what it means to live under the lordship of Christ. … It gives mundane household relationships an entirely new focus and motivation; the way Christians behave toward others is an outworking of Christ’s lordship over the community (Col 3:17).^[1]

The Christian household is where mission begins – to manage one’s household well is to live on mission because you are training up your children to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ! A child’s god-ordained chance at life and blessing is to live according to the training their parents give them. Are you managing your household according to God’s priorities? Just like a child honors his or her parents by obeying them, we are to seek our Commander’s approval by managing our lives, and the church, according to His Word so that we may live on mission for God. That leads us into our final action step.

Pray, then, in this way: “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Why this familial language in the book of Proverbs and throughout the Bible? Because children represent their parents – you are image bearers of God (Genesis 1:27)! We are commanded to train ourselves to live on mission for God and the only way to do that is to put ourselves willingly and wholeheartedly under the instruction and discipline of the Lord, just as children are commanded to put themselves under the authority of their parents. There is a rightful authority that flows from Heaven to Earth, through parents to children. With this authority comes the responsibility to do so as a men and women under submission, who are willing to be held accountable to how they managed their households.

We are to be the mature adults who can do this, which is why the embodiment of wisdom, as given to us in Proverbs 31, is of a Jewish wife and mother who manages her household well. The church is the household of God on earth and our mission is to invite all who will listen and accept all who receive, but we don’t stop there because we are then to help the family mature in Christ so that we can live on mission together. This process of raising up new Christians into spiritual maturity follows the example of the family, which requires the same anguishing hard work and commitment to the family. This is the calling of every member of the body of Christ. We all, at one time, were little children in the faith, but we must grow up and pass on what we were given to others who will grow up and pass it on (2 Timothy 2:2). This is the mission!

When we live according to this battle drill, then we, like the Proverbs 31 woman, will leave a faith legacy of praise to the One who called us to Himself. As Revelation 14:13 declares over the life that is lived on mission for God, “‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them,’”

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FOOTNOTE:

Battle Drill #40:

Trust your Training!

Proverbs 30:5-6 (NAS95)

Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn Battle Drill #40 – “Trust your Training!” You are going to find that this battle drill serves as an effective bookend with Battle Drill #3 – “Trust the Commander!” from Proverbs 3:5-6. These two are intimately yoked as we learn to trust God and the Bible from which He calls us to train ourselves in godliness. This is a critical reality for the church, just as it was for me as a soldier in the military to learn to trust my training.

For example, the United States Army’s Airborne School is unnecessarily long – it is three weeks long but could be consolidated to one week! Honestly, all you must do to earn your wings is successfully complete five jumps, including one night jump. Of course, it is highly encouraged that you can walk off the jump zone each time and stand at graduation. The first week is called ground week and you spend most of the day, every day, learning how to do a parachute landing fall (PLF) in sawdust pits. It is mind-numbing training and besides getting sawdust in every possible place in your body, you are constantly being evaluated for mental and physical toughness before you are allowed to move to the second week, which is called tower week. Tower week is doing countless simulated jumps from a ten-meter tower simulating the procedures you must follow upon leaving the airplane, preparing to hit the ground, and executing a proper PLF at the approximate force of an actual jump. The intensity of training increases in every way for one reason – to prepare you for jump week when you must trust your training because nothing can quite prepare you to jump out of a perfectly good airplane! The third week is jump week and you quickly learn that nothing can quite prepare you to step out of that airplane at 1,250 feet, flying at 130 mph when you step out of it, but by this point you have done more PLFs, simulated leaving an aircraft more times, and followed all airborne procedures so many times that you reflexively, instinctively, and habitually do what you are trained to do when it matters – as you plumet to earth at 13 mph, hitting at the equivalent force of jumping off a nine-to-twelve foot wall. The first two weeks of Airborne school are to ensure the person is mentally, emotionally, and physically capable of trusting their training when it matters.

This is what this battle drill sermons series is all about. We must learn to trust our training so that we execute the Field Manual according to the Commander’s intent when it matters the most. Regardless of how much you know about God or say you love Him, if you don’t learn to trust your training, you will not live on mission. You will be hijacked by your circumstances, driven by your feelings, or engulfed by your nervous system.

To illustrate the importance of learning and applying today’s battle drill in real life, Katie Kinnaird is going to share with us a recent testimony.

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

Just as an army must trust its field manuals so that every soldier is being trained according to the same doctrine and strategies, the church must be unified in the Bible as infallible in its authority and inerrant in its source. We must trust God’s authority and that He gave us a trustworthy Bible, our Field Manual. As our battle drill states in Proverbs 30:5, “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” Psalm 18:30 complements, “As for God, His way is blameless; the word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.” When we trust God, we will walk in His ways, according to the Scriptures.

Paul taught his protégé in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” The Word of God is sufficient to the task for which we were called, so trust it and don’t adlib, as the second half of our battle drill emphasizes in Proverb 30:6, “Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.” Don’t hijack the process by trying to fix it yourself. You will only make it worse!

The Commander has given you His battle drills to protect you and provide for you all that you need to fulfill His mission. From Joshua 1:8, the Commander said to one of His first generals, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” Do you believe this?

In the same way that we learn to trust that God has enlisted us to successfully fulfill His mission according to the Scriptures, we must learn to trust that we aren’t alone in the mission. As fellow members of His body, we need one another. This is God’s will for our lives as Paul emphasized through the body imagery of the church in Romans 12:4-5, “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

We need one another, more than we know, just as we learned from our previous Battle Drill, “Train with a Battle Buddy!” We need to walk in the way of Jesus Christ with one another and carry one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:1-2). A significant component of the training regimen is training as a fellow member of the body of Christ, and not alone, because if we are to do what Jesus, the head of the church, commands us, and please Him, then we must do it in concert with His will for our lives, collectively as the individual members of the one body of Christ. As Paul said in Ephesians 1:22-23, “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ultimately, God is glorified through our unity as Jesus prayed in John 17:22-23:

The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

This is how we are to train together! Now, let’s turn to the third action item.

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.

This teaching applies to every area of our lives because this battle drill gives you the tools to defeat your self-will (the flesh); it is winning the battle for your loyalty so that you can CM on God’s rescue mission! You will trust in God or in yourself, but don’t be deceived – there can be only one in whom you ultimately trust and that is revealed in the moments where the stakes are the highest. Don’t make assumptions – train this trust into your bones! Now is not a time to swim in da Nile (denial)!

Do you remember the second half of our battle drill that I touched upon earlier? Proverbs 30:6 warns us, “Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.” In other words, don’t adlib or else! When you add to or modify His words, you demonstrate your lack of faith in God as infallible and your inherent mistrust in His Word as inerrant. Remember, the higher the stakes, the more we must trust our training; that God is our shield and refuge!

Allow me an anecdotal story from my days as a paratrooper. There is a major mistake paratroopers make when they are about to hit the ground – they reach for the ground with their feet. This is so natural to do that you must train yourself to not do it! Otherwise, you end up with a major injury like a twisted knee, broken leg, smashed ankles, or worse. You must absorb the ground upon impact by keeping your knees and ankles flexed, but it takes an incredible amount of discipline to trust your training, especially in night jumps when you can’t see the quickly approaching ground. It’s this same survival instinct that causes so many broken wrists when people fall. It is natural to reach out to stop yourself from falling, but those who have been trained how to fall know not to – often what you feel is the right thing to do is not!

Allow me to give you a word of grace: If anyone tells you that at any point in your Christian life you won’t struggle with your humanity and the effects of living in this tent (2 Corinthians 5:1-9), then they are placing a burden on you that Christ has not. Holiness is Christ in you, not your ability to perfectly master the flesh. The righteousness you have is imputed upon you through Christ’s victory, not one earned by a life of perfect thought life, perfect emotional stability, and perfect mastery of your body. Training this battle drill is about trusting the Holy Spirit to do in and through you what God promises! The life we live is a life submitted to Jesus Christ, just as Paul commented about himself in Galatians 2:19-21:

For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.

This is our victory – our faith (1 John 5:4)! That leads us into our final action step.

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.

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Battle Drill #39:

Communicate the Mission!

Proverbs 29:18 (NAS95)

This month, I am finishing our 2022 sermon series, “Train to Live on Mission Today: The Battle Drills of a Christian Soldier.” After laying a firm foundation from 2 Timothy 2:1-4 so we can properly understand how the Bible uses the soldier imagery as a metaphor for the Christian life, we have then taken a year-long journey through the book of Proverbs.

Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Communicate the Mission!” It is standard military practice to ensure that all soldiers know the mission so that even if they are the last soldier remaining, they can seek to accomplish their unit’s objectives. In fact, leaders communicate the mission of the next two levels of command so that soldiers, when necessary, can take on an even great responsibility to ensure the mission is accomplished. A common military example of this is when a higher-level commander knows that the ultimate purpose of his unit is to gain control of a specific bridge to ensure the army can successfully get across a river. He communicates this mission so that a soldier doesn’t think guarding an intersection on the way to the bridge is the only thing that needs to be done to accomplish the mission. While guarding an intersection is important, and it needs to be done without distraction, it serves the larger purpose of helping the unit seize the bridge so that the general can move his forces into position for what comes next. Every task must work toward the accomplishment of the larger mission! That same is true for the church!

For us to CM, continue the mission, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we must train ourselves to communicate the mission so that we know how what each of us is called to do fits into the larger purposes of God. So, whether you greet people, help collect the offering, hold babies, teach children, work with youth, teach a class, prepare and deliver foods, send cards, help others with practical assistance, provide counseling, make videos, do visitations, care for the facilities, cut grass, fill potholes, keep the books, manage a webpage, send emails, or run a sound board may all that you do be to the glory of God, as Paul said in Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” Let’s turn to the Field Manual and take the first step of a soldier’s training regimen.

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

But isn’t that every good father’s desire – to watch their children fulfill the purpose of their lives? John said in 3 John 4, “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.” My brothers and sisters, John wasn’t talking about his spiritual children – the Church, and that is the whole purpose that I as your pastor must train all of us as a congregation to keep communicating the mission to one another and to our youth and our children. Because we will have no greater joy that to hear of one another, our youth, and our children walking in the truth. Yes, that includes you as parents teaching your children in the Way of Jesus because you are the primary disciple-makers of your children. You bear the responsibility, but we, your church family, are your partners in accomplishing this mission. The mission of God that we all must know, not just missionaries and pastors, was given to us by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20:

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

This is the mission we must keep communicating! We hear Jesus proclaim His great rescue mission in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Then again in Acts 1:7-8 when Jesus spoke of the coming Pentecost:

“He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Our battle drill for today comes from Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law.” Allow me to show you something that is going to bring today’s teaching together for you – the word “vision” is actually best translated, “revelation.” It is not talking about our plans, but God’s Word! Listen to this short explanation of Proverbs 29:18:

The familiar KJV “where there is no vision” is misleading. The word “vision” is the revelation (ḥāzôn) a prophet receives. Also the KJV translation “the people perish” does not refer to unsaved people dying in sin. The verb pāra‘ means to cast off restraint. So the verse is stating that without God’s Word people abandon themselves to their own sinful ways. On the other hand keeping (obeying) God’s Law (cf. 28:4, 7) brings happiness.^[1]

Or said more plainly, Tony Evans taught it this way:

Without the wisdom God’s Word gives, people are prone to throw off all restraint. This, in fact, is a description of our culture today: people are running into walls and down blind alleys for lack of truth. The remedy to the problem is found in hearing and receiving biblical instruction.^[2]

Interestingly, the Greek word for “truth” in 3 John 4 is used right before today’s proverb in Proverbs 29:14, “If a king judges the poor with truth, his throne will be established forever.” Talk about a strong position for a king to be in to win the game, better than castling to protect your King in the game of chess is for a king to judge the poor with truth, to stay on mission according to God’s Word. Why is this important? Because if the people don’t know the truth, then they will go astray, throw of restraint, live outside of God’s purposes for their lives and miss out on the many blessings of knowing His Word and living according to it!

We have a lot to learn about ministry in the church from the game of chess. If we are going to communicate the mission through our lives, then we need to know not only the ultimate goal – the King, but we also need to know what we are to do as one the unique pieces on the table, whether a pawn or bishop, a knight or rook, and how we each fit into the strategy of God’s plan. That brings us to the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus.

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

“Where there is no vision” (v. 18) refers to the absence of an open revelation of the word and will of God. It does not necessarily mean that if there are no plans being made, the people will perish. Rather, it calls for prayer, preaching, and consecration, so that God’s plan for life may be known.^[3]

This is exactly how I see my calling. I am going to share with you two Scriptures that undergird my ministry philosophy – how I answer my pastoral calling. The first is from Acts 6:4, which captures the collective voice of “the Twelve” when they were calling forth the deacons of the Church (Greek for “servants”) to do the work of ministry, “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” I am convinced that I am, through the Word and prayer, and the ongoing work of the Spirit to consecrate the congregation, that I am not to lead you in trusting our plans or initiatives, but in trusting God’s Word and Spirit to lead us in the mission of God. Therefore I pray, “Lord, please don’t bless our plans, but bless us to be a part of your plans, and to know the difference.” I put no hope in the integrity of my (our) ways, but in the infallibility of God and the inerrancy of His Word – His vision for His people will never perish!

Second, Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:11-16 shape my calling as your pastor because they show me how we, each of us, fit into God’s mission purposes for sending Jesus Christ from Heaven to Earth to show us the way to salvation:

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

It is a revelation (“vision”) from the Lord which keeps a person and a people in the way. Outside of the way, we perish, we fall, we stumble. What is it we are to bring to one another, to encourage one another, to lift one another up, to equip one another? Is it our own strategic plans filled with mission and vision statements, goals and ambitions, marketing schemes and church growth strategies? No, there can be no worldly or humanistic approach to doing church. Rather, our scripture lesson is clear that it is the vision of God, given to us through the revelation of God, His Son Jesus Christ, as Paul taught us in Colossians 1:13-20:

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

You were blessed to be a blessing! That is what I’m trying to communicate to you and that is what I want your life to communicate to all who know you – you are to communicate the rescue mission! This leads us to the final action step of our soldier’s training regimen.

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.

We communicate the mission because that is how the mission is accomplished, as revealed to us at the end of all things in Revelation 12:10-11:

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. (emphasis added)

We CM when we keep the vision of God, His Word, in our hearts and on our tongues, when we meditate day and night on His Word, when we are like trees planted by streams of water, when we are like fruit-bearing branches abiding in the Vine – the One who is the source of the vision, when we find rest for our souls in the easy yoke of Jesus, the Fulfiller of the Law. We have been blessed to a blessing! We have been enlisted to communicate the mission of God!

You can listen to the message by clicking below:

You can watch this week’s message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 968.

[2] Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible, 2019), 743.

Pursue Godliness in your Finances!

Proverbs 28:6-8 (NAS95)

Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Pursue Godliness in your Finances!” We are going to learn the importance of putting God first in all that we do. Ultimately, godliness is the inside-out obedience to the Greatest Commandments, given to us by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40:

And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

I say “inside-out” because we serve that which we love! Then, ultimately, we love that which we serve. Personally, it always starts with what we love in our secret places, whether that is what we say we love or not in our public declarations. The evidence of what we love is in that which we serve, that which we give our most precious commodities. Which is why Paul warned his protégé in 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Christian soldiers must not allow anything to distract them from the mission, for which we have been saved (2 Timothy 2:4). Can we all agree that financial issues can be quite distracting, and at times pierce us with grief? Whether it’s a repossessed car, growing medical bills, the monthly pressures of household costs, or the desire to save for education, housing, a vacation or your retirement, the realities of financial pressure can be daunting. It is not uncommon to find ourselves more than distracted by money issues, but dominated by the worries of tomorrow as our minds and hearts are hijacked by insecurity and fear. For us to CM, continue the mission, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ we must train ourselves to pursue godliness in our finances. Let’s turn to the Field Manual and take the first step of a soldier’s training regimen.

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is crooked though he be rich. He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father. He who increases his wealth by interest and usury gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor.

This is what the Field Manual says, let’s now take the second action step to learn how to apply it to our everyday lives as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

The answer to this question is where the rubber meets the road in the importance of this battle drill in your daily life. As we learn from the book of Proverbs, pursuing godliness in your finances is all about living a life of integrity! Proverbs 28:6 teaches us that our integrity is more valuable than wealth – “Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is crooked though he be rich.” Solomon continues in verse 8 to rebuke the ungodly gain of wealth, especially when taking advantage of the poor through “interest and usury” (Proverbs 14:31; Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36-37). Truly, we are to love our neighbor, not use them for financial prosperity. That will only diminish your soul! Quite the opposite as Proverbs 11:24-25 explains, “There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.”

There is a greater purpose of wealth management that I will highlight at the end of today’s sermon. But, before we get there, let’s look at the larger scope of the “love of money” passage that I referenced in the introduction so that we can see how pursuing godliness in your finances is an essential battle drill to the Christian life, as Paul taught his protégé in 1 Timothy 6:6-12:

But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

The larger context of pursuing godliness in your finances is only 18” away – the distance between your head and your heart! You can’t take money with you, nor can it fulfill you in this life or in the life to come, so I exhort you to get your appetites under control and in submission to Christ – Learn contentment! Paul testified to this in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” Here’s the bottom line, if you are not content with God, then you will never manage your finances well. Your passions are in control if God isn’t the one shepherding your heart. By the way, contentment is a promise of the Good Shepherd – “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Because Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd of your soul (John 10:11-18), you are invited to practice this battle drill every day by bringing to Him your discontentment, caused by the lusts of the world and passions of the heart.

The beginning of your pursuit of godliness in your finances is learning to pursue God above all other needs or desires, to seek Him first! Until Christ is enough, nothing will satisfy! Let me teach you a simple equation for contentment: CHRIST + nothing = EVERYTHING you will ever need! That brings us to the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus.

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

This is a human problem, as described in Proverbs 27:20, “Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied.” This is not a new phenomenon. For example, when asked how much money is enough, John D. Rockefeller summarized the answer for most of us, “just a little bit more.” An ancient Chinese proverb states, “As gold is tested by fire, so man is tested by gold.” We all struggle with this – contentment is not easy because of this!

Pursuing godliness in your finances is all about your daily participation in the healing of your sucking chest wound! Jesus gave us the answer in Matthew 6:31-34:

Do not worry then, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear for clothing?” For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Do you trust what Jesus said and prescribed to you is true and effective for you? You see, every person is born with a God-sized hole in his or her heart! Once again, I’m not talking about a physical wound, but a spiritual one, but one that affects every area of your life. The Bible is very clear that we have no life apart from God – in fact, it says we are “by nature children of wrath … dead in our transgressions” (Ephesians 2:3, 5). Jesus Christ came to fill that God-sized hole – to “[make] us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). The question is are you going to invite Jesus Christ to fill the hole and seal the sucking chest wound [the vacuum] of your soul or are you going to continue to treat it with band-aides. Nothing else will satisfy, at least not for long, and definitely not for an eternity, until you put Christ first and trust Him for everything.

So often, we try to fill the God-sized hole with things other than God. We try to find security in money; meaning in jobs; status in people, but only God will satisfy. Only God, the Mighty Physician, can heal your sucking chest wound. Apart from Him, the best you can do is the temporary fixes we infantrymen learned, slap something on the surface of the real issue to temporarily seal the vacuum so you can breathe for a while, but that is only a temporary fix. Both the answer and the call to mission is found in Paul’s words in Acts 20:33-35:

I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

This leads us to the final action step of our soldier’s training regimen.

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

Did you hear the motive clause of why a Christian work ethic? Not to do a temporary fix on providing for yourself; rather, it’s the motivation of Jesus Christ, as Paul taught us in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” Again, in Philippians 2:6-7, Paul defined this as the way of Jesus, “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” This refers to Jesus’ generosity given to us freely through His incarnation and death. Jesus offered Himself willingly and sacrificially as an example for all believers to follow. John put it this way in 1 John 3:16-18:

We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

This is the higher purpose of wealth management for Christian soldiers – we work hard not to increase our portfolios, but to increase our capacities for even greater generosity than before! Pursuing godliness in your finances is an inside-out process of bringing all things into submission to Christ so that all that you think, say, and do points to Him, including how you utilize the resources God has provided for you. May we all see it as the highest lifestyle choice to give more as we make more, to increase our giving as our earning power increases. Here is the easy win, which happens automatically when you make the decision ahead of time to set apart the first fruits for the Lord – as the Lord brings increase you’ve already purposed in your heart to give more of it; that is the beauty of tithing, not as a legalistic approach to giving, but as a fulfillment of 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” When you do so, you are living on mission as a good soldier of Jesus Christ because you are no longer distracted by the tools of the trade, you are focused on continuing the mission – CM and live a generous lifestyle!

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Battle Drill #37:

Train with a Battle Buddy!

Proverbs 27:17 (NAS95)

This month, I am finishing our 2022 sermon series, “Train to Live on Mission Today: The Battle Drills of a Christian Soldier.” After laying a firm foundation from 2 Timothy 2:1-4 so we can properly understand how the Bible uses the soldier imagery as a metaphor for the Christian life, we have then taken a year-long journey through the book of Proverbs. We will cover the final five chapters of God’s book of wisdom this 5-Sunday month, starting with chapter 27.

Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Train with a Battle Buddy!” We are going to learn the importance of spiritual friendships. I define a spiritual friend as someone you believe is important to the strengthening of your own spiritual vitality. Like every athlete needs a training partner and every soldier needs a battle buddy, every Christian needs a spiritual friend who is closer to them than a brother (Proverbs 18:24b). This is one of the foundational disciplines of a faithful Christian life.

In the military, we call the person we are assigned to train with our battle buddy. We have each other’s six, and we carry one another’s burdens. I never would have graduated the US Army Ranger School in 1997, if it wasn’t for my ranger buddy. I remember how, on a long night patrol through the swamps of Florida, he locked arms with me when I was losing consciousness; my battle buddy kept me going in the right direction until I found the necessary next gear deep down! Apart from him, I would have failed at that moment because in that unforgiving environment, there was no grace apart from what your battle buddy could give you. Wherever we were and whatever we were doing, we carried each other’s burdens. It was mutual!

Learning to train with a battle buddy is a fulfillment of Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” A battle buddy is a person we have learned we can depend upon to help us carry the burdens of God’s purposes for our lives. Let’s turn to the Field Manual and take the first step of a soldier’s training regimen.

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Let’s discuss the value of spiritual friendships based on today’s battle drill from Proverbs 27:17. This famous scripture, often used in accountability relationships, can be explained in a simple way, “Close friends provide constructive criticism and accountability. Just as sharpening an iron blade makes it more effective, close friends sharpen one another’s character.”^[2] Because both parties are made from iron, their words are not intended to hurt one another, they are intended to aide. Paul explained to his protégé in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 what we are to use to sharpen one another in our spiritual friendships, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” We are to use the Field Manuel!

But the Word is sharp which is why Proverbs 27:5-6 teaches, “Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” In other words, your battle buddy will love you by telling you the truth, and even if their gentleness wounds you, it will be done for the sake of love. Paul admonishes us of this in Galatians 6:1-2, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”

This is the hard work of our battle drill today, found in Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” We must not turn away from one another because one party has acted towards the other with a sincere love that was sharp. We need to be made of iron! As Paul says in Ephesians 4:15, “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” That brings us to the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus.

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

There is no greater desire in my life than to hear Jesus’ words as I enter His presence for eternity, “Well done, good and faithful slave” (Matthew 25:21). I know that I can’t do it alone so I want people in my life who will walk with me to this destination. I know that this goal is only possible in Christ, but I also need my brothers and sisters. The following are some biblical precedents for why I feel that I can’t accomplish God’s purposes for my life as a lone ranger; thereby, demonstrating each of our needs for a battle buddy as a foundational spiritual discipline:

We are refreshed by one another to carry on with the mission of God. A beautiful example of this is from 2 Timothy 1:16-17 and how Paul was refreshed by his battle buddies in the mission of God, “The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains; but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me.” Another example from Paul’s testimony is found in 1 Corinthians 16:17-18, “I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have supplied what was lacking on your part. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men.” Paul did not try to conceal his need for others; rather, he openly named names, of those whose ministries refreshed his own. Not to show favoritism, but to demonstrate God’s design.

I believe that you, like Paul, want to be faithful to God and please your commander, Jesus Christ. I know you want to run the race in such a way as to not be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:24-27), but that is exactly why you need a training partner, a battle buddy, a spiritual friend. As Proverbs 13:20 teaches us, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Never forget that when Proverbs speaks of wisdom, it is talking about the fear of the Lord – a faithful life that aligns with His commandments and fulfills His purposes.

I don’t think any of us can complete the mission, CM through difficult times, apart from the assistance of the Holy Spirit working through our battle buddies. Just like there came a time when I could not keep myself going during that long patrol in the swamps after months of fatigue and stress wore me out to the point of being like the walking dead, there will come a time where you need someone to take your arm and keep you on path, putting one foot in front of the other, helping you CM! Why wait to hit you the wall of your own pride and self-sufficiency? You can start today. This leads us to the final action step of our soldier’s training regimen.

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

The Commander I serve now has a higher purpose in His mind for my life and yours, one that is eternal. It is found in Romans 8:29, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.” In other words, God enlisted you to be all you can be – an image bearer of God, the reflection of His Son Jesus Christ for all the world to see! Why is this important to our Commander, why does He even care about your being the truest form of you? Because God is glorified when you bear His image through your faithful fulfillment of all that God intends for you to do as an image bearer of His Son, just as Ephesians 2:10 declares of your salvation, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (cf. Philippians 2:13).

Just as I have been teaching you every step of this way in this sermon series – your salvation was an enlistment into the mission of God, so that you can fulfill the Commander’s intent for your life as a member of the body of Christ – the church, the hope of the nations! Your job is to submit yourself to His rule over your life so that you can become what He always intended you to be. Today’s battle drill teaches you that you can’t become that alone – you need to train with a battle buddy. I am going to conclude by reading an excerpt from the Mentor Commentaries:

A blade is fashioned, honed to an edge and polished to a fine finish by the use of other metal – the one working over against the other. The process, though for a different purpose, is described in Isaiah 44:12: “The man shapes iron into a cutting tool, and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers, and working it with his strong arm.” In a similar fashion, “one man sharpens another.” The verb translated “sharpens” in both lines describes making something sharp or keen. … We are better for our social interactions, even the ones we least appreciate. We are a debtor to every man whose path we have crossed, for no social contact need be a waste if we will but learn from it. How much more valuable, then, those friendships in which our companion has our highest good in mind! “Two are better than one” (Eccles. 4:9a). “He who walks with wise men will be wise” (Prov. 13:20a). Indeed, as we have just discovered, “a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend” (v. 9b). Think of Jonathan’s benefit to David, for he “arose and went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him in God” (1 Sam. 23:16). Little wonder we are exhorted, “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together” (Heb. 10:24–25a). No man can be his best or reach the heights God intends for him without those blessed friends who comfort, provoke, challenge, rebuke, chide, affirm, stimulate and encourage until his thinking is clear, his wisdom mature, his purpose refined, and his faculties sharp.^[3]

Athletic coaches and championships athletes know that every athlete needs a training partner to bring out their best and win the championship as a team. Military officers and veteran soldiers know that every soldier needs a battle buddy to be all they can be and ensure mission success. God knows you need a spiritual friend to be the best version of you, transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, to His glory and the accomplishment of His purposes through your life. The question is: do you know your own need for a spiritual friend?

Don’t know where to start? Start by being a spiritual friend! Make training with a battle buddy one of your top priorities of your life this year. We all need to be in the easy yoke of Jesus to find rest for our souls from the heavy burdens of living in this fallen world, then we each of us must learn to “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”

You can listen to the message by clicking below:

You can watch this week’s message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015), Pr 27:17.

[2] John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Pr 27:17.

[3] John A. Kitchen, Proverbs: A Mentor Commentary, Mentor Commentaries (Fearn, Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor, 2006), 615-616.

Battle Drill #35:

Endure the Refining Process!

Proverbs 25:4-5 (NAS95)

Isn’t that what God is doing with us in the long slow obedience of progressive sanctification? We have all picked up a lot of bad habits through our years of living “under the sun” and He is refining us by teaching us how to bring all things in submission to His Son. We were enlisted to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ and that gave us our justification before God (our positional holiness), but our ability to be good soldiers doesn’t happen just because we are saved; it’s a process of growing in our personal holiness – breaking the habits of the flesh so that we can live in the freedom of the Spirit. There’s a new language to learn, and some old language to work out of our system. There’s a new way of communicating and dealing with conflict, and some old communication patterns and ways of dealing with conflict that need to be unlearned. There’s a new way of living if you are going to represent the Commander and live on mission for God. Let’s turn to the Field Manual and take the first step of a soldier’s training regimen.

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

As a disciple of Christ, I am to simultaneously trust God for the completion of my life – when I will reflect Him perfectly, while I learn to walk with Him, becoming like Him each step of the way. This gives me the hope to be courageous throughout the long slow obedience in the same direction of Christlikeness. We see this dual charge in Philippians 2:12-13, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” There is a promise to be trusted – our perfection before God – and there is a praxis to embrace in every area of our lives – the reflection of His holiness in our relationships, marriage, parenting, etc. Remember, this is the will of God, His good pleasure, for your life – “to become conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29).

Brothers and sisters, I am here to teach you that you can’t have it one way or the other; it is a both-and that must be trained into your perspective of life circumstances, and in the mindset of your training regimen as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. If you are going to become the best version of you to the glory of God, then you need to trust God and His ways for the completion of that which He calls you to embrace wholeheartedly. Stop trying to hijack the process! For example, your marriage is more about your holiness than your happiness because He called you to represent Him in and through it. Until you get this, then you will continue to chase your tail.

Let’s pull at the thread of the biblical theme of today’s battle drill then we will understand how God intends for it to be applied to our lives as good soldiers. “Dross” is the waste material (scum or impurity) that is extracted from the silver during a repetitive process of heating and melting the silver to purify it. While dross is literally the impurity of metal removed during the smelting process, it was used to symbolize personal or national impurity, specifically the spiritual contamination of God’s people, as in Ezekiel 22:18, “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are the dross of silver.” God wanted His people holy – set apart for His purposes and His glory!

In Proverbs 25:4-5, dross represents the wicked of the kingdom that renders the whole society impure – the wicked and unrighteous. If a king wanted his kingship to be marked by justice and righteousness, he had to remove the dross – the wicked and unrighteous who were corrupting his kingdom. We see it used this way of God’s kingdom in Psalm 119:119, “You have removed all the wicked of the earth like dross; therefore I love Your testimonies.”

This repetitive process for the spiritual refinement of God’s people through discipline and difficulties became deeply imbedded into the psyche of God’s people through Israel’s history of prophecy, as in God’s promise to His people in Isaiah 1:21-26:

How the faithful city has become a harlot, she who was full of justice! Righteousness once lodged in her, but now murderers. Your silver has become dross, your drink diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels and companions of thieves; everyone loves a bribe and chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, nor does the widow’s plea come before them. Therefore the Lord God of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, declares, “Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries and avenge Myself on My foes. I will also turn My hand against you, and will smelt away your dross as with lye and will remove all your alloy. Then I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning; after that you will be called the city of righteousness, a faithful city.”

This is how God’s people were taught to interpret their history and their current events – through a lens of God’s providential purposes of refining them for His glory. During God’s justice, in Jeremiah 6:27-30, God made Jeremiah the prophet an assayer, a tester of metals:

“I have made you an assayer and a tester among My people, that you may know and assay their way.” All of them are stubbornly rebellious, going about as a talebearer. They are bronze and iron; they, all of them, are corrupt. The bellows blow fiercely, the lead is consumed by the fire; in vain the refining goes on, but the wicked are not separated. They call them rejected silver, because the Lord has rejected them.

This prophetic tradition continued in Ezekiel 22:18-22, then it ultimately culminated with the foretelling of the coming of the Messiah in Malachi 3:1-3:

“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.

What is the refiner’s fire, and why does God use this imagery of the smelting process in His people’s lives? God is described as a consuming fire, but the consuming fire did not consume the burning bush when God called Moses. The friends of Daniel were tossed into the fire but were not consumed – the Fourth was with them! God is not a wildfire – He is controlled and has our best interests in mind. God is a holy fire because His fire has a purpose – to refine us into His image! Just as we see in God’s Creation, fire is an essential ingredient to life – for our warmth, for cooking, for production of materials, for the cauterization of wounds, and even for forests to thrive. So often we only think of the destructive power of fire, rather than its life-giving intent!

In the spiritual, Psalm 12:6 explains, “The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.” This sevenfold refining process of the Word speaks to its perfection, and the purpose for which God sent forth His Word – to bring His people to perfection so that they can be with Him. As Isaiah 45:23 states, “I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance” (cf. Isaiah 55:11).

This is the purpose of the smelting process – to bring all things to completion through the fire of God’s glory, the refinement of His presence upon the earth. This is the reason for Christ coming! This is the purpose of His church! This is God’s plan to enlist you, and it is His pleasure to refine you through His Word and Holy Spirit. That brings us to the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus.

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

Jesus is the Living Word and His coming brought God’s refiner’s fire not only to Israel, but through Israel to all the nations. Jesus fulfilled the prophetic imagery of Israel. This is the imagery of Pentecost as the glory of God fell on the early church in “tongues as of fire” (Acts 2:3). The Holy Spirit came as a refiner’s fire to purify a new priesthood through faith in Jesus Christ, one that would offer right sacrifices in righteousness as foretold in Malachi 3:3. Peter expressed this plainly in 1 Peter 2:5 and 9:

You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. … But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

This is who you are, and that is why Christ has enlisted you, but let’s not forget that the smelting process, which removes the dross from your life, is a repetitive one. This is not a “once upon a time” or “one and done” proposal. While your salvation is exactly that – you are justified by the blood of Jesus – your “usefulness to the Master” is dependent upon your willingness to participate in the refinement process that the fire of the Holy Spirit continuously is doing within you, with every thought, word, relationship, and deed. As Paul taught his protégé in 2 Timothy 2:21, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”

Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). With God’s continuous presence in your life, what are you asking the Holy Spirit to cohabitate with? What impurities are you asking God to “tabernacle with” in your life? Are you useful to the Master?

Interestingly, each time the refiner of metal repeats the refinement process he raises the heat to skim even more dross. His goal is to increase the quality and purity of the refined metal. Should it surprise you then that God does the same in our lives – He turns up the heat to increase the quality and purity of your life. Maybe you thought the hardest (hottest) work of your Christian life was at your conversion, and in the beginning years of sanctification, but I believe, from biblical and anecdotal evidence, that the work of the Spirit gets hotter the deeper it goes into your life. Issues of external holiness, what so many churches and pastors are focused on, are superficial compared with the deeply rooted issues of rebellion that fuel them. Therefore, when you experience fiery trials in your life, you can take comfort in knowing that God’s refining fire is removing the dross for your ability to reflect His glory through your effectiveness and fruitfulness in the mission! He perseveres in this work until the last breath – so that you may learn how to, and then, ultimately, surrender all to God unto death for His glory!

It is because of this understanding of God’s intent that Tevye, the beloved father from Fiddler on the Roof, prayed during suffering and hardship, “I know. I know. We are Your chosen people. But, once in a while, can’t You choose someone else?” God loves His chosen people, and He continuously increases the heat so that we may reflect Him more to allow who watch our lives – this is our mission! This leads us to the final action step of our soldier’s training regime.

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, the mission of God in and through your life is found in your faith and in how you walk through the refiner’s fire of your life with faith. Paul expressed this purpose to His followers in 2 Corinthians 4:5-10:

For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

God is at work in your life because you are a temple of the Holy Spirit. You and your life are the very presence of the refiner’s fire in the world. May God’s unquenchable fire of holiness, His refiner’s fire, remove all that is perishable from you and purify all that is imperishable. May God’s image be reflected more and more in you and through your life as you shine His piercing light in the darkness of these last days. May you start seeing every circumstance and every challenging situation as an opportunity to become more like Jesus until your very life proclaims the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Make this battle drill a reflexive, instinctive, and habitual part of your Christian life so that you can CM – Continue the Mission! Therefore, live on mission today and train the battle drill of the week for the glory of God. Let us pray.

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Extra Materials

(not preached, but still for the edification of the brethren):

Today’s battle drill helps us make sense of the smelting process of our difficulties, as described in Romans 5:1-5:

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Every circumstance of your life – the good, the bad, and the ugly – now makes sense when you learn to endure God’s refining process. As Paul taught in Romans 8:26-30:

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Even the evil of this world – the wickedness and injustices – will be used by God for His glory, and in the refinement process of His people, as taught in 1 Peter 5:6-10:

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

Battle Drill #34:

Building up Heart & Mind

Proverbs 24:3-6, 10-12

Pastor Jerry shared last week about learning resilience, and that it is more than just being tough and having a ‘thick skin”, learning from the example of Paul’s life and skills. Today I would like to take follow up on that thought and take us through the fundamentals that this resilience comes out of… the building up of your heart and mind.

Proverbs 24:3-5, 10-12

“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established;
And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increases power.

I. It starts with the heart, for the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.

It takes a heart of integrity! Look at King David! It was said of him:

Psalm 78:72

“He shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them”

His son, King Solomon wrote:

Proverbs 4:23

“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”

A. Know the field manual: He Weighs the Heart

Romans 10:9-10

“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

1 Samuel 16:7

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for ^[a]God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Thessalonians 2:4

“but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.”

God uses the Word to measure

Hebrews 4:12

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

B. Importance of Training Together: It Brings Unity

ILLUS: “Don’t Lose Heart” by Steven Curtis Chapman

It is the home of your hope and faith

2 Chronicles 30:12

“The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.”

Acts 4:32-33

“And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.”

C. Seek the Commander’s Approval: More than just good intentions

1 Tim. 1:5

“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

Heb. 10:22

“ let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Benefit: God will guard your heart

Philippians 4:7

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Proverbs 24:3-5

“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increases power.

A. Know the field manual: Set your mind

ILLUS: On the line of scrimmage – no flinching

Romans 8:5

Colossians 3:1-2 (NIV)

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

1 Peter 1:13

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Psalm 26:2

“Examine me, O Lord, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.”

B. Importance of Training Together: We Need Each Other!

ILLUS: Things we can’t go without: Air/3 minutes; Water/3 days; Food/3 weeks; Fellowship/3 months.

Starts having impact on our overall well-being.

Human touch inspires positive thinking & expands trust, reduces social anxiety & stress, boosts immune system & lowers blood pressure.”

In an article published in a secular psychology magazine, the writer stated:

“It’s ironic that during a highly contagious pandemic where our immune systems are being the most stressed, we are being deprived of something (human touch) that is so essential to our body’s function.” *

How the early church started

Acts 2:42

“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

Philippians 2:5 (ESV)

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus”

Hebrews 10:24-25

“and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

C. Seek the Commander’s Approval: Put God first!

Proverbs 24:12

“If you say, “See, we did not know this,” Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?”

ILLUS: Reading or hearing the instructions.

Proverbs 3:6

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Colossians 3:17,23-24

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father… Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”

How do we Live on Mission? K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Silly)

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FOOTNOTE:

Battle Drill #33:

“Keep Getting Up! (Learning Resilience)”

Proverbs 24:16 (NAS95)

Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Keep Getting Up!” Today, we are going to undergo resilience training, one of the favorite teachings of the US Army Chaplaincy School. In the military, the role of the chaplain to his unit is complex and multifaceted. In addition to other duties and responsibilities, the chaplain performs or provides religious services to the diversity of soldiers in the unit as requested, and the chaplain serves on the commander’s staff as a “combat multiplier.” Some commanders only care about this last function because they have a utilitarian view of chaplains and religion – whoever and whatever can make their soldiers more effective on the battlefield is all that matters to them! This last role of a chaplain can be daunting to the uninitiated.

As a combat multiplier, the chaplain helps soldiers focus on the mission, without distraction, and give their very best, without compromise, to the job that needs to be done. This may feel clean and easy, especially when it looks like marriage conferences and stress management seminars back on base. But what happens when it starts to include doing critical incident debriefs after combat missions to mitigate the immediate effects of a traumatic experience so that the soldiers can go back out on their next mission? Or when it is the transitional work to help minimize the long-term effects of repeated traumatic experiences after being in a theatre of operations for a sustained time before redeploying home to loved ones? Battlemind training is real and helping soldiers transition out of it and come home is a critical work of a team.

Resilience training is the work of a team – the chaplain, the medical providers, and the chain of command (to include the Family Support Group at home in preparation for receiving soldiers back from deployments). Resilience training aims at teaching soldiers the skills to retain their mental health, emotional well-being, and physical capacity to be able to CM – continue the mission – regardless of what the mission has asked of them or taken from them, or their buddies. This is hard work, and the Army has recognized that spirituality, for those who practice their own, has an essential role to play in increasing a soldier’s resilience!

As a church, we must learn how to CM after we’ve been through traumatic experiences, either personally or vicariously. To put it simply, resilience is the ability to bounce back when you have no reason to be able to get back up from being knocked down (or falling) in the first place. I summarize resilience like this, “Never stop starting!” Don’t just get up, bounce forward! Resilience is the ability to learn from the worst of experiences and demanding of circumstances to get better. Imagine what the church would look like today, what your family would look like, what you would look like if you learned resiliency skills. Let’s turn to the Field Manual and take the first step of a soldier’s training routine to live on mission.

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

Cindy Sheffer’s testimony

To further illustrate, we are going to turn to God’s Word and contrast two of the disciples of Jesus Christ – Peter and Judas. Both were hand-picked by Jesus, through the same discernment process of prayer. Both walked with Jesus for three years, and both forsook Jesus at the end of his life – Peter by denying Jesus three times and Judas by betraying his location to the Sanhedrin. What was the difference?

I know we can spiritualize the answer to this question and let ourselves off the hook by explaining how Peter was preordained to be the rock of the church and Judas the son of perdition. While we wouldn’t be wrong to point that out, we would be wrong to think that neither man had choices of their own to make along the way of becoming what they were. C.S. Lewis explained it this way in Mere Christianity:

Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different than it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state of the other.[1]

I believe that Peter demonstrated the best of resiliency; whereas Judas fell and did not get back up. They are an illustration of Proverbs 24:16, “For a righteous man [Peter] falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked [Judas] stumble in time of calamity.”

Allow me to emphasize my point by talking about the end of their journeys with Jesus. Judas’ story ends in Matthew 27:3-5:

Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. (cf. Acts 1.18)

I believe with my whole heart that Jesus would have forgiven Judas the same way He forgave Peter if he had been resilient. Let’s now turn to that critical moment with Peter in John 21:15-17:

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.

His fall was foreseen, he was warned about it, and in his pride he fell anyways. But here is the difference between the two – three days! Three days after His death on the Cross, Jesus defeated death through His resurrection, which made redemption possible for anyone who came to Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. The atonement of sin was made through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. In response to the shed blood of Jesus Christ, Judas killed himself, whereas Peter was cleansed from his unrighteousness by it, because of three days!

We each have the same choice to make! Will you train spiritual resilience by learning to trust in the healing and cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ? Will you live your life according to the promise of the resurrection – Jesus got back up! So can you – learn resiliency!

There is a better way to live than giving yourself over to bitterness over your hurts, habits, and hang ups. That brings us to the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus.

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

There are numerous Bible characters we can study to learn resiliency skills. From the Old Testament, Joseph and King David come to mind, as do the prophets, such as Jeremiah and Daniel. From the New Testament, we have already learned from Peter, so let’s look at four verses from Paul’s ministry that give us insight into his real-life resiliency skills, each of which we can apply to our own lives:

As you learn to apply God’s Word in practical ways, you will cultivate a positive outlook on your life and circumstances (mind), care for your physical well-being (body), apply healthy coping mechanisms to regulate your emotions (heart), and maintain your moral, ethical, spiritual compass in the midst of your response (soul). In other words, your resiliency skills, when properly trained into your life will help you obey Jesus’ Greatest Commandments, found in Matthew 22:37-40, regardless of your circumstances:

And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

In doing so, you are assured to please your Commander by obeying Him. This leads us to the final action step of our soldier’s training regime.

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

God has given every believer the same power that gave Jesus the resiliency to live His life on mission for God, without distraction, and to face His own death for the glory of God, without compromise. Paul prayed according to these truths for his own ministry in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” As good soldiers of Jesus Christ, this is my closing prayer for you, that may you walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, the same power that raised Jesus from the grave, so that you may live your life on mission for God, without distraction, and face your own death for the glory of God, without compromise. Join with me in praying, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Say that out loud three times. If you believe that, and learn to live it, you will be able to get back up and CM, no matter the circumstances of your life.

Jesus was tempted. You will be, too – Get back up and CM!

Jesus was misunderstood. You will be, too – Get back up and CM!

Jesus was gossiped about. You will be, too – Get back up and CM!

Jesus was ridiculed. You will be, too – Get back up and CM!

Jesus was betrayed. You will be, too – Get back up and CM!

Jesus was abandoned. You will be, too – Get back up and CM!

Jesus wept and was grieved. You will, too – Get back up and CM!

Jesus anguished and experienced anxiety. You will, too – Get back up and CM!

Jesus experienced pain and suffering. You will, too – Get back up and CM!

Jesus died. You will, too – Glorify God with your death and CM!

Jesus was resurrected. You will be, too! Do you believe this?

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FOOTNOTE:

Battle Drill #32:

Get a Grip on your Appetites before they take hold of you!

Proverbs 23:1-5 (NAS95)

Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Get a Grip on your Appetites before they take hold of you!” Appetites come in many shapes and sizes. Speaking of which, so do we! Soldiers of Jesus Christ are a diverse group of people, and, in fact, often it is our diversity that highlights our unity in Christ more than anything else. Often what threatens our unity is when our appetites take hold of us, and we no longer want what God wants for us. We are to desire holiness above all else, but what happens when our appetites for sensual pleasures, worldly success, or wealth take over our agendas and calendars? What happens when congregations lose their focus on godliness in the name of the mission, or for the good of their community, and pastors drift away from their first love as they strive to serve their people, or their careers? We must get a grip on our appetites before they take hold of us! Let’s turn to the Field Manual and take the first step of a soldier’s training routine to live on mission.

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.

When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are a man of great appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for it is deceptive food. Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

This is what the Field Manual says, let’s now take the second action step to learn how to apply it to our everyday lives as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.” Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

Paul taught Timothy that if we are to be “useful to the Master” then we must “flee from youthful lusts and pursue faith, love and peace.” In the same way, a good soldier of Jesus is not to be distracted from the mission (2 Timothy 2:4). The Christian life is not one of sin management! That is a frustrating and distracting way to live, one that doesn’t lead to fruitfulness and effectiveness! Quite the opposite, the life of a good soldier of Jesus is a positively focused life, as Galatians 5:16 states as an introduction to the fruit of the Spirit, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”

What are you focusing on – your sin or God’s Spirit? We are to walk in the freedom of the Spirit, not in slavery to sin. Both seek to rule your every impulse and thought, but only one for your good and God’s glory! Allow me to further demonstrate from 2 Peter 1:2-11, the supernatural reality of how self-control works in the life of a good soldier of Jesus:

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

Did you hear that promise? “As long as you practice these things, you will never stumble!” We must train the promises of God into our lives, such as 1 Corinthians 10:13-14:

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

Are you stuck in a negative sin-management mindset? Have you allowed your appetites to take a hold of your life? Do you have idols you need to flee from today?

What are idols in our culture? We do not normally go to a pagan temple and serve the pagan god by making offerings. But, what do we bow down to (or submit to) when it makes a demand on our lives? Is there something that belongs only to God, that we give to someone (or something) else? To help you understand, here is a parallel question: Is there something that belongs only to our spouse, that we give to someone (or something) else? Idolatry is spiritual adultery! Just like with adultery, an idol overpromises and underdelivers. Idols, and the sin that manifests from them, hold no power except what we feed them. Therefore, as Paul said, make no room for idols in your life – Flee from idolatry! There is a better way to live and that brings us to the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus.

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

When someone struggles with addiction they habitually and repeatedly expose themselves to a substance or behavior that alters their brain chemistry, until the brain and body become dependent on either that substance (e.g., drugs, alcohol, or other chemicals) or the effect of that behavior on their brain chemistry (e.g., dopamine release from screens or activities). Addiction causes that substance or activity to become rooted into the physiology and psychology of the person, and that must be addressed wholistically – spiritually, but also emotionally, mentally, physically, and many times with body chemical adjustments that should be provided and monitored through your medical provider. Today, I’m addressing the spiritual reality of it.

There are two areas of addiction that many people in our culture struggle with and are named in today’s chapter from Proverbs: sensuality (specifically food and drink) and wealth. Both, your senses and wealth, are gifts from God when they under the blood, but without the mastery of the Holy Spirit they can destroy your life. Let’s deal with sensuality first. In this category we find the issues of food and drink as mentioned in our battle drill, Proverbs 23:1-3, and throughout Proverbs 23, such as in verses 20-21, “Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, or with gluttonous eaters of meat; for the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe one with rags.” This calls for self-control, just as we see prescribed in Proverbs 23:29-35:

Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long over wine, those who go to taste mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly; at the last it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things and your mind will utter perverse things. And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, or like one who lies down on the top of a mast. “They struck me, but I did not become ill; they beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink.”

In the same way that God calls us to self-control in our food and drink for our own good, He does in our sexuality. Paul teaches in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8:

Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

Please realize that God is not trying to rain on your parade! Quite the opposite, He is wanting to reign over your life so that you can experience abundant life of Jesus Christ through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit (John 10:10).

The second place God calls us to self-control is with our wealth, as our battle drill teaches us in Proverbs 23:4-5, “Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.” Jesus made this clear in Matthew 6:19-24:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

The only solution is to get to the heart of the problem – mistrust of God! John says in 1 John 5:21, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” While this seems to come out of nowhere in his triumphant letter, it is the perfect conclusion because idolatry is a lack of faith in God. Because we don’t believe God will keep His promises on time every time, we put our hope and faith in lesser things to meet our needs. For example, an ungodly desire for wealth reveals a lack of faith that God is Jehovah-Jireh. This is a faith issue, the root of idolatry is not money, but the love of it (1 Timothy 6:10) – it’s the failure to realize that everything we own has been given to us by the grace of God. God is the provision, and He meets our every need. We rest and live in an effective and fruitful life when we trust that this is true, when we believe God; that is saving faith! This leads us to the final action step of our soldier’s training regime.

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place – unless you repent.

You must invite the refiner’s fire – the Holy Spirit – to purify your heart and lead you into repentance! Paul taught his protégé in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline [sound mind, self-control].”

The mission of God requires the soldiers to be focused on the mission. In combat, a distracted soldier is a dead one! You must train yourself to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit who gives you all you need for life and godliness, from love to self-control and everything in between so that you can live on mission – “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3a; cf. Romans 8:29). James 1:12-17 teaches us how to do this:

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

Outside of Jesus’ nail-scarred hands, your sin will take hold of your life and keep you weak and ineffective. To be useful to God, you must crucify you flesh and walk in the freedom of the faith God has given you (Galatians 2:20). Are your appetites under the blood of Jesus Christ or are they still wreaking havoc on your mind and heart, distracting you at every turn? Get a grip on your appetites today by bringing them to the throne of grace and know that in God’s hands you are forgiven of your sin and cleansed from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9; Hebrews 4:16).

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FOOTNOTES:

[1] John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), Pr 23:2.

Battle Drill #31:

Build a Good Reputation!

Proverbs 22:1 (NAS95)

Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Build a Good Reputation!” In the military, your reputation means everything, not only within the unit you serve, but also in determining your future opportunities. While there are professional qualifications that do set you apart by their mere presence on your uniform and in your personnel file because,let’s be honest, the military loves their uniforms and bureaucracy, what really matters is the character and conduct of the person who is wearing the uniform. Whether you are a private or a captain, and whether you have badges and tabs on your uniform, at the end of the day, it is your reputation that will determine your success. Yes, making the next rank, earning special qualifications, and graduating from elite schools are indicative of your potential, ultimately, it is what you do with your potential that matters.

In the same way, you can dress the part in the church, you can learn the language of Christianese, and you can even hold important positions in the congregation, but what matters is your character and conduct. Just like in the military, it is what you do and how you do it that shapes your reputation amongst the congregation and the community. While appearances, positions, and education can make a positive impression up front, it is your character and conduct in the everyday situations of real life that builds your reputation. God’s Word speaks clearly to the importance of this in today’s battle drill. Let’s turn to the Field Manual and take the first step of a soldier’s training routine to live on mission.

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.

The battle drill we are going to learn and apply this week is from Proverbs 22:1, “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver and gold.”

Ecclesiastes 7:1a states it this way, “A good name is better than a good ointment.” This is what the Field Manual says, let’s now take the second action step to learn how to apply it to our everyday lives as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

Your name, which is your reputation, is more valuable than any measurement of wealth (silver, gold, or ointment); in fact, it has eternal value.

To learn how to properly train this, we are going to learn to do two things:

Let’s start by training ourselves to live life backwards by cultivating an eternal perspective of our reputations. Watch Jesus train His disciples to live on mission in Luke 10:17-20:

The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”

The disciples’ names were written on the roll call of the Commander – they had been chosen by God to be enlisted as good soldiers of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:3-4)! Here’s the point: You don’t deploy yourself to become a soldier or because you want people to think you are a soldier; soldiers train to live on mission so they can deploy at their Commander’s direction, according to His authority for the fulfillment of His mission.

Jesus emphasized this kind of thinking in John 15:16, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” You have been chosen, now bear the good fruit of eternity. Paul emphasizes this in Ephesians 2:8-10:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

God chose you by grace (remember Proverbs 22:1 stated, “favor is better than silver and gold”), so now walk in the good works He prepared for you ahead of time. God gave you good works to shine His light and to proclaim His Kingdom. There is a backwards feel to this because in the world your works determine your reputation, but in the Kingdom, you don’t earn Heaven with your works. In direct opposition to that, you proclaim that you belong to Heaven by your good works! You do the works of the Commander because you are being a good soldier whose name is on the rolls of His army. Jesus explained such thinking with the fruit-bearing imagery of the Christian life in Matthew 7:15-23:

Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”

Pointedly, this haunting passage teaches us that we could do the same kinds of things as those people – claim ourselves to be people who can cast out demons, be prophets, or perform miracles, but if we are not doing so as good soldiers, in accordance with God’s will, then we are equated with the lawless one. Church, let us not be so easily impressed with personality, charisma, or self-righteous proclamations of faith,let’s watch the consistency of conduct and character, the good fruit that demonstrates whether we are good trees. There are charlatans out there, wolves in sheep clothing, who can dress it up and talk the talk, but only those who belong to Heaven will persevere to the end. In Revelation 3:5, Jesus challenges us with the truth of having an eternal perspective on our name, “He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” This is the backwards way of living – it is an eternal perspective on your name which allows you to persevere until the end because you know it is what God says that matters. This brings us to the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus.

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

Today’s battle drill exposes our heart issue of hypocrisy.

This is a significant issue, especially seen in social media, where people present a false front of what is true. To the point that many people have multiple social media accounts – one that is for their teachers, employers, or family to see their crafted identity, and the other, often under a different name, so that those same people do not know who they really are.

Allow me to give you a piercing but liberating truth so that we can eradicate the issue of hypocrisy from our own lives. Hebrews 4:13-16 gives us the treatment plan:

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Praise God that He knows the truth about us! We don’t have to hide from Him, but rather we can find rest for our souls in surrendering our lives to His lordship and working out our salvation with fear and trembling so that God has full access to bring about His good works through our lives. This is what Paul promised in Philippians 2:13, “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

God wants to build our reputations from the inside-out! The heart of Jesus’ invitation to become His disciple is take on His easy yoke and find rest for our souls – in relationship with Him we become like Him, gentle and humble in heart, so that the world may see and hear Christ through us (Matthew 11:28-30). We are called by God to be His image bearers and our reputation, our name, is shaped by His Spirit in us. We are to shine brightly, just as Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

My name is designed by God to point to His Name – my reputation to His gospel proclamation because “there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)! This leads us to the final action step of our soldier’s training regime.

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

Paul spoke of those who served in the mission alongside of him in a special way in Philippians 4:1-3:

Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true companion [yokefellow], I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Paul was saying that those who are His true companions are those in the yoke of Jesus Christ. The mission is to make Christ visible through us, so that people will repent of their sins and put their faith in Jesus Christ. Our reputations make visible which kingdom we belong. I have tried to make it clear that we will persevere until the end when our names are written in the book of life because God does His work from the inside-out through His Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Paul speaks of it in terms of our inheritance of the Kingdom of God:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

It is not that you have struggled or once were a partaker of these sins. No, haven’t we all sinned and struggled?! It is that you are not defined by your sin – such things are not the pattern of your life nor definer of your name. Quite the opposite, your name, your reputation, are washed through the blood of Jesus Christ to shine Christ alone. John admonished us in 1 John 1:5-10:

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

We conclude with a glimpse of the New Heaven and New Earth from Revelation 21:23-27:

And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

If your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life, your name will point to the eternal name of Jesus Christ! That is the work of the Holy Spirit in you because the Spirit causes you to persevere until the end – to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ through the good works He appointed you to do. This is God’s will.

Make this battle drill a reflexive, instinctive, and habitual part of your Christian life so that you can CM – Continue the Mission! Therefore, live on mission today and train the battle drill of the week for the glory of God. Let us pray.

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