Front Line Ministry

For most of us, the reality of war is understood through newscasts and headlines. We may be supportive of our troops, disagree with politics and pray for the best, but we do not really understand what it means to be in war. Even with our military, there are some who are stationed far away from the hot zones and feel very little of the pressures of war. There are those who are stateside in well-secured locations, strategizing the next moves, however they are not simply moving chess pieces but human lives.

The men and women who are being moved, the ones with boots on the ground on the front lines, they are the ones who know, feel and breathe what war is all about. The have to live with an earnestness and vigilance that we may never understand. They have to trust their fellow soldiers with their very lives. If they make a mistake, it is literally life and death. The front line defines the soldiers and determines the war.

A Spiritual War

The Bible describes us as being in warfare. As we saw last week, we are not in a physical battle against flesh and blood, but against very real spiritual enemies. We learn about our enemy, Satan, that he is “the prince and power of the air,” “the ruler of this world,” the “god of this age.”

He is described a strong opponent, who is powerful and in charge of this world system, but he is limited by God. When Jesus walked this earth we learn a lot about the nature of the spiritual warfare as we see Him casting out demons. He would often say “the kingdom of God has come” after he cast out demons. The Kingdom of God is more powerful then the enemies kingdom. Yet we live on the front lines of our enemy’s temporary kingdom.

Plundering for Christ

Right after I graduated from High School, I had the privilege of going to Trinidad on a missions trip with Teen Missions International. There are so many stories I could tell you from this trip, but that is for another time. It was on this trip that I was confronted with spiritual warfare in eye opening ways. In that culture, demon possession was common. The missionaries shared story after story with us about our enemy’s tactics and the importance of holding fast to the Word of God, prayer and fellowship.

A couple of us were reading Matthew 12, when one of my teammates, John Beeson, read “we should pray that God binds the strong man so we can be thieves for Christ!” It was on this trip that 33 teenagers led 143 people to the Lord over a period of 8 weeks! Praise God for binding the strong man!

It is this mindset we need to have, the enemy needs to be bound and Christ is the only one who can do that. That was His encouragement to us in Matthew 28:18, when He said “all power is given to Him!” We pray for the Lord to open up doors and He moves mountains!

Inviting In

Last week we saw the importance of having a strong community to retreat to and find safety. This week we are talking about taking the offensive. We need to live on the frontlines and take the battle to our enemy. We must share with others and invite them into our community. One of the clear signs of a healthy group is a group that is inviting others and growing.

Acts 2:42, 44, 46-47

⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers… ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common… ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 5:12, 14 And they were all together in Solomon's Portico…And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

Acts 11:21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.

When I read the these passages I see an excited thriving group. I see a group with new faces and budding faith. I see a group that is hungry for Christ and excited to share Christ. That is what I desire for Loft, and that is what I have been seeing in Loft!

Warnings

When we do not invite others to Christ we stunt our growth and destroy genuine community. You will never fully know the joy of your salvation unless you share it!

An Irish proverb says, “The best thing a friend can do for his friends is to share them!” We learn in Scripture that we are friends with Jesus and we want to connect our friends to Him!

On that same missions trip to Trinidad was the first time I ever led someone to Christ. It changed my entire relationship with Christ and my motivation to live! The joy of leading someone to Christ led me to say “this is what I want to do with the rest of my life!” And that is why I became a youth pastor.

Philemon 6 says “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.” The reality is, there are things about Jesus Christ you will never learn or experience unless you share Him with others!

We also have to be wary of the desire to “protect what we have” but excluding others. It seems logical, but what happens is we become soldiers without a mission. We become directionless and we lose excitement and life. New believers bring joy and excitement.

Marching Orders

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus charges us to make reaching out a part of our daily routine. Wherever we go, what ever we do, we are to invite others to follow Christ and join an vibrant community. Are you following your marching orders?