The Army that Cannot Lose

This might turn into a regular thing!  Those few of you who have followed my blogging habits over the years already know that consistency has been an issue.  Yesterday I preached on the Church being an army sent out and empowered by God.  I was pretty clear that our objective was not taking over land, culture, or government but, if you're concerned, you can check the whole thing out here.  The thought that Jesus' army cannot lose has caused me some further thought.

What does winning and losing look like?  Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church.  This led to my statement of invincibility for the church as a whole.  Individual members are vulnerable to Satan's attacks but the Church is sustained by and empowered by God.  As such, our ultimate victory is already secured.  Jesus wins.  Satan is defeated.  We will live forever with God.  When we think of casualties in war, we think of soldiers wounded and lost.  Spiritually, we might suffer wounds but Christians know that "to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)  While talking to Martha, Lazarus' sister, Jesus told her and us that "the one who believes in me will live, even if he dies." (John 11:25)  God's army loses no soldiers, they are given a new duty station when they finish serving on this earth.

That should be great encouragement to us but is it the same as winning and losing?  Our mission is to make disciples.  Many of us could look at our own lives and see missed opportunities to tell people about Jesus and time wasted that could have been spent investing in other Christians, helping them grow.  In the great spiritual war, Jesus has already defeated Satan, sin, and death.  He will come and get us, take us Home to be with Him, and rule forever.  In the here and now, however, there is a mission still to be accomplished.  Making disciples includes sharing our faith, baptizing, and training to obey Jesus' commands.  Are we winning?  Are we gaining ground or losing it?  Every time someone accepts Jesus' offer of forgiveness and adoption the Kingdom grows.  Heaven rejoices and so should we.  At the same time, we should consider that if we don't keep up with population growth, Satan is "winning" souls faster than we are.  We fight together (check out the sermon) but that means we each have a role.  How are you participating in making disciples?  All of us can look back and see something we missed.  What about tomorrow?  More missed opportunities or more stories of seeing the Holy Spirit work because we agreed to follow Jesus wherever He leads.  The best news about making disciples?  Jesus goes with us (Matthew 28:20) and wants us to win. (1Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9)  Charge!

If you need some theme music, try this.

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