If the Apostle Paul knew anything, it was that the Christian life is war. He battled the tension within himself, and he endured hostility in his ministry. What he also knew, down to his marrow, was the significance of Christian unity. Though we don’t face shipwreck or imprisonment like Paul, we do experience spiritual battles of our own. Here are some examples of how we, at Believers Church, have gone to war together over the last few months.
PROPER PREPARATION
Going to war means first knowing the battle plans–also known as studying scripture. Pastor Justin is preaching through Paul’s letters from prison and finished the book of Ephesians. Before moving onto the next epistle, we examined in great detail the spiritual armor mentioned in chapter six. An overarching theme quickly emerged: wearing appropriate armor doesn’t prevent warfare from coming our way, doing so protects us when it does.
After the spiritual armor series, we are now studying the book of Philippians on Sunday mornings. There are many singular verses in this book one might find on a coffee cup or t-shirt, so it has been helpful to study them in context of Paul’s purpose for writing the letter.
On Wednesday evenings, our schedule rotates between rewind discussions, men and women’s Bible studies, and teaching through the Old Testament. We recently began the book of Ezra which recounts the Jewish people’s return from Babylon back to Jerusalem after 70 years of captivity. However, not everyone chose to go back. Like the Israelites, God often calls us to move forward, and it is crucial that we respond. As Pastor Justin said in his message (if we don’t respond), “We might miss the chance of a lifetime.”
In February, a group of singles from Duluth, Menomonie, and River Falls spent a weekend together to discuss Timothy Keller’s The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness. Even though this book is small and can be read in one sitting, it is packed with wisdom. One can never hear “it’s not about you” too many times. We are thankful for such a great weekend to be with other believers, enjoy nature, and study scripture.
MEMBERS ON MISSION
An offensive tactic when going to war is adding strength to the ranks. Our membership community spent time together during a retreat weekend where we ate lots of junk food, played games, and celebrated our newest members. We even had the luxurious opportunity to play white sand volleyball….except the white sand was actually snow. A weekend like this helped us appreciate God’s sovereignty in building a family out of people who, without Him, would have otherwise drowned in isolation and insignificance.
Going to war means just that…going. Our church is heavily involved in both domestic and international mission work, and this winter we sent a missions team to the Philippines. They assisted our full-time missionaries with college ministry, pastoral training, and filling out teams for basketball.
THROUGH THICK AND THIN
In the physical realm, no one goes to war alone. And spiritually, neither do we. We keep good company with fellow comrades whether it’s the Superbowl or just a random Friday night. But, don’t let these photos fool you. We are well aware that life is not always fun, and we can’t always anticipate the hand we’re dealt. Regardless if the cards are high or low, we carry on.
Nothing builds comradery like braving many hours in single-digit temperatures for an unknown amount of fish you may or may not catch. Or, what our young adult group calls ‘fun’. In all seriousness, ice fishing has been an annual tradition the last few years, and it is always a great time. Unless, someone sticks their slimy fish hands into a bag of pretzels.
In the end, Paul wasn’t the only one keenly aware of war. Corrie Ten Boom, a Holocaust survivor, knew the dynamics in more ways than one. Let us heed Corrie’s advice on how to be a good soldier, “Don’t give God instructions. Just show up for duty.”
