Has The Church Become Militant?

Written by: Johnny Israel

In the Book of John 15:27, just before Christ suffered on the cross, He said to His disciples, "And you shall bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning." For nearly three years the disciples were with Jesus 24/7. They were eyewitnesses to His mighty miracles. The sick were healed, the lame walked, the blind received their sight, and the dead were raised to life. Yet at one point, they wanted more. They desired to see Israel free from Roman domination. In their hopes that Jesus has come to set Himself as King of Israel, they asked, "Lord have you come to restore Israel?" However, Jesus had bigger and better plans, not just for Israel, but for the world. The disciples had their eye on a man created government. Jesus' eye was on the world as a whole. Instead of addressing government rule, Jesus instructed His disciples to (1) heal the sick, (2) cast out demons, (3) raise the dead, and (4) preach the Good News. In other words, the purpose of the Gospel is to bring souls into the Kingdom of God. The government Jesus was setting up was one of Good News, not politics, or fighting causes for this or that. He was after the heart and souls of men. His followers were given one mission, win souls for the Kingdom. Even though the political spectrum was overbearing at the time, Jesus refused to participate in the rights or wrongs of the political agenda. That was not His mission or purpose.

Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist is locked in prison. John sent his servant to Jesus, inquiring if He was the One the prophets foretold about, or should they look for another? Two things transpired here. John did not address the horror of confinement, or his wrongful conviction. He needed assurance from Jesus that He was the Christ. John's eye was on God's promise to send the Messiah. In his oppressive state of captivity, he sought assurance from Jesus that He is the Christ. Look how Jesus answered him in Luke 7:22. "Then Jesus answering said, "Go your way, and tell John what things you have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the leper are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the Gospel is preached." Brother that was all the assurance John needed. Notice how Jesus never addressed John's captivity or the evils of the Roman government. Was John wrongfully imprisoned? Yes. Did John have a right to complain against the government? Yes. Yet, neither John nor Jesus said one word against the Roman government. Jesus did not hold rallies, nor did he gather the believers together to march in protest of John's imprisonment. He stayed the course the Father sent Him on.

Today's church has taken a different turn in the road. Called to preach the Good News, the church has become a political machine. In these last few years the church has preached more on politics than winning souls for Christ. She has attacked the judiciary, politicians, promoted canidants, fought against laws, marched and rallied for this cause and that... all in the Name of Christ. We've argued over the placement of the ten commandments, prayer in school, abortion, homosexuals, the marriage of gays, federal laws, state laws, and local governments. The list is endless. We have held our banners high, saying we will no longer tolerate the unbelievers' way of life. Our Christian flag, we said, bores battle scar wear. We declared we possess the love of Christ; and out of the same mouth we declare ourselves as militants for Christ. How wrong can we be? Has the church traveled so far off track that they lost sight of the Great Commission? Paul the Apostle said, "We fight not against flesh and blood, but against pricipalities, against rulers of darkness, against spiritual wickness in high places. In other words, the believers fight is in the spirit realm, not the physical. We pull down stronghold through prayer. Not establishing tougher laws, forcing the nonbeliever into submission.

If the church is going to fullfill the Great Commission of Christ, we must return to our first love. It is time that we take our eye off the world's agenda and placed them Christ's agenda. While I agree we face disturbing issues of abortion, as well as political chaos, the scope of the believers' faith is Christ. It is prayer that changes circumstances, not a political agenda. When prayer changes the situation it is permanent. However, political laws are temporary, they are subject to change at any given moment. One is a conversion of the heart, the other an outward temporary change subject to the whim of man.