one nationc

2Ti 2:1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. The faithful leader of the congregation will teach and train others to engage in the battle and to take ground for the Kingdom of God. They will prepare their people to endure trials and tribulation. The assembly of the Saints should be more like a Boot Camp in its' makeup, instead of a Kumbayah church camp for children, but unfortunately that isn't the case for many of today's congregation. The mentality of many in leadership in the church today is that it's important to keep the service as uplifting as possible, focusing on positive things, rather than the negative. You will push them away if you teach them how to deal with the reality of hardships and the harshness of life, rather than giving them a "feel good pie in the sky escapist it's all about me" message. Having financial trouble? Sow your seed for a hundred fold return. Just make the right confession and you will be healed, and if you aren't you just don't have enough faith. God wants you to have a life of prosperity and plenty. We'll be raptured out of before it gets real bad. That is a stark contrast to the reality of the early Church, as well as the Church in third world countries today. We have Americanized the gospel to fit our lifestyle, rather than being discipled to fit our lifestyle to the Gospel. What kind of officer would it be who continually kept the troops who were under his command in the barracks or in the confines of the base, INSISTING that they stay on base, rather than sending them out to confront the enemy? Such an officer would be a traitor to the country that he served. In Basic Training and Advanced Infantry Training, we were taught to prepare for the worse, and how to survive it. We went through some rigorous training to the point of learning how to survive if captured by the enemy. We learned to expect and how to endure adversity when the leadership wasn't there to tell us what to do. The warfare is real. All who are called by the Name of Christ are called to be soldiers. Good soldiers advance. They don't just quit or give up. They are taught to expect adversity in whatever form, and to overcome it, even to the point of dying for their nation. How much more should we as Christians be taught to lay down our very lives for Christ, not only in word, but in real situations? Equipping the Church for public evangelism is a great way to learn how to do that. I've been slapped, knocked down, had my beard pulled, threatened, cussed at, had religious people come against me for going out "without a covering", and had curses spoken at me. Good preparation training to endure hardship. Why is it that we don't see most of the army of God out contending for the faith, winning souls, proficient at wielding the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God? Why is it that so many backslide when they are faced with challenges in life that seem absolutely overwhelming? I have met a lot of people who said "I tried Christianity and it didn't work for me." Why do people have the kind of mentality that says "As long as it works for me, I'll hang with it?" Because there are a lot of traitorous officers who try to keep the troops in the barracks, giving smooth and comforting sermons about God's Grace that allows a person to fail or to live a undisciplined life, while the enemy is given free reign to take the land, and hold Christians captive to their lusts, covetousness, bondage, and sin. They are not being taught to overcome in the face of adversity, and the Word says it is our explicit trust in God in any circumstance that enables us to overcome anything that the world throws at us. They are encouraged to rely on their leaders to be their comfort and their enablers, instead of relying on God. The letters to the leadership of the Church in Revelation all finish with "He that overcomes" would be the one who would receive the reward. 1Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. You can't just tell them to go out. You need to equip them and train them to go out. Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. The American church is taught that they will be raptured out before this happens. If that is true, why have our brothers and sisters been subjected to great tribulation to the point of being beheaded for their faith throughout history and in third world countries today? In the churches where persecution and adversity seems to prevail, believers are taught to lay down their lives for the Gospel. Rev 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. I believe that while Revelation is a prophetic book of the end times, it is also an instruction manual teaching the Church how to Overcome in the present time. At the time it was written, the Church was already experiencing persecution and tribulation. Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. Rev 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. 19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; The theme throughout the Book of Revelation and the New Testament is endure what ever comes your way. Contend for the Faith. Run the race. Finish well. Endure hardness. Go forth and preach the Gospel and further the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. That alone will get you some persecution. In this present day equipping soldiers to go forth is a mandate to American church leadership more than ever. We have to be more interested in making disciples who are equipped and prepared for coming persecution than having faithful tithers and spectators of our weekly performances, growing our attendance numbers, and convincing people to support our ministries. Not trying to be mean in writing this, just trying to keep it very real. We need to take the Gospel outside the four walls to the lost and hurting.