A Life and Death Struggle

A Life and Death Struggle

                I remember as a teenager seeing a movie about a foreign country invading the United States and a group of high school kids fought a guerilla war against this invading army.  I vividly remember thinking about what I would do if I were in the same situation.  I dreamed about going into the woods and fighting this communist invader just like the kids in the movie did. 

                It was easy after watching that movie thinking about being in a life and death struggle and the excitement of being in that type of situation.  Many Christians today have no idea that they are in a struggle that is much greater than any military conflict.  We are in a struggle that is more important than D-Day, Guadalcanal, or the fiercest battles of our nation’s history.  But this battle is not seen with the physical eye but is seen with the eye of faith. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that we are in a spiritual struggle.  We are in a spiritual battle with Satan and the stakes are the souls of men and women. 

                If you doubt that you are in a struggle just pick up the most recent newspaper and you will see the reality of this struggle playing out in the public stage.  Disney Channel recently announced that it will have an episode of a popular kids’ show that will introduce children to the idea of a child having two “moms”.  Gay marriage is now supported in popular polls by over half of the American people.  Our national government is turned upside down by multiple scandals that hit at the root of folks just not telling the truth.  In the coming months we will see a call for women to become part of the selective service for possible drafting into the armed forces. 

                It doesn’t take long to see that our country is literally flying upside down and not looking to God’s word for our guidance.  So what are we to do?  I would propose to go back to the model of the first century church.  How did they turn the Roman Empire upside down and basically win over an Empire for Christ?  They were committed to the faithful obedience and teaching of God’s word and they were willing to be fed to the lions in the Coliseum.  Or simply put – radical obedience to the Bible and radical self-sacrifice to Christ.  We must be willing to teach the Bible, implement the Bible in our lives, and offer our lives and ambitions as a sacrifice for Christ.