Are You a Soldier (In the Army of the Lord)? - CultureWatch (2024)

Yes, we must enter into the fray:

If Christians in the West have not yet figured out that we are in a battle, we will continue to flounder, we will continue to decline, and we will continue to have little or no real impact in the world. As we are told in Ecclesiastes 3:8, there is “a time for war, and a time for peace”.

This can be actual war or spiritual war or other forms. As I have written so often now, the Bible is full of military metaphors and imagery. There is a good reason for this: Fallen man is united in enmity against God and with the full and total backing of the ultimate enemy, Satan. That is why we read passages like Psalm 2:1-3:

Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”

And it goes on to say that God laughs at these rebels. But the good news is, God does not just laugh, but he sets out to woo us back to himself. He sent his own son to earth to pay a horrific price to attempt to rescue us from ourselves, from sin, and from Satan.

Thankfully some see the light and leave Satan’s side and join the Lord’s side. They become soldiers in the army of the Lord, and they join in this great cosmic battle for the souls of men. That puts them directly in the firing line. That puts them fully in the crosshairs of their spiritual enemy.

So we can only join in when we wear the full armour of God (see Ephesians 6). We enter into the fray, but only with spiritual backup. And then we fight on all levels: we share the gospel, we pray for the lost, we defend the church, and we engage in the major battles of the day, such as the culture wars.

In an all-out war every believer must engage. We do NOT have the luxury of sitting on the fence. If we do not engage and take a stand, we effectively side with the enemy. The other day I again read Psalm 94:16. It raises questions that I have so often asked:

“Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?”

There are far too many believers who do not know that we are in a war, acting accordingly. There are far too many believers who will not be able to say with the Apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

There are far too many believers who refuse to engage, and for all sorts of reasons. It could be the fear of man. It could be they don’t want to rock the boat. It could be that they are simply cowards. But as I have had to point out more than once, when we read a list of those who will meet a nasty fate for their rejection of God (the second death), the very first to be found there are “the cowardly” – see Revelation 21:8.

So we need to pray for some Holy Spirit boldness. This is not the time for timidity, cowardice and those who are faint of heart. And while the western churches may be full of the fearful, the spineless, and the craven, thankfully not all believers are.

There are plenty of bold, fearless and courageous warriors for Christ, especially in the rest of the world. So many examples could be mentioned here. But let me refer to just one: a 15-year-old boy in Indonesia. This is what Roy Pontoh did back in 1999:

The teens could tell that the shouts and chanting were getting closer and closer. An older teen looked nervously at his friend. “The Muslims are coming. We’d better hide the kids,” he said. Others, following his lead, helped the smaller children find hiding places in the buildings nearby. Then they hid themselves.

It was January and a crowd of mostly Christian children and teenagers had gathered for a Bible camp at the Station Field Complex of Pattimura University on the island of Ambon, Indonesia. When the camp was over, cars came to take the laughing, rejoicing children back to their homes. But there were not enough cars to hold the young people. Mecky Sainyakit and three other Christian men had gone to Wakal village to try to rent additional transportation to take the rest home. But they had not yet come back.

What the kids waiting for rides home did not know was that on their way to the village, the men were attacked by a Muslim mob, who pulled them from their car and out onto the road. Mecky and one of the other men were stabbed to death, and later their bodies were burned by the mob. The two other men escaped with their lives. Before long, the mob reached the University. They found many of the teens and forced them to come out of hiding. Roy Pontoh was forced from his hiding place and made to stand before the mob. “Renounce your Jesus, or we will kill you!” they threatened. Roy was terribly frightened. Though trembling, he answered, “I am a soldier of Christ!”

At this, one of the Muslim attackers swung a sword at his stomach. The sword hit the Bible Roy held, and ripped into it, knocking it out of his hand. The man’s next swing sliced open Roy’s stomach. His last word was “Jesus.” The mob dragged Roy’s body out and threw it in a ditch. Four days later, his family found it. Even though they are wracked with grief, Roy’s parents stand proud of their son, who stood strong in his faith to the end.

“I say to you, whoever declares openly and confesses Me before men [speaking freely of Me as his Lord], the Son of Man also will declare openly and confess him [as one of His own] before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8 Amp). https://www.angelfire.com/zine/newoffcampus/soldier.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3usle4m7GaHLTElt6LG50ytpYjjDAYqnFsV7NrOT1NlIVC53IoLkJsHZ4_aem_HvmpwemeYbVLiG7bbqnO2w

“I am a soldier of Christ” he said. Are you? Are you willing to stand, to fight, and if need be, to die for Christ and the Kingdom? As the West gets increasingly worse, darker, more diabolical and wicked, only bold and courageous Christians will be able to persevere and make it through. So ask yourself: ‘Am I a soldier in the army of the Lord?’

“I’m a Soldier in the Army of the Lord”

There is actually an old Black gospel song with this title. There would be many versions of this. Here are six of them:

Blind Boys of Alabama – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovt8Be_Uk54

Rev James Cleveland – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJPUJ2M9UbM

The Soul Stirrers – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmizCScGLmY

Bobby Jones – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C49XnDU039U

Lyle Lovett – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXdidCFbp7k

And a street performance – https://www.facebook.com/Guitaro5000/videos/432310419697251

Bonus track

There are many similar stirring and toe-tapping Black gospel songs. Here is just one of them:

“He’s a Battle Axe” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z16IyiXEpDU

I am a Soldier in God’s Army

Finally, there seems to be a sermon on this, author unknown. Here it is:

I am a soldier in the Army of my God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.
Faith, prayer, and the Word are my weapons of warfare.
I have been taught by the Holy Spirit,
Trained by experience,
Tried by adversity
And tested by fire.
I am a volunteer in this Army,
And I am enlisted for Eternity.
I will either retire in this Army at the Rapture
Or die in this Army;
But I will not get out,
Sell out,
Be talked out,
Or pushed out.
I am faithful,
Reliable,
Capable
And dependable.
If my God needs me,
I am there.
If He needs me in the Sunday School,
To teach the children,
Work with the youth,
Help adults
Or just sit and learn.
He can use me because I am there!
I am a soldier.

I am not a baby.
I do not need to be pampered,
Petted,
Primed up,
Pumped up,
Picked up
Or pepped up.
I am a soldier.

No one has to call me,
Remind me,
Write me,
Visit me,
Entice me,
Or lure me.
I am a soldier.

I am not a wimp.
I am in place,
Saluting my King,
Obeying His orders,
Praising His name,
And building His kingdom!
No one has to send me flowers,
Gifts, food, cards, candy
Or give me handouts.
I do not need to be cuddled,
Cradled,
Cared for,
or catered to.
I am committed.
I cannot have my feelings hurt
Bad enough to turn me around.
I cannot be discouraged enough
To turn me aside.
I cannot lose enough
To cause me to quit.

When Jesus called me into His Army,
I had nothing.
If I end up with nothing,
I will still come out ahead.
I will win.
My God has and will continue
To supply all of my needs.
I am more than a conqueror.
I will always triumph.
I can do all things through Christ.
Demons cannot defeat me.
People cannot disillusion me.
Weather cannot weary me.
Sickness cannot stop me.
Battles cannot beat me.
Money cannot buy me.
Governments cannot silence me
And Hell cannot handle me.
I am a soldier.

Even death cannot destroy me.
For when my Commander
Calls me from this battlefield,
He will show death who’s in charge.
I am a soldier in the Army,
And I’m marching claiming victory.
I will not give up.
I will not turn around.
I am a soldier,

Marching Heaven bound.
Here I stand!
Will you stand with me?

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