For ye, brethren, have been called to freedom; But don’t use your freedom to give the flesh a chance; rather to be servants of one another, for love. ?(Galatians 5. 13)
There’s a moment in Sam Mendes’s 1917 film (which, by the way, is brilliant, and you should see it, because this publication is not a criticism), where the wannabe Corporal Schofield, charged with crossing enemy-infested territory to deliver crucial news. from a covert ambush on the British front, he receives a warning about the commander to whom the letter takes him: “Make sure there are witnesses, some men like to fight. “
- Education is worrying.
- Even if Schofield takes direct orders.
- Which will save thousands of lives.
- He is warned that orders can be ignored.
- Whatever the highest commandment to withdraw.
- Whatever it costs.
- Whatever the impossible possibilities and reckless death that would follow.
- There is.
- In some.
- A zeal for battle that overcomes all common sense.
- When you feel ready for war.
- When you crave for the fury of conflict.
- It’s not war that’s cowardice.
- Useless.
- Pointless.
But they’re not real men. Real men are only willing to fight when necessary, the fakes are eager to fight, they don’t care about anything else.
This lesson is important to all Christians and even more relevant to Christian leaders. We live in a crucial time for the church, especially in the West. There are skirmishes, daily opportunities to go to war with our neighbors, our brothers, with strangers on Twitter with their fingers eager to write. We are called to wage an incessant war against our sins (Heb 4. 12) and the spiritual forces of evil (Ep 6. 12). But not all invitations to fight against flesh and blood must be accepted. invitations are rarely made.
Members of the Christian ministry must take this particularly seriously. Sometimes it’s necessary to fight. I don’t like to fight, in fact, it’s forbidden to fight.
Consider whether, in fact, with each caustic tweet you are not destroying your qualification for the ministry. It is not manly to wake up every morning thinking about his brothers and enemies, not even those with whom he disagrees on important issues. the Lord’s servant must not live to fight (2 Tim 2:24). Pastors are prohibited from entering conflict (1 Tim 3).
And while the Lord’s violent purification of the temple may offer a model of sacred zeal that deserves to be imitated, He spoke much more directly to bless those who hate us, to pray for those who persecute us, and to turn the other cheek. are direct commands.
But some men don’t care. They like to fight. No matter the cost, no matter how dead he can be.
Therefore, we bear witness to a sober responsibility and a spirit of renunciation. Will we be men enough to listen?Humble enough to repent?
Can the peace of Christ be the arbiter of your heart?(Cl 3:15).