It has been bothering me recently that i hear more from the "Christian subculture" about the military than i do pastors, missionaries, and the persecuted church. Every day my radio station takes time to pray for someone in the military, but praying for pastors, missionaries, or persecuted believers is mentioned only occasionally. Many churches have plaques to honor members who joined the service, but i've never seen one with a plaque to honor members who went into the ministry. Are we really aware of which war we are fighting?
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
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Soldier,
Thanks for your honesty and your directness. I want to say that I do appreciate what our military forces do. I am aware that my life is much more comfortable because people like you have been willing to endure hardship, and I am grateful.
My point was that I think it’s wrong for the church to hold servicemen and women in higher honor than those who have dedicated their lives and/or made great sacrifices for the sake of Christ. As you pointed out, God desires peace, and those that bring it about are doing God's work and should be thanked and honored. But in the church, we recognize that God's primary concern is not that people enjoy peace, prosperity, and freedom, but that His name would be honored and people would be brought back into relationship with Him. Since the church exists to serve God, this becomes our primary concern as well, and those who work toward this goal should become our most honored heroes.
Your comments almost sounded as if you believe that it is the military that has allowed the church to do its work. By God’s help the military and the government has made it much less dangerous to do its work, and in some ways much easier, but God is the one who enables the Gospel to be preached and believed. And we know that the Gospel continues to be preached and believed in countries where it is illegal, and the Gospel will continue to be preached and believed when and if the United States ever abandons religious freedom. To consider the military as the savior of the Church is to abandon faith in Christ.
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