Mission – The Church As An Army

When you think of the modern church in America today, what metaphor comes to mind?  One metaphor that I think describes the church well is that of sheep.  The Bible describes the church as the flock of God.

Because we see the church as comprised of sheep, we naturally see ourselves as needing someone to watch over us, keep us, teach us, feed us, and nurture us. When our primary self-identity is that of a sheep, we are likely to see ourselves as dumb, lost, prone to wander, inadequate and unable to do the real work of the ministry. “We’re just sheep” we think to ourselves. Let the shepherds (the experts) do the work of the ministry.

Another metaphor that would describe the church well is that of a school.  We see church members as students in need of learning. We tend to think that if we just do enough bible study and hear enough sermons, we will fix all our problems and issues. Hence, the tremendous emphasis on teaching and bible studies.

The leaders of the church today are primarily focused on gathering, teaching, and meeting the needs of its members. The church in America today is almost entirely focused on the health and development of those that attend its meetings.

Now, let me be clear.  It is true that the Bible describes us as the flock of God. We are the sheep of His pasture. We are inadequate in ourselves, and are completely in need of Jesus to be our shepherd.  It is also true that we are ignorant, and need truth. We need to be taught the truth of the Word of God.  Both of those images – sheep and students – have a Biblical basis.

However, those are not the only Biblical metaphors for the church.  I want to explore another metaphor that may provide more balance to our Christian lives.  If it is true that the three indispensable elements of the church are worship, community, and mission, why is it that the modern church puts so much emphasis on the first two, and so little emphasis on the last one. How is it that we can spend so much time and energy on the Sunday service, and mid-week bible studies, and go years and years without ever really giving ourselves to mission?  Perhaps it is because we have not taken another Biblical metaphor seriously enough. It is the metaphor of an army.

1. Overcoming the Gates of Hades

Let’s turn in our Bibles to Matthew 16:13-18, “Now when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.” He *said to them, “But who do you yourselves say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

I don’t want to get into the debate about who or what is the Rock. We could spend our entire time arguing over that one.  Instead, I just want to bring three implications from this text.

1)  What word does Jesus use for His people?  This is the first time in the New Testament appears, and it appears on the lips of Jesus. Now, Jesus could have used many different religious terms or metaphors, but He chose this one.  The Greek word is “ekklesia”.  Jesus is not coining a new word here. He is using a word that has been in existence for hundreds of years. It basically means “assembly”, and in secular usage it often refers to citizens meeting together for the common good of the town. It is like a town meeting at the town hall. In Athens, the people would come together in the ekklesia to vote and make decisions on behalf of their community. The word implies action. The people come together to get something done.

2)  Who will build His church?  Jesus! Jesus takes full responsibility to build the church. Now, He will use us in the process, but we don’t have the ability or the power to build His church. Only Jesus can do that. Thank God that He chooses to let us work with Him in the process.  Notice also, that there is no uncertainty about this.  “I WILL build My church.”  It will be done, and He will do it, and nothing can stop it.

3)  What will the Church do?  “The gates of Hades will not overpower it.”  Now, what are gates designed to do?  Are they designed to be an offensive or defensive tool?  Do gates swing out and attack people who try to enter?  Or do gates keep the wrong people out?  Of course they are defensive.  I drive around giving window and gutter cleaning estimates every day, and I have to enter gated communities.  I have to get the gate code and punch it in in order to enter through the gates. The gates are designed to keep the wrong people out.  Well, Jesus said that the gates of Hades will not overpower the church. That tells me something very important. Jesus envisions the church as invading the kingdom of Satan, and when it does, Satan can’t stop them or overpower them.

So, what is the Gates of Hades?  Whatever it is, it is the enemy of the church, because Jesus says that the Gates of Hades will not overpower the church. That implies that it will try to, but will be unsuccessful.  Hades is the place of the dead or departed spirits. Jesus is saying that the Church is going to break through the Gates of death, and sin and they will not be able to stop it.  In ancient warfare, cities would have a wall encircling it, with a gate.  The enemy would thrust all of its might against the gate, because if they could break through there, they had a good chance of defeating their enemy.  Jesus is telling us that the Church is the Aggressor, not the victim. The Church is on the move, the offensive.  The Church is waging war on sin, hell and death, unrighteousness and injustice, and it will be victorious in the end.  Jesus intends that we will prevail in a war with the supernatural forces of hell.

Jesus did not establish the Church, so we would have a safe place to raise our children, or have a ready made group of friends.  One of the main reasons Jesus is building His church, is so that we might wage war against the enemy and prevail.

Now, does that sound like the church in America today to you?  Does the metaphor of an army ring true to you when you think of the church?  Not hardly!  Rather, the Church is much more like a flock of sheep, or a school of students.  But not really like an army of soldiers intent on destroying Satan’s hold on this world, and freeing his slaves.

2. Overcoming the Darkness

Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

• What is the purpose of a lamp?
• Where do you put a lamp?
• What is our goal in being light?
• If the church is always shut up behind closed doors, how much darkness are they dispelling?

Colossians 1:13, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son…” 

• What is another word for domain? (dominion, kingdom)
• Who rules the domain of darkness? (Satan)
• What is this kingdom characterized by? (darkness)
• What is Christ’s Kingdom characterized by? (light. Jn.8:12)

1 Thess. 5:4-8, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

• What metaphor does Paul use for the church in vs. 4?
• What metaphor does Paul use for the church in vs. 8?
• What does that tell you about our mission in the world?

Ephesians 5:7-11, “Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them”

• What were we? What are we now? (darkness – light in the Lord)
• What does walking as children of Light look like? (goodness, righteousness, truth)
• What are we supposed to do about the unfruitful deeds of darkness? (expose them)
• Can you think of deeds of darkness that we should expose?

Rebecca Pippert wrote a book in 1980 called, “Out of the Saltshaker and into the World.”  That’s a great title.

Conclusion

The Church is to take the offensive. We are to wage war against enemy. We are to invade His kingdom and rescue those who are enslaved to the devil. We are to overpower the gates of Hades.  We are to overpower the darkness of this world, with the light of Christ.  We are an army of soldiers of light!

But…

• What good is salt if it never leaves the salt shaker?
• What good is a lamp if it is always under the bed?
• What good is a Christian who never engages with the world?
• What good is an army if it never fights?

Every person in the military has a job to do.  For some, it is flying fighter pilot, for others it is to parachute down into enemy lines. For others it is to do their part on a battleship. For others, it is to run into battle as a ground soldier. Others are in support roles. They repair the ships, tanks, and planes. Others, perform all of the office work needed to keep everything running. Other are in charge of making sure all the soldiers have the food and clothing that they need.  But everybody has a job. And it is all for one goal.  To conquer the enemy.

So, what is your job, and are you doing it?

Questions For Prayerful Reflection

• What will you do to be involved in the mission of God in the world?
• What relationships will you nurture?
• Who will you invite over for dinner?
• Who will you ask to have a Discovery Bible Study with?
• Who will you serve in order to demonstrate the love of Christ this week?
• How will you prioritize your life to make sure you are participating with God on His mission?
• What things are you giving your time to that are less important than being on mission?
• What will you put into practice this week to live out the Word of God?

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