In the trenches and on the front lines

Last night after the evening service at church, we had a planning meeting for the upcoming AWANA Club year. It happened that it was held in our church fellowship hall, and being that big brother was helping his grandma that evening and couldn't keep little brother occupied for us, I was forced to bring him into the meeting with me. Now our toddler is a very rambunctious 22 month old that keeps us running from dawn until dark. This boy doesn't stop for a moment during his waking hours, and the baby gates, doorknob covers and cabinet locking devices all over our house are testimony to this.

In casual settings like this, Judah seems to stay quieter (or perhaps I should say less disruptive) if he is free to mill around rather than be confined to a lap or seat (and he'd already sat through a church service), so I went ahead and let him do so. Most folks in our church are pretty understanding of such things, and if they aren't, word has never gotten back to me about it (lol!). When my husband opened the meeting in prayer, Judah was over by one of the exit doors where he'd just pushed his stroller. He looked my direction, and as a preventative measure, I held my finger to my lips to remind him to be quiet because we were praying. He immediately put his finger to his own lips, and whispered loudly, "Ssss, daddy" (a lispy sounding version more accurately translated as "Shhh, daddy is praying"). Then, it dawned on him that he wasn't where he should be for the prayer and he came running over to stand between me and the gal sitting beside me, Lori, and grabbed our hands to finish out the prayer. Lori had our older son Jericho in her Sunday School class for the past couple of years, and was delighted to see little brother coming up through the ranks.

Sadly, all the 'points' he might have earned with folks for the 'model' behavior he was learning quickly flew out the window when he proceeded to immediately head for trouble. Namely rooting around underneath the kitchen sink where all the cleaning chemicals are kept (Note to self: Get Baby Proofing cabinet locks for church kitchen cabinets.) I quickly jumped up and ran over to avert disaster, and had no sooner pulled him out of the cupboard and put everything back in, than I heard the entire group chuckling...because there behind me not a split second later, Judah was already swinging monkey-style from the nearby table top. (I heard one person laughingly comment, "That boy is probably just like his daddy was at that age"--and there is some truth to that...) That's our Judah, going from one mischievous thing to another all day long. "See what I spend my days doing?" I asked to no one in particular as they all chuckled at his antics.

But back to the meeting itself, we went over all the usual preparatory things. At one point, our pastor mentioned something about not wanting to overburden with administrative details and paperwork those that were AWANA club leaders, or as he put it, "the ones in the trenches and on the front lines", working directly with and teaching the children coming to our church's AWANA Club.

I rather liked that use of terminology because it brings to mind the fact that there is a very real battle being waged for their souls. The Body of Christ can't afford to be passive. We must "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour!" (1 Peter 5:8) That's a serious charge we've been given! We went to a drive-through Animal Safari park in Oregon when little Judah was just 3 months old, and it was downright frightening to be so close to those fearsome lions, prowling about, with only a car window between us! I noticed that the park even had a tower overlooking that exhibit with a guard holding some sort of tranquilizer dart gun or something 'just in case'. That's what our position as believers should be. To always be on-guard against the wiles of the enemy of our soul and doing whatever we can to warn others.

This old world has so many things vying for the attention of our youth--tugging at them, ready to lure and entice and drag them away into a life of sin and destruction. I've worked with teens for 10 years in our church, and see that the struggle is not limited to those that are unsaved. Let's face it, even strong Christian adults struggle with sin that creeps into our lives when our guard is down. It's the very reason we're challenged to take up the full armor of God...standing firm...being vigilant and never letting our guard down. There isn't a piece of armor for our backside, because we're always supposed to be actively engaged in the battle.

Getting involved with children's ministry and outreach is crucial in this battle against sin and the battle for their very souls. Jesus is the one who does the Saving, of course, but He uses us to warn them. tell them, and drag them back from the brink if need be. Statistics show that if children aren't reached with the gospel by the time they are 18, their chance of ever being so drastically decreases. As a nation, the ground gained beneath us is slowly eroding away, and the moral fabric of our nation is getting pretty threadbare in places...all because many Christian people know to do right, but are simply not doing so. That is a sin (and a travesty!) according to James 4:17.

At times, when I look around Christendom, I think the Body of Christ (The Church in general) is largely asleep. Scripture even speaks of this. There are so many Christians in America (and elsewhere), young and old alike, that are content to fill pews week after week, but never volunteer to help or get involved with ministering to even the very basic needs of their local church body. They receive, but never give. And local churches are crippled by this, often 'dying on the vine', if you will. It grieves me to see churches that some congregation of believers from decades past built with their faithful prayers, tithes and offerings, but which now lie vacant or have been converted to a business or a place of residence, no longer being used to do the work they were intended to be used for in that community. Then there are the big beautiful church facilities with lots of classroom space and thousands in attendance, yet always seem to be struggling to find faithful servants to fill roles as nursery workers, Sunday School teachers, VBS workers and choir members--representing hundreds and hundreds of missed opportunities to make a difference for Christ in the lives of another person...someone who may not yet know Him personally.

For some reason I'm reminded of the Parable of the 10 Virgins in Matthew 25. As I understand that passage, there were the 5 wise Virgins who kept oil on hand to light their lamps whenever necessary, but then there were 5 foolish Virgins who didn't bother to keep oil on hand figuring they could get it later. They were all waiting for their Bridegroom to return, and grew tired. But when He arrived, only the five virgins that had oil in their lamps were ready to greet Him, because the others had let their lamps burn out. I'm no theologian, but verse 1 indicates that the parable is likened to the Kingdom of Heaven. We are to be ever watchful and ready, knowing neither the day nor the hour that our Lord returns, when our final door of opportunity to be a light for Him here will close.

Matthew 10 talks about how we've freely received and should freely give. Treasure (tithes) are good, of course, but we also need people willing to give of their time and talent--people willing to get down in the trenches of the church nursery or junior high classrooms (any age group for that matter) getting involved with ministries or outreaches--and not just to the folks coming into our church buildings, but folks in local prisons, hospitals, nursing homes, and shut-ins (many of them being those faithful souls of yesteryear that once attended and supported our churches and taught in Sunday Schools and sang in choirs but are now confined to homes or nursing homes due to health troubles, and largely forgotten about by the local church body). Then there are all those unreached people groups abroad. So many needs, and so few people willing to be God's hands and feet to meet those needs here on this earth. So many opportunities to share the Gospel...lost. Many of us simply aren't keeping the oil reserves in our lamps full, ready to shine at a moments notice. Being filled with the Spirit as opposed to partially filled, which is what happens when we ignore the work of the Holy Spirit in and through our lives (squelching or grieving the Spirit), allowing the flesh to dictate things instead of the Spirit.

Many folks in comfortable Middle America dislike change, and want a comfortable, predictable, low-maintenance place to worship each week. They don't want to go 'mingle' inside where they might have to get involved, but would rather just 'drive through' for a quick sermon and retreat to more 'comfortable' surroundings the rest of the time. Meanwhile, the kids in the neighborhoods surrounding these churches are getting caught up in drugs and gangs or are suffering in difficult home situations without any real hope for their futures. Why? Because there are so few willing to get into the trenches and join the battle! It's like we have the cure for the 'cancer' of sin, but aren't willing to share it, while untold millions of people are dying in their sins! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

God is not a secret to be kept to ourselves like some exclusive country club membership. Nor is He some 'bill of goods' that we have to work up the nerve to get out there and sell to a person or wrangle some kind of a commitment out of a person once we have. We are simply told to go and tell. The Holy Spirit is the one who convinces and convicts of sin and the need of a Savior. We just point the way. It's not that difficult. There is a glorious new life in Christ awaiting those that are told about it. There are many that would love to hear--need to hear that message of hope--of Light in their darkness. But how are they to know if they aren't told? And how are they to be told if the majority of believers won't even report for duty? There are far too many AWOL Christians.

For the size of our small church congregation, I believe we have a pretty good ratio of dedicated folks willing to get down into those trenches. Of course, there is always room for improvement. Many people don't stop to think about the fact that even seemingly small or mundane tasks like vacuuming the sanctuary, being an usher or a friendly face greeting folks at the door each week, picking up a neighbor child for church, or helping faithfully in the nursery are all ministry opportunities, either directly (by personal opportunities to 'shine the light' or share the Good News of the Gospel) or indirectly (by freeing up someone else to do so). Yes, spiritual gifts do come into play here, but there aren't any 'excused absences' where Christian ministry or service or the Great Commission are concerned. All followers of Christ are commanded to go and tell and equipped with spiritual gifts to help us fulfill our very purpose in this life...furthering His Kingdom on this earth. No one gift is more important than another--all are vital to an effective and functioning Body of Christ.

Not even retirees, the home bound, the ill or infirm or those in prison are exempt from going and telling about the good news of Salvation through Jesus Christ. Or from serving Him where they are, however they can. In Scripture, Esther and Joseph were used mightily of God in very difficult circumstances. Places they didn't necessarily want to be. But God used them, and even elevated them to places of favor in those places for His good purpose. You've probably heard of believers that end up in prison (or get saved in prison) and share the Gospel with fellow inmates or go on to lead Bible studies. Or cancer patients witnessing to their nurses and doctors by their example of strong faith in the midst of adversity (or getting saved as a direct result of their illness). Or Christian retirees devoting their lives to service for the Lord as Missionaries or in RV Ministries, where they go from place to place to help with odd jobs or to staff camps, or even staying home and helping with Visitation ministries in their local churches. Maybe all they can do is to talk to the telemarketers and others that come by their home. But until our time is up, our job is not done. It's all about plugging in and using what God has given us to do His work in our world.

We have a dear little old woman of 94 in our life that for decades has prayed for my husband's family. She was led of the Lord to do so back in the 1970's when my husband's family first bumbled through the doors of their hometown church. For years Mrs. Pugmire was there in the background praying her little heart out for them, until every last one of my husband's family (from his folks to he and his five siblings), and most of their offspring to date, had come into the fold. In fact, she continues to pray for us, and for that I am so tremendously thankful! The prayers of the righteous do avail much! What a faithful servant of the Lord she has been, a tool used of Him for His honor and glory on this earth. For many of those years she has been a shut-in, not even able to get out and about anymore, but still she continues to do whatever she can by praying for and encouraging others while she has the opportunity. Why? Because she so loves our Savior.

I believe that the Church is currently suffering a severe shortage of committed folks with a passionate love for Jesus, willing to do whatever they can to further His kingdom here on earth wherever we happen to live. Believers need to rally together, spurred on by the common goal of Going and Telling (the Great Commission), reaching as many folks for Christ as we can while we have the opportunity to do so. The needs are so great...the fields ripe unto harvest. Many souls are suffering throughout our world, and we have the answer for that suffering. Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Light of the World. The Hope of our Salvation.

There is a statistic (possibly from Barna Research, though I can't find it at the moment to verify that) that says 7% of the Body of Christ is doing 95% of the work--the remaining 5% of the work just not getting done at all. Too few Christians have reported for duty. Many are AWOL. But we've all been given our spiritual gifts for a reason. We are each meant to be a very vital, actively involved part of our local church body. As with our physical bodies, when one part or organ doesn't work as it should, it can really cripple our effectiveness. Could you imagine the difference it would make if that 7% doubled? Tripled? Quadrupled? What if every single Christian in the world was doing all that they should be for the Lord here on this earth?

Have YOU reported for duty?