A Vision for the Military
I. Intro
A. Introduce Topic
B. Introduce Myself
C. Why this is Relevant to You
1. Our primary identity is that of an Intercessor. (Call to Intercession)
2. Familiarize you with Military Ministry. End-Time Scenario
3. Fishing for labors
II. Prayer
III. The military is a strategic mission field, for us to direct our labor in prayer and labor in evangelism toward. (x2)
A. Four Reasons
1. Biblical Precedent:
a. Cornelius. Who was the person God choose to be the first gentile convert? It was Cornelius the centurion. A centurion is a Roman army officer that commands 100 people. I don’t want to take this further than the Biblical evidence allows, but I believe the Lord did this as a strategic way to make the gospel blossom in the gentile world.
b. Take the Ethiopian Eunuch. Luke is careful to observe the Salvation to one individual only in so much as it describes the strategy of the Holy Spirit. Luke did not have much space. He had one scroll. He could have had testimonies filling the pages of all the people who were being saved. But he chose to highlight the gospel moving outward and taking massive ground
c. When God wanted to impact an entire nation, he sent an apostle to preach the gospel to high ranking government official. Today, one of the Old Church's in the world is the Coptic Church in Ethopia. They trace their lineage to this guy.
d. Sergius Paulus. (Act 13) This guy was a Roman Proconsul or Governor of Cyprus. He is the 1st recorded convert on the 1st mission journey of Paul. We do not know what became of Sergius Paulus or what impact his conversion had, but again we see the Holy Sprit strategically seeking out those in leadership.
- Understand the intimate connection between the military and the political leaders. For example, who is the commander and chief of the military? Georgia W. Bush is. In many societies, and indeed the majority of societies through history, the political leader he who, in the words of Napoleon, has the most battalions.
e. Joseph. When God wanted to save a people from starvation, he raised up a Joseph – someone who was a government official second only to Pharaoh. Joseph served in a pagan an idolatrous nation in order to save Israel and preserve the Jewish nation. There is going to come another time when Israel needs to be saved. I am praying that God would raise up another Joseph.
f. Moses. When God wanted to deliver his people from that same wicked empire bent on their destruction, he raised up a Moses—someone who was from the very house of the leader of Egypt, to release judgment on that antichrist empire.
g. Daniel. When God wanted to encourage his people who had been taken into captivity, he raised up a Daniel. Now, when we think of Daniel around here we think of one whose life is characterized by fasting and prayer. I want affirm that we should emulate that behavior. But what we characterizes Daniel is that he was a life long government official in a pagan, antichrist empire who was not afraid to stand before evil King and speak to Word of the God. I am praying that God will raise by many Daniels in the coming days.
h. Mordecai. When God wanted to save his people from certain destruction, he raise up a Mordecai. One who refused to go back to the Jerusalem after Cyrus’ edict because he might be of service as an insider, for such a time as this. Friends, there is going to be another time when a rule is going to pass an edict to kill all God’s people. I praying that God would raise up Mordecai’s.
2. History – We see the significance of the Military as a strategic mission field throughout history.
First, we see this principle in action: As goes the military so goes the country. Two examples:
a. The Peaceful Philippine Revolution. In the 1986, the harsh authoritarian dictator of the Philippines was being threatened as hundreds of thousands of peaceful demonstrators gathered in the capital to protest his wicked practices. Like most dictators, he ordered that the military intervene and forcibly disperse the gathering and execute its leaders. Upon receiving the order, the commander of the military spent of solid night on his knees in prayer. During that time he felt lead to side with the peaceful Catholic demonstration. In a moment the entire political and religious systems were turned upside down and a wide door was open for the spread of the gospel in the Philippines.
b. Tiananmen Square: In 1989 liberal, democratic, and Christian dissidents gathered in Tiananmen Square Beijing, to protest again the Communist government. For three weeks the protestors went on a hunger strike (fasted) and refused to leave until the government would begin a dialogue with them about greater civil rights. There was much disagreement in the government about what should be done and once again the balance of power was to be tipped by the military. As you well know, the military sided with the government and in one night 3000 were killed and the square was cleared. The door that had been opened to the gospel was closed.
c. In 1985, the Russian General Slava Borisov, field commander of the Soviet troops in Afghanastan, accepted Christ as Savior. As a result of his conversion, a ministry called Revival Fires International was granted access to go on Russian military bases to conduct Christian services and distribute Bibles to all of the Russian soldiers! What has come to be know as the "Russian Red Army Revivals", witnessed thousands of Russian military soldiers and officers giving their lives to Jesus Christ!
- I could tell story after story of how a military leader’s conversion shaped the course of a nation. This is especially prominent in African countries where the military is the government. But instead, let me tell a few stories about revivals in the military.
d. The Civil War
- Has anyone every heard of the Revival in the civil war armies? I have just completed a bit a research on this and have been so encouraged.
- In the confederate army alone, there were more than 150,000 conversions.
- From the spring of 1863 to the winter of 1864, almost every brigade in the confederate army shut down all operations for several weeks—some brigades up to a month—and did nothing but prayer meetings, having up to five meetings a day. The chaplain of the 6th Alabama Regiment reported 500 conversion per week.
- One historian reported that it was not unusual to see 100 soldiers every meeting kneeling or laying prostrate at the alter trembling after the preachers invitation to salvation.
- One soldier described the revival in Jackson’s army as “one great Methodist Camp Meeting—they built log fires, sing, pray and preach, and when they ask for the mourners they come in hundreds some falling on the ground crying for mercy.”[1]
On the bloody campaign from the Rapidan to Cold Harbor in 1864, when the army was constantly in the trenches or on the march, and fought almost daily, Bryan’s Georgia Brigade.. had from three to five religious meetings a day, which resulted in about fifty professions of conversion, most of whom were baptized in a pond which was exposed to the enemy’s fire, and where several men were wounded while the ordinance was being administered.[2]
- Many men stood in the snow for hours and listened to the gospel. One chaplain counted fourteen men who were completely barefooted, just desperate to hear the gospel[3]
- CH Jones further claims that four fifths of seminary students after the war were soldiers who had participated in this revival.[4] The south became the bible belt as a result of what happened in the confederate army.
e. In World War II. I like this story because it combines my last point about military conversions being strategic with revival. In 1942, a Chaplain named Preston Taylor was captured in the Philippines, forced to do the Batann Death March and was taken to enduring the prison camp (or death camp) at Cabantuan with ten of thousands of other American soldiers. For about a year the conditions at this camp were absolutely abhorrent. Over half the population died from malnutrition, disease, torture, or merely looking at the guard wrong. At the micro level, it was the tribulation.
At about the year point, the prison switch commanders and the Chaplain worked up the courage to ask him if they could begin conducting services. The commander replied:
“Yes, my self and all my guard will also attend. You see, I grew up in a mission orphanage in Japan and learned English from a Christian Missionary lady who was the great person I ever knew.”
- As you can imagine, that camp experienced an incredible outpouring of the Spirit in the days that followed.
- There will be a day when Christian and Jew are in Prison camps…
Ok, enough stories.
3. Military Leaders are in a position to either save life or destroy it.
a. Saint Maurice. Around the year 285, there was a revolt in the region of Gaul (France). The co-emperor Maximian called up a legion from Egypt to assist because, presumably, he thought these distant soldiers would have no reason to side with the rebels.[5] This legion of 6600 men was led by a man named Maurice. Once the rebellion was quelled, the emperor ordered that the soldiers perform sacrifices to the Roman gods in thanks of a great victory. Part of these festivities included killing Christians. To this order, the legion refused. Maximian was not far away from the battlefield and when he heard of the legion’s disobedience he ordered that every tenth man be put to death with the sword. The executions were swiftly carried out and the legion again ordered to obey. The legion replied to the emperor that they worshiped the one eternal God and that they would suffer death rather than go against the Christian faith.[6] Tthe legion responded:
Emperor, we are your soldiers but also the soldiers of the true God. We owe you military service and obedience, but we cannot renounce Him who is our Creator and Master, and also yours even though you reject Him. In all things which are not against His law, we most willingly obey you, as we have done hitherto. We readily oppose your enemies whoever they are, but we cannot stain our hands with the blood of innocent people (Christians)… We would rather die innocent than live by any sin.''
- When Diocletian realized these solders could not be persuaded, he ordered that the surrounded military units attack and kill the Theban Legion. According to the historians, the entire legion went “like a lamb” to the slaughter.[7] The soldiers dropped their weapons and freely gave themselves up to the sword, embracing a martyr’s death.
b. Huber. I just got back from the Walter Reed Medical Hospital two weeks ago where I was visiting a friend who was badly injured and looking at a possible lower-leg amputation. Now Huber Parsons, was a company commander in charge of about 120 people and more fire-power than you can imagine. He said, “Josh, I am so relived to not be making decisions that concern human lives.” Every day he made decision that determine weather humans were going to live or going to die. That value of live that he possessed as a result of being a Christian significantly impacted those decisions.
c. My experience in Iraq. On my second deployment oversees I was with the Rangers at the very beginning of the Iraq War. We were actively seizing ground and taking over military instillations, cities, and what not. There were several distinct times where I had to pull back the reins on soldiers firing at unarmed civilians. You might think that this is a no brainier, but I actually got relieved of command, after the war settled down, because of this. It’s a long story. Let me just say that we need Christians in the Military.
d. I think of both Aiton Schiscoff and Asher Intrader who sons commander companies in the Israeli army and it makes my heart glad.
4. It a good place to find a Paul of Tarsus.
a. The Military attracts radical people. There are some people who join the army just because they run out of options but for the most part people that go into the army those that really want to go for it; are those who expend their live for a worthy cause; those who want to identify the hardest most radical thing out there and give their lives wholehearted to it.
I have seen people in the army who were radical for the military, or radical for sin, meet Jesus and then become that fiery Paul of Tarsus that does not just fill the pews but produces a 100 fold. Oh, that’s what I am laboring for.
IV. Organization Serving the Military
1. Navigators. (Dawson Trotman).
2. Campus Crusades Military Ministry
3. Cadence International
4. ACCTS Military Ministries International
5. OCF
6. Soldiers
7. Chaplains.
V. Conclusion
1. Calling people to be Josephs.
2. Calling people to be Daniels
3. Calling people to be Mordaci’s
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[1] Romero.
[2] Shattuck, 4.
[3] Jones, 249
[4] Jones 390.
[5] Jeff Fountain, The Theban Martyrs. Irish Christians Online. Available from www.irishchristians.ie/articles/fountain10.htm; Internet; accessed on 22 September 2005.
[6] Eucherius, The Passion of St. Maurice and the Theban Legion, Available at www.ucc.ie/milmart/BHL5740.html; Interent; accessed on 22 September 2005, par IX.
[7] Ibid., par. X.