Committed and connected

The Bible often describes the Christian life in war terms: fight, conquer, strive, battle, overcome, victory. It might seem strange to talk about it in those terms when we’re told that God is love, and we’re instructed to be peacemakers and share joy. But the truth is, we’re in a spiritual battle – our new, Christ-like natures in conflict with our old, sinful natures – and we need support and backup. When we became Christians, we became members of God’s army. Imagine someone goes to a recruiting office to join the Army. The recruiting officer says, ‘Wonderful, sign here,’ when the person pauses: ‘Wait! Before I join up, I have one condition. I don’t want to be committed to any particular squadron. I want to be able to float around. I’ll be part of the Army, but I don’t want to be committed to a certain group of soldiers. If the battle gets too fierce in one area, I’ll move to another area and join another squadron. And if I don’t like my regiment’s leadership, I’ll just join another.’ You wouldn’t have much confidence in a person like that. But that’s how many people today relate to God’s army. They float around from church to church, never settling, with very little commitment to any particular group of Christians – so while others are involved in spiritual battles and needing extra support, they’re nowhere to be seen. The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia, which means being committed to one another. It’s easy to be committed when things are going well and everything’s nice. But true commitment may mean that we need to fight alongside others, even if it makes us feel uncomfortable. Jesus said, ‘By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another’ (John 13:35 NIV). So, be committed and connected.