A COMRADE HAS FALLEN

Yesterday, our Church Mission Statement and motto for the year was unveiled; “SHARE, SERVE, SEND!”  A condensed version of the Great Commission,  Matthew 28:19, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  The ministry team did such a beautiful job of laying out the vision of “SHARE, SERVE, SEND,” but one line from Pastor Chipman caught my attention.  “When you committed your life to God, you signed up to be a soldier in His Army.”  This quote went along with last week’s message about being on the offensive and storming the Gates of Hell.  We are in a fight for souls and we cannot passively sit by or we will lose ground. The Church is not just DEFENDING territory we are marching forth to CONQUER and POSSESS territory.  THIS IS WAR!!!

Our country has been fighting the war against terror on foreign soil for over 10 years.  During that time we have sustained many casualties. Men and women have come home wounded and some have lost their life, defending our desire to live in a land free from terrorist attacks.  When a comrade has fallen, our elite military forces live by the motto, “Leave No Man Behind!”   The unit will do everything possible to rescue the injured or recover the body of their fellow soldier.  As one of these brave men stated, “American soldiers do not abandon their dead and wounded on the battlefield.”

WHAT ABOUT OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN THE LORD’S ARMY?  I enlisted in this army 46 years ago.  During that time I have been involved in many battles.  Every battle has not been successful but as I look back at the territory we’ve gained, I can say we are WINNING THE WAR!!!  I ask the next question with sadness and tears falling down my face, “What about our comrades that have fallen?”  So many have fallen, been wounded and left to die on the battlefield.  What have I done?  Have I watched them fall as I fought on, mourned their passing as I nursed my own wounds?  Have I callously just called them a “casualty of war,” judging that they should have been stronger, better equipped, or fought just a little harder?  How many could have been saved if I had risked all, in the heat of the battle, to reach down, take them by the hand and pull that brother or sister back to safety?  I think of the many times in my life, when a fellow soldier has wrapped their arms around me, given me a shoulder to lean on or an encouraging word in the middle of my heaviest battle; can I do any less?

We are led by a General who shed His precious blood; gave His life, that we might win the war. The Church must be brave, we must fight valiantly, but we cannot leave our own on the enemy’s battlefield.   There are brothers and sisters who have fallen, some have grown weary in the battle, others are wounded and dying; will you; will I risk my own comfort, position, even reputation to bring them home?   Our motto must be, “God’s soldiers do not abandon their dead and wounded on the battlefield.”