22Jun
Standing Guard as if Still on Point
Only a few dozen in attendance escaped with their lives. Had it not been for the steadfast resolve of a sole deacon, survival would have been an impossibility.
South Sudan had become a religious warzone. Killing in the name of Religion always strikes me as odd. Anytime militants storm a faith meeting, slaying worshippers in their most vulnerable state is tragic beyond words. So when the first news crew arrived on the scene of a church massacre, they captured the raw emotions of the survivors, including the deacon who manned the east entrance. Although he was semi-shell shocked by it all, the deacon insisted on standing guard even after the fact as if still on point.
It was the east entrance that served as the sole escape hatch for dozens of survivors. When asked by a reporter, “Why didn’t you take cover?” The deacon, unfazed, assertively replied: “That door belongs to me. It is my door. Thirty years ago, I was assigned to guard it. Nothing that happened today changed my assignment.”
Having assignments in Biblical times or in far-off distant places is one thing. However, the greater danger for most of you is those hitting closer to home.
a) Last week, I heard someone lamenting that anti-God rhetoric had crept into their local schools. If it’s your city and your school system, how exactly did that happen? Assignments were altogether missed or wholly abandoned. But in what respect was that someone else’s fault? My caution to all of us is to be careful who you blame.
b) Or what about the cast and crew of shady characters enjoying free reign in your living room each and every night? How did they get in if it’s your house, your tv, and your computer? It’s not like they kicked the doors down; they were invited in through your tv’s remote for the whole family to enjoy. As your friend in Christ Jesus, there’s a breach in the walls of your home, and only you can fill the gap. As a first step in that direction, you could laminate Philippians 4:8 and tape it over the tv and computer screens in your home: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”
Calls to action, like that of the deacon or you in your home, have been around since the Old Testament. Nehemiah is one such example. After learning the epicenter of his Religion lay in ruins, he immediately set out to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls 444 years before the time of Jesus. A city’s defense is only as secure as the walls surrounding it. That, everybody knew. But to do something about it is what differentiated Nehemiah from all others. It’s the reason we’re talking about him today. Under his supervision, the gargantuan task of erecting an eight-foot thick wall that was 40 feet tall, and stretched out two and a half miles long, was completed in a staggering 52 days. Add to that fact hostile adversaries harassed the builders throughout.
During the 1st Century, early Christians faced severe persecution from outside the church and from within. In no sense were believers to farm out protecting the flock to others. They, not the government or society, must “Be on the alert! Stand firm in the faith! Act like men! Be strong!” 1 Cor. 16:13
If any of you have been “crucified in Christ, and it is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you; and the life you now live, you live by faith in the Son of God, who loved you and gave Himself up for you,” what can be done? First thing when you wake up tomorrow morning, ask God, “What is my call to action today?” And no matter what befalls you, or despite what comes your way, claim repeatedly, “This assignment belongs to me. It is my assignment, and I intend to guard it. Nothing that happens today can change my assignment.” Then insist on standing guard even after the fact as if still on point.
LEAVE A COMMENT