Equipping
for Evangelism
By Stephen
Terry
Commentary
for the May 26, 2012 Sabbath School Lesson
“Put on the full armor of God, so that
you can take your stand…” Ephesians 6:11, NIV
While serving in the army, I learned that a soldier must
do two things to prepare for battle. He must be sure to take advantage of
training given him to hone his skills to a fighting peak. He must also make
sure he is well equipped in preparation for conditions he might face while on
the battlefield or traveling to or from the battle. Our lesson this week seems
to have gotten the two terms confused. While the title is about equipping, the
lesson itself is about training. We will address both areas as both are
important.
I enlisted in the army in 1969. When I arrived for basic
training at Fort Bliss, Texas, the very first order of business was for us to receive
the proper equipment. Our training would later teach us how to best use that
equipment. Each Christian who commits himself or herself to the Lord’s service
is enlisting for the battle between good and evil just as I enlisted in the army.
It’s a battle that cannot be lost for it was already won on the cross at
Calvary, but it must still be fought. In a sense it is like the Battle for New Orleans
in 1814. The outcome of the war had already been decided, but because neither the
attacking British nor the defending Americans knew about the end of the war, the
battle still had to take place.
The Christian who gives his heart in repentant surrender
to Christ is also immediately equipped for warfare. He is given the helmet of
salvation in Jesus, the breastplate of the righteousness of Christ, the shield
of faith in God which can deflect doubt which is one of the enemy’s most
powerful weapons, the sword of the Holy Spirit which gives him his orders through
God’s Word so he can understand his mission, the belt of truth which holds
everything securely, and the shoes that bring good news of victory and
salvation to others. (See Ephesians 6:10-17) Once clad in this armor, the
Christian is ready for training on how to use this equipment in battle for King
Jesus.
In training he must trust to his salvation and the
righteousness of Christ. He must learn to use his faith to not only deflect his
own doubts but to provide protection to those who stand with him as they two
are attacked with doubts. He must also use his sword not only to protect
himself and his fellow Christian soldiers but to go on the offensive as well.
He must take the Word forward into the fray to give hope not only to his
fellows but also to those held captive by the enemy. They will cling to the
Word and derive hope from it that will sustain them through their current
hardships until they, too, are freed to enlist in the army of God.
Where should he get his training for battle? Countless
individuals offer training, but not all training will serve him well. Some who
offer training have never experienced battle themselves. They are what we
referred to in the army when I was on active duty as “parade ground soldiers.”
Their uniforms were immaculate, and they focused more on making sure others
understood their superiority as soldiers as opposed to teaching any useful
skills. They were experts at the Army Code of Conduct but had never huddled in
safety while tracers came whizzing over their position making flaming trails against
the night sky. We see such soldiers in the church. They are quick to cite the
Statement of Fundamental Beliefs or Ellen White but have never won a single
soul for the kingdom. While these are not bad things when used properly, these “parade
ground” Christians have never actually figured out how to go out into the world
to fight a real spiritual battle. Instead they argue endlessly over citations
and quotes and consider their foe to be other soldiers in their own army. Do
not allow these soldiers to mentor you.
Instead seek out the battle worn veteran who has seen
many battles and understands what is important and what is not. He will have
loyal friends, friends he has earned by saving them from the clutches of the
enemy. They know the value of his skills and have learned their own skills from
him. He will mentor his trainees well. However, he has been around long enough
to know that not everyone who calls themselves “Christian” is one. You will
have to earn the right to his training by being steadfast and willing to learn.
When I enlisted, I saw those in the army who were
streetwise and felt they knew it all. They were not open to learn. They could
not benefit from training until someone better trained put them in their place.
Some Christians are like that. They come into the church after having been
baptized and set about demonstrating that they can out-Christian the
Christians. They attempt to impress others by quoting the rules without
understanding how to properly apply them. They try to demonstrate their superior
spirituality by self-sacrificing denial that they can never keep to themselves.
After all, how will anyone know of their superior spirituality if they don’t
tell them? In the end, they are only setting themselves up for God to take them
down a notch. (See Proverbs 16:18) Then they will either be more amenable to
training or they will muster out as unable to handle the dent to their pride.
It is not enough to choose the right teacher. One needs
to understand the purpose for training. It is not the goal of the soldier to be
forever a trainee. It is the purpose of the training to prepare the soldier for
something beyond the training school, for battle in the real world. When I was
in college, I met a student who had been there for eight years. He had earned enough
credits for three bachelor’s degrees and was beginning work on another. I asked
him when he expected to graduate? He said he hoped to remain a student forever
as he enjoyed learning so much. He had lost sight of the purpose of his
training. I heard later he had finally left school but he had learned so many fields that he was having difficulty
settling into one to make a living. He found himself unable to focus on a
single goal.
In the same way, some Christians attend seminar after seminar, and workshop after workshop while never quite
getting around to putting what they have learned into practice. Sometimes this
is the student’s fault for never moving on from school to practical
application. However, sometimes it is the failure of the trainer who fails to
mentor the student through the transition from school to real world evangelism.
I have sat through one such training where everyone studied a book by a well-known
soul winner. After the training sessions were completed, no souls had been won
and each was left to go their own way with no mentoring. Predictably, the
result in souls won for God’s kingdom was none.
This is not the Biblical model. We see that those who
went forth recruiting for the kingdom of God went out two-by-two. The stronger soldier
usually took the lead, mentoring the weaker one who eventually would become
strong enough to mentor another as he had been mentored. Perhaps our desire to
be more efficient by lecturing in seminars as opposed to mentoring soul winners
is, in the end, not so efficient as we believe. Perhaps
it even contributes to our feeling that we are good and faithful soldiers if we
simply sit in the seminars and take notes.
When I went in the Army, there were no illusions. We
were expected to train and then fight our country’s wars. No matter what our
background or social status, that expectation was made clear to us. Is it made
clear to those who come into God’s kingdom? Does everyone understand that when
they are consenting to baptism that they are becoming soldier-priests. That they
are expected to train and be mentored to fight for souls and win them for the
kingdom? Or are we afraid to tell them because we fear they will not consent to
be baptized? We might do well to ask ourselves, what advantage is it to the
kingdom to baptize those who would turn away if they understood the
expectations?
When soldiers enlist in a secular army without
understanding their commitment, training serves another purpose. It weeds out
those who are not committed and through their lack of commitment can become a
danger to themselves and their fellow soldiers on the battlefield. Training can
do the same for the Christian as well. In the event they are baptized without
fully understanding what is expected of them, training and mentoring can make
those expectations clear. If it appears they will become a liability to themselves
and the church in spite of training, it is the responsibility of the trainer to
deal with helping them to understand that their goals are at cross purposes
with those of God’s kingdom. If there is no remedy, then just as in the army,
they may need to be separated for the good of the service. For various reasons,
there will always be those who choose not to remain but instead go out from
among us. Some may one day return to re-enlist in the fight with much stronger
commitment. We should not forget to offer prayers for these individuals.
In the meantime, it is our privilege to continue the
fight and seek to save those held captive by the enemy. We must use our
experience as a foundation to train those who have been freed and to mentor
them until they become strong enough to mentor others. Training with mentoring
can produce mighty warriors for the Lord’s army. Perhaps this is why even Jesus
sent out the seventy in Luke, chapter 10, two-by-two. This would better allow
them to mentor and pray for one another. Paul, the Apostle, also traveled with
others whom he mentored. They went on to become leaders in the early church. Maybe
this practice from the ancient past could revitalize the church today. It’s
worth considering.
This Commentary is a Service of Still
Waters Ministry
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