Chuck Bridges Blog

I love it when God chooses to literally “affirm” our present direction! A few weeks ago we talked about what to do on Memorial weekend. We knew it would be when we were in between a sermon series. I was adamant about making sure we gave special recognition to the many men and women who are respresenting our country in the armed forces.

Then it occurred to me that, while we definitely need to recognize our military personnel — both active and those who are now retired or discharged — the fact that our country is at war should serve as a reminder that the church is also in a war that has been going on since Jesus was resurrected from the grave! God began speaking to my heart about how we put minimal emphasis on a Christian’s role as a Soldier in the Army of the Lord! As Ron Taffer said yesterday: (click this link to be able to listen to the message) ”We are not on a Cruise Ship! Instead we are supposed to be serving on a Battle Ship!”

With so much talk about “Peace” as a primary Christian characteristic it is hard to reconcile our duty to “fight the good fight” for our Commander in Chief (i.e. Jesus). Yet, we know that the New Testament is flavored with analogies about “fighting the good fight” and uses “warfare” terminology regularly. As I opened my emails this morning, one of my daily devotionals was all about Christians being trained for the battles we face on this earth. I sat in amazement at how God had once again “AFFIRMED” the direction I felt led to go in this Sunday’s message.

It is Memorial Day weekend and we are going to focus on the Christian responsibility to FIGHT in the epoch war between Good and Evil! Saying “YES” to Jesus Christ for our salvation is the same as signing on the dotted line to enlist for “Active Duty” in the Army of the Lord! Trust me, this coming Sunday is going to be “Memorable!” You don’t want to miss it. I was already ‘juiced’ about the ideas we had planned for the service and now, with God’s AFFIRMATION, I know He has something very speical in mind for us. Make sure this is a part of your holiday celebration. We will be passing out some cards with addresses for men and women who are now serving in our armed forces. We encourage people to take these cards and send cards and letters of thanks to encourage these brave soldiers.