Worthless Soldiers

Worthless Soldiers

To please God we must be willing to “suffer hardship with (Paul) as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (II Tim. 2:3). As in the armies of nations, so in the army of Christ there are both good and bad soldiers. In this lesson we will point out some who are worthless soldiers of Christ. Paul wrote these words to Timothy, a young preacher. Every man who fills the pulpit of Christ’s church is a soldier, but all are not of the same quality.

Some worthless soldiers spend their time trying to harm their fellow-soldiers. Disgruntled soldiers can become angry, bitter and resentful. In Viet Nam this led to a vicious practice called fragging where an unhappy a soldier would cast a grenade into the path of his commanding officer. There are some preachers who are so busy finding fault with and shooting at fellow-preachers that they have neither time nor interest in saving the lost nor building up the church. Rather than rejoicing in souls saved, they can only glory in damage they have inflicted on fellow gospel preachers. They seem oblivious to the fact that the preacher they were able to defeat and discourage might, if left free to do his work, have led several hundred souls to the Master. When he was knocked down, those souls were left to perish.

There are worthless soldiers who give aid and comfort to the enemy. They make excuses for their attacks and blame the victims for their evil conduct. We see this currently in the war in Iraq. Such men are traitors, even though they might drape themselves in the flag of their nation. They are paraded before the TV cameras and they testify in Washington. Because of them the Muslim terrorists take great comfort and renew their efforts. In the church we seem always to have some preachers who spend their time casting stones at the Lord’s church while cozying up to the sects that compete for the souls of men. They poke fun at and ridicule the Lord’s church. They sow tares of error among His people and discord that divides and weakens his church. These worthless soldiers would much rather be praised and accepted by their denominational peers than by their fellow-Christians. The church suffers damage because of their misguided efforts. They are traitors to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

There are lazy soldiers who shun and dodge their duty. They refuse to carry their share of the load. Such conduct is shameful in the military and even worse among those who work among our churches. It is hard to call such men preachers. Better to describe them as hirelings, professional talkers, malingers. They draw their wages from the church but give little in return. Wherever such a man is found, the church suffers from his neglect.

There are cowardly soldiers who think only of protecting themselves and avoiding dangerous situations. Such men flee from the face of the enemy. They desert their fellow soldiers leaving them at greater risk. They hide until the conflict is over. Many cowards will come home boasting of their exploits on the field of battle, when in reality they disgraced themselves. Sometimes we see the same kind of man claiming to be a minister of Christ. He likes the position, the honor and the paycheck. He enjoys the easy aspects of his work. He flourishes when socializing with friends and brethren. But when danger confronts his congregation, when false teachers, like wolves are circling the camp of the saints, he chooses to “relocate” rather than engage the enemy and defend the church. Such men can close their eyes, stop their ears and pretend that they see nor hear no evil. Some spend a life-time working for churches and abandoning and leaving them unprotected when trouble arises.

All of those described above are unfaithful soldiers of Christ. Their conduct is shameful. They deserve no respect from those who love the Lord and his Cause. They are of little more value to the church than a sermon played on a recorder.

Let us pray that the Father in heaven will raise up a legion of bold and courageous men who will serve the Lord Jesus as good soldiers. Every congregation deserves such a good solider as their teacher. All can do without the sorry sort mentioned above.

Sincerely,

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