united by a King (and a common enemy)

Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside they sent someone in the call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."

"Who are my mother and brothers?" he asked.

Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." (Mark 3:31-35)

Harsh, right?

I'm reminded of Paul's charge to Timothy to join him in suffering for Christ, because soldiers lack the luxury of acting like civilians (2 Tim. 2:3-4). A modern example: a U.S. Marine understands that his priority is "God, Country, Corps" -- all other affairs (including family) take a backseat. The soldier returning from war will commonly hold stronger bonds with those that shared in the fight than with those he defended. They carry the burden of shedding their blissful ignorance.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in case you have forgotten, we are at war. As citizens of His heavenly kingdom, our enemy is not a man, a country, or a political ideology. As a soldier of Christ, these priorities are mere child's play, regardless of how you may elevate them. While believers concern themselves with the defense of their physical lives and resources, our people are being murdered left and right. This is why Jesus warns us:

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt. 10:28)

Sit and listen within your Christian circles. I hear plenty of rhetoric about defending family values, saving the economy, creating jobs, and preventing socialism. We couldn't make it much easier for the real enemy.

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I was discouraged this past Thursday when my grand plans for leading group turned ugly. The girls were dealing with a lot of emotional baggage, and were becoming tired of the therapy process. I asked them to share something that had frustrated them lately, what expectations led to that frustration, and whether these expectations were reasonable. After initially trying to get off the hook with a joke, a resident coldly replied (edited for graphic content):

I'm upset because my dad sexually abused me when I was seven. And then they placed me in a foster home. And then I did [this], and [this], and [this]. So they had to place me in a different foster home. And then I did [this] and [this]. Now I'm stuck here. So right now, I am most frustrated with my choices, because I expect better of myself.

She turns eleven next week, and the enemy is already pronouncing his claim.

This is the real battle: the kind of stories we used to hear in short supply. But Church, our enemy is an equal-opportunity murderer, and the stories have become uncomfortably close. Roughly half of the female bloggers I read identify themselves as abuse victims, and these are the ones that are willing to share. Their circumstances range from rich to poor, young to old, two-parent to single-parent, and Christian to unbelieving. Gone are the days of the victim profile.

As believers, we can shut our eyes to the danger, but we risk losing the souls of those we love. Satan will take every opportunity to brand God's children with guilt and shame. Short of waging a spiritual battle against a spiritual murderer with spiritual weapons, we will continue to lose ground. The battle is upon us whether we would fight it or not.

Christ is seeking brethren that would do God's will, because without His power and authority, we are civilians awaiting a certain death. We can distract ourselves with entertainment, sex, politics, social gatherings -- even church functions. The enemy will use all of these to keep you from recognizing your own demise. If you are not committed to falling on your face before the King in humble service, you are of no use to the Kingdom by which you claim to belong. Worse, you are of little light or consolation to the world Satan intends to kill.

Our brotherhood and sisterhood is found in the battle, and our King intends us to fight for our lives. He promises life, healing, and freedom to those that abide in His presence. His truth penetrates the lies that bind us, and His love and grace incite us to aggressively minister to those facing death -- those remaining at odds with the Kingdom. God longs to reconcile all of creation to Himself, and we are the ambassadors He has chosen to deliver this gospel. Let us remember the identity of our true enemy, and so restore the lives of the brokenhearted through holiness and purity of heart.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)