The Church of Jesus - The Army of God (Daily Devotional)

Hello everyone and welcome to Living Supernaturally, the daily devotions of All People's church, where we spend a few minutes in God's word to build our faith up and to live a life that is fruitful for God's kingdom. This week, we've been focusing on the church of Jesus and today, I just want to emphasize that the church of Jesus is the army of God. 2 Timothy chapter 2 verses 3 to 4, Paul writes to Timothy, "You must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier." In these two verses, Paul writes to Timothy that "You must be a good soldier." The New Testament is full of military language, just in this passage, he says, "You must be a good soldier of Jesus Christ, you must wage the good warfare." In the New Testament, Paul calls Epaphroditus his fellow soldier, he writes about his Christian life that I have fought the good fight. And so, this language is not accidental. The church really is the army of God on this earth. We are in real spiritual conflict. Now, if we are in conflict, who are we fighting against? Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12 gives us that answer, where we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. And so, the enemy is not people, the enemy is never a person, it's not a difficult colleague or a hostile neighbor, it's not a politician with wrong values. But the real enemy is the spiritual darkness that drives and uses people who have not yet been freed by the gospel. And so, as a church, we must fight because we are the army of God, where we are advancing the kingdom of heaven against the kingdom of darkness. Now, as a soldier, every soldier has weapons and so, Ephesians chapter 6, Paul writes, "Put on the full armor of God." These weapons are mighty. 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 3 to 5, it says, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh." For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God. So, as soldiers, as the army of God, our spiritual weapons are powerful, they are mighty in God, and they are used to pull down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. So, I just want to remind us that each one of us, as the church of Jesus is the army of God where each one of us are soldiers of Christ Jesus and we carry weapons. These weapons are not weapons of weakness, but they are powerful to pull down the powers of darkness. I pray that this encouragement reminds us and that each one of us will step up in the army of God, to be a good soldier for Christ and to fight this conflict against the kingdom of darkness. Let's pray, Father, we just thank you once again for this reminder. Thank you that you are reminding us that each one of us, as a church of Jesus is the army of God on this earth and that we are in spiritual conflict against the kingdom of darkness. I pray that each one of us will put on the full armor of God, take up our spiritual weapons, which are mighty to pull down the kingdom of heaven, to advance the gospel, to advance the kingdom of heaven against the kingdom of darkness. So, let many people be freed, let many people be delivered through each one of us. We thank you for this truth and thank you for this reminder, in Jesus' mighty name we pray, Amen.
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