Unwanted Weapons of Warfare

Cautious and guarded, many stand watchful to avoid error. This guardedness when taken too far serves to prevent such ones with being armed with additional weapons for warfare and forsaking any training in effectiveness with these. And yet we must be guarded...

Proverbs 4:23
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

In battle soldiers do not refuse a weapon when offered or available. With life and death at stake the desperation causes a willingness, in fact an eagerness to use all the weapons in the arsenal. The more effective the weapon the more it is desired.

Christian soldiers often, in the midst of this war called life, leave much needed weapons laying unused and strewn about on the ground. Many of these friends and loved ones leave the sword of the Word of God unopened and dusty upon a shelf. Many still leave lay the laser aimed weapon of prayer. Many would foolishly ignore and despise their own army, yeah even their own battalion, and chose to face this battle alone.

Some soldiers refuse certain weapons simply because they have heard bad reports of them or because they have not been trained in the use of such weapons. These effective implements of war suffer the fate of the despicable and often remain hidden away in some forgotten bunker.

Could it be that there yet remain weapons needed for this warfare called life that you have left unattended to and have possibly even disdained?

I have watched as Christian soldiers in different battalions have despised the weaponry and tactics of those not in their respective group. I have experienced these friends and loved ones refusing even to consider the weaponry and tactics that they're not familiar with.

As a Christian soldier myself I consider that I may need many different weapons at different times and in different circumstances. As a police officer I can greatly appreciate the wide variety of weapons at our disposal. Foolish would be the officer (or soldier) who takes only one weapon and denies himself the unique assistance available with the others.

Paul has some powerful words to say about such things. I wonder if we're giving him an adequate hearing. I wonder if we would refuse to allow him into our camps. I wonder if we would deny a weapon for our arsenal if it were handed to us by him.

I write this with zero hostility towards those who find themselves in the position of the soldiers in one camp that are having a hard time with the soldiers from another camp. Both camps would be strengthened and better equipped to engage more openly in some cross training with the other.

Convergence: A Much Needed Effort in Cross-Pollination

I am currently about half way through Sam Storms' book entitled Convergence, subtitled The spiritual journey of a charismatic calvinist.

A good friend directed me toward this book almost two years ago. It has since sat unread upon my shelf. A unique set of circumstances has caused me to finally crack open this unusual book. These circumstances include both my personal spiritual journey and my dear friendships with those in both the reformed camp and those in the charismatic camp.

Storms' experience lead him first deeply into reformed doctrine which he still holds to be very dear and foundational. His later experience included becoming more involved with those in the charismatic camp, which he admittedly had previously spoken against. Storms' personal journey is inter weaved throughout of both the reformed and charismatic camps and has caused a unique cross-pollination of sorts. The author's experientially unique perspective allows him to highlight both the shortfalls and the benefits as seen in both camps.

Convergence and the other works like it (which Storms also highlights) may well serve to assist in bringing a much needed unity to the body of Christ.

The Scripture is clear that there is one bride of Christ, one body of Christ. Those in the army of God need much training to avert further fratricide and to engage in healing each others wounds, not causing them.

Ephesians 5:27
so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Convergence is another comfort zone expanding book that is well worth reading.

Interestingly enough Storm's said his change of position was first drastically impacted by D.A. Carson's exposition of 1 Cor. 12-14 in his book entitled, "Showing the Spirit." Storm's admitted he simply could not refute Carson's excellent exposition.