Do you know with whom you fight? 

Your first response may be, “What fight?”  You’re right!  For all our talk about “kingdom expansion” and capturing or at least captivating our culture, we mostly just “tilt at windmills.”  Our “tilting” or “war games” can become intense, to say the least.  Much like the medieval jousts – practice and training become the main point!

Here’s some encouragement.  It’s OK to fail.  Knowing who you are and knowing what you believe is important . . . it’s vital! But know that experience is a more thorough instructor.  Or possibly, since the conclusions discovered by experience are real, the lessons stick.  Riding the “tilt” may be exhilarating, but our tendency is to become accustomed to our foe – that’s nature, but the battle rarely goes as planned. 

The Bible says emphatically that “we struggle,” “we wrestle,” we fight!  When you become a Christian you become known to an unseen enemy who attacks relentlessly and knows nothing of fairness.  You must know this: be aware of this fact and carefully weigh this information.  Are you willing to place yourself in the cross-hairs of the enemy?  If so, then it’s urgent that you completely trust Christ in all things!  Are you willing to put on the “yoke” of Jesus ( meaning His teachings)?  Could His words become your words?  Could His desire become yours?  I believe that it has to!  The alternative is to find yourself completely in the open unprotected and vulnerable.

We fight, or not!  But there’s a reason God equipped us with armor (Ephesians 6).  By not putting on God’s armor, we become like Don Quixote, tilting with imaginary beasts.  But in our case the beast is very real!  Much of the time he roams unobstructed looking for the unprotected who are unaware that they’re in a fight so they are unprepared to take him on!

Are you really involved in a fight?  Can’t you feel the wounds?  Can you bring yourself to grasp the reality of the carnage so rarely spoken of and so rarely believed in but lived through every day?  The  knowledge of this war – this unseen battle – makes all other conflicts small! 

–Dale

You have much to offer this Church!  Yes, you!  No matter how you might perceive your worth, God has planted you within this body for a reason.  Are you questioning God?  The possibilities of your service here literally could be endless.  Unfortunately, so are the possible excuses.  It can be interesting how people see themselves.  Some are very confident of their abilities and will take on anything.  The “anything” may be beyond their scope of abilities – but they still try.  Praise God!  Others feel inferior and allow wonderful possibilities of service to simply pass them by.  Still others may see “Church work” as busy work without much “worth”  for them or for that matter, without payback at all – sad.  As a young child who helped at last week’s Fair asked me, “Bro. D. where’s my paycheck?”  I told him to keep checking his mail . . . that’ll give me a week or two! 

Incredibly, some are angry much of the time.  Their anger may be centered around how things are being run or possibly whose doing the running?  Who knows?   This leads them to investing much of their time and energy trying to “stick it to the man” – without really realizing that the man they’re sticking it to is Jesus or those who could know Jesus!

According to an old S.B.C. statistic, about 20% of the Church does the work for the entire body.  Turned around of course, that would mean about 80% of the gifts the Lord has blessed us with are going unused!  Why?  Well, for all the reasons mentioned above and so many more.

So, no matter your perception of your personal “gifts” or your personal “talents,” we need you.  Let’s try to expand that 20% who work so hard, to say 30%!  Then, maybe we can reach 40%!  I know that sounds insane!  But maybe, and this is just a thought, maybe Jesus wants freaks?  I can only imagine what could be accomplished with you on board!

–Dale