In
the Armed Forces of the United States of America, there are classes
of elite soldiers known as Army Rangers, Green Berets,
and Navy SEALs. Similarly in the Church of Jesus Christ there are
those who serve in The Kingdom of God Special Forces. There are
four qualities that characterize those who serve in the Special
Forces
of the Kingdom of God.
Committed & Obedient
to the Commander-in-Chief
2 Timothy 2:3 Endure hardship with
us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a
soldier gets entangled
in the affairs
of everyday life—he wants to please his commanding officer
(the one who chose and enlisted him).
These
soldiers endure hardship as the warrior elite of the Kingdom
of God. They live in the world and thus must look
after their earthly
needs and matters just like everyone else. But they are not entangled
in the affairs of this life such that they have little time or
strength or concentration for Kingdom matters. Their preoccupation
is fighting the battles of the Kingdom. In this way they are highly
committed to Jesus Christ and their highest priority is to please
Him with sacrificial obedience. As Special Forces, they are nameless
and faceless; they do not look like superstar celebrity preachers.
Disciplined to be godly and holy
1 Timothy 4:7 …Discipline yourself
(exercise yourself or train yourself) to be godly.
1 Corinthians 9:27 …I beat
my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to
others, I myself will
not be disqualified
for the prize.
Those
in Kingdom of God Special Forces have overcome their sin nature
and the works of their flesh through self-discipline,
spiritual
exercise, and training. They take authority over their flesh in
Jesus' name and force it to submit to them as their slave. Therefore
while they fight the battles of the Kingdom, they themselves walk
in holiness. Unlike many others, they do not seek after earthly
comfort and riches or celebrity. They are nameless and faceless
in the world.
Highly-trained
with the word of God for warfare
2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself
to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed
and who correctly handles
the word of truth.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and
is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness.
Special
Forces warriors are highly trained to handle the word of God
correctly. They do not pervert Scripture for financial
gain or to fit their personal experience
or doctrine. Their beliefs and practices are based on that which is strongly
supported in Scripture, and not on solitary
references which are not backed up by actual practice as recorded in Scripture.
Well-equipped
for battle & to fulfill the Great Commission
Luke 9:1 Then Jesus had called the Twelve together,
he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to
cure diseases, 2 and he sent them
out to preach
the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Luke 10:9 "Heal the sick who
are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.'"
Finally, Special Forces are equipped with state-of-the-art
weapons for defeating the enemy. As believers, they have been given
power and authority
by Jesus
Christ over diseases and demons. They are trained to use this power effectively
and
consistently to heal the sick miraculously to demonstrate to the lost
that their God is the only true God and that Jesus Christ is the
only way to
Him. Special
Forces are trained and equipped to accomplish the mission for which they
have been sent out---the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
May the Lord raise up many believers who will be
trained and serve the Kingdom of God in Special Forces.
Luke 10:2 He told them, "The
harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of
the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest
field.