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All For Jesus, and Jesus For All!

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Un pour tous, tous pour un!

If your French speaking skills are a bit rusty, this is translated inversely as All for one, and one for all!

And if your literature skills are a bit rusty as well, this is the motto associated with the heroes from the 1844 novel The Three Musketeers written by Alexandre Dumas.

Now Dumas’s vision has been translated into a 3-D adventure complete with Da Vinci designed airships, swashbuckling swagger from  Athos, Porthos, Aramis and d'Artagnan, and the eeeeee-vil character Duke of Buckingham played by Orlando ‘big hair’ Bloom!

Personally I’ve always been a fan of the cartoon Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds (or Darutaniyan in the Japanese version) - but I must admit that this larger than life 2011 version is a 110 minute thrill ride complete with laughable dialogue, thin as a croissant plot, and heart pounding action scenes. 

In other words, just what you’d expect from the director of such timeless cinematic triumphs like Resident Evil and Death Race.

And of course, behind all the one liners and sword play is the heart of this vintage tale - which is true friendship.  The original Fantastic Four show how an alliance founded on loyalty and love can be the most unstoppable force on earth.  The primary kinship portrayed in The Three Musketeers is foundationally centered in devotion to their King. This fact enables them to see past their glaring individual differences so they can combine forces to defeat evil powers that might have otherwise prevailed.

Sadly, my hopes of being a Musketeer have been crushed by the reality that I don’t live in the 17^th Century…I’m not French…I can’t sword fight…and I don’t have a cool name like Athos or Porthos.

But…I am a part of an armed force that is bonded by love and loyalty to THE King.  In fact, the Christ-followers started the whole “all for one-and one for all” deal 1500 years before the Musketeers:

Everyone felt a deep sense of awe, while many miracles and signs took place through the apostles. All the believers shared everything in common; they sold their possessions and goods and divided the proceeds among the fellowship according to individual need. Day after day they met by common consent in the Temple; they broke bread together in their homes, sharing meals with simple joy. They praised God continually and all the people respected them. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were finding salvation (Acts 2:43-47).

This is a portrait of the early church when it formed a mere 50 days after Jesus was crucified.  Over 3000 people from different ethnic, economic, and social status backgrounds formed an alliance to the King of Kings. 

They truly and authentically modeled all for one, and one for all…or perhaps more accurately-

All for Jesus, and Jesus for all!

And the result?  This unstoppable force fueled by love and armed with the gospel spread Christianity over 1500 miles from a little city in Israel to the mighty center of the Roman Empire in just 30 years! An ancient writer named Aristides who witnessed this incredible phenomenon had this to say about the early believers:

They walk in all humility and kindness, and falsehood is not found among them, and they love one another. They despise not the widow, and grieve not the orphan. He that has gives liberally to him that has not. If they see a stranger, they bring him under their roof, and rejoice over him as if he were their own brother: for they call themselves brethren, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit of God.

In The Three Musketeers, it is a young adult who helps reignite the passions of the washed up and burned out warriors of the past.  Isn’t it about time that this generation of teenagers reclaims our former reputation as brothers and sisters who love each other and stop at nothing to reach the lost for our King?  This is the heart of THE Cause, a close knit camaraderie who put aside all differences and align our lives to “go into the world and make disciples.”

You can play the role of d'Artagnan in your own life for Christ.  Find some of the weary “musketeers” in your circle of Christian friends and encourage them to join you in the world changing motto-

“All for Jesus, and Jesus for All!”

 

Just like the Three Musketeers, it is easy to lose our passion and courage as time goes by and disappointments come our way.  But we must remember that we all play a critical part in serving our King, so we need to have the mindset of a Musketeer when it comes to sharing the gospel and living out THE Cause!

Jesus, You are the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  We praise You and renew our promise to serve You with all we have and all we are.  Please ignite a fire in the hearts of the youth in this nation to love each other and share the gospel with those who are trapped by the Evil One.  In Your Name, Amen.

Romans 12: 10-11. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

  To share ideas with other teenagers about how to Live THE Cause together, check it out on Facebook.