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You've Been Drafted!

You've Been Drafted!

Ever hear of a thing called "The Draft"? No, I'm not talking about the breeze that comes through a not-so-sealed window or door, or even the fever pitched sports draft...real or fantasy. I'm talking about an American institution that lasted from the early 1900's through 1973 where the government would select the names of young men from a random pool ( a goldfish bowl in some cases!) and require them to serve in the military for a certain number of years.

Think about it. One day you go to the mailbox and you pull out a very *official* looking letter from the government with your name on it. You slowly pull it out, knowing that your life is about to change in radical and permanent ways.

As you scan the top you see printed in big, bold letters:

ORDER TO REPORT FOR INDUCTION

Translation: you've been drafted into the military.

OK, so let's make the stakes even higher. There's a war going on. So not only are you headed for military training and service, you're also headed for military battles and conflicts.

What would you do? Tear up the letter and hide under the covers? Run and pack your bags? Scan the draft notice and post it on myspace.com?

I have news for you...you've been drafted. Not by the President of the United States, but by the King of Heaven. Jesus Christ is called the "Captain of our salvation" (Hebrews 2:10), and your Captain has sent you an Order to Report for Induction:

I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. (Matthew 16:18)

If you didn't know it, there's a war on terror going on. The ultimate terrorist named Satan and his army of demons are singularly focused on destroying the very thing that Jesus died to make possible:

The Church

The church isn't a building, and the church isn't a picnic. The church is an army, deployed all over the planet, fighting the war on spiritual terror...and the moment you trusted Christ as your only hope of salvation, you got a draft notice to get trained and join the fight. Your training happens at a local "unit" (your church), and the fight happens every single moment of every single day.

So what are you going to do? Tear up the notice and hide under the covers? Sure, that's what a lot of Christians have done. They think they can live the Christian life apart from the church. They call themselves independent Christians. I call them deserters.

God has chosen to use the church as his weapon of mass destruction - as in to destroy the terrorist works of the devil. His terrorism is acts of blinding people from the message of the gospel and leading them to destructive lifestyles. He plants the devastating bombs of gossip and bitterness in the church, and he fires the deadly missles of lust and selfishness into the culture around us...and you know what? Christians who tear up the draft notice and hide under the covers give Satan a victory by default. As one great soldier named W. E. Isenhour wrote:

Empty churches and nations blight,
Empty churches, O sad, sad sight!
Empty churches, men hate and kill,
Empty churches, and much ill will;
Empty churches, O sad the truth,
Empty churches, defeated youth.
Empty churches, it's bad to tell,
Empty churches, men go to hell.

So now you have a choice before you. Don't let past experiences or current frustrations talk you into being a draft dodger. Your Captain needs you to get involved in what your local "unit" is doing. Go to worship to get trained, then go out during the week to fight the war on terror...and if I haven't convinced you yet, listen to the words written by a young African pastor moments before he was killed in the line of duty:

I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problems recognizing me - my banner will be clear!

Head: What you need to know about this truth

The church is God's "army" on earth, called to fight against the destructive powers of Satan and his demons. Christians who don't get involved in church are not fulfilling one of their primary roles on earth.

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

You should feel a strong desire to get involved with your local church. People that don't go to church usually have an excuse or two as to why they don't, but in my mind those excuses fall short when you think about how important the church really is. Here's what I mean:

Ten Reasons Why I Never Wash

  1. I was forced to wash as a child.
  2. People who wash are hypocrites--they think they're cleaner than others.
  3. There are so many kinds of soap, I could never decide which was right.
  4. I used to wash, but it got boring.
  5. I wash only on Christmas or Easter.
  6. None of my friends wash.
  7. I'll start washing when I'm older.
  8. I really don't have time to wash.
  9. The bathroom isn't warm enough to wash.
  10. People who make soap are only after your money.

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

Report for duty at your local church. Here's how it works: start your training by going to church every week you can and get a feel for what opportunities you have to get involved. Next, get in touch with a youth leader or pastor and talk through what might be the best place for you to fit in. Finally, keep your skills sharp throughout the week by reading the Bible, praying, hanging out with other Christians, and sharing your faith.