****SOLDIERS OF CHRIST, ARISE

He’s like an old friend; I look forward to seeing him regularly. I come, early in the morning, several times a week and when I look up to the cross on the top of the steeple, he’s always there.

 

I watch him as he scours our church grounds with his laser-like hawk eyes.   From his perch high above the steeple, he stands guard, ever watchful, for snakes and vermin and other pests that might do harm to our people and our property.  And when he sees one, quickly and silently, he unapologetically swoops down for the kill. 

Charles Wesley wrote SOLDIERS OF CHRIST, ARISE in 1747.  He originally titled it, "The Whole Armor of God, Ephesians 6."  It’s one of several battle hymns that have become largely rejected by the modern church because of their militaristic images.

  

At the time, The Church of England was intolerant of those who rejected its false teachings.  Christians were persecuted, their homes were vandalized, and many were stoned, mauled, dragged through the streets, and sometimes killed.

   

Wesley was aware of very real physical battles as he wrote the hymn. Yet the more important theme of his song refers to the spiritual warfare that all Christians face in every age. 

In today’s climate of political correctness and social justice, we are pressured to keep our beliefs to ourselves to avoid offending others. Those who would speak up to defend God’s Truth are accused of being judgmental or intolerant.

It’s easy to avoid controversy and just focus on love and forgiveness rather than standing for the whole truth of God’s Word.  But that is not God’s way.  God has given His church some Steeple hawks; people who guard and protect us from false teachers and false doctrines.  Primarily that responsibility has been assigned to pastors, but we are all called to be vigilant and to fight for truth.

Jude warned us to watch out, “...for certain men have crept in unnoticed, ...ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.  ...these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.

“These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain (an) advantage.

“But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:  how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.  These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.”

And the apostle, Paul, encouraged his young friend, Timothy, to "fight the good fight of the faith." (1 Tim. 6:12).

This hymn encourages us to put on the full armor of God and it reminds us that our strength in the Lord. We should always be ready to defend the truth whenever someone teaches or promotes unbiblical beliefs.