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1777 Revisited

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The world is looking for Christians. Let them know when any show up.

The year is 1777. It is late December. You are at a place called Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. You are in the Continental Army led by General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. Looking over a barren plateau, a day’s march from Philadelphia, you only have a mental picture of what will soon become reality. You have to build your living quarters, mess hall, command center, and supply huts before you can occupy them. You’re cold. You’re tired. You are hungry and your clothes were nothing more than glorified rags. Still, having a spark of fighting spirit and determination, you muster all the strength you have and put yourself to the task of building your encampment knowing that just 18 miles to the southeast there lies the enemy. The city that was stolen by the British that must be taken back.

As far as the building project goes, the officers formed the men into construction squads and instructed them to build cabins according to a 14-foot by 16-foot model. The army placed the 2,000-odd huts in parallel lines, and according to one officer, the camp “had the appearance of a little city” when viewed from a distance. Most agreed that their log accommodations were “tolerably comfortable.”

Being a professional soldier in the Army took a lot of training as well. My career started with Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, and progressed to Advanced Training at Fort Knox, KY. I was in a total of 8 years, and even after I graduated from my advanced training to be proficient in repairing tanks, I still had to train at my permanent duty station in Kirchgons, Germany. As we prepared for conflict in the Persian Gulf, we had to learn a little Arabic, enemy tactics and what he used as weapons, and we trained for desert fighting since most of us have never been in the desert. We were given playing cards with pictures of enemy vehicles on them so we could memorize them and recognize them when we saw one. Yes, terrain and tactics may change, but our training proved itself in victory 35 years ago when we liberated Kuwait.

One of the weaknesses of the Continental Army of 1777, as told to us by General George Washington himself, was that too many commands were heard during campaigns that confused the militia. It is said that many a battle may have been won had it not been for someone to randomly yell, “RETREAT,” and the men would scatter. Can you see how that would disorient the soldiers? Valley Forge would change all of that. A German by the name of Baron Heinrich Wilhelm von Steuben was put in charge of drills and marksmanship. His tactics are still in use in today’s military. He taught them how to march in ranks. How to turn and pinwheel and advance or retreat on command. Besides the sounding of “Charge” and “Retreat,” the military still uses bugle calls beginning early in the morning for waking up with ”First Call,” for the raising of the flag with the playing of “Reveille,” the morning and afternoon mess, the lowering of the flag with “Retreat” and “To the Colors,” and for lights out by the playing of “Taps.”

Why does the training never stop? The enemy is always changing his tactics, his frontal assaults, and the use of his arsenal. Discipline builds confidence. Knowing your equipment and how to use it is vital. The gas chamber helped us understand how a protective mask keeps out dangerous chemicals. We learned about military operations, but most importantly, we learned about ourselves. When our heads were spinning with questions, our confidence made possible through discipline and training, kept up moving forward.

As Christian soldiers, we have an arsenal as well—the Full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-18). The greatest offensive weapon ever entrusted to mankind is the Sword of the Spirit, or the Word of God. Added to that is the Shield of Faith that can deflect any projectile the enemy has to throw at us. Don’t let your guard down. We can’t let our shields to be shattered. King Ahab found out a weakness in his armor when a random arrow found its mark through a crack and took his life (1 Kings 22:34-36).

Proper use of God’s Word comes from training and practice. Training is staged at our church gatherings small groups. Just like listening to a coach, or a drill instructor, the application of what we learn during our training in practice can determine our success or failure in real life combat. We have to remember all the battle plans, trust in our authority, and how and where we have to go when an attack is launched against our position. When given orders, we have to know the Authority of the one who has charging us with those orders and when the trumpet blows at the order of the Commander, what to do. “For if the bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?” (1 Corinthians 14:8).

Following God’s plans for the church and for families is very important to our success here on earth. When we memorize Scripture, or parts of it, we have embedded God’s word in us. I had two professors in seminary who challenged themselves with memorizing the entire New Testament. I personally knew these men: Dr. Lewis Foster, Dr. Wilke Winter, and a preacher friend named brother Ed Bousman. I know two of them succeeded. One of them was asked to speak in a country in which is was forbidden to be seen with a bible—Albania in the 1980’s. During that time, Christian leaders were being executed for their faith. Dr. Lewis Foster, who also helped translate Luke and Acts in the NIV, traveled to Albania and preached the bible from memory.

We may not always have a Bible near us. Sometimes we need an answer to a situation immediately. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is within you with gentleness and respect.” When we have the Word of God in our minds and on our hearts, we have God’s answer to the situation. This way, we will know what God would want us to do. The Bible says to hide the Word of God in our hearts so that we will not sin against God. Knowing the Bible allows us to follow Jesus and to be sensitive to His leading.

Psalm 119:9-16 is one of my favorite Scriptures from Psalms. Imagine us praying to God to know more of His ways than to learn how to avoid them.

The takeaway for today’s message, discipline and training made the difference in the Continental Army. It increased their confidence, courage, and proficiency, which gave them greater hope, faith, and victory.

A quote attributed to Baron von Steuben as he entered the emcampment at Valley Forge was, “I’m here to train soldiers. Let me know when any get here.” May it never be that someone should walk in among us and say, “I’m looking for faithful Christians. Can you please tell me where I can find some.” What does the Christian life look like? God gives us all we need to serve Him: mind, eyes, mouth, hands/arms, feet/legs. We’ve been using them wrongly for too long. Let go and let God show you how to use them rightly.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left His house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. (Mark 1:35)

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Giving Yourself Permission

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From a Holocaust survivor comes the psychology involved in choosing evil–it happens when humans give themselves permission to do so by an authority that persuaded them it was okay to do so. A greater Authority exists to Whom we should yield to fulfill all righteousness.

Proverbs 29:18

“Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint; but best is he who keeps the law.”

Looking at this verse, my assumption is that the concept of vision is in keeping the Law. Or, at least, having no vision is equal to lawlessness. We as human beings have what’s called a “free will.” We can choose restraint or we can choose lawlessness. As far as each of us is concerned, there are two things over which we have control—our beliefs and our behavior. I have also heard it said, our “attitudes and actions.” To quote the famous pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, he says, “Our problem is not the problem. The problem is our attitude about the problem.” Teaching fifth graders has its challenges AND opportunities. Many of them have the attitude that they can’t do something when they haven’t tried to see if their assumption is correct. Or, some have tried another task similar and failed, so going forward with the task will only prove to mean disappointment, failure, and a destructive blow to their self-esteem.

I chose this topic today in response to a story I had followed about a Holocaust survivor and her opinion on how regular/normal people can be brought to killing wihtout conscience. The summary of what the older lady said was that man can be reduced to an animal when he is given pemission to do so by a majority of other, or by authority. Choosing evil is bowing to a choice of authority in either case. The motivation to the kinds of riotouss behavior we’ve seen in the news lately results from listening conforming to a group identity outside of themselves. You wouldn’t think educated young people with a bright future ahead of them would risk it all, but they do. There is no thought of who they hurt. It is like that with any sin. But sin has a precursor. Scripture tells us that preceding our choice to sin is the temptation TO sin. James 1:4 says, “but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.” Don’t get me wrong by thinking the Devil made me do it, or the government brought me to it. We surrend our authority to the influence of another and that is a choice. We sell ourselves into the salvery of sin and only Jesus can redeem us out of that condition.

As Bob Dylan sang, “You gotta serve somebody.” If you’re not a slave of Christ, then you’re a slave of the devil and sin. Christ is a loving, caring Master, who never abuses His slaves. Giving authority to His usefulness is surrendering to the ultimate care in love for us. The devil is a conniving, self-serving tyrant, who has no concern for his slaves. It is far better to be Christ’s slave than to be enslaved to Satan and to sin. Look at all the parables having to do with servants and slaves. It’s all about what we do with what the Master asks. Failure is a result of selfish ambition.

You’d be surprised at the things we can do when we give ourselves permission to do it, both good AND bad. It is sobering to look back in history and survey the evidence of the catastrophic loss that occurred simply by persons or governments choosing to conduct themselves without restraint. In fact, this Thursday we will remember the 157,000 allied troops that landed on the beaches of Northern France to repel a leader who chose to terminate millions of lives with extreme prejudice. Sadly, we are just as capable of this kind of evil today if we are convinced it’s right. In the face of choices, where does our conviction lie?

You may have joked around, as I have, about the advice that gets handed to people, “Don’t volunteer to do anything.” Let me tell you something, my greatest spiritual growth has occorred when I replied, “Yes, I’d be happy to help with that” when challenged to help. Say, “YES!” more often and see how God can equip.

Sometimes we limit God when we refuse an opportunity to exercise our talents and expand our faith. How else can we learn trust and confidence in God unless we put our faith to practice and God’s Word to use? But we like to keep some authority to ourselves don’t we? There may be even times when we give ourselves permission to put away love and compassion when an opportunity to show both is before us. When compassion and love are lost, it’s then that our heart is betrayed and impulses are likely to turn into hurtful acts against another. The difference between humans is animals is very apparent. Animals attack when they are scared, or if you are their prey. Human beings hurt when their compassion ends and they give themselves permission to do it and that is evil in the greatest sense of the word.

We must not lose the vision of our created purpose—to love and have fellowship with God and love one another. That is possible only through Jesus Christ. We are called to be Christ-like. Give yourself permission to love and show compassion. Follow the laws of hospitality. Bear the fruit of the Spirit. Grow in love. Do not let others, or yourself, give you permission to hate, insult, or destroy. Do not surrender authority of your emotions to another. Christian, do not give real estate in your heart to anyone but the Holy Spirit—it is His temple in which to dwell.

Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is atemple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

Let your vision be pure and just and righteous. Not losing our vision will prompt us to continue growing in hope and knowledge so that we do not forget the authority of the Word of God. Scripture is full of evidence that condemns those who forsook the Word of God. In Hosea 4:6 God condemns His priests by saying, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” The verse continues to say how they also forgot about the law of God. Here again we see the complement of the Word of God and vision. The more of God’s Word we know, the less tempted we will be by the worlds enticements.

1 Peter 2:9 says that we are a “Royal Priesthood.” We are charged with proclaiming the excellencies of God. Let us grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God. We already know where the world’s wisdom leads and where the destiny of the wicked ends. We have the encouragement of the faithful who came before us. We can read Hebrews 11 and find it. Reading Hebrews 12 is the imperative.

Let me close with Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”