The four stages of developing an army
By: Apostle Skhumbuzo Sangweni
- Mobilizing. 2) Training. 3) Equipping. 4) Deploying
Mobilizing into the army of God and finding our right place in His body is not the goal, but a goal that is necessary before we go on. There is also a factor of timing for this. When in the army, after you receive basic training you are usually sent to various schools for more advanced training. It is for this purpose that we are sometimes shifted from one congregation to another. Each congregation may specialize in something we need for our training, but ultimately we have a more permanent assignment that could well be the church body that we will be assigned to, possibly even for the rest of our life. Even so, we must always be ready for the Holy Spirit to place us in the body as it pleases Him.
Of course, one of the biggest problems we have in the body right now is that most Christians do not have a vital local church life, and are therefore blocked in their development. A lot could be said about this, as we have in the past, but for now we will focus on those who are being mobilized, who are either in their right place for now, or are getting there.
We must also keep in mind that the army is being mobilized because there is a desperate war going on. We do not know how many salvations are dependent on our obedience, but even if we are called to the most seemingly obscure helps ministry, it is likely that many souls are depending on us. How could there be such a responsibility put on us? That is the nature of the call of God. Think about the consequences of Adam’s disobedience. We may not think this is fair, that Adam did not ask to be put in a position where his actions would affect billions.
However, he was given authority over the earth, and with authority comes responsibility. The clear teaching of Scripture is that what we do affects many more. The answer to this is to obey! We were not called just so we could be saved and go to heaven, but we were bought with a price, and we are no longer our own. We are soldiers, like it or not. We can reject our calling and bury the talents we have been trusted with, but if we do, we can be sure that on that great judgment day we will hear, “You wicked, lazy slave” (see Matthew 25:26).
If we have embraced the cross, the atonement of the cross of Jesus, we no longer have the right to do what we want to do. We have a calling, a mission, and a purpose that no one else on this planet is equipped to do like us. We can reject our calling, and it will be given to another, as we see a pattern of this in the Scriptures, but I am sure anyone serious enough to be reading this has no intention of that.
We have been enlisted in the army, and there is a desperate war going on. There is no doubt about the ultimate outcome of this war, but there is much to be decided about how we will do in the war and how the nations and people we have been called to defend or win will do. The right way to look at this is not fearfully, but as an opportunity. You could be used to set many free from their bondage, maybe even whole nations. You may not be called to the frontline of the battle, but just to stay with the baggage. However, you will receive a great reward for doing your part.
