I may never march in the infantry,
ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery;
I may never zoom o’er the enemy,
but I’m in the Lord’s army.
I’m in the Lord’s army.
I’m in the Lord’s army.
I may never march in the infantry,
ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery;
I may never zoom o’er the enemy,
but I’m in the Lord’s army.
Many that grew up in the church have heard this tune and probably have sung it. The analogy of military efforts being compared to the body of Christ draws many to straighten their backs just a little, set their jaws, and think proudly of the body of Christ.
In our group the other day, this song came up. Someone jokingly noted that they are a conscientious objector in the Lord’s army. We all laughed.
I’m a proud military brat. My father served in the Air Force and I very nearly chose to attend the Air Force Academy myself. I appreciate the protection and order that the military affords us as citizens. I recognize the need for military in a fallen world.
I also grew up quoting Ephesians 6:10ff:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
There is a lot to learn about spiritual warfare in these scriptures.
However, when it comes down to it, the military ideal is skewed in the body of Christ in most cases. If you are not following the perspective of the lead pastor of your church, you’re obviously missing God’s will (that’s sarcasm, folks). Unfortunately, that is often what happens in churches is that we get marching orders or at the least “gentle pressure” to do what the pastor says.
In II Corinthians 10:3ff, Paul writes:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
So, when we consider this idea of the “Lord’s Army” within the Body of Christ today, it may require that we be a conscientious objector to the plans and ideals of the institutional church. It may require that we reject the efforts and methods being used.
If we look at how God directed battles in the Old Testament, we find a lot of unconventional methods that didn’t make a lot of sense militarily:
- Battle of Jericho (marching around Jericho without fighting)
- Gideon’s against the Midianites (reducing the number to 300)
- Battle of the Valley of Beracah (sending singers first)
There are many others. The point is that with God, it’s His battle and not ours. We are to remain faithful, for sure. However, that may also mean that we object to what the church masses are calling for in the moment.
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