60 Seconds – Helpers in the War

Thomas a’ Kempis observed, “The devil sleepeth not; neither is the flesh as yet dead; therefore, cease not to prepare thyself for the battle; for on thy right hand and on thy left are enemies who never rest.”

In 1 Chronicles 12:1, we read of men who came to David while he was a fugitive from Saul. They are described as “helpers in the war,” then listed by name. “Helpers” means “to surround, protect, and come to the aid of.” These were valiant, brave men, loyal to David, and keenly aware of their adversary and what was at stake.

Countless numbers of “Christians” are “church-goers,” but fail to be “Kingdom-minded.”

In C. S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, one of Satan’s agents on earth, whose assignment is to keep a man from becoming a Christian, is worried because his intended victim has joined the church. However, Screwtape assures his comrade that, “there is no need to despair as long as the victim does not see the Church itself as we see her, spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army of banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy.” C. S. Lewis has revealed a great truth: the Christian banner strikes fear into the very heart of hell!

Hebrews 11:32 – 34, speaks of those who “subdued kingdoms,” and were “valiant in battle.” The words “subdued” and “battle” signify “a desperate contest in war.”

In Ephesians, chapter six, Paul describes the Christian walk as “spiritual warfare,” and admonishes every believer to view himself as a soldier, armed for battle. However, these words, written by Vance Havner, ring true today, “It has been said that, ‘The early church was a company of lay witnesses, but it has become a professional pulpitism financed by lay spectators’.”

In Romans 16, Paul saw his fellow believers as companions, giving their names, and commending them for their faithfulness in laboring together. Furthermore, he referred to the Philippians as “my partners” (Philippians 4:15, The Living Bible). They were “helpers in the war.” R. Whitson Seaman stated, “In the work of the Lord, the mite of each, makes for the might of all.”

In Philippians 1:27, we are admonished to “stand firm in united spirit and purpose, striving side by side and contending with a single mind for the faith” (Amplified Bible). During the Civil War, an old lady, whose house was in the midst of a battle, grabbed a fire poker and took sides. When someone expressed that she could do little with a poker, she replied, “I want them to know which side I’m on!” Well did Gresham Machen say that “the most important things are not those about which men are agreed, but those for which men will fight.”

Ephesians 6:10 and 11, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God.”