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The Summer of Love part 4: Band of Believers
[audio:BandOfBelievers.mp3|titles=Band of Believers|artists=Christian St John]
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Recorded July 25, 2010
My notes:
In the show Band of Brothers we watch as a motley crew are bought together by extraordinary circumstances, thrown in at the deep end into a war that not many of them knew much about, and told that if they are to make it they will have to rely on one another.
At the beginning of their journey the members of Easy Company arrive at training camp as complete strangers and through a few weeks of gruelling training they begin to bond.
By the end of the war Easy Company had become more than fellow soldiers, they had become brothers willing to reach down and pick up the wounded as well as being fully prepared to die for one another.
I thought the show was an amazing yet terrifying depiction of war, one of the best I have seen. The show is based on a true story and one can only imagine from where we are today just what those brave men went through. But their story is an amazing one, and one I recommend all people to read or watch. The story is made all the more amazing because although these men started out life in Easy Company as individuals, sometimes bickering and fighting, they ended up as a team.
However, what really stood out to me wasn’t so much the story of war, but the underlying story of love that grew and continued to join these men long after the guns had stopped firing.
The Bible uses a lot of military ideas and metaphors when talking about the life of the believers. 1 Cor. 10:4 tells us that “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” Likewise in Ephesians 6 we are told to “put on the armor of God, that (we) may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold (our) ground. (Eph 6:13-17)
However, the Bible, while using militaristic imagery is not calling for violent action… it ‘s not saying that we should become Christian versions of Rambo… maybe spiritually speaking 
but not in the real world. Rather the Bible is saying that, like a soldier equipped for battle, the Christian should realize that they too are in a spiritual battle which requires more than just a few nice sermons, outreach events and potlucks.
To me the militaristic imagery in the Bible brings to mind things like discipline, honor, duty, laying down ones life for one’s friends, obedience, and ultimately self-sacrifice.
And while some have stood against the idea that war is symbolic of where the Christian finds themselves in this life, Christian tradition is rich with military themes. One of the great hymns for the martyrs is “Oh God of thy soldiers”. The beautiful hymn goes, “when the strife is fierce, the warfare long, steals on the ear a distant triumph song, and hearts are brave again and arms are strong! Alleluia.” Another line says “The golden evening brightens in the west, soon, soon to faithful warriors cometh rest….”
Others hymns such as “Onward Christian Soldiers” “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “I am On the Battlefield for my Lord” again use the imagery of war to highlight the Christian’s spiritual walk.
The truth is we are in a war… a war with self, with sin, and with the things of this world. We often find ourselves opposed to carnal and worldly worldviews, and locked in battle with the enemy of our souls.
To take this imagery a little further I believe that when we become Christians we don’t have to go looking for a fight because we are already behind enemy lines – in that sense the fight will come to us.
But it’s what we do in that fight that will make us different to everyone else.
Again 1 Cor. 10:4 tells us that “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”
It has been said by many a believer that love is our weapon. We do not fight as the world fights. The world fights with sticks and stones, guns and missiles, but we are called to love.
Now this may seem strange to the world, maybe even to some of you here today, but have you ever seen or experienced the power of love… the kind of love that forgives and reaches out to an enemy, the kind of love that has the power to set captives free?
Although I find it hard to love all people at all times I would still say that love is the most powerful weapon the world has ever known. The world doesn’t understand this but love can change the world.
Conversely Christian writer Dr Dale Robbins writes, “Satan’s secret weapon is unforgiveness and an absence of love! Satan knows that if he can deceive us into harbouring anger, bitterness, or grudges he can actually cause us to fall from grace.”
So how has love changed the world in the past? Well on example is that of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Civil rights in America was forever changed because of the love of King and his non-violent protests against racial segregation.
Whereas many were fighting and rioting and holding violent protests King was a man who refused to fight fire with fire, instead trusting in the power of love to win the day.
It’s all good and well to preach love, but how realistic is it when in the real world. Well, on January 30, 1956, the King home was bombed. King had been speaking at a mass meeting at the First Baptist Church. When he heard the news, he told the crowd what happened, and left the church.
Nearing his house, King saw many African Americans brandishing guns and knives surging against a barricade of white policemen. King went inside and pushed through the crowd in his house to the back room to make sure his wife Coretta and his ten-week-old baby were okay. Back in the front room of the house, some white reporters were trying to leave to file their stories, but could not get out of the house, which was surrounded by armed, angry African Americans.
Taylor Branch, in his book Parting the Waters, tells what happened next:
“King walked out onto the front porch. Holding up his hand for silence, he tried to still the anger by speaking with an exaggerated peacefulness in his voice. Everything was all right, he said. ‘Don’t get panicky. Don’t do anything panicky. Don’t get your weapons. If you have weapons, take them home. He who lives by the sword will perish by the sword. Remember that is what Jesus said. We are not advocating violence. We want to love our enemies. I want you to love our enemies. Be good to them. This is what we must live by. We must meet hate with love.’”
Some would say that King failed when ultimately he was shot dead 12 years later, but I for one would say that his stance on love caused a change that could not be equalled with the use of violence.
Ernest Gordon, a soldier who was captured by the Japanese in WW2, witnessed as many of his fellow prisoners slaughtered by their Japanese captors. When the war ended and they were liberated he chose to love his enemy instead of hate them.
Corrie Ten Boom, was imprisoned in a concentration camp for helping Jews in WW2 Europe. Although she lost her father and sister in the camp she still chose love over hate.
Many, many people down through the ages have chosen love over hate because hate only has the power to destroy, whereas love has the power to forgive, set free, and build.
The truth is how we chose to live will affect how we view one another and this in turn will affect the outcome.
If we value what the Bible says then I think it’s safe to conclude that we are indeed a mighty army of the Lord. Some don’t like this idea but I would argue that this imagery is one of the best way of looking at who we are as a group of believers… a band on believers.
Why would I say this? Well, for 3 reasons.
1) A good soldier is never willing to give up fighting for what they know to be true.
There is a code in the military and that is to never leave a man behind. How many times have we been guilty of leaving people behind? Even Jesus said that he was willing to leave the 99 to go and search for the 1 that had gone astray.
Do we give up too easily or do we push on through willing to risk all to seek and save those the Bible calls lost?
The question is do we really care?
Do we care that millions of people will die today never having heard of the love of the saviour?
Do we care that there are those among us, believers, who have fallen and can’t find it in themselves to get back up again?
Are we too busy planning, preparing, and arguing, to actually share the love of Jesus?
A good soldier is one who never leaves a man behind if they can help it.
2) A good soldier is one who will carry the wounded.
One of favourite movies is Forrest Gump. At one point in the movie Forrest (the lead character) finds himself drafted into the US Military and ends up in Vietnam fighting that war. When he gets there he quickly bonds with a man called Bubba and they form a friendship that would forever change his life.
In one skirmish Bubba is wounded as he and Forrest try and escape the gunfire. Noticing that Bubba isn’t with him Forrest stops running, turns around and goes back to find and rescue his best friend. Amidst all the gunfire Forrest, when he finds a mortally wounded Bubba, proceeds to carry Bubba to safety.
It truly is a moving scene, one that will stay with me for life, because it reminds me that love leaves no man behind and even goes so far as to carry the wounded.
3) A good soldier is one who is willing to die for his fellow man.
John 15:
5″I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit… 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9″As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.”
We often wonder how we can bear fruit as believers. We read books and articles and listen to sermons all in an effort to find out how we can bear fruit.
Good news and bad news – The good news is that bearing good fruit is doable… the bad news is that it may cost us.
Notice right after talking about fruit Jesus tells us, no commands us to “love each other as (He) has loved us.” Then comes one of the greatest revelations of all time, “Greater love has no one that this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
Then Jesus, again, talks about fruit and again He says, “This is my command: Love each other.”
I once heard a preacher talking about this and he said that if we obey this command we are soldiers under command.
Want to bear fruit as a Christian? Then love. It’s that simple. But not any old love; a sacrificial love that will cost us more than our weekly offering or 15 minutes a day reading our Bible.
We begin our walk of faith as individuals, but it’s not supposed to stay that way. Ask any good soldier and they will tell you that they would never leave someone behind, that they would do everything in their power to rescue one of their own, and that they would gladly lay down their life for their fellow soldier.
60’s music group The Hollies recorded the song “He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother” back in 1969 and the lyrics are amongst some of the best IO have ever read.
For the benefit of the younger ones among us:
The road is long with many a winding turn,
That leads us to who knows where, who knows where,
But I’m strong, strong enough to carry him,
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother
So on we go, his welfare is of my concern,
No burden is he to bear, we’ll get there,
For I know he would not encumber me,
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother
If I’m laden at all, I’m laden with sadness,
That everyone’s heart, Isn’t filled with the gladness of love for one another,
It’s a long, long road from which there is no return,
While we’re on the way to there, why not share
And the load doesn’t weigh me down at all,
He ain’t heavy he’s my brother
A few weeks ago we spoke about seeing one another as brothers and sisters, but I think those brave men from Easy Company had become closer yet, they ultimately became a band of brothers.
I would humbly suggest that if we could love in a likewise manner we would become an unstoppable force in this community and in this world… a band of believers.
Love still has the power to change lives, save souls, and transform this world. So what are we waiting for let us go and love just as the master commands.