To Equip & Encourage

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Flavius Vegetius (by Commander Barney Barnes)

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"A handful of men inured to war proceed to certain victory, while on the contrary, numerous armies of undisciplined troops are but multitudes of men dragged to slaughter.” - Flavius Vegetius

Consider this description of our society. A majority of our people are like sheep grazing, but on a steady diet of consumerism, junk information, and even junk food. Except for the moments of sheer terror when attacked, they are oblivious to the presence of nearby wolves. On the contrary, the wolf is single-minded in his mission is to devour them. The last element of our cultural dynamic is the presence of the sheepdog whose passion and training is to protect the flock and confront the wolf. Dave Grossman, an internationally recognized scholar, author, soldier, and speaker, makes this observation about society in his scholarly work, On Killing.

Sadly I believe Grossman artfully describes many of our Christian men whose passive spiritual lives most resemble the sheep rather than the sheepdog. A by-product of real discipleship forms a “sheepdog”, a man who can skillfully employ the full armor of God. In the absence of discipleship these men have no defensive or offensive capability. In fact, should they wander onto a spiritual battlefield and make actual contact with the adversary, instead of creating enemy casualties they, their marriages, and their families will become a casualty of “the war”. (see 1 Peter 5:6-9 below)

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."

The Roman historian, Flavius Vegetius was aware of this and made this astute observation: “The
courage of a soldier is heightened by his knowledge of his profession, and he only wants to execute
what he is convinced he has been perfectly taught. A handful of men inured to war proceed to certain
victory, while on the contrary, numerous armies of undisciplined troops are but multitudes of men
dragged to slaughter.” De Re Militari (inured is a term worthy of review).

Unfortunately, such is the case with “numerous armies” of Christian men and is symptomatic of failed local leadership. Serious discipleship and the building of warriors is a critical imperative to both temporal and spiritual warfare. Jesus, fully understanding this imperative, simply said to make disciples. The failure to obey this command directly results in our two standing orders, the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, becoming mute.

I believe there is a call to arms in the Spirit…a call for men to come out of hiding from the culture in much the same way as Gideon was called out. Many of our men are hiding behind the walls of church buildings just as Gideon was hiding in the winepress. The angel of the Lord spoke to Gideon (Judges 6:12) simply…Mighty Warrior (Heb. gibbor), and this awakened the warrior spirit in his DNA. Becoming aware of his true identity initiated a process in Gideon…a personal call for him to march into his destiny as a warrior. Our men are waiting for a warrior leader to say to them…to address them as mighty warrior.

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Written by Commander John "Barney" Barnes
Used with permission from Bravo Bravo Wisdom

To Equip & Encourage

Flavius Vegetius (by Commander Barney Barnes)

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