“3 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.” (Eph 3:1-13 ESV)
The power of the unseen, the ability to forgive, from childhood to full maturity, the Christian has begun to grapple with Unseen Entities. The friends network of a certain person; the silent majority around a certain issue; the amateur mistakes nonetheless repeated. We each cope with desire to set right or to avenge, but also with time and tutelage comes a patient, measured response, respect for the unseen and untold legions of spirits “out there” who stand to be affected, affirmed, denied, leaned in on. We come to terms with our own domineering or aggression, our own frustration and blindness.
To be a soldier is to live close to the poor man’s abode, regarding insane jaunts that we are called upon to execute. It is to carry the burden of Life Springing Forth Eternal in the heart, pan-ethnic life, pan-religious life, pan-socioeconomic life, the culmination of a broad “cool kid” upbringing (hastening to the doctrine wherein loserdom is some comment on unfeeling or pride). Of course, loserdom is also the Christian’s Cross, that he or she will be underappreciated, mocked and ridiculed, ostracised and silenced.
We fight not with flesh and blood, but with unseen powers in the spirit realm, and to make excuses for a belligerent peer is to deny the right fear of the unseen: we must grant people the respect of making their own decisions; if a bad decision is made, the wrong force is allied with, the balderdash doctrine is settled in upon, then we must grant a holy fear to the Serpent at work, and abundantly, firmly Reject, declare War Upon, bring our copious Life Experience, sentimentalities, compassions, “big picture” mindsets, measured responses to bear. As cool kids, as soldiers of Christ, we are seeking a Laughter and a Joy, not an entrenched Warzone. We are unashamed of our Boast, namely the Boast of laughter, because it speaks a more potent Word than any forty-hour workweek; they call us slackers, we say that Today is the Marriage Banquet of the Lamb. They call us less than diligent, we say that all comers are Welcome at the table. They call us sheepish and too calm, we say that the Lord desires Peace.
The Unseen revolves around that borderline that Increases to our credit, to our edification, to our Expansive Thought rekindled. Today, we are rewarded with a New Picture of how the other half lives. Today, we are putting on our thinking caps around Receiving the induction into the crew, receiving the Absolution of all sins, receiving the Fond Rapport with our formerly misunderstood and scapegoated peer.
Because all life is Education, a sermon intends to Inspire some intervening, some incarnational, some Inspired Holy Spirit-wise revelation. The preacher scarcely knows what he or she is doing except that they are Inviting revelation. The congregation murmurs and whistles, moans and mourns, at the Theological Landscape being unfurled in their presence; this, too, is Good. The pastor rightly understood is revealing Secret Wisdom from the ages, to Reward the faithful stewards sitting all around the pulpit.
Magically, the headship goes to any One in the community, but this is no denial of the myriad “less accomplished”: they, too, are revealed to have a certain Genius each unique to each. They are enablers and they make all the difference. More, we do not seek ever higher accolades or knowledge, only we Trust that what is due us, what is sufficient and appropriate to our Level, will be dealt forth into our hand. That is the Christian soldier’s Ambition. That is the Christ-followers Certainty: you, oh, you Carry Christ’s Cross. You, you recruit into His cohort. You, and you, you teach in His seminary and Bible school.