| And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. |
| —Romans 13:11-12 |
I recently read an article by an author who compared the life of the present day Evangelical church to a cruise ship, rather than a battleship. As I’ve pondered this image, I tend to agree that we, who consider ourselves part of the Evangelical branch of Protestant Christianity, do often resemble this luxury conveyance that promises services to excite every fancy.
Cruises promise an enormous list of luxurious activities:
- spa and salon services
- shore excursions
- foods from around the world served in casual and formal settings
- free lessons in a wide range of activities, including even fencing and archery
- Broadway shows and many other types of entertainment
- even cool aquatic and other activities for children, in order to keep them occupied while the adults drink, dine, dance, and talk to each other.
Like the cruise ship, in our Evangelical churches, we try to satisfy the tastes for entertainment and comfort for each person who steps into our church foyer:
- We produce professional materials for children that rival any Disney production
- we serve food and refreshments in the lobby that will draw even the most picky coffee connoisseur
- we arrange the seating and an environment that allows those present to observe worship in comfort
- we provide music, with many elements of a stage production, that offer as much as many entertainment venues, so that drawing outsiders becomes the most important outcome of our efforts.
Contrast this image of our Evangelical churches to the image if our churches were more like a voyage on a battleship. What a letdown!
- no varieties of grand dining
- no long, restful spa treatments
- no Broadway-like entertainment
- no extra efforts to provide comfortable surroundings
- no time to lounge around enjoying the efforts of staff to wait on us and provide our every desire
- no cheerful activities to distract our children.
Instead, we enter such a battleship and prepare to stand in readiness for war. We eat what the battleship rations supply. Our schedules and work are planned and ordered by those above us. We live on alert at all times.
The ship itself boasts no deck lounges or vast swimming pools. Instead, it carries large-caliber powerful weapons. The hull is lined with heavy ironclad armor plate, able to absorb the damage from enemy fire. Onboard, we see anti-aircraft armament and we rest in the seaworthiness of the ship and the expert preparations of the crew.
The first ship is designed for rest and sleep. The second for tireless work and a sinew-stretching fight against the powerful enemy.
If an Evangelical church takes on the similarity to a battleship, how does it look? What does it have for priorities?
First of all, when the “passengers” come on board, they realize the expectations. Everyone must push against the foe. Everyone looks to the Captain and the “manual” He has prepared for instructions. Feeling entertained no longer even comes up in conversation. Each member no longer looks for his or her favorite pastime. Instead, all members work together for the greater goal—winning against the enemy and pleasing the Captain.
The crew on a battleship gives its attention to the danger of the enemy, the great struggle needed to defeat him, and the training one has received—and must continue to receive—from those in higher rank. The written Word of God must train the Christian in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:17 tells us the reason for this:
That the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
It is reasonable for those of us who attend Evangelical churches to ask this question: “Do our churches equip their people with thorough battle preparation through the written Word of God?”
In the early Church, the believers knew what it meant to pray with divine power, in order to affect change and to obtain miraculous answers to prayer. In Acts 4:29-31, we read how they prayed:
“Now, Lord, consider their [those conspiring against them] threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Within our Evangelical churches, how often do we ask God in prayer to give us boldness in proclaiming the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? How often do we ask for strength and protection to fight against sin and the persuasive influence of the evil one? Answering those questions may help us determine the answer to yet another question: “Do we serve the Lord on a cruise ship or a battleship?”
In these days of moral decay within our culture and of the increasing struggle of Christians around the world, should we not engage in battle rather than take a luxury vacation?
