Article December 9, 1991 Issue

Christian warriors

Spiritual warfare against sin and disease may not generally make the evening news, but it remains at the heart of humanity's progress.

Joe Eller

Have you ever marveled at the courage shown by the early Christians of the NewTestament—individuals like Peter, John, Paul? The Apostle Paul suffered beatings, angry mobs, shipwrecks, false imprisonment—just about every variety of physical abuse imaginable. "Thrice was I beaten with rods," Paul says in a letter to the Corinthians, "once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck." Like a warrior entering battle, he must have faced and defeated fear many times.

Who can really say that the time of "perils" like these is past? Don't our times call for Christian warriors just as much as Paul's time did? Courage that bears witness to spiritual truth is not an out-of-date virtue. Something happened in our neighborhood not long ago which brought this lesson home to me.

Three days before Christmas two years ago, a well-liked neighborhood family of four was slain at home by an intruder. As you can imagine, news of this tragedy sent waves of shock through the quiet country villages of our area. I found that although I had a great conviction that God's powerful love could conquer anything, I still felt fear for the safety of my family in our own home.

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