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The purpose of this blog is to touch the lives of those who are on active duty in the military, or who are considering joining, and point them to our other online resources to help them grow in Christ. So it is our hope that this blog will give them a way to stand firm in the Lord in an environment that is very difficult for Christians to live in. Here are the links to the articles:

Reaching the Military for Christ Onward Christian Soldier Before You Join the Military
Women in the Military Military Suicide Epidemic Bearing Arms

If you are a Christian serving in the military, I have not forgotten you. One way that I would like to offer to serve you is by pointing you to some resources that will encourage you in your walk with Christ. One of those is my collection of Christian articles at Writing for the Master. In particular, I recommend Eternal Destinations, Seeking the Lord, Working God's Way, and Be Fruitful and Multiply. If you are a Christian woman serving in the military, please read Women in the Military. Another way I can assist you is with our discipleship school, which is an online, three-year, distance education opportunity called Doulos Training School. Please have a look at it and prayerfully consider whether that is something the Lord would have you do.

And if you are serving in the military, but are not a follower of Christ, or you are gone astray from the Lord (backslidden), I want to tell you that He loves you and died for you. He shed his blood for you on the cross, and is calling you to follow Him. Repent and turn to Him now! I recommend reading my testimony of how I came to know Christ in the military, in my article, The Truth Set Me Free! There are also several other excellent testimonies at Testimonies from Budapest and Eternal Destinations. Below you will find an invitation to know Him personally as Lord and Savior.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Military Suicide Epidemic

I mentioned in my article, Reaching the Military for Christ, that there is a suicide epidemic in the US military with an average of at least one suicide happening per day. According to CNS News, "In 2013, the suicide rate among members of the U.S. armed services on active duty was 18.7 per 100,000, according to data from the Department of Defense (DOD). That was 48 percent higher than the suicide rate among the general population, which was 12.6 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)."

In fact, more US active-duty military are dying from suicide than in combat in the War in Afghanistan (2001–present), as was also the case with the Iraq War (2003-2011). Based on historical data from the DOD, VA (Veterans Administration), and other government sources, more than 114,000 veterans and active military have died from suicide since Sept. 11, 2001.

According an article published by One America News Network on September 27, 2019, "The suicide rate for active duty military members has reached a record high...according to a recent report from the Defense Department, which revealed suicides have been rising at an average of six-percent annually over the past five years. Most recently, the number of service members who took their own life jumped from 285 to 325 between 2017 and 2018. The Pentagon report applies to service members in the Army, Navy and Marine Corps."

However, apparently the DOD and VA leaders have recently ceased their regular, scheduled disclosures of suicide data to the public, which effectively eliminates transparency on the problem of high suicide rates among active military and veterans. 

Since this article was first written, the latest statistics for 2020 only show the suicide rate getting worse. According to AP News, "Military suicides have increased by as much as 20% this year compared to the same period in 2019, and some incidents of violent behavior have spiked as service members struggle under COVID-19, war-zone deployments, national disasters, and civil unrest." (see article).

If you are in the military, feeling depressed or considering suicide, don't take your own life. There is hope for you today. You are precious in God's sight. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die on the cross for you, in order to pay the price for all your sins. 

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (Joh 3:16)

He did this for you, so that you could be forgiven and not have to suffer eternity in hell. But you need to repent of your sin and believe in Him to be saved. Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Act 2:38)

No matter what has happened to you, God still loves you and wants you to live. No matter what you have done, God still loves you and holds out the offer of eternal life in heaven to you. It's a gift, but you must receive it through repentance and faith in Christ.

If you end your life, it will not solve anything or end your troubles. If you kill yourself, you are committing murder, which is a sin, since God has commanded us saying, "You shall not murder" (Exo 20:13). Mercy is available only while you are on earth. You cannot repent or receive mercy after you die. So don't let this be the last thing you do, or else you will perish. Why should you perish? Repent and live!

The answer to this suicide epidemic in the military is not that there needs to be more focus on mental health. The answer is Jesus Christ. He is the Life. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (Joh 14:6). There is no other way to God the Father except through Him.

The emptiness you feel, the hurt, and the depression inside cannot be truly healed any other way. He also said, "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (Joh 10:9-10). The abundant life you long for is only found in Jesus Christ.

I also want to mention that scientific studies have shown that anti-depressants cause patients to have suicidal thoughts. This has been reported by Dr. Andrew Kaufman, MD, and he has a video about it on Youtube. With one of his own patients, who was having suicidal thoughts, he took them off of the anti-depressant medication, and their suicidal thoughts stopped. You can do your own research on this, but this could save your life. He said that the research has actually shown that these anti-depressants don't do patients any good. If there is any question about this in your mind, then you should seek to verify that with unbiased, objective, scientific research.

If you are a Christian serving in the military, I have not forgotten you. One way that I would like to offer to serve you is by pointing you to some resources that will encourage you in your walk with Christ. One of those is my collection of Christian articles at Writing for the Master. In particular, I recommend Eternal Destinations, Seeking the Lord, Working God's Way, and Be Fruitful and Multiply. If you are a Christian woman serving in the military, please read Women in the Military. Another way I can assist you is with our discipleship school, which is an online, three-year, distance education opportunity called Doulos Training School. Please have a look at it and prayerfully consider whether that is something the Lord would have you do. 

If you are considering suicide, please talk to a Christian chaplain or message me through the contact form on this blog. Would you please do that?

And if you are serving in the military, but are not a follower of Christ, or you are gone astray from the Lord (backslidden), I want to tell you that He loves you and died for you. He shed his blood for you on the cross, and is calling you to follow Him. Repent and turn to Him now! I recommend reading my testimony of how I came to know Christ in the military, in my article, The Truth Set Me Free! There are also several other excellent testimonies at Testimonies from Budapest and Eternal Destinations. Below you will find an invitation to know Him personally as Lord and Savior.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical practitioner and nothing in this article should be construed as medical advice.

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.  The "All in the Name of Love" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist. His artwork is available at inspired-art. Quote from AP News copyright Associated Press, all rights reserved.

Author's Note: I also recommend reading The Lord Healed My Backsliding, The Truth Set Me Free!, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Onward Christian Soldier, Women in the Military, Bearing Arms, Demonology 201, New Age-New World Order, Keeping a Good Conscience, The Evil Spirit of Alcohol, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations, Tattoos and Body Piercing, Drifting AwayThe Cost of Discipleship, Costly Grace, The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music, The Kingdom of Darkness, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Is Obedience Optional?, Restored Truth, Aim for Perfection, The Straight and Narrow Path, and Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Six Divine Revelations. Some poems by my daughter that may encourage you are Our Sympathizer, The Meaning of Life, Going Through the Valley, We Want to be Accepted, and Nothing Will Separate. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Reaching the Military for Christ

The military is a large segment of our population that is in great need of outreach with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Having served in the military myself, I have experienced the spiritual wilderness that exists within the Armed Forces.

As you probably already know, the military has become antagonistic to Christianity. Reports have indicated that Christian military chaplains in the US are being prohibited from praying "in the name of Jesus" and using their Bibles. They are being censored and coerced to compromise their standards and to accept non-Christian religious groups as valid, which is essentially the New Age movement. According to a Wikipedia article on US Military Chaplains, there is pressure to prevent chaplains from evangelizing. It stated, "Numerous complaints have been made against chaplains for mandatory prayers, coercion, and using government money to promote Evangelical Christianity."

These are supposed to be the pastors of our military personnel, and they are not being given the freedom to do so according to the Bible. In fact, they are being given training that is anti-christian in nature. Not only is the US military trying to silence our chaplains, they are doing so to other Christian military personnel as well. Christians in the US military face a culture of fear, intimidation, ridicule, mockery, harassment, pressure, antagonism, open hostility, and even unjust punishment for doing right. They are denied the privilege to freely exercise religious freedom. They are prohibited from sharing their faith, forbidden from praying publicly, and even dismissed from duty for refusing to surrender their religious convictions. They are being attacked for holding to the fundamental truths of their Christian faith. They are portrayed as a “right-wing extremists” and “potential terrorists.” Indeed, the US Military has become an overtly anti-Christian institution.

In addition to all these hardships, many of our military personnel are stationed far away from home, away from Church and family, and they may have little or no Christian fellowship. This was my own personal experience in the military in the 1980's, when I was stationed in Germany. Many are stationed overseas in places where the light of the gospel is very dim, and even in Muslim nations, fighting various wars our nation is involved in.

Moreover, there is a suicide epidemic in the US military with an average of at least one suicide happening per day. According to CNS News, "In 2013, the suicide rate among members of the U.S. armed services on active duty was 18.7 per 100,000, according to data from the Department of Defense (DOD). That was 48 percent higher than the suicide rate among the general population, which was 12.6 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)."

The purpose of this new blog is to touch the lives of those who are on active duty in the military, or who are considering joining, and point them to our other online resources to help them grow in Christ. So it is our hope that this blog will give them a way to stand firm in the Lord in an environment that is very difficult for Christians to live in. And we trust it will also help to touch the lives of those who don't know the Lord, as well.

If you are a Christian serving in the military, I have not forgotten you. One way that I would like to offer to serve you is by pointing you to some resources that will encourage you in your walk with Christ. One of those is my collection of Christian articles at Writing for the Master. In particular, I recommend Eternal Destinations, Seeking the Lord, Working God's Way, and Be Fruitful and Multiply. If you are a Christian woman serving in the military, please read Women in the Military. Another way I can assist you is with our discipleship school, which is an online, three-year, distance education opportunity called Doulos Training School. Please have a look at it and prayerfully consider whether that is something the Lord would have you do.

And if you are serving in the military, but are not a follower of Christ, or you are gone astray from the Lord (backslidden), I want to tell you that He loves you and died for you. He shed his blood for you on the cross, and is calling you to follow Him. Repent and turn to Him now! I recommend reading my testimony of how I came to know Christ in the military, in my article, The Truth Set Me Free! There are also several other excellent testimonies at Testimonies from Budapest and Eternal Destinations. Below you will find an invitation to know Him personally as Lord and Savior.

Sources: The following sites will take you away from Doulos Military Ministry:
Faith Crimes: Christian Persecution in Obama’s America‏
Christians Are Being Systematically Purged From The U.S. Military
Military of the Beast : Christian Army Chaplain punished for sharing his Faith
One every 18 hours: Military suicide rate still high despite hard fight...

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.  The "Forget Me Not" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist. His artwork is available at inspired-art.

Author's Note: There are 1.4 million active duty personnel in the US military today. I also recommend reading Before You Join the Military, Onward Christian Soldier, Women in the Military, Bearing Arms, New Age-New World Order, The Truth Set Me Free!, The Rise of Antichrists, Keeping a Good Conscience, The Evil Spirit of Alcohol, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations, Tattoos and Body Piercing, Drifting Away, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, The Lord Healed My Backsliding, Sins That Will Keep You From HeavenThe Cost of Discipleship, Costly Grace, The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music, The Kingdom of Darkness, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Is Obedience Optional?, Restored Truth, Aim for Perfection, The Straight and Narrow Path, and Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Six Divine Revelations. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Monday, January 18, 2016

Onward Christian Soldier

Someone has asked me the question whether it is possible for someone in the military to make it to heaven. That's a good question, and it's about as difficult to answer as whether a lawyer or a rich man can make it to heaven. This has nothing to do with the income level of those in the military, but more to do with the challenges of serving the Lord faithfully in the military.

And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. "Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, "Then who can be saved?" And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Mat 19:23-26)

First of all, in response to the question of whether someone in the military can enter heaven, we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph 2:8). We are called to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. You must have faith in Christ to save you, and know that His work of atonement was done to pay the price for you. You must be born again.

Then we need to live out our faith until we reach heaven. That includes (but is not limited to) obedience, righteousness, holiness, truth, love, and total submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, as well as being led by the Holy Spirit. If one has true, "saving faith," then they will have deeds to show for it.

So if one meets the biblical standards to qualify for the prize, as Paul put it in 1 Cor 9:24-27, then they will one day reach the kingdom of God.

As for one's occupation, once we become a disciple of Christ, we must obey Him in all things, and that includes our purpose and calling. When I got saved, I was in the US Army infantry. And the soldier who led me to Christ had recently gotten saved also. So we were two soldiers that the Lord called out of darkness into light, while we were serving in the military. Once I gave my life to Christ, I sought to be a light to those around me, who may have never otherwise seen what a true, Christian soldier was like. I fell short of God's glory and His perfect standard, in attempting to do this, but God forgave me when I repented and I believe He used my witness. When my 3-year military service period was completed, I got out, since that was not my calling in life.

That being said, there are soldiers in the Bible who were saved, such as Joshua, Caleb, David, Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and Cornelius (
Heb 11:32; Acts 10). When a Roman centurion asked Jesus to simply say the word, so that his servant would be healed, Jesus did not tell him he needed to get out of the military. Rather He commended the man for his faith. "Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, 'Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.'" (Mat 8:10). Then He told the man to go, and it would be done for him just as he had believed. "And the servant was healed that very moment." (Mat 8:13b). Moreover, when some soldiers asked John the Baptist -- the greatest prophet ever to live until Christ came -- what they should do, he did not tell them to stop being soldiers. Rather, he said to them, "Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages." (Luk 3:14b).

The Lord also used soldiers in the apostle Paul's life to help him. Roman soldiers rescued Paul from a mob of Jews who were beating and seeking to kill him (Ac 21:31-32; 23:27), and on another occasion, soldiers helped him safely escape from a plot to kill him (Ac 23:23,31-33). A Roman centurion treated Paul with consideration and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care (Act 27:3). The same centurion also kept his soldiers from killing Paul at sea, because he wanted to bring him safely through (Ac 27:42-44). In fact, through Paul's imprisonment, the gospel made progress among the whole Praetorian Guard (Phil 1:13), which was an elite armed force of bodyguards used by Roman emperors. This was a private force of soldiers chosen from among the ranks of the Army, and Paul's imprisonment for Christ was well know among them. Therefore, while I am not saying that all these soldiers in Paul's life made it to heaven, we do see in Scripture many positive things that God did in and through soldiers, but nothing at all about any requirement for these soldiers to leave their occupation.

There are also many different occupations within the military, including office clerks, cooks, photographers, truck drivers, doctors, nurses, electricians, etc, so not everyone is a combat infantry soldier like I was. Being a combatant has its own set of special challenges, since there are some very serious moral issues involved with taking human life, particularly if the war is not a just war, and one’s country calls upon him to fight in it. Down through history, governments have been notorious for engaging in unjust wars and using their military might to commit atrocities, and shed innocent blood, which obviously a Christian should never participate in. So this is why it can be even more challenging to be a military combatant soldier in any country. (Also see Bearing Arms).

No matter what a person's job is in the military, they must never compromise their faith in Christ, in order to carry out the mission or to obey their leaders. This is critical. They must stand strong for Christ in a wicked and perverse generation. They must be a light to those around them. They must perform their service with love and integrity. Everything must be done as unto the Lord, in the name of Jesus, for the glory of God, and with thanks.

Having served in the military myself during the cold war of the 1980's, I understand the serious challenges of being a disciple of Christ in that environment. That's why I would not counsel a Christian person to join the military. But in some countries, it is required for every young man to serve in the military for a certain number of years, such as 2 yrs. South Korea has such a requirement. In that case, they don't have much choice. But if they have a choice, I do not advise it, unless God is specifically calling them to that arena. There will be many temptations and challenges to face, which could prove to be too much for a weak believer to overcome. If you are considering enlistment or reenlistment in the military, then before you decide, please read
Before You Join the Military and Reaching the Military for Christ.

Likewise, if someone is already serving a tour of duty that they have committed to, and they are a Christian, they should not assume they are supposed to remain in that career for life, or assume they are supposed to return to being a civilian. They should pray and ask the Lord what He wants them to do, and whether He wants them to continue serving, or accept an honorable discharge when their period of service ends and the time comes to renew their commitment for another term of service.

So one must be led by the Holy Spirit and obey the Lord. If the Lord calls you to serve in the military, then obey Him. If God calls you to be a preacher, then you would have to stoop to be a king. 


If you are a Christian serving in the military, one way that I would like to offer to serve you is by pointing you to some resources that will encourage you in your walk with Christ. One of those is my collection of Christian articles at Writing for the Master. In particular, I recommend Eternal Destinations, Seeking the Lord, Working God's Way, and Be Fruitful and Multiply.  Another way I can assist you is with our discipleship school, which is an online, three-year, distance education opportunity called Doulos Training School. Please have a look at it and prayerfully consider whether that is something the Lord would have you do. If you are a Christian woman serving in the military, please read Women in the Military.

And if you are serving in the military, but are not a follower of Christ, or you are gone astray from the Lord (backslidden), I want to tell you that He loves you and died for you. He shed his blood for you on the cross, and is calling you to follow Him. Repent and turn to Him now! I recommend reading my testimony of how I came to know Christ in the military, in my article, The Truth Set Me Free! There are also several other excellent testimonies at Testimonies from Budapest and Eternal Destinations. Below you will find an invitation to know Him personally as Lord and Savior.

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.  The "Not Alone" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist. His artwork is available at inspired-art.

Author's Note: I also recommend reading Before You Join the Military, Reaching the Military for Christ, Keeping a Good Conscience, Bearing Arms, The Evil Spirit of Alcohol, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations, Tattoos and Body Piercing, Drifting Away, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, The Lord Healed My Backsliding, Sins That Will Keep You From HeavenThe Cost of Discipleship, Costly Grace, The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music, The Kingdom of Darkness, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Is Obedience Optional?, Restored Truth, Aim for Perfection, The Straight and Narrow Path, Women in the Military, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Six Divine Revelations, and Unselfish Hearts. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Women in the Military

Four US F-15 pilots walk to their jets
Women have made many great sacrifices serving in the military and made many valuable contributions. That cannot be denied or diminished. However, a shift has taken place in the military that has blurred the distinctions between men and women. I would like to discuss this important matter from a biblical perspective.

The world has been deceived by the devil and is under the control of satan, who is the god of this world. So it's no wonder the world does the things it does, such as neutralizing the genders and creating a unisex culture. It has placed women into roles that were meant by God to be fulfilled by men. I am not being sexist here, assigning a lower status to women, or discriminating against women. I am telling you what the Bible says.

In the Beginning
We can find this clearly in the account of the creation. The beginning of all doctrine is found in the book of Genesis, so let's have a look.

It says, "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Gen 1:27). That means just what it says. God created man in His own image, both male and female. His image is seen in both genders.

But just as there are unique purposes for everything God created, men have their unique, God-given purpose and women have theirs.

"Then the LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.'" (Gen 2:18). One key word here is "helper" (Hebrew, "ezer", aid, help). Another key word is "suitable" (Hebrew, "neged", counterpart, mate). When we combine these two terms, we see that God's purpose for woman was to be a counterpart or mate to aid or help the man.

Although everything God made was good, He saw that it was not good for man to be alone. So God created all the animals out of the ground (Gen 2:19), just as He had made man from the dust. But the animals were not made in God's image as man was. "The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him." (Gen 2:20). That means that out of all creation, none of the living creatures were found to be a suitable helper for the man. Again the key expression here is "suitable helper" or "counterpart that aids". Woman has a special and unique role that no man or animal can fulfill.

"So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.'" (Gen 2:21-23)

Rather than form woman from the ground as He had done with Adam and the animals, God fashioned a woman from one of the man's ribs taken from his side. She was taken out of man and made from his own bones, so that he could say she was flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones. That's very special. That's intimacy.

The Scriptures tell us that this is the reason a man is supposed to be joined to his wife in marriage, and it is why they shall become one flesh. "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." (Gen 2:24). Since woman was taken from man and became bone of his bones, flesh of his flesh, God intended that the two of them would be reunited as one flesh in holy matrimony together.

This is the basic purpose that God had for women, and He commanded the couple to be fruitful and multiply. That means they were supposed to have children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. A man, his wife, and there children form a family, and that is the basic unit of society.

But once we take the roles that God assigned and we mix them up or confuse them, we frustrate the purposes of God and negatively impact the outcomes in society. From this comes a host of social ills. Therefore, let's keep things in their proper order and avoid creating more problems for ourselves.

Changing the Order
Of course, Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, did not do as God said. Satan deceived the woman into eating of the one tree in the garden that God had commanded them not to eat from, which was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She in turn gave some of the fruit to Adam and he ate, so they both fell into sin, from the perfect state of innocence, in which God had originally created them.

One of the consequences of the fall was that the woman's desire would be for her husband and he would rule over her. To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you." (Gen 3:16). This means that she would want to take his role and authority, and he would rule over her. As a result of this, God's natural order for man and woman was disrupted.

However, in Christ, that order is restored. Man is supposed to love his wife, care for her, provide for her and their children, and the woman is supposed to submit to her husband as the Church submits to Christ.

Paul said, "For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman's sake, but woman for the man's sake." (1Co 11:8-9)

"And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression." (1Ti 2:14). Therefore, when God's natural order for man and woman is changed, and woman is in authority over man, it results in some outcomes that God did not intend.

Paul said, "But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint." (1Ti 2:12-15). Here we can see Paul pointing us back to God's original purpose in the garden, back to the basic family unit organized in its proper order.

He wrote, "For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything." (Eph 5:23-24).

When the roles are crossed, it brings disorder, and that's what we see in society, including the military. Women and their families are suffering for it. Some reports indicate that a woman in the US military is three times more likely to be raped than a woman in the general population. In fact, one report from 2011 showed that "25% of military women have been sexually assaulted, and up to 80% have been sexually harassed" [1].

Early Roles of Women in the Military
Female ambulance drivers, British Voluntary Aid Detachment
The woman's role in the military began as an aid to men in medical positions. Dr. Mary Walker served as a contract surgeon during the US Civil War in 1861. She was not actually a member of the Armed Forces, since women were not authorized to do so at that time, but she served an important role nonetheless. She wore a long dress to perform her duties. Then during the Spanish-American War in 1898, American women served aboard ships and in Cuba as nurses. Again they wore long dresses. The US Navy Nurse Corps came into being in 1908, and the nurses wore long dresses. This pattern continued in World War I (1917-1918), as women served as nurses in the US Navy Nurse Corp and Marine Nurse Corps. The dresses were worn to mid-calf.

Then things began to change in the 1940's, during World War II. In addition to the US Navy Corps, there were Women Marines, Navy WAVES, Army WACS, and Coast Guard SPARS. The women's uniform grew shorter, up to the knee, and the Army WACS wore trousers as their work uniform. In the 1950's and 60's, the US military tried to keep up with fashion, further modifying the woman's military uniforms in the WAC and WAF. You can see this entire progression in photos here [2]. The trend continued to what we have today, which is women wearing pants for their uniform.

Female US Marines on patrol in Afghanistan
I will simply say that, according to the Bible, "A woman shall not wear man's clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman's clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God." (Deu 22:5). In fact, the Hebrew language in this passage indicates that a woman must not wear anything that pertains to a man. This is expressed in the King James Version, which says, "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God." (Deu 22:5, KJV). You can disagree with that if you want to, but that's what the Bible says, and I have treated the topic more fully in my article, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?.

As I have stated, women in the US military initially carried out support roles in the medical field, then in WW I and II, in the clerical, engineering, and photo analysis fields. Of course, they served in certain other special roles, too, including the WASPS, which were test pilots for fighter planes. However, they were prohibited from serving in any direct combat roles until January 2013, when the ban was lifted. In November of that same year, three women completed training in the US Marine Corps Infantry, although they were not yet allowed to serve in infantry roles. As of this month, January 2016, all combat jobs in the US military are open to women. This will probably lead to an increase in the incidence of sexual assault on females and its associated "military sexual trauma" (MST) [3], [4]. It will also increase the number of women in war zones and the incidence of mental illness among them, because government research indicates that females are more likely than males to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [5].

Do you see how we have gotten here to this point? This is not God's order or design. It is not His purpose for women to serve in men's roles, but that is what the military has done. Wikipedia has an excellent article, called Women in Combat, showing how this same trend has happened historically up to the present in other nations of the world also [6].

Biblical Women in the Military
There is only one instance in the Bible where a woman is seen in combat, and that is the account of Deborah, a married prophetess, who went with Barak in the battle against Sisera. So this is an abnormality in Scripture, and even in that case, Barak was the one God had appointed to lead the armies of Israel to victory. God's purpose was for Barak to lead triumphantly, and He promised to give Sisera into his hand (Jdg 4:7), but since Barak refused to go without Deborah, she went along with him. Although there is no evidence in Scripture that she actually fought in the battle, she correctly predicted that the honor would not belong to him but to a woman, which was not God's original intent.

"Then Barak said to her, 'If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.' She said, 'I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.' Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.'" (Jdg 4:8-9). Because Barak abdicated his divinely-given role, God gave Sisera into the hands of a woman, named Jael, who lured him to sleep in her tent and drove a tent peg through his head (Jdg 4:21).

One could hardly say that either Deborah the prophetess or Jael served in the Israeli military. They were not in the military, and it was not God's purpose for them to be. This incident happened outside God's perfect will. God was capable of giving Sisera into Barak's hands, just as He promised He would do. The fact that God ultimately gave Sisera's life into the hands of a woman shows that He could have just as easily done it through Barak. But due to his own doubts and fears, he lost the chance to receive that honor, although he was still listed in Scripture as one who by faith became mighty in war and put foreign armies to flight (Heb 11:32-34).

Suicide Rate
It should also be noted that the rate of suicide among female veterans of the US military is called "staggering." According to an article by the LA Times, "For women ages 18 to 29, veterans kill themselves at nearly 12 times the rate of nonveterans. In every other age group, including women who served as far back as the 1950s, the veteran rates are between four and eight times higher, indicating that the causes extend far beyond the psychological effects of the recent wars." [7]. This is especially alarming, since the rate of suicide among men is normally higher than women. This obscene suicide rate among female veterans reveals the ultimately negative impact military service has upon women. Also see Military Suicide Epidemic.

Putting it All Together
I hope that this little article has helped to put things back into their proper, biblical perspective, regarding women in the military. While the support roles historically and presently carried out by women do serve an important function, there is no Scriptural basis for women wearing that which pertains to a man, including men's clothing and weapons, or being in combat roles.

Adam was created first. Woman was created to be man's suitable helper, or counterpart aid. They are meant to be married as one flesh together, and raise a family together. Woman was not meant to take over her husband's role or authority. He was to be the provider, the protector, and the defender. But the world has reversed those roles abnormally, making women the defender and protector of men, which is not God's design.

I just want to say that I appreciate the sacrifices women have made for the US military. Many women have given their lives for our country. Others have served overseas, away from their families, in order to support our troops. They have paid a great price. And still others have been military wives for decades, raising their children alone at times, while their husbands were off fighting wars. I want to express my gratitude to all our women in the military. But I also want to caution you not to conform to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom 12:1-2).

If you have been deceived by the enemy and fallen into his traps set for you in the military, then please repent and believe in Jesus Christ. He still loves you, but His standard for heaven is high and He is not going to change it for anybody.  He is coming right away, but He is only coming for the holy ones.

"Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord GOD, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?' (Eze 33:11).

If you are a Christian serving in the military, one way that I would like to offer to serve you is by pointing you to some resources that will encourage you in your walk with Christ. One of those is my collection of Christian articles at Writing for the Master. In particular, I recommend Eternal Destinations, Seeking the Lord, Working God's Way, and Be Fruitful and Multiply. If you are a Christian woman serving in the military, please read Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing? Another way I can assist you is with our discipleship school, which is an online, three-year, distance education opportunity called Doulos Training School. Please have a look at it and prayerfully consider whether that is something the Lord would have you do.

And if you are serving in the military, but are not a follower of Christ, or you are gone astray from the Lord (backslidden), I want to tell you that He loves you and died for you. He shed his blood for you on the cross, and is calling you to follow Him. Repent and turn to Him now! I recommend reading my testimony of how I came to know Christ in the military, in my article, The Truth Set Me Free! There are also several other excellent testimonies at Testimonies from Budapest and Eternal Destinations. Below you will find an invitation to know Him personally as Lord and Savior.

Footnotes: The following sites will direct your browser away from the Doulos Military Ministry blog:
[1] Sexual Assault in the United States Military.
[2] Military Women's Uniforms - Past and Present.
[3] Women at war face sexual violence.
[4] Military to open combat jobs to women.
[5] Mental Health Effects of Serving in Afghanistan and Iraq
[6] Women in Combat.
[7] Suicide rate of female military veterans is called 'staggering'

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. All photos are in the public domain.

Author's Note: I also recommend reading Before You Join the Military, Military Suicide Epidemic, Bearing Arms, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Garments of Godliness, Seven Reasons to Believe the Seven Divine Revelations, Keeping Your Body Pure and Holy, Faith Works!, Keeping a Good Conscience, Onward Christian Soldier, Tattoos and Body Piercing, Drifting Away, The Lord Healed My Backsliding, Sins That Will Keep You From HeavenThe Cost of Discipleship, Costly Grace, The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music, The Kingdom of Darkness, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Is Obedience Optional?, Restored Truth, Aim for Perfection, The Straight and Narrow Path, and The Marine Kingdom and Queen of the Coast. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Friday, January 15, 2016

Bearing Arms

The matter of bearing arms is an important topic, and one which has many aspects to it. I am not going to address every aspect, but primarily the ones related to serving in the military, which will have broader application in other arenas. Let me begin with the basic question, "Is it right for a Christian to bear arms in public service, such as in the military?"

Biblical Soldiers
As I already mentioned in my previous article, Onward Christian Soldier, there are plenty of biblical examples of righteous and God-fearing soldiers, and I listed many of them. These men all carried the sword.

Submission to Rulers and Authorities
Moreover, Scripture teaches us to submit to rulers and authorities, and to be obedient. The apostle Paul wrote to Titus:

"Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed," (Tit 3:1)

The reason we submit to the governing authorities is because they were established by God, and all authority is from God. Paul wrote to the Romans:

"Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake." (Rom 13:1-5)

He said the governing authority does not bear the sword for nothing. The authorities bear the sword to maintain law and order in society, and as avengers, they bring wrath on those who practice evil. That being said, let's now look at the possible risks of Armed Forces being used for evil.

No Compromise!
Since this is a fallen world and the government is unregenerate (not Christian), the authorities are sometimes used by satan as agents to carry out his purposes. Down through world history, governing authorities have often used their deadly force to do evil.

However, under no circumstances should a disciple of Christ, serving in the Armed Forces, ever participate in such things. As I explained in Onward Christian Soldier, a soldier must never compromise his faith in Christ, in order to carry out the mission or to obey his leaders. Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the three Hebrew young men in Babylon, who refused to bow to the king's idol. Remember the prophet Daniel's refusal to stop praying. Remember the apostles Peter and John refusing to obey the Jewish ruling council that ordered them to stop preaching in Jesus' name. On one occasion they said, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;" (Act 4:19). On a separate occasion, they said, "We must obey God rather than men." (Act 5:29)

While it is necessary to submit to authority, we must never obey orders to do what is unlawful, immoral, evil, oppressive, or unjust. When the military service involves things like infanticide, unlawful killings, or oppression, then a soldier must refuse to participate. Obviously, taking such a stand may very likely result in punishment for the soldier, but since he is doing right in God's sight, this is commendable and pleases the Lord. He should accept the punishment, and may resign or take the consequences of avoiding military service for the sake of conscience toward God and his faith in Jesus Christ. God will protect you and keep you.

When the three Hebrew youths refused to bow, they were thrown into the fiery furnace, but the Lord sent His angel and rescued them from the flames and they were not even burned. When Daniel refused to obey the law against praying to God, he was thrown into the lion's den, but the Lord sent His angel and rescued him from the mouths of the lions, so that they did not attack and eat him. When Peter and John refused to stop preaching in Jesus' name, they were thrown into prison, but the Lord sent His angel and enabled them to escape. Trust the Lord to rescue you, and don't give into the enemy, no matter what. (Also see Angelic Escape from Terrorist Assassins).

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, whom I wrote about in my article, The Cost of Discipleship, was a pastor in Nazi Germany during the 1930's, who evaded military service, because he knew that Hitler's war was unjust. He felt that there would never be a situation where Christian brothers should kill each other for any reason. And I suppose that since he had Christian brothers in England and the United States, he could not in good conscience participate in fighting against them for the Nazi cause. Some of his Bible school students, whom he had trained for ministry, were conscripted into military service and ended up dead on the front lines, which saddened him. He helped Jews to escape from Germany. Eventually, in order to avoid being conscripted like they were, he accepted an undercover role in the German Army's Intelligence Department. There he assisted the resistance movement that worked covertly and unsuccessfully to assassinate Hitler. This eventually got him imprisoned, where he was eventually assassinated. Therefore, when we take a stand for what is right, it may sometimes cost us our life.

Living and Dying by the Sword
Finally, I would like to mention that Jesus had His disciples bring along two swords to the Mount of Olives on the night He was betrayed (Lk 22:36-38). This was not for the purpose of defending Him, but to fulfill the Scripture that said He was numbered with the transgressors (v. 37). The Lord was not advocating the private use of weapons by Christians in their gospel work. In fact, when Peter struck the high priest's servant with his sword, during the initial arrest of Jesus, the Lord ordered him to stop (Luk 22:51). Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword." (Mat 26:52). Then he touched the man's ear, which Peter had cut off, and He healed him. 

When He said that all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword, He meant what He said. It's basically the law of reciprocity. You reap what you sow. If you live that way, wielding the sword against others, it will eventually come back at you sooner or later, like it did for Dietrich's students who died on the battle field. Some people believe this means that a Christian may never bear arms in the Armed Forces or law enforcement agencies. Others believe that it does not stop a Christian from serving in a righteous and God-fearing way in these professions, but that it prohibits their participation in unjust uses of deadly force, such as those I have already mentioned earlier. I tend to agree with this latter viewpoint, provided that you can do so in good conscience. 

There is also the viewpoint that the Lord was forbidding the private, personal use of a weapon for one's own protection or to do evil. Obviously a Christian should never do evil under any circumstances, but I think there is also a strong case from the Lord's teaching to support the prohibition against Christians bearing arms privately in a manner that is not part of their service for a governing authority. As I said in my opening, that is outside the scope of this article.

Not of This World
The Lord also explained to governor Pilate that His kingdom is not of this world, otherwise His servants would have fought to keep Him from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, His kingdom is not of this realm (Joh 18:36). Therefore, let us remember the words of our Lord, who said that His kingdom is not of this world. If you are part of His kingdom, then you are not of this world, even though you may be in the world (Joh 15:19; 17:16). We are aliens and strangers here, being members of The Secret Kingdom

The kingdom of God operates on different principles than this world does. We understand that our battle is "not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Eph 6:12). We don't war according to the flesh. We have been given the armor of God, and these are the weapons we must use. We have weapons of righteousness. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal or worldly, but they are mighty through God. They are divinely powerful for the pulling down of strongholds (2 Cor 10:4). 

When you follow Jesus, you need to learn how to pray, how to battle the devil, how to cast out demons, and destroy the works of the evil one in the name of Jesus. More importantly than target-practicing to hone your skills with a worldly weapon, you need to realize that God has angels on assignment to protect you, and you need to pray that He will send them to your aid when you need them. If Jesus had wanted to, He said He could have appealed to the Father, and He would have immediately put at His disposal more than twelve legions of angels. (Mat 26:53).

As I wrote in my article, Angelic Escape from Terrorist Assassins, my dear brother Michael Sambo was captured by terrorists, who shot him at point blank range, and the bullets did not hit him. The Lord sent a mighty angel to protect him by blocking the bullets and helping him escape to freedom. That's the way we need to learn to operate in this world.

Putting it All Together
I hope this has helped to give you some Scriptural guidance on the subject of bearing arms. I think it clearly showed the legitimacy of the governing authorities maintaining Armed Forces and people submitting to those authorities. And I trust that it also adequately emphasized the need to avoid at any cost all forms of evil associated with bearing arms.

If you have used government-issue weapons (or weapons of any kind) for the purpose of infanticide, unlawful killings, innocent bloodshed, or oppression, then repent right now, and ask the Lord to forgive you. Turn back to God so that He may have mercy on you. But remember that mercy is only available on earth, so don't delay repentance. You don't know when your life on earth will end, and you need to get right with God now. Today is the day of salvation.

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.  The "Entering In" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist. His artwork is available at inspired-art.

Author's Note: I also recommend reading Onward Christian Soldier, Now is the Day of Salvation, The Truth Set Me Free!, Overcomers in This Life, The Afflictions of the Righteous, Angelic Escape from Terrorist Assassins, Is it Always a Sin to Not Tell the Truth?, The End Time Saints, Keeping a Good Conscience, The Glory of Martyrdom for Christ, Sins That Will Keep You From HeavenThe Cost of Discipleship, The Kingdom of Darkness, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Is Obedience Optional?, Restored Truth, Aim for Perfection, The Straight and Narrow Path. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.