The other day in class, we began to discuss whether or not a soldier should attend another church. Here are the thoughts I came up with:
First, one must understand that the Salvation Army is just that; a salvation army. We are not meant to be a church. Originally it was a social justice movement in the Methodist church, but the Methodists wouldn't accept the poor, so they began to have their own church meetings. That's how I understand it anyway.
Second, we need to understand that the Salvation Army is a people. Actually, we are a covenant people. We are like the Rachabites within the nation of Israel. Israel was one people under one God. The Rachabites were a covenanted people within the nation of Israel. The Body of Christ is one people under one God. The Salvation Army is a covenanted people within the Body.
Okay, I know this is getting pretty heavy, so if you're scratching your head and wonding what a covenant people is or what's a Rachabite, I'll explain these concepts in greater depth later. So if you don't get it, that's okay, I didn't get it a couple of months ago, but I've been learning a lot. The Spirit is a great teacher!
Back to my point. We are a covenant people. We're not a bunch of random folks with similar views. We are not only united under one God, like the Body is, but we are united under that same God and covenanted to Him with a common covenant and common purpose. That sets us apart, in the sense that we are uniquely united. So we foster community together in mission/worship. For a soldier to go out and find fellowship apart from our people may show that he/she is dissatisfied with the fellowship of our people.
This isn't to say a soldier should never seek relationship with non-covenanted Christians or that as the Army we should isolate ourselves. On the contrary, as a part of the Body of Christ, we need to work with all of the other parts to complete our great commission. This is only in the context of single soliders looking for extra-community fellowship.
One might say that they desire to go to a separate congregation to 'be fed.' I would say in response, as soldiers we are to be fed through fostering a personal relationship with our God and through service.
30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him. 31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." 32 But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. (John 4)
If a soldier needs to go to a separate congregation to be fed, the problem may not be that he/she is not being fed in his/her community, but that he/she needs to spend more time away with the Father and more time is serving.
I'm not trying to create a legalistic law. I'm really only giving my opinion on a matter discussed in a specific context in class. So if this feels like an attack, don't worry about it. To be honest, most of the Western Army as I know it is not acting as a covenant people anyway. I think we may have lost a lot of what it means to be in covenant. Maybe I'm wrong and super naive, whatever. I'm just another sinner saved by grace. But this makes sense to me in the context of the original argument. Please post your opinions. May we, as a people, be brought into all truth by the power of the Holy Spirit! | 