EXPOSITION:
An army can be defined as a group of people selected and equipped to advance the cause of a nation or kingdom. Thus, to liken the church to an army depicts the church as God’s primary instrument of combat against systems of the world which militate against the reign of godly principles and values. Like an army, the Church exists for both defensive and offensive operations. The offensive operation does not suggest violence, but underscores the constant and needful warfare the church must wage to ‘take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’.
To see the Church as an Army of God is crucial in these times. It projects the primary mission of the Church and appeals to the battle sense of the Church Militant. It is a wake-up call to the reality of the continuous battle against powers of this dark world, spirit of deception and spiritual forces of evil that cause humanity to rebel against God. ‘’’
Some arguments and philosophies which cause humans to rebel against God include moral relativism (that is, what is morally right or wrong depends on individuals, and there is no absolute), self-existentialism (exploring the human existence through thinking, feeling and acting), hedonism (the pursuit of pleasure or self-indulgence) and religious pluralism (the belief that all religions are salvific and all religions are good and are of equal value).
The army of God must not panic and throw her hands in despair at the mention and expression of such beliefs and perceptions. Rather, the Church must mobilise her troops and equip them to sufficiently engage their spheres and take them captive through the power of the Holy Spirit. For this mission, the Church as an army is calling on all members to make themselves available to be equipped and unleashed into their respective territories to influence them for Christ.