Give me War

"Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." Luke 12:51-53

How are we divided? Let's look at what is being said and what is left inferred in other passages.
A father and son in disunity
A mother and daughter in disunity
A daughter-in-law and mother-in-law in disunity

But father and mother, the married couple are unified.
The siblings show no strife between them.
The daughter-in-law may as well be the mother.
Couple against their children and their parent.

May as well be against the world.
But aren't they?
Jesus calls himself the bridegroom of the church.
It is said that what God has put together no man can separate.
There is so much emphasis on the relationship of marriage...

And none on any other.
In fact, he claims division even at our most basic.
Our core.

What does it mean to be a follower of Christ?
To be a house divided?
To have every one in the world stacked up against you?
As long as you're holding onto the arm of Jesus, yes.
He is saying to join him against the world.
Abandon your family.
Abandon your earthly ties.
Abandon your sin.
Abandon all so that you can be with him.

Everything that makes a relationship toxic...
Everything that makes a relationship cultish...
Everything that makes a relationship separate from the world...
Do it all
Do it with Jesus.

With Love, it cannot go sour.
Hopeless abandon.
Blood is not strong enough.
Brotherhood is not good enough.
But the Love of the Lord?
It is the only thing that is enough.

We keep putting our Christianity into this nice box.
Jesus came for the poor.
Jesus was a good person.
Jesus cared about love.
Jesus served the needy.
But
We aren't listening.

When Jesus hung out with Samaritans...
And we who call ourselves Christian are visibly racist.
When Jesus ate with the tax collectors...
And we demand harsher and harsher penalties for crime.

Jesus left towns of starving, needy people to continue on.
Jesus rebuked those who became materialistic.
Jesus said he wasn't here to help... but to cause discord.
Jesus kept reminding his disciples to focus and listen.
So what weren't they getting?

The battle to come.
The battle for souls reached out across the stars between Heaven and Hell.
The toll of conflict.
The toll of peace.

We aren't listening.

The world is coming to end, the nigh is near.
Dusk is approaching and... we aren't lighting our candles.
Settle into depths of night, close our eyes, let sleep wash over us.
The sleep of death.

Fight back!
Don't let him rob you in the night.
The flaccid are the first to fall.
The opposition follows.

An attack is approaching and we're still on the coach, sipping a beer.

Give me war.
Let me taste the blood of the fallen and my injuries.
It's time to stand and let the Sword of Truth rise.

Persecution is surrounding us, enclosing the world in its prison.
Gather together, we're in a time of waiting.
Like Russia, we're letting them draw us in.
But it's almost time to conquer them in the night!

Come, come!

Listen.

We are alone in Jesus.
Neighbors leave us.
Family persecutes us.
Children desert us.
Friends abandon us.
But.
We are with the Lord.

So let's start acting like it.

Stop picking your losses and
Give me war.

We're needing soldiers.