2Timothy 2:3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer.

As soldiers in the Lord’s kingdom, we honour our brothers and sisters who have and wear their robes of righteousness, which declare their position of being in Christ through the grace of God. We do not get entangled with the affairs of the world because we are not of the secular system. 2Tim. 2:4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer. John the Baptist was greater than any prophet of the Old Testament, but according to the Word of God, we rank higher (if I can use that expression of measurement) in the kingdom of God. Matt. 11:11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Our position and rank in Christ is one of grace and righteousness that has been given to us through the finished work of the cross that Jesus was nailed to for our sake.

A soldier lives his or her life according to the rules of the army they are part of. They take their orders from those who lead and have been promoted to a position of ranked authority. They display their authority, which is signified by the collar insignias, pins, and sleeve epaulettes that clearly state the rank and position they hold as officers. Honour and respect are expected to be given to the rank on their collar. Whether the rank is that of a Sergeant or a top General, they are obeyed so that order and discipline are maintained throughout the military organization. Lives are lived within the boundaries and rules that the army declares to be the code of law and the service they provide.

Christians are admonished to live similar lives that are dedicated to honouring and serving our Heavenly Father. We are to concentrate on the assignments that God has given us, and not to fraternize with the sins of the world. There is a political movement of Christian nationalism that has become disturbing because its mandate is to enforce a North American Christianity upon the world with the strong-arm methods that are similar to the warmongers of this earth. The Word of God says that we are not of this world and that we have no fellowship with it. Even if the Christian nationals were to conquer the world, the Word demonstrate that Christian political views are not necessarily the righteousness of God at work within a soul. Plus, the issue is not the policies in the world system but the state of the heart of those who set the policies. Holiness cannot be legislated; you must be born again.

Jesus did not fret about who was in power. He kept moving toward the mission of redeeming mankind that filled in His heart. Jesus and all the apostles lived in a very hard political environment. Whether it was a rumour or true that Herod wanted to kill Jesus, the Lord did what God the Father wanted Him to do. Luke 13:31 In the same hour, certain Pharisees came near, saying to Him, “Go out and proceed from here, for Herod desires to kill You.” When we are focused on the assignment God has placed within our being, it does not matter what hell is going on in this earth. The Lord makes it clear that we are in the world but not of it. We do not see the Apostles and the Fathers of faith trying to fix politics. They are focused on the issues of the heart that cause evil in politics. There admonition expresses that we are not to be afraid to submit to the authorities, as we are under God’s direction and protection.

Jesus has a response for those who are bringing the political rhetoric about Herod. Luke 13:32 But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal. Talk about Jesus staying on message. Sometimes, the devil and deceptive politicians might be the fox, but our God is the hunter who will destroy all of their prideful foxiness. The little foxes may ruin a vine or two, but Jesus is the keeper and healer of the vineyard. The devil might seem to have an advantage in this world, but the kingdom of God will overcome. Rev. 20:10 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

What we need to do is remember who our general is and who our leaders in the faith are, and let the Holy Spirit lead our hearts and lives into accomplishing what the Lord has created us for and fulfill the assignments we were given. Through the calling that God places on people’s hearts, He builds an army and gives it clear instructions. Eph. 4:11 And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 toward the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.

The rank on our collars is what God says they are. However, the robe of righteousness is the garment of praise we wear that reveals the gift of salvation that God gave us. Let us occupy ourselves with the affairs of the Lord’s kingdom until we are called home, rejoicing in seeing one another finishing the race that we had all gone through, because while we were still sinners, God loved us and gave us God the Son as an eternal gift. What a day that will be.