Saint Paul, in writing to the Christians of his day, urges them to be
"good soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ." If every Christian is a
soldier, then the Church ought to be called "the Christian Army." And
this makes plainer to us what it means to join the Church.
Armies, as you know, are divided into regiments, and regiments into
companies. Every soldier in the army belongs to a certain company. If a
man said that he wanted to belong to the United States Army, but that he
did not want to join any particular regiment or company, but that he
intended to be a soldier "in general," people would laugh at him. He
would be like a man who took his gun and went out all alone to fight
against Spain when we were at war with her. Or it would be as if a man
in a city should say that he wanted to fight fire, but instead of
joining a fire company, he would snatch up his pail and run alone to put
out the fire every time there was an alarm.
Now, in the Christian army there are also regiments and companies. The
different denominations, like the Presbyterians, the Methodists, the
Baptists, the Congregationalists, and so on, are the regiments. The
Churches like this and other Churches are the companies in the army.
So, when anyone says he wants to make war on wickedness and to bring in
the reign of love and peace and good-will which Christ started His
Church to fight for, we ask him to join one of the companies of the
Christian army. That is, we ask him to join a Church.
You may ask if one cannot be a Christian outside of the Church. I
answer, Yes, he can. But he is very much like the man with his pail
running to put out the fire, or the lone soldier. He can do better work
if he works with others. Furthermore, Christ said, "He that confesseth
me before men, him will I confess before my Father which is in heaven,
and he that denieth me before men, him will I deny before my Father
which is in heaven." In joining the Church you confess Christ.
You may ask me too, how old one should be before he can join the
Christian army, known as the Church of God. I answer, there is no set
age. Some boys and girls are ready to join before others. One little
girl who was going to join the Church was told by some of the members of
her Sunday-school class that she wasn't old enough. She replied, "Anyone
who is old enough to know right from wrong is old enough to join the
Church." If you are trying honestly day by day to be like Christ and to
do His will, and you wish to be a better soldier of the cross, then you
are ready to join the Church.
In the Christian army there are old and young, rich and poor, wise and
simple, all under the one flag,--the banner of the Cross; all under the
one Captain,--even Jesus Christ. And the best thing about our Captain
is, He has never lost a battle yet, and never will. All those who enlist
under His flag are sure to win, and to hear God's "Well done."