Dr Paul Allen

Most Christians have never heard this story preached from a pulpit. This isn't because the story lacks veracity. This isn't because the story isn't found in Scripture. But because it doesn’t fit the safe, sanitised version of faith we’ve grown comfortable with. After the prophet Elisha died, the Bible says his body was placed in a tomb. No ceremony. No miracle moment. The scene consists solely of bones in the ground. Then something bizarre happens. Raiders are approaching, and a group of men panic while burying another man. In their fear, they throw the corpse into Elisha’s tomb. The body hits Elisha’s bones—and immediately, the dead man comes back to life and stands on his feet (2 Kings 13:20–21). Read that again. A dead man touched the bones of a dead prophet and was resurrected. No prayer. No warning. No explanation. Just power. This wasn’t Elisha doing anything. He was dead. This display wasn’t theatrics. Such an act wasn’t symbolism. The miracle was a raw display of Go...

Paul recognizes the corrosive effect civilian life can have on the soldier of Christ. In 2 Timothy 2:4, Paul tells the young pastor, “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” However, the problem is that Christian soldiers often abandon their posts. They have listened to the enemy's propaganda that tempts them to give up the suffering at the front lines for the comforts of the good life. Rather than standing fast as battlefield Christians, they have become civilian Christians. THE CALL TO BE SOLDIERS To understand what it means to be a civilian Christian, we must first understand the metaphor of the Christian soldier. The early church used soldier imagery to describe the call and conduct of the believer. They used the term miles Christianus (soldier of Christ) in contrast to paganus (heathen or civilian), those who lacked discipline. Paul uses the illustration of a soldier as an example of devotion, courage, and single-min...