Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Jesus Cropped from the Picture

are dependent on their leaders for survival and direction. Also, sheep and soldiers function in groups (flocks and platoons).

But there are differences as well. God cares for his sheep, tenderly nursing them back to health when they are downtrodden and discouraged. His heart for the poor, marginalized, and broken is one reason there are so many comforting images of “shepherds” and “still waters” (James 2.5, Luke 4.18, Isa. 61.1-4). If there were only military metaphors, believers might be tempted to screen out the weak, like those “looking for a few good men.” The Church is not comprised of an exclusive, elite guard of Navy Seals. It is a family that welcomes the lowest, weakest, and most vulnerable. Even children are at the top of the Kingdom’s priorities (Matt. 18.4). So while believers are soldiers, they also treasure the weakest among them. No one is expendable. While God cares for people at their lowest, his desire is to transform the weak so they are strong. His grace is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12.9), so people can fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6.12), but not in the fleshly way of the world (2 Cor. 10.4). The Church engages the world, the flesh, and the devil through the power of the Holy Spirit, as they love and forgive one another, gently displaying all the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5.22-23). When Jesus is cropped from the picture , Christians lose their wartime footing and become confused about their purpose. The SLIM life is one that “is not working for me.” The EPIC life, though difficult, is full of meaning and purpose.

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