I preached the sermon on being A Good Soldier in Paris on 10.09.06 in both Montreuil Protestant Evangelical Church (Pastor Samuel Rodrigues)and Clamart Assemblies of God (Pastor Michel Balverde)and I thought it fit to share it with our church this Sunday seeing that one of our good soldiers, Neels Labuschagne, has gone to be with the Lord while I was gone. I commend the soldiers in the church for the way they stood by Catherine and for all the reports of genuine love and support I have heard about them.
If we keep on executing the apostolate (apostolic instructions) as we find them in the epistles, our lives will completely change and we will come to have an entirely new attitude and perspective on life, things and people.
Listen to this sermonThe Good Soldier
22.09.06
Andre Pelser

Both my grandfather Andries and my dad, Andrew, were known as good soldiers. My grandpa was a sniper and was awarded a medal for bravery during the Anglo-Boer War 1989-1902 when he captured four British soldiers with a canon, single handed! His horse took off and stormed the cannon and he could not control the horse. He thought the Brits would blow his head off but they got such a fright when they saw the black horse coming for them, they surrendered on the spot!
My dad was lieutenant in the air force during World War II. He was in charge of the Arsenal. He knew where every nut and bolt was and could tell you how many parts of every piece of battle equipment was left after a hand-out of ammunition. He was also a very good shot. After the war he loved to go hunting and to shoot Kudu’s, Rooibokke, Wild Cats, Elande and the little Duikers or Steenbokkies to make biltong!

My dad used to say the Cockneys make good soldiers because they never complained about conditions and had a good sense of humour. Because they came from the poor side of town they had a very good survival instinct and were street wise. They never expected much and had to learn to laugh about things they could not change. One of the jokes they made was this:
“I got a medal for bravery in the war!”
“You did? How did you get it?”
“I shot the cook!”

Paul writes to his son in the faith and tells him how to be a good soldier for Jesus. Here are several apostolic instructions given to a son in the faith.
II Timothy 2:1-7
1. Become a son in the faith – in other words accept fathering which includes correction and encouragement. A son here is teknon in Greek and means a child that has been produced. Through the labour of the spiritual father, the apostle, Christ has been formed in the life of a disciple and so another son has been produced in the household of God. God gives power to become a son of God to everyone that believes in the Name of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit brings about the new birth. But there needs to be fathering done for that child to grow up in grace.
2. Become strong in the grace of God. Know how to access the grace of God in your life. In every epistle the apostles impart grace and peace to those who read. Strong is dunamis and it implies ability or inner strength. Grace is charis and it speaks of the divine influence in the soul that cause it to reflect about its behaviour and brings gratitude into a life.
3. Remember what you hear from your father in the faith and put it into practice. The Scriptures tell us to follow those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. We are also warned not to be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. That is why we need fathers in the faith who will point out the false doctrines to us.
4. Remember the many witnesses that testify of the truth of the apostolic doctrine.
In the mouth of two or three witnesses a thing shall be established. The safety of belonging to a church helps to guard us against false doctrines. Listen to the testimonies of the people in the church and hear how their lives have been affected and changed by the apostolic doctrine they have heard. Isaiah prophesied and said, one day there will be a Highway of Holiness and those who err have to learn doctrine so that they can walk on it.
5. Commit what you have learned to faithful men who are able to teach others also.
Faithful is peitho and speaks of inner certainty, trustworthy people. They have reflected on what they heard and have fully accepted it so that they have absolute confidence to obey and rely upon what they have heard. They are fully persuaded and they are able to persuade others also. They make friends who want to hear what they have become convinced of. They understand submission and know how to yield to the words of God’s grace that has brought a change in their lives.
6. Take your part in the sufferings of Christ like a good soldier. Hardship includes suffering. The Greek word is kakopatheo and it speaks of enduring hardship and undergoing suffering for the sake of something. Paul told the Ephesian elders that we enter the kingdom of God through much tribulation. We are called to fulfil our part of suffering in the body of Christ. We face tests, trials and tribulations. Tests come to see what we have learned and trials come before promotion. Tribulations are an entry point into new dimensions in the kingdom of God. There are many troubles in the life of a righteous man, says David, but the Lord delivers him out of them all! So when troubles comes, look for the deliverance from the Lord. Temptations are a part of life. We cannot help being tempted. But we look to the Lord who was tempted in all points just as we are, but he never sinned. Therefore he will not allow us to be tempted above our level of competence but will make a way of escape for us so that we will be able to bear the temptations. James says, blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he passes the test he will have developed patience and when patience has had her perfect work in our lives we will be perfected, lacking nothing!
7. Do not entangle yourself in the affairs of the world. Entangle is empleko in Greek and it refers to braiding or plaiting. When we entwine ourselves with too many worldly aspirations and worldly involvements we are not able to do anything for the Lord or for his church. If you are too busy to go to church you are too busy! Cut some things out in your life. The world will occupy all your time if you let it. Buy time and give it to serve the Lord and other people. Do not let your mind constantly be on earthly things, but learn to put it on heavenly, eternal things.
8. Learn to please the One who sent you. Don’t just live for your own pleasure.
Please is aresko and it implies to excite the emotion of someone in a good way. It means the One who sent you agrees with what you do and how you have done it.
9. Expect the One who sent you to take care of you. You do not fight a war at your own expense. Soldier in Greek is stratologeo and it means one who chooses or volunteers to enlist in the army. God is looking for volunteers – not people who are forced to go to church, hating every minute of it. Religion forces people to serve God and actually simply immunises them against God. By the time they complete their confirmation they never want to put their feet in a church building ever again! This is an indictment against the church and its man-made religion that is proof that there is a need of a new move of God’s spirit in every generation! The word stratologeo is made of stratia and lego. Stratia means to be in a camp and lego means to be systematically persuaded by instructions given like orders. In order to be a good soldier of Christ you must know to which camp you belong and where you receive your or