There is a passage in Joshua where the Israelites are preparing to surround Jericho and Joshua sees a vision of man standing in front of him with a sword in his hand. He asks the man, “Are you with the enemy or with us?”
The man replies, “Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”
Over the years I have understood that scene more and more. When we battle ideologies in our culture, there are those “claiming Jesus” on their side.
Jesus was a capitalist because…
Jesus was a Republican because…
Jesus was a Democrat because…
Jesus was a socialist because…
We ask of Jesus what Joshua asked of the man in the vision: “Whose side are you on?”
Here is the answer from Jesus: “Neither.”
This is what it comes down to: WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE?
We want Jesus for our agendas. What I am learning over the years is that I have become far less enamored with those agendas because the Kingdom’s agenda is greater and far more powerful. It’s not that we don’t have views and ideas. It’s not that we cloister in our churches and don’t look up. We ACT… but with the Kingdom’s agenda and not our ideological bent.
Yet, this is our great struggle. We want Jesus on our “side.”
Apprentice 2 Jesus 