{"id":1676,"date":"2011-09-09T06:00:54","date_gmt":"2011-09-09T10:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/redletters\/?p=1676"},"modified":"2011-09-06T05:33:56","modified_gmt":"2011-09-06T09:33:56","slug":"never-forget-to-wipe-your-sword","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/2011\/09\/never-forget-to-wipe-your-sword.html","title":{"rendered":"Never Forget to Wipe Your Sword"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"File:Maugrim2005.jpg\"Like Peter of the Narnia books, we are called and knighted to serve a great master and to protect the weak and defenseless.<\/p>\n

This is our calling.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are in a battle without neutral ground. It is the Kingdom of God vs. Satan’s evil in the world. It is Aslan and the Narnians vs. the White Witch and her wolves. C.S. Lewis has another fabulous quote worth remembering:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no neutral ground in the universe; every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like Peter in the passage from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe<\/em>\u00a0posted below, we are called to confront the evil enemies of God’s kingdom.<\/p>\n

We “silence the roar” of the enemy when we stand between<\/strong>\u00a0the evil of this world to protect those in danger. Our enemies are not giant wolves and white witches–they are more complex and nuanced.<\/p>\n

Millions (and maybe even billions) of children face poverty, abandonment, and violence. <\/strong>\u00a0They look for food instead of going to school. They live in orphanages or child-headed households instead of with loving and protective families. They are locked away as slaves–raped, worked, and abused for profit.<\/p>\n

This is the evil we are called to stand against. <\/strong>Like Peter before Maugrim it is time to draw our swords, swallow our fear, and fight for the kingdom of God.<\/p>\n

It is the last line of this passage that sticks with you. Never forget to wipe your sword.\u00a0<\/em>When the battle is over, we wipe the sword, and ready it for what comes next. As long as we have breath…we must remain ready to fight.<\/p>\n

Through the Winter<\/em>\u00a0is one way to stand against the evils facing children. As Russia becomes more closed, God’s reviving work becomes all that more apparent. Ravi Zacharias, upon returning from Russia earlier this year commented that the Russian people sit on the edge of a great revival. And that comes at a time when HopeChest has seen our access to kids restricted.<\/p>\n

By contributing to Through the Winter<\/em>, you’re enabling HopeChest to do three things:<\/p>\n

\n
    \n
      \n
    1. Give every child in our program–1,000 kids–a copy of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe<\/em><\/li>\n
    2. Fund the creation of a brand-new evangelism and discipleship curriculum based on the book<\/li>\n
    3. Provide training to our Russian staff and church partners to use these materials to reach children with the Gospel<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/ol>\n<\/blockquote>\n

      Would you make a donation of $30 to get in the fight to help break the power of winter over the lives of orphans in Russia. Thank you!<\/p>\n

      \"donate_TTW.jpg\"<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

       <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      In this passage, Peter faces Maugrim the wolf–the captain of the White Witch’s secret police:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do. He rushed straight up to the monster and aimed a slash of his sword at its side. That stroke never reached the Wolf. Quick as lightning it turned round, its eyes flaming, and its mouth wide open in a howl of anger. If it had not been so angry that it simply had to howl it would have got him by the throat at once. As it was -though all this happened too quickly for Peter to think at all – he had just time to duck down and plunge his sword, as hard as he could, between the brute’s forelegs into its heart. Then came a horrible, confused moment like something in a nightmare. He was tugging and pulling and the Wolf seemed neither alive nor dead, and its bared teeth knocked against his forehead, and everything was blood and heat and hair. A moment later he found that the monster lay dead and he had drawn his sword out of it and was straightening his back and rubbing the sweat off his face and out of his eyes. He felt tired all over.<\/p>\n

      …<\/p>\n

      Peter, still out of breath, turned and saw Aslan close at hand.<\/p>\n

      “You have forgotten to clean your sword,” said Aslan.<\/p>\n

      It was true. Peter blushed when he looked at the bright blade and saw it all smeared with the Wolf’s hair and blood. He stooped down and wiped it quite clean on the grass, and then wiped it quite dry on his coat.<\/p>\n

      “Hand it to me and kneel, Son of Adam,” said Aslan. And when Peter had done so he struck him with the flat of the blade and said, “Rise up, Sir Peter Fenris-Bane. And, whatever happens, never forget to wipe your sword.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Like Peter of the Narnia books, we are called and knighted to serve a great master and to protect the weak and defenseless. This is our calling.\u00a0 We are in a battle without neutral ground. It is the Kingdom of God vs. Satan’s evil in the world. 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A tireless advocate for fatherless children, Davis has spent most of his adult life calling U.S. believers to become the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to the 143 million orphans living around the world. Through those connections, thousands of orphans now have the bright and hopeful future--one that is filled with opportunities and the love of the one true Father. Davis speaks hundreds of times each year at churches and conferences, mobilizing the church to action on behalf of the poor. He is the author of four books. His most recent novel, SCARED is a fictionalized account of his first-hand experiencing living and working with orphans in Swaziland, Africa. Davis' blog is the premier resource for the latest developments in Christian orphan ministry. Davis also currently teaches courses as adjunct professor at George Fox University in Newberg, OR. When not traveling the globe, Davis resides in the mountains of Colorado in the small community of Palmer Lake. He and his wife Emily have seven children, including two adopted daughters from Russia.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/author\/tdavis"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1676"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1679,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1676\/revisions\/1679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}