“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (I Corinthians 16:13).
Many times Scripture compares this life to a battle, with the Christian a soldier warring against the foe. The well-loved hymn of the last century, “Stand Up for Jesus,” reflects this theme. It was inspired by the dying words of a young pastor, fatally injured in a tragic accident. Dudley Tyng urgently instructed his two young boys to “Stand Up for Jesus” in the years ahead. The verses of the hymn will serve sequentially as references for our next four studies.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, Ye soldiers of the cross, Lift high His royal banner, It must not suffer loss; From victory unto victory, His army shall He lead, Till every foe is vanquished And Christ is Lord indeed.
“My son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. . . . Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (II Timothy 2:1,3), Paul commanded his younger disciple. Among other things, a good soldier of Christ is to represent his leader well, seeing that no dishonor comes to Him or His banner. With Christ as Commander in Chief, the victory is assured, and one day God will “make thy foes thy footstool” (Acts 2:35). “God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9–11).
