SERE Part 3: Resistance
In a fantastic new book, Chosen Soldier, Dick Couch makes the following comment about the Resistance portion of SERE Training:
In addition to survival and evasion training… the students are subjected to a detention phase that involves resistance to tactical interrogation in a realistic POW setting. Few courses in the military are as physically and emotionally challenging as the captive phase of SERE training… This five-day detention training is all about how to resist all forms of exploitation and about the conduct expected when a soldier becomes a captive warrior (2007, pp. 368-9).Every time I come across a news item about someone being taken, whether it is a kidnapping situation or a part of the ongoing war on terror, I immediately begin to pray for the captives. I pray for their safety and their release. At the time stamped on this article, I am praying over the search for three U.S. soldiers in Iraq. In making parallels to our spiritual condition though, I want to approach the idea of Resistance from a completely different angle.
We do have the verse from James that commands, “Resist the devil…” I have spoken on that subject in the past, and I have recently written about resisting his assault on our minds in an article titled, “Taking Captives.” Spiritually speaking, there is no such thing as preparing to be taken captive by the enemy. Although it is something that happens, we are not given biblical coping mechanisms. The answer is emphatic and always, “Escape!” So, this will not be about dealing with the mental and even physical turmoil of being a spiritual prisoner.
I read something not long ago that I instantly bristled over. “Most Christians are so far out of touch with the world around them that they know little of its fears, problems, concerns, or issues” (Conspiracy of Kindness. 2003, p. 233). I know those words are true – for nearly 10 years I existed in an entirely Christian bubble. When I left high school to attend “preacher school,” I left all my non-Christians friends behind. Time and circumstances separated all of us. Even though I started my career in ministry in the same town as all my “old friends,” I made literally no effort to reconnect with them. If I am honest, I have to admit that I even avoided the few I did know where to find.
4 years of Christians-only college + almost 6 years of working on a church staff and hanging out exclusively with church people = completely out of touch with the pains of the world around me.
I was in graduate school when, for the first time since high school, I had genuine relationships with people who think and believe differently than I do. In fact, this is where I met my first, real atheist. I say “real,” because anyone making that claim prior was really too young and not nearly well read enough to come to any conclusions – they were more like “Christian haters” than actual atheists. My mind was blown to hear this very intelligent, very articulate, very biblically based deconstruction of every doctrine I hold dear. Did you realize that the majority of true atheists derive most of their belief (or lack thereof) from the Bible? I didn’t! What is my point…? I had put myself so out of touch with a person who thinks this way that I had no frame of reference and no right to offer input into her life.
Let me state it another way: My Christian bubble had crippled me and put the life changing power of Jesus that abides within me absolutely out of reach to this person in dire need of an authentic God. Sure, I knew how to argue with her. I learned that in school. I knew how to cop an “I’m better than you” attitude with her. I learned that from years of church experience, but how do you actually reach a person like this? How do I take the shackles off the Holy Spirit, who lives within me, and who desires to heal hurts and bridge the gaps that have driven people from the Lord?
When I first started thinking and writing about this thing that I call “the special forces group,” the verse that got lodged in my mind was Galatians 6:1. “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (NKJV). This verse is communicating that my level of usefulness in helping people relates directly to my ability to approach those people with a spirit of gentleness. The words “spirit of gentleness” are critical here. Gentleness is among the fruit of the Spirit – it is not a human quality. Jesus says in Matthew 11, “learn from me, for I am gentle.” The sting of the quote above about being out of touch with the issues of the world around me is conviction. One of the first observations you can make about Jesus is that He surrounded Himself – constantly – with people that did not yet know God.
My take on Resistance is that we need to viciously resist the temptation to cloister ourselves and become out of touch with the hurts, struggles and issues of the world around us. I have written already about repenting for the Pharisee-attitudes I discovered in myself. Repenting is the start, but actually breaking the bubble and forcing myself to get around people that make me uncomfortable is what it takes to truly offer Resistance.
There is another powerful quote at the end of Conspiracy of Kindness. “An atmosphere of anointing, freshness, and vitality comes upon believers when they spend time with non-Christians.” Is it possible that some of the problems you are facing right now could be covered and healed by breaking out of your Christian bubble?
Like the other articles in this series, I am going to continue talking about this at www.sfgpodcast.com. I hope you will tune in there.
Peace.
SJB
Scott Bane
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Reader Comments (4)
Pastor Scott, I think what you are starting to talk about is really good and I think it will challenge our paradigms, no doubt.
For myself, my old best friend Billy has been thrust back into my life to some extent. Let's just say he is sailor. Cusses, smokes, drinks, loves women, at least having sex with them, etc. etc. I've also made acquaintances with another guy through Billy, who has a drug problem and deals in unscrupulous matters. The guy has already slighted me on a business deal but in it all I feel like God has been asking me, "How will you respond? Will your return evil for evil or will you choose to help him?" At first, I was like, "Help him!?!" But rather quickly I knew what God was asking of me and it made sense. I feel like God is calling me to do the very thing that you are talking about! I feel like God wants me to befriend him! Just like you said in your podcast, he's lost and so is my old buddy. They need to see God in their lives and it won't happen if I allow this trespass to separate me from them.
I do have I question though, a few years back a friend of ours said, "I think church is like boot camp, you learn what you need to learn there and then we need to go out and do it." At the time that statement was very profound to me - it rattled my brain - in a good way. In a lot of ways I agree with that statement now.
My point for bringing it up though is this, do you think there still needs to be a time of being pulled away from the world or called out from it or whatever you want to call it? Do you think there does need to be a time of "boot camp" where Christians are pulled away from the world and put in the church bubble so, that they can be equipped and trained or whatever else? I think so. What has happened lately in my own life seems to agree with this.
I think maybe leaders within the Church have just forgotten that at some point the training ends and then we are sent back out, sheep amongst the wolves.
What are your thoughts PS?
Mike, there is no doubt that there will always be a training or "school" aspect of church. I don't think I can agree with the idea that we need some special time "away from the world." I cannot see that in the disciple-making style of Jesus. In my opinion, this kind of thinking is what creates the people that Paul warns Timothy about. "Always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth." Don't you know people who have taken every kind of class the church has to offer and still aren't doing anything? Still not any better off than they were before they took it? Hearing and never doing... I hate it! I can't do church that way.
I think the issue of being called out of the world has to do with our paradigm, our worldview. You know the old saying, "Moses led Israel out of Egypt but he couldn't get Egypt out of Israel." Well, getting us out of Egypt, so to speak, doesn't do any good. The real need is to get the Egypt out of us. That can be done without having to spend any physical time "away."
I'm also not comfortable with this idea of training as though it is a one-time event (like boot camp). You do it, get it done, then venture out on your own. Again, I don't see Jesus doing that. I like a more mentor-driven approach. I think people should be encouraged to get started with evangelism 90 seconds after they give their lives to Jesus. Look at Matthew 10. We don't really know the actual time frame involved, but the passage makes it look as though Jesus selected 12 apostles and then immediately sent them out.
Okay... this is getting way too long, but one more thing: Church leaders have made training into this linear process of "First hospital, then School, then Army." I don't like that. I look at it in a cyclical process. Throughout my life I'll spend time in the "army" then I'll need to go back into the hospital for a while, then I'll need more training, etc. Does any of this make sense? :-)
Great comment! Thanks, Mike.
This is a great topic,and one that has been heavy on my heart for some time. I am all with Mike on his comments. I personally believe the "Church" needs to wake up to the fact that the world isn't coming to the church- we need to go to them. That's what Jesus told us in Mark 16, isn't it?
There are a couple of problems. First, I think the church has told the world not to "go". They tell the congregation to bring them to church.It's not working. Not only are folks not breaking the doors of the church down, but we're giving them plenty of reasons NOT to come. With the continued fall of church leadership (even in the Catholic Church) and the pathetic state of Christian television (which in my opinion for the most part is nothing but a country club to entertain religious folks), we need to take the advice Jesus gave us and GO.
I think a number of folks honestly are also afraid that if they hung out with these folks, they would get sucked right back into the world again. I recently got a new job, and I'll tell you, at times, it can really be an onslaught. I hear more F bombs (and other niceties) through the course of a day, have to avoid more internet pornography from the folks working around me and a bunch of other things that can be just brutal. But you know what? When you get in a situation like that, you find out a little bit about yourself. I'm not saying I don't have to really watch myself and pray, but I'm not compromising. In fact, it's driving "who I am" even further in God's direction. It's easy for a light to shine in a dark place. The darker it gets, the brighter the light. Jesus didn't falter in His faith. He CONSTANTLY hung around the dregs of society, and He never compromised. I don't believe we have to either. If we can't get past being offended over someone's language, how in the world to we ever expect to find an open door into their lives? We need to be strong enough in our faith to be able to go into people's lives, understanding why they are the way they are, and love them anyways. I think we'll be greatly suprised at the folks we can "fish out".
Great comments, guys. I agree with you. I was reading in Luke where it says, "we are delivered out of the hand of our enemies, that we can serve God without fear, all the day of our lives."
It struck me how afraid to serve God by serving the world, the church is. It's 'safe' to serve God in the midst of His congregation, but why would He tell us to do it without fear if we wouldn't be 'out there' (cue scary music). I'm in even a worse situation. My job is also in the church! Talk about living in a bubble.
I just keep asking God to point out ways I can break out of safe waters, and ride the rapids awhile, knowing God won't allow me to drown.