Lesson 12: Marching Orders
By: Chaplain Todd Hein

Marching orders from the General Jesus Christ.

Solders have to follow orders given by their superior officers; I also have orders from my Superior Officer. Matthew 28:16-20 contains the marching orders that Christ Himself gave. "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

God wants us to share the Good News of Salvation, and to share it with the entire world without shame.

Jesus wants all who follow Him to tell the Good News that He came to save all the people of the world. In John 3:16 we read, "For God so loved the world that He sent is only begotten Son." God sent his son to die for the sins of the world for all time. This is the Good News that I have to share, and something so great it has to be shared without shame. I am not ashamed of preaching the Gospel, I know that it is real and living and has the power to save. Romans 1:16: "for I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." I cannot be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; I will not be ashamed of my Lord and Savior, or the Word of God, the Bible. I don't want the Lord to be to be ashamed of me. Luke 9:26 says, "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he shall come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels." I must proclaim the goodness of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm not here just to say some comforting words, in fact some of the words might be difficult to listen to, but if the Lord directs me I have to speak them.

Be an imitator of Christ.

Christ lived a sinless life for us to imitate, and I want to be an imitator of Jesus Christ, and Jesus wasn't afraid to tell people about salvation. Some of the people of Jesus' day didn't like the message he gave and called for his death, so Jesus suffered and died on the cross. He suffered and died so we could have salvation for our sins. I have to follow the example Jesus set down in the Bible, even if it means suffering ridicule. I must proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ; I've made Jesus Christ my general, when my general tells me to do something, I will follow his orders.

Join the Army of God.

Jesus is waiting for you to join His army; all you have to do is accept what He did for you. Make Jesus Christ your General, when you give yourself to his authority, he will stand beside you through all your battles giving you victory. I'm not saying that if you accept Christ that everything will be perfect in your life, but you will have the Creator of the world to give all your cares to.

Having a personal relationship with Jesus is the only way to escape the torment of hell, the only way to know that when you die you will go to the kingdom of God. Only Jesus gives a better way of living, a way that has certainty. Only Jesus provides a way where you don't have to hope that you will go to heaven, a way where you will know without a shadow of doubt that you will be in heaven when you die. I want to ask a question, if you were shot today, would you go to heaven? John 3:3 states, "Truly, truly, I say unto you unless a man is born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Doing good works cannot save you, Being a chaplain cannot save you, going to church cannot save you, being a good person cannot save you.

The only way to salvation is to receive Jesus Christ. To do this you have to ask him into your life. Earnestly pray the following prayer, remembering it is not the words of this prayer that saves, it the attitude and sincerity of your heart. God looks at the heart. Simply pray with complete abandonment the following: "Lord Jesus forgive me from my sins, both known and unknown, come into my life and be my Lord and Savior, I will follow you for the rest of my days. Thank you Lord Jesus for dying on the cross for my sins and the sins of the world, for giving all so that we can have eternal life. Amen."

Greetings, I'm Todd Hein, I'm a Delegate with the U.S. Christian Commission. I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota; I am married, and have three children. I have been reenacting for about 10 years, four of those have been with the Christian Commission. This has been a very interesting ministry for me and I enjoy serving the Lord in this manner. Submitted in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ by Delegate, Todd Hein of the U.S. Christian Commission. tjhein@nwuscc.org