"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matt 16:18 ESV
"Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him." 2 Tim 2:3-4
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." Matt 10:34
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." John 16:33
"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." 1 John 5:4
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Rom 8:37
"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor 15:57
"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere." 2 Cor 2:14
"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ." 2 Cor 10:3-5
"And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, 'Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." Rev 12:10-11
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." Eph 4:11-14
"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 1 Tim 6:12
"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Pet 5:8
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints," Eph 6:10-18
Military bases have defensive structures like walls and guard towers. They have training to improve defensive tactics. They have weapons for base defense, and for making advances in nearby battlefronts. Their goal is to stay free, stand firm and never grow complacent but stay alert. A forward operating base is a place to prepare for attacks to take strongholds, conquer the enemy, overcome opposition and claim the victory.
The local church should be a place that's too stressful for someone who is not at war, while at the same time being too peaceful for someone headed to the front line. Should the church be a place mainly for getting lots of work done? Not mainly, just like a forward operating base is not mainly for working, but for preparing to work and recovering from work. The church needs to be a place for discipleship, where disciple-makers are making disciple-making disciple makers. So "train the trainer" is a good parallel between the military and church. Sometimes the most efficient way to train soldiers is to bring only their leaders to a training course, and then have the leaders pass on what they learned to their soldiers. Sure, each soldier may have access to training materials, but teaching is the most interactive, hands-on way for leaders and soldiers to train, and it also builds relationship and camaraderie.
Personally, I like telling people what to do sometimes because it makes me feel important. That reveals some of my own pride. How can I teach people in a way that doesn't just make me feel good about myself, but prepares them to teach others? That's part of what the church should do.
Why is the forward operating base a good way to think about a local church? Because it's not in heaven, but it's not in hell either. It's in a fallen world, with unbelievers walking past the building (or any house church meetings or small group meetings) and living nearby. In an important sense, a local church is behind enemy lines, set up in a place that's hostile to God's purpose of glorifying Himself. There may be no one attacking the church service, or its members, but they are sinning against God and helping others do so every day. Unbelievers in the area are enemies of God according to the bible, but those whom God will save if they call upon Jesus truly.
Is the local church heaven on earth, or a base of operations, or maybe both? I'll have to think more about this question.
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