October 20, 2009
Over lunch a friend of mine told an interesting story. He was on a humanitarian mission in Iraq not too long after the American occupation began. He was riding in an Army helicopter when all of a sudden, someone on the ground started shoot at them! The sargeant sitting next to my friend yelled for the tail gunner to fire back. The soldier turned around and said, “I can’t sir, they haven’t hit us yet.”
They’re called rules of engagement. The parameters that those in command had given to the men said that they could only attack if one of the rounds actually had found it’s mark. (Obviously the ones in command had not spent a great deal of time riding in a helicopter targeted by enemy fire.) So, my friend says, a bullet pings off the side of the helicopter and the tail gunner unleashes his own barrage. The gunfire from below soon stops.
Rules of engagement. It’s one thing when it’s on the battlefield of Iraq. But I wonder if such things exist to guide us as we engage the people of Mustang? Maybe we should only talk to them about Jesus if they bring up the topic? Or maybe we can only approach them in Jesus name if they’re in church? After all, we need some guidelines, don’t we? We can’t just go around talking to anyone at any given time about their spiritual condition, . . . or can we?
Seems to me when Jesus said we are to be witnesses, He didn’t attach any kind of disclaimer to His expectation. Seems like He expects us to be His ambassadors 24/7, not when it is merely convenient for us. To be sure, we need to be sensitive to people and their perceptions. But tell them we must.
Yes, there are rules of engagement. We engage them now.
The deadline still looms, my friends. It’s a joy to be your pastor!
Bro. Dave