ARMORBEARERS IN THE BODY OF CHRIST



            YOU have been gifted by God to HELP in the ministry! What part are you to play? Where can you get involved? What resources do you have available? What opportunities lie before you? How many times have you been asked to help - or how many times have you volunteered? Opportunities to get involved are unlimited........................but it’s not always at the “church” house where you’re needed! The marketplace is an invaluable resource-place for ministry to evolve.

1 Pet 4:10 (NCV) says: EACH OF YOU HAS RECEIVED A GIFT TO USE TO SERVE OTHERS. BE GOOD SERVANTS OF GOD'S VARIOUS GIFTS OF GRACE.

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            Tonight we’re talking about Armorbearers. Armorbearers are vital for churches. Without those who do this, the church can’t function; and the Gospel will not be preached throughout our cities. Pastors and leaders in the majority of churches have been bearing the brunt of the work of the ministry. That’s why you hear of so many ministers “burning out”!

Listen: Pastors and other spiritual leaders should be breaking through, NOT burning out! Spiritual and natural breakthroughs happen as the Body of Christ decides to do its full part.


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            Now! What is an “Armorbearer”? A Biblical armorbearer in the Old Testament was much more than just a hired-hand. He was a person who spent many years, if not his entire life, in his officer’s service.

            Servant, bodyguard, friend, companion, butler, cook and confidant...........these were some of the many roles he filled in the life of his officer. The position of armorbearer requires great honor, love, tolerance and watchfulness. Unquestioning obedience was absolutely necessary, though after some time, they probably didn’t need to be told what the officer thought, desired or required. Because the armorbearer knew his officer as he knew himself! Dedication and devotion unto death was the order of each day for the Biblical armorbearer. For an example of an armorbearer, I will refer to Jimmy Johnson. Jimmy, as many others, has willingly donned the “armor” - which means “a protective layer or shell worn to protect the body in battle” - of walking beside your Pastor as a “Help-Mate” in FOREIGN places to our culture, our language, our EVERYTHING. As Pastor would be extremely active preaching and relating to literally crowds of people throughout the Peruvian land, he could easily become vulnerable to food and water issues. Jimmy would see to it that this WOULD NOT be an on-going issue!

Another example, was when Bob and Debbie went shopping for a specific kind of cough-drop they knew would be necessary for the Pastor after several days of constant ministry. Bob remembered how Pastor suffered from a sore throat after constantly preaching - non stop - for several days. So, he prepared ahead of time for such an event. I don’t recall if it was necessary; but, it was available IF needed! That’s an example of WHAT ARMORBEARERS DO!


Here’s a Biblical example of a faithful armorbearer:

Judg 9:45-55 (NCV) ABIMELECH AND HIS MEN FOUGHT THE CITY OF SHECHEM ALL DAY UNTIL THEY CAPTURED IT AND KILLED ITS PEOPLE. THEN HE TORE IT DOWN AND THREW SALT OVER THE RUINS. 46 WHEN THE LEADERS WHO WERE IN THE TOWER OF SHECHEM HEARD WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO SHECHEM, THEY GATHERED IN THE SAFEST ROOM OF THE TEMPLE OF EL BERITH. 47 ABIMELECH HEARD THAT ALL THE LEADERS OF THE TOWER OF SHECHEM HAD GATHERED THERE. 48 SO HE AND ALL HIS MEN WENT UP MOUNT ZALMON, NEAR SHECHEM. ABIMELECH TOOK AN AX AND CUT SOME BRANCHES AND PUT THEM ON HIS SHOULDERS. HE SAID TO ALL THOSE WITH HIM, "HURRY! DO WHAT I HAVE DONE!" 49 SO ALL THOSE MEN CUT BRANCHES AND FOLLOWED ABIMELECH AND PILED THEM AGAINST THE SAFEST ROOM OF THE TEMPLE. THEN THEY SET THEM ON FIRE AND BURNED THE PEOPLE INSIDE. SO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WERE AT THE TOWER OF SHECHEM ALSO DIED--ABOUT A THOUSAND MEN AND WOMEN. 50 THEN ABIMELECH WENT TO THE CITY OF THEBEZ. HE SURROUNDED THE CITY, ATTACKED IT, AND CAPTURED IT. 51 BUT INSIDE THE CITY WAS A STRONG TOWER, SO ALL THE MEN, WOMEN, AND LEADERS OF THAT CITY RAN TO THE TOWER. WHEN THEY GOT INSIDE, THEY LOCKED THE DOOR BEHIND THEM. THEN THEY CLIMBED UP TO THE ROOF OF THE TOWER. 52 ABIMELECH CAME TO THE TOWER TO ATTACK IT. HE APPROACHED THE DOOR OF THE TOWER TO SET IT ON FIRE, 53 BUT AS HE CAME NEAR, A WOMAN DROPPED A GRINDING STONE ON HIS HEAD, CRUSHING HIS SKULL. 54 HE QUICKLY CALLED TO THE OFFICER WHO CARRIED HIS ARMOR AND SAID, "TAKE OUT YOUR SWORD AND KILL ME. I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO SAY, 'A WOMAN KILLED ABIMELECH.'" SO THE OFFICER STABBED ABIMELECH, AND HE DIED. 55 WHEN THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL SAW ABIMELECH WAS DEAD, THEY ALL RETURNED HOME.

            O.K., here’s the deal: Even though Abimelech was wicked, the loyalty of his armorbearer is obvious. He was concerned about Abimelech’s tainted honor. He didn’t want it said that his officer was killed by a woman!

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            It’s interesting that whatever Moses said, we accept without question----and we should! Even when he said, “The Lord will raise up a Prophet like “me” from among your people.....”

He was, of course, referring to Jesus. Some take “exception” to the fact that Moses said “like me”. But he was only REPEATING what he’d heard God say to him! In fact, in Deut. The 18th chapter, the Lord said those exact words to Moses!

            Why, then, would it seem preposterous to us that God would speak in these days to His current servants? Many say, today, when a man of God presumes to have heard from God that he “takes too much on himself”..........I think we’d better start listening to God. I believe we need to know the Lord in such a personal way that we “KNOW IN OUR KNOWER” THAT WE’VE HEARD FROM the Lord when we hear God’s man or woman speak!

Listen:

Deu 18:17-22 (NCV) SO THE LORD SAID TO ME, "WHAT THEY HAVE SAID IS GOOD. 18 SO I WILL GIVE THEM A PROPHET LIKE YOU, WHO IS ONE OF THEIR OWN PEOPLE. I WILL TELL HIM WHAT TO SAY, AND HE WILL TELL THEM EVERYTHING I COMMAND. 19 THIS PROPHET WILL SPEAK FOR ME; ANYONE WHO DOES NOT LISTEN WHEN HE SPEAKS WILL ANSWER TO ME. 20 BUT IF A PROPHET SAYS SOMETHING I DID NOT TELL HIM TO SAY AS THOUGH HE WERE SPEAKING FOR ME, OR IF A PROPHET SPEAKS IN THE NAME OF OTHER GODS, THAT PROPHET MUST BE KILLED." 21 YOU MIGHT BE THINKING, "HOW CAN WE KNOW IF A MESSAGE IS NOT FROM THE LORD?" 22 IF WHAT A PROPHET SAYS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD DOES NOT HAPPEN, IT IS NOT THE LORD'S MESSAGE. THAT PROPHET WAS SPEAKING HIS OWN IDEAS. DON'T BE AFRAID OF HIM.

 

Now, God takes seriously the false prophets who say they've heard Him speak. If they say "The Lord Told Me....", they'd better make SURE it WAS Him Who spoke in their ear! Otherwise, there's an awfully expensive penalty to pay! Likewise, if He IS speaking through His current prophets as His mouth-piece, we have the responsibility to listen and hear what the Lord is saying!! As for us in this ministry, when we believe we’ve heard a “Word” from the Lord, our Pastor has instructed us to begin it this way: “I BELIEVE I HEARD THE LORD SAY..”

            The time has come for us to come out of hiding. Men and women of God, we are engaged in a great spiritual conflict. Never will it be the same in your life. You have made a choice. If you stop now, the enemy will devour you. You must fight AND you must win! Learn to hear and UNDERSTAND the voice of our Lord. And when the Lord has put you in a position of leadership - and OUR PEOPLE ARE LEADERS – that’s not the time to wimp out! This is the time and the season to stand firm, face your fears, or whatever the sin is that easily besets you, and do the spiritual battle necessary to defeat your foe!

            The ‘word’ for this type of action is: “ARMORBEARER”.

 

 

                        Now:

Look at Saul............1 Chr 10:4-5 (NKJV) THEN SAUL SAID TO HIS ARMORBEARER, "DRAW YOUR SWORD, AND THRUST ME THROUGH WITH IT, LEST THESE UNCIRCUMCISED MEN COME AND ABUSE ME." BUT HIS ARMORBEARER WOULD NOT, FOR HE WAS GREATLY AFRAID. THEREFORE SAUL TOOK A SWORD AND FELL ON IT. 5 AND WHEN HIS ARMORBEARER SAW THAT SAUL WAS DEAD, HE ALSO FELL ON HIS SWORD AND DIED.

            In this particular account we find that everyone had fled, leaving Saul to face the whole army alone. However, his faithful armorbearer was right there with him. Throughout all the fighting, Saul’s armorbearer had managed to dodge the arrows and stay alongside his leader. And when Saul asked his armorbearer to thrust him through with his sword, he would not do it BECAUSE of his high reverence and respect and honor for Saul. His ‘fear’ was one of reverence NOT fright and terror.

 

And then there’s DAVID! A Godly Armorbearer, indeed!

David ministered ‘strength’ to his “officer”, Saul. In verse 18 of 1 Samuel 16, we find David’s credentials:

1. Skillful in playing music

2. A mighty man of valor

3. A man of war

4. Prudent in speech

5. Handsome in appearance

6. One whom the Lord was with

 

It was probably the fact that David had once been Saul’s armorbearer that explains his attitude when he later would not touch “the Lord’s anointed”. No matter how hard Saul went after David, DAVID NEVER STRUCK BACK!

            I well remember the time when your Pastor was an armorbearer. More importantly, the Lord remembers! And it’s partly - if not entirely - because of his loyalty and diligence in service to his “officer”, that God has found him worthy of the leadership in which he finds himself today. He has proven trustworthy; and because of his faithfulness, God has promoted him in this city, not just in the arena of the church-proper; but as he stands before governmental officials as well!

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NEW TESTAMENT ARMORBEARING

ATTENTION: the following is the priority list in New Testament armor bearing:

1. Relationship with God

2. Relationship with spouse

3. Relationship with children

4. Employment or work

 

In Old Testament days, armorbearing was priority #1. Now, it is #4. But this doesn’t mean the armorbearer takes his responsibility as a good steward with any less care. His position is God-given and long-term.

            Prove yourself faithful where God has you planted. Let God exalt and promote you where you are. 1 Peter 5:6 says, “HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE GOD, AND HE WILL EXALT YOU.”

            Many of you have been called into service. You have a ministry in serving a general of God’s army. God didn’t call you to be your leader’s fishing buddy or his best friend. You WILL be friends, but that isn’t your primary relationship.

            The armorbearer’s main purpose is to pull down Satan’s strongholds for his pastor, church and city. Some - but not ALL - of the armorbearers in this church are called “INTERCESSORS”!!

 

Remember:

Eph 6:12 (NCV) OUR FIGHT IS NOT AGAINST PEOPLE ON EARTH BUT AGAINST THE RULERS AND AUTHORITIES AND THE POWERS OF THIS WORLD'S DARKNESS, AGAINST THE SPIRITUAL POWERS OF EVIL IN THE HEAVENLY WORLD.

 

There are no 2nd-fiddle positions in the Body of Christ. Anyone who thinks that because he fills the position of pastor, prophet, apostle, evangelist or teacher he is better than the rest needs to prepare to be brought down. For pride will surely bring destruction.

            On the other hand, Deuteronomy 32:30 Says ONE SHALL PUT A THOUSAND TO FLIGHT, AND TWO WILL CHASE TEN THOUSAND!

Listen: with all of us standing beside our Pastor, we are infinitely more powerful than if he stands alone!

Pastor and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your love, loyalty and support.

Together, we WILL make an impact in this entire world for righteousness sake!