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.
-------------------------------------------------
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.
------------------------------------------------------------
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!
---------------------------------
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!
-------------------------------------------
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!
|