It’s about revolution. It’s about splashing the kingdom of God all around. Generally I’m not one for war imagery and war metaphors, but it’s difficult to ignore the connotation when you’re talking about a “revolution.”
I am not an expert on warfare, but it seems to me there are two basic ways to engage in a modern-day war. One is shock and awe. This is when the balance of power is on your side, so you move in the troops, roll in the tanks, and drop bombs from above. The goal is to rapidly destroy your enemies and force them into quick submission. I wonder if, as Christians, we’ve relied on “shock and awe”, tactics too much. We’ve tried to attract people to Christianity through our big church buildings, slick presentations, cool music, and quality programs.
The other way is guerrilla warfare. Guerrilla warfare is a method employed when you’re outnumbered by the opposing force. Guerrilla warfare relies on intelligence. You must outthink the enemy. It also relies on espionage. You must know your opponents, being able to discern where they are, how they think, and what they’ll do next.
Guerrilla warfare features strategic surprise attacks. You must hit your opponents when they’re not expecting it. These ambushes are usually low-intensity, close-proximity confrontations. You don’t have the firepower to blast away from a distance, so you sneak up close, hit ‘em quick, and get out of there. I admit this metaphor breaks down quickly because those we’re trying to reach are not our opponents or enemies. They are the people Jesus loves, and we’re bringing his love to them. But you get the point. It’s a guerrilla revolution. And it’s a love revolution, so we are to wage guerrilla lovefare. The best way to attract people is through how we live and love. We are guerrilla lovers.
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