The weapon of the world is the sword. The sword that takes life is not an appropriate weapon to defend or expand the kingdom of God. What, then, are our weapons? The Apostle John asked this same question. His answer: “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” At first glance, we ask, are these serious weapons? Alas, they are the most powerful ones imaginable! In 1 John 3:8 we read that these weapons “destroy the devil’s works.” And we find, to our amazement, that these are our weapons. In all cultures and at all times, the blood of the Lamb overcomes the enemy of our souls.


We citizens of the new and exciting kingdom of heaven are not like the Crusaders a thousand years ago. They ruled Jerusalem for a few years but did little to expand the kingdom of God on the earth. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not meant to be spread by the sword; it is spread by the loving service and winsome testimonies of grateful citizens.