In high risk careers, death becomes a part of life. In that, Chaplains play a vital role in helping men and women deal with life and death issues. Their responsibility involves anything from dealing with family issues to helping men who are on the verge of suicide to recover. They are crucial for helping men and women in these high stress jobs stay focused at the job at hand and to serve boldly.
In prison ministry, Chaplains also have the responsibilities to shepherd inmates who are looking to truly reform their ways. They are called to disciple and teach them so that when their release time comes up, they will no longer involve themselves in illegal activities.
However today many Christian Chaplains are quickly losing their first love and compromising to the pressures of society. Recently in Virginia a court case involving Police Chaplains being able to pray in the name of Jesus was held. The decision was that Chaplains could continue ministering in their specific faith, despite pressures from outside.
In a recent Article, Michael A. Gorman tries to share why it is wrong to pray in "your way", and in so doing shows that he is no more of a devout Christian than Ghandi. But the article brings up a crucial issue in faith and specifically with Christianity.
Why would a Christian Chaplain Not pray and minister according to his faith?
Ignorance - It could be that the Chaplain is ignorant. He simply does not know the bible or it's doctrine well enough to understand that to denying Jesus here on Earth will have the consequences of Jesus denying him in heaven. He may not know that the bible commands him to be hot or cold, but not lukewarm, or the Lord will spit him out of his mouth. He may not know that the ax is at the root of the tree of his life, and if it does not bear good fruits, it will be chopped down and cast into the fire.
But with law, ignorance is no excuse. Moreover ignorance from a trained Chaplain is completely unacceptable. Worse yet, if that chaplain is only a chaplain for the check or for a good feeling of making other people feel better, he should be thrown out. Christian Chaplains should be about Christ, and Christ alone. Otherwise lose the title "Christian".
Wolf in sheep's clothing - There's another possibility as to why a Chaplain would not minister according to his faith. Put simply, he's a hypocrite (knowing or unknowing). He's one of the ones that Jesus and the Apostles warned about many times over. That ravenous wolves would enter the flock, seeking to devour. They play into the game of atheistic counseling methodologies, fooling themselves and others. They are as much God-hating in their practices and advice as they are God-loving in the boasting of their lips.
The Chaplaincy is no place for such destructive individuals. They give empty hollow advice that only serves to bring more pain and trouble. Then they seek to solve the problem with psychiatric advice and drugs. Stay away from such men.
Fear - Often times a Christian will be afraid to share his faith. This comes because he is afraid of man and what man can do to him. He is afraid he may lose his job, or get sued, or that someone will look down upon him. However Jesus said specifically to not fear man.
- Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
What are the consequences of unbelief?
How he is viewed - A Christian chaplain who does not believe in the bible will be seen by the world as a double minded man. The world will simply use him like they use other non-believers for its purposes, then throw them out like used toilet paper. Even the Muslim or Jew can respect a man for standing up for his beliefs, but to one who compromises, they'll give him no respect outside of ear-tingling encouragements. The Christian chaplain who does not confess Christ will not be trusted by true believers, because he is not standing for Christ. He will be seen as a baby Christian at best, and an unbeliever at worst. He is like a man who builds his house on shifting sand. One day when the storm of judgment comes, it will be blown away.
It's ironic. The compromise that a Christian Chaplain makes to try to get respect is the very thing that will bring him disrespect and mistrust in the long run. Popularity is a fading glory. Truth lasts forever.
He dishonors the very God he claims to honor - The bible makes this issue so clear. Deny Christ, he'll deny you. Fiery trials will come, but count it all joy when people speak evil about you. Jesus said "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake."
By wavering and not presenting a true biblical view, you are bringing dishonor to God. In fact you are making an idol of who you think God should be and telling others "this is God" when in fact God hates that very thought. How can you love the one and only true God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, when you do not honor him. You are exchanging the truth of God for a lie, which leads to all kinds of corruption.
Souls will end up in hell, and you will be responsible - Jesus Christ provided the one and only means by which a man can be saved. He says to all men... Come. To the Muslim, Jesus says, Come to me. To the Jew, who he loves and weeps for, he says come. To the atheist, he says come. To the gentile, Jesus says come.
As a Christian Chaplain, you are in a position of spiritual authority over the souls of men. Many will believe what you say, and if you say to the Jew that his belief will grant him eternal life, His blood will be on Your hands on the day of Judgment. You will be responsible for that person being cast into a lake of fire for all eternity. You have a duty as a Christian to proclaim Christ. Just as the officers you serve have a duty to save lives, you have a duty to save souls, first and foremost.
Practical Steps
Sharing Jesus does not have to be a bible bashing situation, especially if you are lead by the spirit. Here are some thoughts for standing Boldly for Christ.
- Be gentle, yet completely truthful - Listen a lot, speak little, and when you speak, make sure it's biblical. Find out where someone is spiritually by asking questions. For example you can ask "If what you believed about God were not true, would you want someone to tell you?" This will give you an idea of how open they are to truth.
- The bible says - Many times when expressing truth, people will be offended or disagree with what you say. Sometimes they may even have weird beliefs that the come to you with to disagree with what you have to say. In these situations, remember, you are the messenger. The bible is what says the truth. So it is often helpful to say something like "The bible says..." or "I believe the bible and it says ..." or "Hmm, that's interesting. Where did you find that in the bible?"
- Explain who God is - When you stand for Christ people don't hate you, they hate Jesus, who you are representing. Often times they do not understand who Jesus is or the significance of His death on the cross. Many times when you share with a person to get their eyes off the situation, you need to give them a mental picture of the Glory of God so that they understand the might, power, control and goodness of God. Knowing this will help them to learn to trust God through all the situations they come across.
Final Thoughts
Is God not in control of everything? Does Jesus not have all power and authority both in Heaven and on Earth? Then why would you not believe? Why would you not trust? Can you trust your job security to Jesus? Can you trust your family's welfare to Jesus? Can you trust a possible lawsuit to Jesus? If you are doing what is right, what power has the authority to stop you? Only God can remove you from where you are, and if He does, it is for your own Good, if you are a believer.
So trust in Christ no matter what. Abandon all for Him, the savior of your soul. Trust in Him and Share Jesus with conviction, passion, patience, and love.
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