Several years before moving to Meridian, I lived in Atlanta, and life was great (it still is…don’t worry). Growing up in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, brought many advantages. Just thirty minutes north was the country, thirty minutes south was Atlanta, and anything you needed was just around the corner. After high school, I took that thirty-minute drive south to Georgia Tech. After four and a half years, an expensive piece of paper, and a lot of prayer, I found myself working at Georgia Tech Christian Campus Fellowship (CCF). What I intended to be a five-month internship, turned into five years of full-time ministry. In the beginning of year five, although I didn’t know it would be my last, the Lord led me to begin the ordination process. Our ministry’s board of directors consisted of many local pastors, and, with the assistance of my mentor and boss, we initiated the path to ordination. After many months, meetings, and prayer, the senior leadership and deacon board of this church gave me the thumbs up (October 2014). We scheduled the ordination for November 16, 2014.
Throughout my time at CCF, I was confident that I was exactly where I needed to be. Even though I was confident to be in Atlanta, I knew the Lord was going to send me somewhere else in the near future. Would it be seminary? Would it be to a local church? Would it be abroad? Or would it be somewhere completely different? On the evening of November 13, 2014, just three days before I was to be ordained, I received a phone call from my local Marine recruiter. He called to tell me that I had been accepted to Officer Candidate School and would start January 2015. I was excited and instantly conflicted and torn. Here I am, about to walk into a leadership role of the Greatest Commission (Mathew 28: 18-20) ever given, but yet feel called by the Lord to take the opportunity with the Marine Corps.
I was ordained on Sunday, November 16, 2014, and the following week, I made an announcement that I would be leaving full-time ministry at the end of the year to pursue a different commission. That was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. My family, my friends, my church home, the ministry team I walked with on a daily basis for five years, the Georgia Tech students/family…my entire life was in and around Atlanta. I had it all, but I was reminded of the first command in the Greatest Commission… “Go.” The thought of holding on to what was comfortable, even if God-given, was extremely tempting. On the other hand, the thought of wondering ‘what if’ for the rest of my life stared me in the face. The weeks leading up to my departure were a whirlwind of emotions. Saying goodbye to my closest friends and family was brutal, but I packed my truck, said my goodbyes and left.
Pursuing a commission as a Marine Corps Officer is obviously different than that given by Christ, but it’s a worthy endeavor, nonetheless. After ten long weeks, I earned my commission. On March 20, 2015, I took the officer’s oath and swore to defend this country and our way of life (see oath below). So, here I am with two commissions. 1. The Greatest Commission 2. Commissioned as an officer to uphold and defend the Constitution. As I looked into the future on that rainy March day in 2015, I didn’t know how I was going to honor both commitments. The Lord asked me to trust Him. I still had a lot of questions, but I chose to take another step in faith.
That concludes part 1 of the Greatest Commission. In part 2, I’ll discuss how I have attempted to honor both commissions over the past three years.
1. The Greatest Commission – Mathew 28: 18-20
…I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
2. Summation of the Ordination Charge – 2 Timothy 4: 2-5
2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.
3. Officer’s Commission
I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
Government-funded missionaries, brother!