The stages in the development of an army are the following:

PHASE 1: The Call or Mobilization – The call into the Lord’s army begins with our own redemption, salvation, and devotion to live for the Lord and His purposes.

PHASE 2: Training and Maturity – This consists of growing up in the knowledge and wisdom of the Lord, which is the renewing of our minds to think as He thinks and to see as He sees. This is done by the Holy Spirit, who is our Helper and whose anointing “teaches us all things.” This...

People mobilize for a cause, and then they follow leaders in pursuit of that cause. In the case of an army, the possibility of future conflicts could result in injury or even death, so for one to mobilize, there must be a high degree of belief in the cause. To endure the daily discipline and training that is required to become part of an army also requires a continuing, deepening, and enduring devotion to the cause. Articulation of the cause and then building on the foundation of devotion to a noble cause is crucial for leadership.

In Christ, we...

Leadership comes on different levels. Armies tend to have ranks; Moses broke it down into leaders of tens, hundreds, and thousands. In Exodus12:38, we are told that Israel left Egypt as a "mixed multitude," but then they were quickly formed into "martial array" (see Exodus 13:18), which means military order. This was the first thing the Lord did to prepare Israel for making it through the wilderness and to possess their Promised Land. We can soon expect this to also happen in the church.

As we have stated, there is a reason why He uses the title...

We can have the best army in the world, but it can still be defeated without good leadership. Likewise, even with competent leadership, it can still be defeated without a well-trained and disciplined army. We need both. However, we will first focus on the leadership because any great organization or force will only perform according to its potential if it is led well. This is why leadership should always be the highest priority when we begin an endeavor, and it was the highest priority with the Lord when He began to build His army on the earth, the church.

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One of the most remarkable transformations of a large organization in history may be what has taken place in the U.S. military over the last two decades. This is not just a matter of modernization, but to develop a culture that is so creative and open to innovation, new ideas, and strategies, as well as developing and implementing them into operation. The U.S. Military has developed this remarkable culture while honoring the great traditions and necessary disciplines required to manage such a large organization. What the military has done culturally is hard for a small church to do that is...