Let the word of Christ be making its home in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing yourselves; in psalms, in hymns, in spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3: 16, Concordant New Testament
Many have heard of the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons school. Millions have seen the films depicting the pilots who are chosen to fly there, but few know the history of how it came into being. Top Gun, as the Fighter Weapons School is called by its air crews, was established on March 3, 1969 at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. The purpose of this new training facility? To train selected naval air crews to kill...period. It came not a moment too soon, for the reports coming back from the conflict in Vietnam showed that the United States was losing the air supremacy fight to the outmanned and outgunned communist North Vietnamese. Something had to be done. To date, the United States had lost over 1,000 combat aircraft per million combat missions. This was unacceptable to the top U.S. commanders. So it was that on March 3, 1969, Lt. Commander Dan Pedersen took command of a staff of eight F-4 Phantom combat instructors inside a small trailer at Miramar. Top Gun had been formed. The intent of the Fighter Weapons school was to recruit the best pilots in the fleet to compete for the title of Top Gun. Once their time at Miramar had concluded, the newly trained pilots were expected to return to their units and share what they had learned with the rest of the fleets aircrews. The idea being, a class of around 20-30 aircrews, once they had completed their training, could essentially ensure that the tactics taught by Top Gun instructors would soon be adapted by the air crews of the fleet. Call it down trickle down training. I was thinking of this unique training model recently as I went over a post on how the mainstream church goes about discipleship (See my post, The God Factory). But what possible link could there be between combat pilot training and the sharing of the gospel of Jesus? Exactly what I would be wondering as well. However, look at how Jesus began His ministry. Jesus didn't rely on manuscripts to teach His potential followers how to minister (Did they call it ministry back then?) to the people of Israel. No, what Jesus did was choose a group of followers whom we have taken to calling His disciples. These disciples traveled and shared everyday life with Jesus. As a result, what we have in scripture are first-hand accounts of the important moments in the life of Jesus. Was this Jesus' intention when He chose His disciples? I would like to think so.
Now they were persevering in the teaching of the apostles, and in fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Acts 2: 42, Concordant New Testament
I have titled this post Targets of Opportunity for a reason. For those with a knowledge of military procedure, targets of opportunity would be any and all aircraft which would be deemed as a threat. However, as a believer and follower of Christ Jesus a target of opportunity implies something totally different. In this context, a target of opportunity is someone who desperately needs to hear the forgiving gospel of Christ. The father struggling through a divorce. The parent in pain over their child's terminal illness. The addict struggling to ditch the life they're living. For all intents and purposes, these are targets of opportunity for those who know Jesus. Those who have been through the grinder of life and have come out the other side encouraged by the presence of Jesus. But who will speak to them of the reward of knowing Jesus? Who will tell them that Jesus is closer to them now than He has ever been? The apostle Paul, himself one who proclaimed Christ to all who would listen, confided that it was Christ who dwelled in him {Galatians 2:20}. The gospel of the realization of Christ in us is one that is not proclaimed much in mainstream Christianity. Could it be that there aren't too many of us who would share this truth with others? Perhaps, but there is little doubt that there are plenty of targets of opportunity who are desperately needing to hear the truth of Jesus in their lives. As the U.S. navy fleet selects their best pilots to compete for the Top Gun trophy, so will our heavenly Father place it on the heart of the believer to share the truth of His Son in them. In turn, they will share the gospel with others needing to hear.
How, then, should they be invoking One in whom they do not believe? Yet how should they be believing One of whom they do not hear? Yet how should they be hearing apart from one heralding?
Romans 10: 14, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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