Enlisted but Not Serving: A Wake-Up Call to the Church

Imagine a reality where people sign up for the military. They raise their right hand, take the oath, and from that moment forward, they begin to receive benefits. Paychecks arrive weekly. Full medical and dental coverage kick in. Once a week, they gather together to talk about what it means to be in the military. They even invite others to these meetings, encouraging them to join.

But here’s the catch: most of them never actually serve. They don’t go to boot camp. They don’t get trained in a military occupation. A small handful go straight to work, but the vast majority never start doing the job they were enlisted to do. They’re content to collect a paycheck, confident that one day they’ll retire with great benefits. They admire those who are actively serving, but don’t think of following their example. Instead, they assume that those who serve must have some special calling, something beyond what’s expected of everyone else.

Doesn’t that sound absurd? Would we ever believe it’s reasonable to be hired for a job, refuse to do it, and still expect pay and retirement benefits?

Yet, in many ways, isn’t this what the church in America looks like today?

So many come to Christ — they profess faith, they raise a hand, they pray a prayer, and they rejoice in the promise of eternal life. And then what? They settle into a routine of once-a-week gatherings. They remind themselves that they are Christians, but don’t step into the service for which they were saved. They admire the pastors, the missionaries, the faithful servants, but assume that those roles aren’t for them. They believe that because they made a promise or prayed a prayer, they’re entitled to all the rewards of God’s kingdom.

But is that how it works?

Paul warns in Galatians 6:7 (NLT):

“Don’t be misled — you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.”

If we plant nothing for the kingdom, why should we expect to reap its blessings?

Let’s be clear: salvation is a gift of grace, not something we earn (Ephesians 2:8-9). But that gift transforms us. True faith produces action. Paul continues in Ephesians 2:10:

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”

We weren’t saved to sit — we were saved to serve.

So, let’s ask ourselves: Are we enlisted but not serving? Are we content to enjoy the benefits of salvation while ignoring the mission? Or will we step forward, train up, and get to work for the One who called us?

The harvest is plentiful, the workers are few (Matthew 9:37). Let’s not just admire the few — let’s join them.