Power of People
In Roman times, soldiers carried a shield, made of pressed wood and reinforced with iron and brass. In battle, this shield kept them from injury so they could live to fight another day. When a centuria of soldiers was under heavy fire, they would form a "testudo" or tortoise. This formation was created from the shields of all the soldiers, and together it made a "shell" that protected all of the soldiers more completely than any one shield could protect one soldier. This is why I am part of a church. My personal faith is an amazing thing that gives me an identity, a purpose, and an understanding of the world. It protects me from the "flaming arrows of the evil one" (Ephesians 6:16). But it's not enough. In the same way a soldier's body isn't completely covered by a shield, my faith is inadequate if I practice it in solitude. But if I combine my faith with the faith of a teenager who is pursuing a calling from God, the faith of a ...