A decade ago, I had just been touched by the sword of the accolade. One minute I was a common soldier in the Army of Christ. The next minute, I was a Templar Knight in the Army of Christ. The day before I was a bondslave of Jesus and a slave of my fellow Christians. But after the touch of the sword, I was not only a bondslave of Jesus… but now I was also a totally humbled slave of the slaves in the Kingdom. (Matthew 23:11)
The sacred white mantle of my calling bore on it the red cross of martyrdom. The oath of my calling commanded that I would end my time on this Earth on the spiritual battlefields of this rugged pathway to the end – an end that points directly to the eternal Beginning. I had accepted the ultimate assignment of a slave of Christ – for it is written:
“For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own… But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” (Hebrews 11:14,16)
I clearly, even distinctly, recall with precision the stunning emotional impact of my investiture. It seemed totally life changing – and I knew it in the deepest part of my being. The accolade sword – my sword that I had already christened Elijah – touched me, and the direction of my life took a dramatic turn from which there would be no turning back.
What I have actually discovered in the past 10 years is even way more powerful and very unexpected than merely “life changing.” It is, in fact, “eternity changing.”
The Templar journey is not a lifestyle, a life-changing activity, or merely an anthology of good works.
Templarism is a pathway – a very narrow, rugged pathway that few have walked before. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:14)
The Templar journey is one that can only be accessed, and then externally expressed, from the very core of the deepest heart of Christian maturity. And, yes, that is difficult! It requires obedience to God’s Word by attention to such commands as “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) enabled by another command, “therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace…” (Hebrews 4:16) and empowered by the sacred order requiring individual study of God’s Word: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Let’s back off for one moment and look at the last paragraph from low Earth orbit.
What then is the deepest, most authentic meaning of the modern Templar journey from the eyes of the 21st century soldier of the Cross? (Brace yourself – this is deep…)
It is exactly, precisely the same meaning as the Templar journey of antiquity. Literally, nothing at all has changed!
From the eyes of the 21st century soldier of the Cross, the most authentic rendering of the modern Templar journey distilled from over nine centuries of historic validation is… Jesus.
It was then. It is now. It has never changed. It is a fundamental truth that demands repeating in this space.
There is indeed a counterfeit version of Templarism that has stripped Jesus and His Holy Word out of their oaths, doctrines, and activities. Unfortunately for them, Jesus will never be a part of something from which He has been deliberately removed and replaced for secular “goodness” – however well-meaning it may seem.
Yet, our Lord Master never “forces” His worship on anyone. Those faux Templars will continue to party on – but without the epic spiritual power or the final positive eternal consequences. For the Templar battlefield of the 21st century is very real, and its profoundly consequential outcome decides the eternal fate of many.
“For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.” (1 Corinthians 11-13)
Beloved, stop for a moment and take a deep breath. Pause and consider what I have just stated.
Even more than nine centuries later, our holy and royal commission is exactly and precisely the same as was our forefathers’ of antiquity. Literally, nothing at all has changed!
Our charge is now and has always been about living our lives as a bondslave of Jesus. Likewise, it is also about being a totally humbled slave of the slaves in the Kingdom and out on the sacred battlefields to which the Captain of the Lord’s Army leads those of us who are willing to follow Him each day of our lives!
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose.”
– Jim Elliot – Martyred for Christ – 8 January 1956