Parris Island discipleship

Acts 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus

Acts 5:32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Acts 9:17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.

The US marine core...the few the proud, the Marines. All who know of them acknowledge them as elite warriors prepared to do battle. How does that occur? What makes them so special? Preparation and purpose. Parris Island is the place where that purpose and preparation is pressed into the recruits permanently, like a coffee stains on a white table cloth. To become a Marine you must pass a 13 week crash course which seeks to strip you of your individualism, weaknesses and self serving agendas and then rebuilds a new identity for you as a US Marine, with a single purpose to fight until death for the core. You go into Parris Island as an individual, you leave as a Marine, if you don't reject the process and quit.

I believe that it is no coincidence that the final test to pass to become a marine is a 54 hour war simulation called "the Crucible". A crucible is a container that is used in metalworking that is able to withstand higher temperatures than all of the other contents that will be put inside it. The crucible is used to contain and hold together all of the items put inside it as they are reconstituted and altered.This is exactly what happens to Marines as they are pushed past their natural physical and emotional limits. The crucible demands that the recruits rely on their leaders and others for survival and in the process they learn that they are not capable of success in their own strength. The result of those who successfully pass the crucible is someone who has bought into the purpose of the Marine core and is honored to be apart of something much greater than himself.

When you look through the history of the Church, broadcast loudly in acts and compare it to Marine training, you can see many parallels in the processes. The obvious major difference is that the Christian discipleship process is spiritual, initiated and activated by the Holy spirit that spills over into the emotional, mental and physical spheres of life where the Marine process is not based on a spiritual foundation alone, even though I am sure many Marines might argue that point.

When you look at the verses above in acts you see a focus on self denial, burying yourself in baptism and submitting to obedience of God as markers of the Holy Spirit. It is amazing when you read through Saul's conversion to Paul you can see the total 180 degree change in the man, purpose, desire and in turn life's actions. Once Saul became Paul, he rushed to obedience in baptism when just days earlier he was wreaking havoc against those who were submitting to God in that same action. It is truly amazing when you think it through. If we are followers of Christ, we should be able to see our own true repentance, our own submission and our joyful willingness to live for God's purposes as we drop our self serving identities. We should be able to tangibly see the functioning of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we recognize our need for God's help to make it through this crucible of life and death. It is only when we have been stripped of ourselves and have been built up in the spirit that we will live for Christ and not ourselves. It is exactly what John the Baptist expresses in John 3:30, "he must increase , but I must decrease". It seems that for me, my "Parris Island" experience as a Christ follower never ends as I am constantly met with reminders of my inabilities and his supremacy in all. I praise God that He did not let me go through this crucible alone because I would have ended up like many who just couldn't take the pressures at Parris Island and just decide that their old life, though lacking, will just have to do.