I found the following document from the Palo Alto Battlefield in Brownsville, TX, where America’s first victory in the Mexican War occurred. The remarkable document has the letter head of the National Park Service which is under the Dept. of the Interior:

“At the time of the U.S.-Mexican War, U.S. citizens mistrusted a regular standing army. Memories of giving up their homes and serving soldiers under the British Quartering Acts still lingered. Most citizens believed in republicanism – that the best possible army consisted of native-born citizens who would, in times of war, take up arms for their country as their civic and patriotic duty.

Republicanism was supported by President James K. Polk who declared in his 1845 State of the Union address: ‘Standing armies . . . are contrary to the genius of our free institutions, would impose heavy burdens on the people and be dangerous to public liberty. Our reliance for protection and defense on the land must be mainly on our citizen soldiers, who will be ever ready, as they ever have been ready in times past, to rush with alacrity, at the call of their country, to her defense.’”

The Church is the Army of God of which we have the regular army led by the professional clergy. We also have the Volunteer Army.

My first associate in campus preaching Max Lynch said, “I was drafted into the service of the Lord; Brother Jed volunteered.”

I saw a need for students on campus to hear the Word of the Lord so I undertook to take the message to the campus greens, knowing that students would not hear the gospel in the classroom and that few would go to church or attend campus Bible Studies.

God’s Army is often undermanned because men do not understand that they can volunteer for God’s service. Too often the battle is being lost for lack of manpower, because potential soldiers of the cross think they have to have some supernatural call as Saul of Tarsus did on the road to Damascus.

My model for entering the ministry was more Isaiah like, who heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then said I, “Here am I; send me.”—Isaiah 6.

One might say that Paul, like Moses, was drafted and Isaiah volunteered.

During the Civil War (1863), the U.S. Congress passed a conscription act that produced the first wartime draft of U.S. citizens in our history. The act called for registration of all males between the ages of 20 and 45. Exemptions from the draft could be bought for $300 or by finding a substitute draftee.

I am willing to represent my friends who have obligations which prevent them from serving on the front-lines of the battlefields. I will serve in your place.

I am asking that you send $300 donation to The CMUSA for Brother Jed & Co. to be your substitutes and to represent you.

After all, some need to remain on the home front to produce the guns and ammunition and continue to provide the butter for the Army and the general populace. Any slaves to sin whom we free will be credited to your account when our Lord passes out the rewards of our labor.

To Arms! To Arms! We have the Kingdom of Heaven to protect, defend and advance. The regular army cannot, nor should it be expected, to do all the fighting. Join in the battle or support those of us who have volunteered to go off to war.