“Double time, March! Stand up, hook up, shuffle to the door. Jump right out and count to four. If that chute don’t open wide, I’ve got another one by my side. If that chute don’t open round, I’ll be the first one on the ground.”

A line of print is hard to convey the singsong cadence Marines are fond of using when running or marching. On this occasion, the battalion commander had called the entire battalion out to conduct a run through the regimental area. We were dressed in our utility trousers (field uniform), T-shirts, and boots. I’m thinking to myself, Stress fractures before this is over. Our battalion commander was a wiry little guy with a reconnaissance background, and he loved to run.

We formed up by companies as we started our run through the regimental area. With 800 Marines across four company formations, it sounded more like a stampede than a formation. Then something magical happened. We had turned down a street that was lined with barracks on both sides of the street. As the first company started down the street, the sound of their boots began to echo from the buildings. It was like having a drumbeat to get us in step. In less than a minute, the entire regimental area could hear the thunderous roar of 800 boots hitting the pavement in step with each other. There was no need to call cadence, as every Marine did his best to ensure he was in step with his fellow Marines. I’ve never forgotten that day.

God is, in essence, calling cadence to His Church today, not like we did in the Marine Corps, but in an individual way. Let me “mansplain.” The book of Acts documents the growth of the early Church.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. … And day by day, attending the temple together [‘in one accord,’ KJV] and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” —Acts 2:42-43,46-47 (ESV)

The cadence call of the Holy Spirit was to make “disciples.” A disciple is a follower of Christ who is being “changed” by Christ and “on mission” with Christ. The “mission” is to make disciples, not converts or attendees. They had the “mind” of Christ through the indwelling Spirit. “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). Scripture tells us that this mindset is the mind of Christ. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

The reason that the modern Church is not experiencing the awe, wonder, and favor of the first-century Church is because we’re not fulfilling the Great Commission. We’re making converts who are content to attend occasionally, give sporadically, and disciple rarely. But God is moving in the midst of His people, and there is a renewed emphasis on making disciples. He is calling cadence to us individually to get us in step with His plans and purposes, and as we do, there is a growing sound of thunder in the spiritual realm. There is a song, “Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?” by Martin Smith, that echoes this sentiment:

Do you feel the darkness tremble?
When all the saints join in one song,
And all the streams flow as one river
To wash away our brokenness?

Sometimes I feel like I’m only one individual, so what can I do to bring about change? One man, aligned with God, can do impossible things. As I get in step with God, responding to His cadence in the Spirit, I become part of a spiritual army making “the darkness tremble”! I’m getting in step today. What say ye, Man of Valor?