Fighting Well

I was sitting at the computer in our family room perusing the headlines at chron.com to see which one might grab my attention when the title that struck me most was not on the computer screen, but on the cover of a book MeKenzie read for her History class last semester.  The book was entitled, What They Fought For 1861 – 1865 by James M. McPherson.  By reading and studying personal letters and diaries of Civil War Soldiers, the author states his intention in the book is to divulge “what Civil War soldiers believed they were fighting for.”

My mind began to ponder, “What do people fight for?”  I remember as a kid Superman fought for “Truth, Justice and the American way”.  Although that is a great motto, it was coming from a cartoon character that wears red tights and according to Action Comics #900 has renounced his American citizenship.  What does he really know about what to fight for?  Then my mind caught a glimpse of all those Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell interviews when Ali would taunt Cosell and state when he fought he would “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee”.  Not sure that is applicable either since I am not vying for the Heavyweight Championship of the World.  Although I do feel like I am in a battle on a daily basis, a battle for my time and family and service to God.  So what do I do to make sure I am fighting a good fight?

I Timothy 1:18-19 “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.   

“I give you this instruction.” Paul is writing to Timothy, but God is using this to speak to us today.  “So that by following them (Paul’s instruction) you may fight the good fight.” Here we see that we are to always keep in front of us the idea that we are soldiers, fighting for the cause of Christ in our personal life, our family’s life and the life of our church.  Jim Elliot was an exemplary Christian missionary, martyred in Ecuador over forty years ago. When asked for his autograph he would write down his favorite text.

And as Christ’s soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army” 2 Timothy 2.4

The sound of spiritual battle was always ringing in Jim Elliot’s ears.  Each day we must remind ourselves, we are on the front line and in the thick of the battle. We are facing a very adaptable enemy on many fronts, principalities and powers (Romans 8), a roaring lion (1 Peter 5), snares of Satan (Hebrews 12) and the hatred of the world (John 15).  Around every corner, society organizes itself for the discomfort and the embarrassment of the Christian faith by attacking our family values, belief in the Scriptures and acceptance that Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life.

Here are Paul’s (3) Instructions for fighting well:

1.  Hold on to your faith (v.19)

For Paul to make this statement, our faith is obviously something we must hold on to, guard and adhere to quite deliberately and consciously. Paul is concerned that Timothy’s faith might cease to control his life. Timothy lived in Ephesus, a town in conflict, with the clamor of Greek philosophy and pagan religions and Jewish Pharisaic traditions sounding out, sometimes violently, day after day. It was one of the dark periods of human history characterized by calamitous and accelerating change. Not much different from the societal landscape of today. 

Our neighborhoods and office buildings are filled with people who both in their youth and when they were first married held to the faith. But then they got involved in their careers and began to prosper and embraced the ideology of the masses . . . extracurricular activities for the kids, a mortgage to pay for and certain standards to maintain.  Both the husband and wife are so busy they hardly see one another or the children during the week and Sunday becomes their only free day. So they start to miss services, their daily Bible reading and eventually they let go of their faith.

Paul reminds us, don’t let that happen to you . . . hold on to your faith!

2.  Hold on to a good conscience. v.19

Maybe we can consider these as two weapons a Christian soldier uses, faith and a good conscience. Don’t lose your grip on them; don’t let them fall to the ground. There is a very interesting and important verse about the conscience.

“The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being.” Proverbs 20:27

The Lord is shining a light upon our lives. Are we being obedient to God’s expectations for our lives as believers? or Are we deliberately and willfully disobeying God’s requirements? Our conscience impels us to do what is right and deters us from doing wrong. It affects our understanding, our feelings, our desires and affections.

Paul is urging Timothy to be conscientious at all times, no matter what the flesh cries out, no matter what your friends say, no matter the power of the enemy, hold on to your faith, listen to the Holy Spirit and you will have a good conscience!

3.  Pay attention to the failures of others (vv.19 & 20)

“Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.”

God has given us salvation and the Bible to study so we can hold on to a fighting faith and good conscience.  Without these we will make shipwrecks of our lives.  Lapses of judgment will cause us to stumble and bring conviction by the Holy Spirit.  But listen to how the Apostle John instructs is to deal with those mistakes.

“But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” 1 John 1:9

However, if these are not confessed and given over to God, they open the door for us to navigate into tumultuous waters where Satan has submerged mines and gigantic icebergs hungry to cause a shipwreck in our life.  Through the example of two erring individuals, Paul reminds us that to deliberately and intentionally let go of one’s faith combined with refusal of repentance will cause great pain both emotionally and spiritually. 

I write these words with individuals and couples flashing through my mind’s eye that one day were fighting for their marriage and children and relationship with Christ.  Today, they are trying to patch the holes left when they were not careful to hold onto their faith and a good conscience.  I am sure you have some of those in your life as well.  Let’s remember to pray for these, but let’s also allow them to be an example of why it is so important to be good soldiers in the Army of Christ and never stop fighting well!

Is Sunday a “fun day” for you?

I graduated from Athens High School in 1985.  That means in the vinyl carrying case wedged under the front seat of my 1977 Ford Thunderbird you could find cassettes of big hair bands like Def Leppard and Bon Jovi alongside Wayland and Willie and the boys as they traveled to Luckenbach, Texas.  At least you could find them there until I went to a youth revival and we all burned our cassettes in the bonfire after the last service.  But that’s a story for another blog. 

One song I remember from that era was by the Bangles entitled “Manic Monday”. Part of the lyrics of that song said,

 

“It’s just another manic Monday.  
I wish it was Sunday.  
Cause that’s my fun day. 
I don’t have to run day. 
It’s just another manic Monday.”  

 

What “Christopher” a.k.a. Prince, a.k.a. the artist formerly known as Prince who was the author of those lyrics was trying to convey to the listener is that Sunday is the last day of the weekend and then Monday rolls around and we are thrust back into the real world of jobs and responsibility and schedules.

I believe, for a Christian, Sunday should be a “fun day.”  It is the day our walk with God is reenergized and our faith strengthened before we are thrust back into “another manic Monday.”  But I am afraid many Christians are just going through the motions on Sundays, therefore, going to church almost becomes an inconvenience or an interruption to their last day off before “Manic Monday” hits. 

When I read about the new converts to Christianity in the New Testament, any time they could get together was a “fun day”.  It was a day used to propel them through the week until they could come back together and spend time with the family of God.  So what can we do to make sure Sunday is a “fun day” for us as well?

1.  Go to church anticipating a fresh encounter with God.

 Matthew 18:20 (NASB95)
“For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

Ten Jewish males was the minimum quorum to constitute a synagogue assembly, but it was frequently said that God’s presence was with even two or three who met together to study his law.  Something supernatural takes place and God’s presence is manifested in a  unique fashion when Christians gather together on Sunday to worship and study the Bible together.  That is why Scripture reminds us Sunday should be our “fun day”.

Hebrews 10:25 (NASB95)
not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some,

2.  Go to church anticipating a fresh understanding about God.

Psalm 119:105 (NASB95)
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

We may not learn something new every week but we can always be encouraged by the truth found in Scripture.

3.  Go to church anticipating fresh fellowship with others who love God.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NASB95)
24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

By interacting with each other we encourage each other, challenge each other and learn of ways to support and pray for each other throughout the week ahead.  Why not make a commitment this year?  Make Sunday your “fun day”.  The day you set aside to be filled and equipped by God so you can take a fresh message to those who are running late and looking for an excuse to have a bad day because it is “just another manic Monday.”

 

 

 

 

A New Year Perspective

Think not alone of outward form;
Its beauty will depart;
But cultivate the Spirit’s fruits
That grow within the heart. – D. De Haan

Let me begin by stating I have been a very healthy person all of my life. Outside of childhood asthma, I have had very few ailments requiring trips to the doctor’s office or emergency room in my 44 years of existence.  But now that I am 44 and with a history of heart disease and cancer in my family, I decided this year I would do a little preventive maintenance.  What a humiliating experience as doctor’s have probed and prodded and investigated every part of my body, extracted fluids and tested blood, hoping not to find anything abnormal in my system.  With each test, the doctor would utter something like, “what a smart thing you are doing, early detection is the key to long life.” 

Then I began contemplating whether or not to start going back to the gym.  I know that strengthening some of the core muscles will assist my body in maintaining good posture and stability as I continue to age.  Trying to muster the motivation needed when trying to get into a routine that requires the sacrifice of time to remain as physically fit as possible has proven to be problematic.  But then I hear the words of the doctors, “what a smart thing you are doing, early detection is the key to long life.”     

I believe I can say that there has not been any, well at least not much vanity behind all of this activity in recent weeks.  I just want to make sure I am being a good steward of the body God has given me to use for him.  While processing all of this I ran across the poem that is at the top of this blog and was struck by its simple message, especially the opening line “Think not alone of outward form”.  It didn’t say don’t think about it at all, but the author suggests it be in balance with the actions taken to sustain the inward person.  The Apostle Paul spoke about this topic.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 (NASB95)
7 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;
8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

The Greek word translated “discipline” gives us our English word gymnasium. Paul was contrasting spiritual “exercise” with the exercise of the body. He didn’t condemn physical exercise. He only pointed out that spiritual discipline pays dividends in this life and in the life to come. In other words, he was saying, “Timothy, there’s nothing wrong with going to the gymnasium in Ephesus and working out every day. But please put as much discipline into your spiritual life as you do your physical life. It will produce more lasting good.”

This year I am striving to not neglect my physical needs and all that it takes to keep me healthy as long as possible.  But at the same time, I want to diligently go to the spiritual gym and make sure my spiritual body is given just as much attention.  If I can do that, I believe the Chief Physician will state, “what a smart thing you are doing, because early detection is the key to long life.” 

Ephesians 4:24 (NASB95)
and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

“kick-start” the Christmas spirit

Last week I was contacted by our local police department seeking assistance for an elderly couple in our community.  Their yard was in violation of a local ordinance and needed a little TLC.  They had ten days to take action or receive a citation.  Several men in our church that would gladly take on the responsibility came to mind but then I remembered our kids would be out for the Christmas break in a few days.  Taking the boys over and performing this community service as an opportunity to “kick-start the Christmas spirit” seemed like a great idea.  However, the latter part of the week I began to have flu-like symptoms and really did not feel up to the task.  So I postponed the once “good opportunity to partner in ministry with my boys and share God’s light in the community” as long as I could.  On Tuesday I realized we only had a few days until a citation would be issued.  While I did not really feel up to it, the task needed to be done.  I grabbed the boys and headed off to complete what had now become much less than a “good opportunity to partner in ministry with my boys and share God’s light in the community” and had, in my mind, become simply a “chore.” 

As we drove up, I realized the task would take at least an hour if we all worked really fast.  Feeling sorry for myself, I begrudgingly drug myself out of the truck.  After all, I was feeling bad, the ground was wet, the sky was overcast and the temperature cool.  I was positive I would feel worse once the “chore” was completed.  Brice enthusiastically began to mow and Carson excitedly began to rake as I haphazardly began to edge the curb.  The boys never complained or grumbled.  Instead, they were giddy with the opportunity to serve.  My spirits begin to lift.  Not long after we started an engine roared up behind me.  I turned just in time to see a neighbor on a huge mowing machine racing up the drive as he yelled “I’ll knock the tall stuff down for you.”  Suddenly, the weed-eater didn’t feel as heavy as it did when we started.  A few minutes later, with a tap on the shoulder, three bottles of Gatorade were offered by a second neighbor who appreciated our efforts in assisting this elderly couple.  I didn’t seem as achy as when we started.  As I called for the boys to come over and take a break, I realized I could not find Carson.  Calling out his name, I heard a distant response.  He was half way up the street raking large piles of leaves that had accumulated in front of many of the neighbors’ yards.  Spontaneously my laugh that had been missing for a few days returned.  Turning around, I spotted Brice and the first neighbor raking the edge of the driveway in tandem.  As their rakes would slide over the grass and brush the edge of the driveway, a sound was created that reminded me of all the times spent in my yard as a kid trying to rake as fast and powerfully as my Dad.  I whispered a prayer of thanksgiving, the first prayer not centered on my illness in days.  Before I knew it, the “hour-long chore” was completed in half the time.  As we all piled back into the truck, I realized I felt much better.  The “chore” had indeed morphed back into a “good opportunity to partner in ministry with my boys and share God’s light in the community” plus “kick-start the Christmas spirit.”    

 This Christmas Season you too may not be feeling well.  You may be facing your first Christmas without someone you love.  Maybe this is the first year you have accepted that the special Christmas wish you always dreamed of really isn’t going to come true.  I don’t know what is hurting in your life but I can offer you this encouragement from my experience.  When we take our eyes off us and put it on others, the pain is bearable and actually goes away for a while. 

 Philippians 2:5-11 (NASB95)
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.   

 From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!  – pastor g

Go Tell It on the Mountain

This week I was listening to KSBJ when a lady called in and asked the name of the Christmas story about a husband and wife that had little money to buy a gift to give each other for Christmas.  She went on to describe how the wife sold her hair to purchase a chain for her husband’s watch and the husband sold his watch to purchase a set of combs for his wife to use on her hair.  Immediately, I recognized this as O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi.  To my amazement, one of the show’s host had never heard this story.  I was dumbfounded.  This is a story I had heard over and over again since I was a little boy.  How could he have not heard this story?  (By the way if that is you as well, check out http://www.online-literature.com/donne/1014)

Strange as it might seem, in neighborhoods all around us there are those who have never heard that the Jesus of the Manger is the Savior of the world.  The story many of us have heard over and over again since our childhood.  Let’s never take for granted the depth of someone’s knowledge of Jesus Christ and embrace the African-American spiritual that implores each of us to “Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and every where.  Go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born!”