INTRODUCTION
1. In previous studies we've noted that Paul makes frequent mention of
the second coming of Christ in this epistle to the Thessalonians...
a. In every chapter there is some reference to this great event
b. So far we have seen the following references: 1Th 1:10; 2:19;
3:13
2. In our text for this lesson, Paul discusses "The Comfort Of Christ's
Coming"...
a. How we ought to be comforted by the "fact" of His coming
b. How we should be comforted by the "events" of His coming
[Our text is 1Th 4:13-18, a well-known passage often read at funerals.
And rightly so, for it deals with...]
I. THE PROBLEM OF SORROW (13)
A. THE LOSS OF LOVED ONES IS GREAT...
1. The sorrow is great, the grief is so hard to bear
2. It is the most stressful event that one can endure
B. THE CHRISTIAN IS NOT IMMUNE TO SORROW...
1. We experience the sorrow of separation - e.g., Ac 20:37-38
2. But we need not experience the sorrow of desperation
a. The despair of having no hope
b. The despair of not ever seeing a loved one again
[What can alleviate the problem of sorrow? It is knowledge concerning
the events of Christ's coming; and so Paul does not want them to be
ignorant concerning...]
II. THE PROMISE FOR THOSE ASLEEP (14-15)
A. GOD WILL BRING THEM WITH JESUS...
1. Just as He raised Jesus from the dead, so He will bring those
who "sleep in Jesus"!
a. In this text, he limits his discussion to the righteous dead
b. Elsewhere, we read of the of resurrection of the wicked
- e.g., Jn 5:28-29
2. What do the terms "fallen asleep" and "sleep in Jesus" mean?
a. The scriptures often speak of death as a "sleep"
1) Mt 27:52 - ...bodies of the saints who had "fallen
asleep"
2) Jn 11:11-14 - Jesus says of dead Lazarus, "our friend
sleeps"
3) Ac 7:60 - As Stephen is stoned to death, it is said "he
fell asleep"
b. Some believe these passages support the doctrine of "soul
sleeping"
1) That souls are unconscious between death and the
resurrection
2) Not to be confused with the doctrine held by JW's, who
teach there is no consciousness until the resurrection
because the dead cease to exist
c. Yet the following points should be carefully noted:
1) Nowhere do the Scriptures say that the soul of the
departed one fell asleep
a) It was the person who "fell asleep"
b) Thus it can have reference to the body, not the soul
2) The term "sleep" is a figurative reference, and a very
appropriate one:
a) For sleep implies REST...
1) When one sleeps literally, there is rest from
one's labor
2) So it is that the dead also "rest from their
labors" - cf. Re 14:13
b) For sleep implies a CEASING OF PARTICIPATION...
1) In literal sleep, one ceases in the activities
pertaining to the sphere in which one has been busy
during the hours of wakefulness
2) So it is with the dead, they are no longer active
in the world which they left
c) For sleep is generally a PRELUDE TO AN AWAKENING...
1) In literal sleep, it is followed by an "awakening"
2) So it is with death:
a/ Though the souls may be conscious during the
intermediate state...
b/ ...at the resurrection there will be the
"awakening" of the glorified and transformed
bodies in which to house our souls
3) The term "sleep" became a euphemism for death because of
the sleep-like appearance of the body
3. That God will bring "them with Jesus" implies they are with
Jesus now!
a. As stated later in this epistle - 1Th 5:10
b. As stated elsewhere in the Scriptures - 2Co 5:8; Lk 23:43;
Php 1:21-23
B. THEY WILL PRECEDE THOSE WHO ARE ALIVE...
1. It seems some in Thessalonica feared those who had died would
miss out on the blessings of Christ's coming
2. Paul reassures them (and us) that such is not the case...
a. God will bring them with Jesus! - 1Th 4:14; cf. also 3:13
b. Therefore, "by no means" will those alive precede those who
are dead! - 1Th 4:15
c. This assurance we have "by the word of the Lord" - 1Th 4:15
1) The same "word" which foretold and brought about the
flood - 2Pe 3:3-6
2) The same "word" now tells of Christ's coming - 2Pe 3:
7-13
3) This "word" lives and abides forever! - 1Pe 1:23-25
[To reinforce the promise for those asleep in Christ, Paul next
describes...]
III. THE PROCEDURE FOR CHRIST'S COMING (16-17)
A. THE LORD WILL DESCEND FROM HEAVEN...
1. Note what is said about His coming - 1Th 4:16
a. It will be with a "shout"
b. It will be with the "voice of an archangel"
c. It will be with the "trumpet of God"
2. This is not describing some silent rapture!
a. This very passage is used to teach the premillenial concept
of the rapture
b. Yet Paul ties the coming of the Lord and our gathering
together into one event - cf. 2Th 2:1-2
1) In which Jesus comes for His saints - 1Th 4:13-18
2) In which Jesus brings judgment upon the wicked - 1Th 5:
1-3; cf. 2Th 1:7-8
B. THE DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE FIRST...
1. Their souls will be coming with Jesus - 1Th 4:14
2. But their bodies will be raised from the grave - 1Th 4:16; cf.
Jn 5:28-29
-- This will happen first, so we who are alive will not precede
those who are dead
C. THOSE LIVING WILL BE CAUGHT UP WITH THEM...
1. Those alive will be transformed - cf. 1Co 15:51-53
a. Their mortal bodies will put on immortality
b. Their corruptible bodies will put on incorruption
2. The righteous living will then join the righteous dead - cf.
1Th 4:17
3. Together in the clouds we will meet the Lord in the air - cf.
Ac 1:9-11
[In this wonderful way we shall come to be with the Lord forever (1 Th
4:17)! As Jesus said, "that where I am, there you may be also" (Jn
14:3). What a blessed hope! As we consider our final point, it should
be obvious what is...]
IV. THE PURPOSE FOR THESE WORDS (18)
A. TO BE COMFORTED...
1. The wonderful promise in our text certainly provides comfort
2. Comfort that can sustain us in times of great loss
-- While we may sorrow when a fellow-Christian dies, it is not the
sorrow of those who have no hope!
B. TO COMFORT ONE ANOTHER...
1. Comforting others in their loss of a loved one is a common
human trait - cf. Jn 11:19
2. Certainly Christians are to "weep with those who weep" - Ro
12:15
3. But for those who are fellow Christians, we can do more - we
can provide comfort!
a. Comfort them with the comfort we have in Christ - 2Co 1:3-4
b. Especially the comfort provided by the hope we have in
Christ - 1Th 4:18; 5:10-11
CONCLUSION
1. Paul will have more to say about the coming of Christ in the next
chapter...
a. In which he writes about the timing of Christ's coming
b. In which he writes about the preparation for Christ's coming
2. But in a passage that addresses...
a. The problem of sorrow
b. The promise for those asleep
c. The procedure for Christ's coming
d. The purpose for these words
-- We are reminded that death need not be "good bye", but only "good
night" (relate the story of the father who on his death bed told
all his children "good night" except the one unfaithful son to
whom he said "good bye")
When the time comes for our loved ones pass on, will we be able to find
comfort in this passage? Will those who survive us be comforted by its
promise when they grieve over our death?
Sunday, May 27, 2012
The Comfort Of Christ's Coming (1 Thess 4:13-18)
Ziang Ruangah Pathian kan thangthat
1. I rundamtu a si ruangah,
2. Nunnak i petu a si ruangah,
3. Damnak i petu a si ruangah,
4. I cawisangtu a si ruangah,
Mi dangin in phurpi lo hmanah kei cun ka thangthat ding, ziangah ti le,,,,
"KA LEI BA A SI " a si.
Thangthatnak ih hmual
1. Saul ih sungah thlarau sual a lutih a aa ciamco tikah Tingtang tum thiam an hawlih David an tong ngah.
David in tingtang a tum le ve ten a sungih thlarau sual pawl cun an tihih an tlan theh. (1sam.16:23)
Bawipan a hmanah cun ziang pohpoh hi kanral nehnak hriamhrei an si theh. AMEN
2. Moab Siangpahrang in Israel a do tumih, Joram (Ahap fapa) a vansang, Culai ah Prophet Elisha an sawmih,,, Elisha in Tingtang tum thiam i hawlsak uh a ti.Tingtang tum thiam pa cun tingtang a tum laifangah Bawipai huham cu Elisha hnenah a thleng. (2Siang 3:14-15)
Pathian hi hlam ringring aw ziangtik khalah na hlawh tling ding.
3. Moab ralkap,Amon ralkap pawlin an mah tantu Meunim mi pawl thawn Judah ram an do.
Jehoshafat a mangbangtuk Pathian hnenah thal a cam a mipi pawl thawn, cu laiah Bawipa in an lakih Prophet hnenah an nehnak dingthu a run phuang.
Cu le ve ten Puithiam pawlin hmai an hruaiih
'Bawipa cu thangthat uh, induhdawtnak cu kumkhua in a hmun' tiah hla an sak ih cu le ve ten, Anral pawl cu anmah le anmah Bawipan a huatawk ter hai ih an that aw theh. (2San.20:1-)
Bawipa thaw cun khui khalah nehnak hi kan ta a si ringring.
Minung tam le mal a si lo ih,ral hriamhrei neih that le that lo a si lo,
BAWIPA KAN HNENIH A UM HI KAN RAL NEHNAK A SI.
4.Philipi thawng sungah Paul le Silas cu hreng an sut ih thawng an thlak. Zan timlaiah Pathian an thangthat. An parih thil theng mi ruangah Pathian an vui lo. An thangthat sawn,, hmakhat teah thawngin sang ka pawl cu Bawipan a on sak theh. An hrengsut mi pawl khal a za ten a phelh aw theh.
Bawipa kan parih a lungawi cun in temtartu Lei tlun thil pawlkhal hi hmakhat te ah in phelhsak theh thei a si.
Bawipai hnenah phunzai lo in Thangthatnak sawn kan pe kei uh,,, Luatnak lampi a si.
Thangthatnak cu a sunglawi bikmi le Pathian duhmi Raithawinak rimhmui a si.
"Maw ka nunnak Bawipa thangthat aw,
Ka sungih um mi hmuahhmuah in a hmin thianghlim cu thangthat aw,
A thatnak hmuahhumah hi hngilh hlah aw"
Saam 103:1-2
Siartu za ten Pathian in mal lo sawm seh law,,,Pathian thangthat manhlat zia khal lo theih ter sinsin hramseh.... AMEN
BHSum
Friday, May 25, 2012
Do Babies Go to Heaven? What Does the Bible Say?
By Jack Wellman |
Posted 7:16 am on June 14, 2010
What is the point of asking the question of do babies go to heaven if they die? Perhaps because it may be one of the single most difficult experiences for any human being to go through.
After a baby dies, where do they go? What about the unborn, the still-born, aborted fetuses, young children and even special needs children? And what about those who are severely mentally handicapped or those with serious mental diseases or disorders? Are they held responsible if they die prematurely or are those adults with severe mental incapacities held responsible since they have not accepted Jesus Christ as Savior? Are they doomed to hell since only those who accept the Lord are saved (Acts 16:30-31)? Where do these, so young and tender, go after death? Is there any hope for someone who has lost one so precious? Are there any promises in the Bible about their fate? What does the Word of God say about them? What can we tell someone who has lost one of these young ones or those who have special needs or severe mental retardation? What does the Bible says is their final destination?
Children are an extension of us and they are our future; so when someone loses an infant, or a young child or baby, this can literally break the parents’ heart. It is like part of them has died. And this is made even more tragic when it is a young one that had their whole life ahead of them. They missed out on so much love to both give and to receive. All the dashed hopes of future weddings, graduations, Christmas mornings, grandma and grandpa...all gone, forever. Or is it? I believe that the fate of these precious departed ones, so tender, and so young who die, is relevant to any parent, grandparent, custodial or foster parent, and so on. That’s the reason that I looked in the Bible for answers for God knows a thing or two about losing a Son, in fact His only One.
So, what does the Bible say about babies that die? Especially since the only way to be saved is through Christ. It is a fact that with no Savior, no one can have eternal life. So what happens to infants, fetuses, or even young children the moment they die? What about those whom are aborted, where do they go after death? God has said that all humans are born into sin, but they certainly don’t go to hell do they?
Since there is only One way to salvation, and that is through knowing Jesus Christ, how can an infant or fetus know Christ? For anyone who has ever lost a baby or know of someone who has lost one, what can we really say to them? Is there anything in the Bible that might provide us with some words of hope and comfort about their great loss of an infant? There really is nothing you can say, except “I’m so sorry” because no one but them can really understand what this is like. I will not make the mistake again of saying, “I under-stand”, because I don’t. Grieving family members don’t take well to “Hang in there” or “Keep your chin up”. The only real thing that helps is the only real thing you can do. Grieve with them, cry with them, and express your sorrow for their loss. And that’s all that anyone can really say.
Today, many Christians and non-Christians alike can carry a heavy burden of guilt and shame after an abortion, lingering throughout their entire life. Even despite the fact that God forgave someone who committed murder, conspiracy to commit murder, adultery, etc...(King David), they can not forgive themselves. But God is more than willing. The good news is that there is nothing that God can not forgive (the only real unpardonable sin is not accepting Christ as Savior). Does the Bible say anything about where babies go after death? Is it heaven? Surely it isn’t hell, is it? If we depend upon the Word of God, and it is in the Bible, then we can definitively know for certain. Not on what people think or what I personally think. And the answer is in the Bible, so we can know for certain.
It is hard to believe, but some Christians think aborted fetuses or any babies or young children who die do not go to heaven. They reason that anyone who does not accept Christ is headed straight for hell. But that is not Biblical. There is nothing anywhere in the entire Bible that indicates that. God is God and only The Almighty can say (and has many times), “I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy”. The good news is that most Christians don’t believe that babies go to hell. In fact, most theological traditions believe that those children who die in infancy are numbered among the redeemed. That is to say, we have a certain level of confidence that God will be particularly gracious toward those who have never had the opportunity to be exposed to the gospel, such as children, infants or fetuses.
Adult men and women have no excuse, for they know better (Rom. 1:19-20), but babies can not accept what they do not know, and therefore can not be held responsible.Jesus always accepts children and He indicates that in the New Testament several times. This was even found in the Old Testament when God refused to let the disobedient Israelites enter the Promised Land due to their unbelief. He does not, however, hold the children responsible for what the parents have done. God says in Deuteronomy 1:39, “…your little ones…your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go into it, and to them will I give it, and they will possess it.“ AndIsaiah 7:16 speaks about children’s age of accountability speaking about young children saying, “For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good…”.
When the people were bringing their children to Jesus to be touched by him, His disciples rebuked the people but Jesus saw this and was very angry. He said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. (Mark 10:14)” Just look at Kind David’s example of children not being accountable for their salvation in the event that they should die. King David, after having lost his infant child, declared in full confidence that he would most certainly see his child again, saying “He can not come to me, but I can go to him” (II Sam 12:23). God also plainly declares that "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I set youapart; ... O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:9).
Matthew 22:32 says “He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” In fact, He loved us and knew us before we were even born saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." (Jer. 1:5) My wife, after conceiving, stroked, patted, sang and softly spoke to our unborn child. She (in fact we) already loved this baby, even though she was as of yet, unborn. So also has God known us and loved us, even before the time that we were conceived. In Psalm 139 He says, 13) “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14) I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15) My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16) your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
Now, what about the severely mentally retarded or the severely disabled including adults? And what about those who remain in a vegetative state in youth into adulthood? Those who can not perhaps be reached for whatever reason: like for example autism? Again, there is nothing in the Bible that indicates that God’s dispensation of grace for those who are so encumbered that they are not able to receive Jesus will be held against them. Jesus went right up to the “mentally violent” and caste out their demons, so He must realize that salvation is not possible without a mental capacity to understand it. So those with special needs have no chance in this present life, will surely have a chance in the “new heavens and new earth” that Peter mentions. Nothing can prevent God‘s dispensation of grace (death, handicaps, etc). The only thing preventing it in those who are old enough to understand the Gospel and that is the person’s refusal to accept it.
As soon as God entered into a relationship with Abraham, he brought Isaac into it—when Isaac was still an infant and didn’t have an understanding of what was going on. God in fact knew before Isaac was even born. In fact, before he was even a fetus. We also see David’s situation in the Old Testament when his infant child dies. Yet David is fully confident that he will see his child again in heaven. The story of David and his dying child gives tremendous consolation to parents who have lost infants to death, or to abortions, or lost young children. We are not the ones to determine who God will have mercy on.
The point is that infants who die are believed to be given a special dispensation of the grace of God; it is not by their innocence but by God’s grace that they are received into heaven. There are great controversies that hover over the doctrine of original sin. Lutherans disagree with Roman Catholics, who disagree in turn with Presbyterians, etc., on the scope and extent of what we call original sin. Understand that the Original Sin does not refer to the first sin that was committed, but rather to the result of that fall, the entrance of sin into the world, so that all of us as human beings are born in a fallen state. We come into this world with a sin nature, and so the baby that dies, dies as a sinful child. And when that child is received into heaven, he or she is received by grace.
We come into this world with a sin nature, and so the baby that dies, dies in a state of sin. But when that child is received into heaven, he or she is received by grace. You may rest assured because God would not exclude from us something that He has done for David.
When David and Bathsheba lost their precious child, David realized that he could not expect to see him again in this life, but he clearly said the day will come when “I shall go to him...” (II Sam 12:23).
Interestingly, in the very next verse it is said that, “...David comforted Bathsheba his wife...” (V. 24), with this same assurance that they would see the child again. This belief was common then, as it is today. And what a joyous reunion that will be! However that reunion will not happen if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. So I pray, please pass this on to anyone who has ever dealt with such a heartbreaking issue as losing a baby, infant, fetus, or young child. I hope this provides healing for whoever has ever carried around this heavy yoke of guilt and shame of having an abortion and comforts those who have lost someone so precious and young. Incidentally, this belief was as common then as it is today. Put all of this on His broad shoulders. Take His yoke and lay all your burdens upon Him. Your sin is forgiven. The child will yet live again.
Excerpt from Chapter One of “Do Babies Go To Heaven?, Why Does God Allow Suffering?” available from Amazon.com or other online bookstores. Used to support Angels In Action, a homeless ministry.
Originally published on: http://www.associatedcontent.com/jackwellman
My name is Jack Wellman. I am a pastor, a Christian author, and have been a freelance writer for ten years & have 3 books listed on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, etc. to raise funds for the homeless and for missions.
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Saturday, May 19, 2012
Kawhhran ih Pathian Hnatuan Daan Phunphun
Kawhhran khal in hnatuan le puai tivek a nei ve.
Mission hna khal a tuan ko ding.
Puai khal a tuah ko ding.
Mah le kawhhran sung khal a kilkhawi ko ding.
1. Rundamnak thu a phuan caan khal a um ding.
Crusade & Camping a tuah caan khal a um ding.
Thuthangtha phuangtu pawl, khuaza ramkip ah a thlah ding.
2. Rundam cia mi pawl pawlkom-awknak caan khal a um ding.
Rundamcia mi pawl ,pawlkom-awk caan ah cun rundamnak thu cu an zir nawn lo ding.
Cuvek caan ah cun,
Khristian nun an zir sawn ding.
Cu vek caan ah cun,
'' Piangthar uh'' ti caan a si lo.
Piangthar cia pawl '' nun daan ding '' zirh-awk caan a si.
3. Puai tuah caan khal a um a ttul.
(Pathian a mah rori in puai tuah a rak fial mi tampi kan hmu thei.)
Puai caan ah cun, thildang ciamco tumtah le khengfuh a tuul lo.
Kan tuah mi puai nuamzet le Pathian thangthat phah in kan tuah cun a famkim ko.
4. Khristian pawl leitlun fimthiamnak phunphun le pursum leilawn thu khal zirh-aw thei seh la a ttha sinsin.
5. Kawhhran sung zohkhen-awk nak khal a thupi zet.
Tuah dingmi tampi a um ih,
Pakhat le pakhat a phun dangdang. A bangrep lo.
Famkimten tuah thei tu cu Kawhhran tlamtling a si ding.
Mi pakhat in, Pathian thangthat phah in,
an khua ah puai a tuah ih paisa tampi a cem.
Soisel ding a si lo.
Kawhhran pakhat in Pathian thangthat nak ah puai tumpi a tuah.
Soisel ding a si lo.
Korea kawhhran piangthar zetzet pawl khi '' puai '' an tuah tam nasa.
Korea ah kum 8 zikte ka um ih,
Yongkicho te biakinn ( Yoeido Full Gospel )khi vei tampi ka khawm.
Full Gospel Church ti ah biak inn hmaiah an tar nan, AG an si.
Onnuri Church khi vei tampi ka khawm.
Piangthar zetzet kawhhran an si.
Puai tum zetzet an tuah ttheu.
Onnuri Church tla cu ( Chrismas )puai tuahnak ding ah ( Laimi pawlkom )paisa in pe ttheu.
Onnuri Mission in Leitlun hmun kip ah Missionary ( 2000 ) thawnghnih an thlah.
Veikhat tla cu Bus ( 200) zahnih lenglo thawn hramlak hmunnuam ah in feh pi.
Mah te mawtaw ih feh pawl thawn minung thawngkul luan kan si.
Onnuri Church hi member ( 70,000 ) thawngsawmsarih luan an si.
Rawl in do. Pawlkom-awknak, theihthiam-awknak caan a si.
Paisa tampi an cem. Hi mi ni ah cun '' Piangthar uh '' ti caan a si lo.
Zumtu pawl theihthiam-awk, pawlkom-awk caan, rawl-ei tlang caan a si.
Tui CBANA khawmpi hi kawhhran pawl, pawlkom-awk caan a si ka zum.
1. Zumtu pawl khristian nun thawn pehtlaih-awknak a si ka zum.
Zoh mawi le Pathian thangthat phah in nantuah a si ah cun,
nan tumtah mi nan kheng fuh ko ding.
Kawhran in hnatuan tampi a nei.
Pakhat te lawng a si lo.
Ka ngan cih lo mi khal tampi a um hrih.
Siang Mang.( Lai pacang ).
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Eternal Life Begins Now
"The Christian life is closely parallel. If our being a
Christian is solely a means to get to heaven and avoid hell, we've missed
something vitally important. Eternal life begins now, we are in Christ Jesus
now. We have his peace, his love, his presence, in the midst of whatever pain
and suffering we encounter in this life. We need to rejoice in the Lord always,
not only when things are going well; we need to focus on His presence, His joy,
His overcoming of the world, even -- rather, especially -- when the world seems
to be bearing down on us." _
Zuamawknak Tuah Hi A Sual Maw?
Ka rual Christian apuih le zatein,
Mino te na si nan, hivek thu tha zet na ruah thei cu ka lo lawm zet. Kan dung zumnak thu na nganmi khal thazaang ka rak ngah zet. Kan dungah khan "lei daan ih pawlkomawknak cu fehsual liberal pawl ih daan" tiah na ti lai ah, Laimi cu pawlkom aw sawn ding kan si. Christian kan si hnu ah Lo zin hman ah feh tlaang thei nawn lo ih kan um hi kan Pathian thu theih daan kan ruah sal a tul. Kan pawlkom aw lo tukmi hi a tha lo tiah ka lo let dah. A tu ih, na canganmi sungah, Christian pawl cu Pathian thu sungah pawlkom aw ding kan si tiah na ti ih ka lungawi zet. Himi hi Laimi ih kan ttul tukmi Pathian thu a si.
Na cangan a tha zet ka vun ti lai ah, a tanglam ih na cangan betmi te ka vun siar tikah, thu tam nawn i ruah ter:
"Amahlawngte, thiamsawn cuhaw tahratin zuamaw ciamco khi cu Bible ah a rak um lo rair. Bible um lomi thilpawl, zumtu kan pawlkawmawnak ah kan telh, kan hmanguar a si ah cun , hi ti te in tluangtlam(simple) takin ka vun sang hngai ding 'Liberal thuphan pawl ih tuahmi pawlkawmnak' a si ka ti ding."
A tu ih na ngami thu ka siar tikah, thu ka suhawkmi cu pawlkomawknak neih tikah, "Zuamawknak tuah hi a sual maw?" ti hi a si. Bible sungah teh a um maw ti tla ka vun sut aw. Kannih Baptist pawl hi kan pawlkomawk tikah, hla, Bible siar le cangan zuamawk ti pawl a phunphun zuamawknak uar zet pawl kan si ih, kan feh sual teh a si pei maw ti pawl ka ruat hruthro.
Asinan, zuamawknak tuah hi a hmaan bik a si lo hman ah, a sual a si ce lo ti ih ka ruahnak lo hlawm ka duh.
1. Bible ca in zuamawknak neih ding hi tha in pe maw?
A tanglam Bible ca pawl ah Pathian thu ih tthangso dingah, Khrih banghnak lam ah zuam aw ding kan si zia Paul ih in sawmnak kan hmu thei sokhaw.
1 Cor 9:24-26
24Tlan zuamnak ah mi tampi an tel ṭheu nain pakhat lawngin tlan zuamman a ngah ti cu nan theih ṭhehmi a si. Curuangah zuamman ngah suak dingin tlan uh. 25Leh zuamnak ih a teltu hmuahhmuah in an zir laiah cun daan fekzet an thlun ih an taksa an sawizoi. Cutiih an zuam rero cu a vuai theimi pangpar kual lukhum meen ngah duh ah a si. Sikhalsehla kannih cu a vuai thei lomi pangpar lukhum ngah duh ah daan fektein kan thlun ih kan sawizoi aw ve. 26Curuangah hmuitin thleng suak dingin ka tlan ih thli lak a thong meentu pa vek ka si lo. 27Leh zuamnak hmunah tel ciar uh tiah midang ka sawm rero hnuah keimah riangri hnonmi ka si pang ding, ti phan ah ka taksa cu ka hrem ih ka uk a si.
Heb 12:1
1Kannih khal hitlukin a tammi thutheitu pawl in mero bangin in kiil ruangah kan fehnak lamzinah in dawnkhamtu thil pawl kha hlonin in ṭawnhremtu kan sualnak thilrit cu tlansan tahratin kan hmaiih a ummi tlanzuamnak ah taimak suah in tlan uhsi.
2. Zuamawknak hi ziangruangah kan tuah?
Zuamawknak tuah hi a siatnak khal a um ding nan, a thatnak tampi a um ti kan hmuh ruangah a si. Zuamawknak kan tuah duh san biknak cu Pathian thu le hla ih tthangso sin dingah a si.
Zuawmnak ih a siatnak um theimi cu, pakhatnak ngah duh tengteng ih ngah lo pang tikah pakhat le pakhat mawh thluk aw, thinheng le riahsia ih um, ningzak le thanau ih umnak pawl hi a dik lomi thinlungput pawl an si. Pathian kha a thinlung tak in a thabik ih thangthat ding hi a thupi bik an ruat theu lo. Kawhhran pakhat le khat kan thiam lomi kha thiam ko bawm aw tum lo in, mah lawng thiam tum duhnak lungput pawl hi a dik lomi a si. Bawmh a tulmi pawl bawm aw ding kan si.
Zuamawknak ih A thatnak cu:
1. Thlacamnak thawn a tha bik in timtuah ih Pathian hmai le mipi hmai ah thinlung tak in Pathian thangthat thei dingah a si.
2. Mah le kawhhran le khuatlaang sungah Pawlkom aw hngai seh tinak a si. Hla an zir, an timtuah tlaang ih an pawlkom aw sinsin.
3. Hla thiam lo pawl in, solfa thiam kan tul, hla phuah thiam kan tul, guitar tum thiam kan tul, keyboard thiam kan tul tiah an hmu aw ih, "Zir duhnak" a suah ter. Mino pawl in hla an phuah ih hla phuah an thiam tata. Poitulnak le sawmngiarnak (Demand and challenge) um lo in thansonak a cak thei lo. Kan mino pawl tthanso ter kan duhnak lamzin ah zuamawknak kan tuah thiam a tul ngaingai.
4. Hla thar thatha suak seh ti duhnak.
5. Pathian thu kha hla in siseh, Bible zohlo siarnak in siseh kan zuam aw ih, an thinlung le thluak sungah ciah neknek thei ding ih kan zirhawknak pakhat a si.
Hivek thil thatha suah ter theinak caan hman daan (program) a tuahtu pawl hi "Liberal thuphan pawl ih tuahmi pawlkawmnak' a si ka ti ding" tiah na timi cu kei cun ka ti ngam lo ding. Midang kha feh sual, liberal thuphan pawl ti ngam ding khawp in ka theihnak le ruahnak a kau thei hrih lo aw.
Ka lungawi,
Sanno
www.sannothuan.com
On May 16, 2012, at 6:13 PM, christian puih wrote:
Pawlkawmawnak
“Nannih khal kanmah thawn pawlkawmawknak nan neih theinak dingah, kan rak hmuh zomi le hna ih kan rak theih zomi cu nan hnenah kan phuang a si. Kan pawlkawmawknak cu PA le Fapa Jesu Khrih thawn a si” 1 John 1:3Pawlkawmnak hi a thupi tuk. Taksa dan khal ah milai mahlawng um a thei lo, kiangkap senpi thawi um tlang ringringmi kan si tikah, mi va kawm lo a theih lo. Mi pawlkawmnak nei dah lo cu mi banglo thu a si ding. Cuvek thotho in, thlarau lam khal ah Pathian thawi kan pawlkawmaw(pehtlaihaw) ringring a ṭul. Pathian thawi pawlkawmnak kan thlahthlam a si ahcun, kan nun a ro in a cau tengteng ding. Kan pianthar veten kan thlarau le Pathian thlarau cu a pehzawmaw ko nan, nitin pawlawknak hi cu neihbet ringring dingmi a si. Veikhat neihmi pawlawknak kha ringlan a thei lo.Cun, a hleicein zumtupawl khal Pathian thu thawi khat le khat pawlkawmnak hi kan neih tengteng dingmi a si. Cucu, Khristian nun mawi a si hleiah Pathian duhmi khal a si fawn. Asinan, cui kan pawlkawmnak cu Bible ih zirhdan(simdan) vekin si hram seh. Ziangahtile, zumtu kan bul hrampi(foundation) kan ṭhumawnak bikcu Bible a si. Bible hi a famkim tuk lawmman. Zumtlak le rinsantlak a si. Bet ding a um lo ih, hlon ding khal a um fawn lo. Curuangah, kan nun dan le zumtu khat le khat kan pawlawknak(pehtlaihnak) khal hi Bible sungah a famkim. Bible leng(pial)lam ih kan rak tuahmi thilpawl khi zumtu hrangah cun fehsual a rak si ziar. Asile, zumtupawl ziangvek pawlkawmnak so kan neih ding?Sim zo bangin, Bible ih sim(zirh) dan vekih neih ding a si. Bible cun ziangtin maw in sim(zirh)?;1). John 13:34 “ Nan hnenah thupek thar ka lo pe, pakhat le pakhat duhdawaw uh. Keimah ih ka lo duhdawt vekin nannih khal pakhat le pakhat duhdawaw uh”.- Zumtu khat le khat duhdawaw zetih pawlkawmnak nei ding kan si. Cucu thupek a si. Duhdawtnak ah cun thil tampi rel ding a um. Sinan, pakhat te lawng ka rel ding. Jesu in 'keimah ka lo duhdawt vekin' ti a si ruangah, anih(Jesu) cun a hlomi(mihlo/thlarau hlo) pawl in duhdawt ruangah in rundam, cross parah in hawlsuak. Cuvekin, kannih khal kan duhdawaw taktak a sile, thil dang ai-in mihlo(thlarauhlo) pawl duhdawtnak taktak thawn ṭangrual in kan hawlsuak tlang vualvo a ṭul. Cucu,zumtupawl kan pawlkawmaw tikih kan ngai pawimawh bik dingmi a si. Zumtu kan damsan khal a si fawn.2). Hebru 10:25 “Mi hrekkhat ti dan vekin, kan khawmawknak bansan loin, pakhat le pakhat thazang peawtawn uh si. Ni cu a nai deuhdeuh ti nan theih bangin thazang peaw sinsin uh.”-Zumtupawl kan lakih a tluk le a rilbahmi, thanaumi pawl le khat le khat thazangpekawtawn ding kan si. Zumtu hmun khatih kan pungkhawmaw can khi thlarau lam ih thazang kan lak tlang dingih tikcu remcang zet a rak si. Curuangah, pawlkawmnak kan neih tikah thil dang ciamco ai-in kan zumtupi a riahsemi, a tlukbahmi, thanaumi pawl hi kan ti theitawk cio ih thazang kan pekawtawn ding a si.3). Dungthlutu(Apostolpawl) 2:46 – “Ni tin lungrual ten Temple kulh sungah an tongkhawmaw. Inn khat hnu inn khat ah sang an phel ih, lungawi le tangdawrnak thinlung thawn rawl an ei khawm.”-Zumtu hmaisa pawl khat le khat pawlkawmnak an neih tikah an neih thil thawhkhawm in ei le inn tlangnak an nei ṭheu. Curaungah, kannih zumtupawl hmunkhat ih pawlkawmawnak ah hin tirawl kan ei tlang inn tlang tikah khat le khat kan ngainaaw sinsin a si. Ei inn khal hi kan pawlkawmawnak ih telh dingmi thil thupi pakhat a si ve.4). Dungthlutu(Apostolpawl) 2:47 – Pathian an thangṭhat ih, mi hmuahhmuah hnenin mithmaiṭha an ngah. - Zumtupawl hmunkhat te ah Pathian kan thangṭhat tlangmi khi zoh a mawi in duh a va nung so. Kan pawlkawmaw tikah Pathian thangṭhat tlangnak hi neih tengteng dingmi a si. Zumtu hmaisapawl cu tiih Pathain thangṭhatnak an neih tlang tikah zumtu thar tampi an karh vivo a si kha. Hivail in kan duhtawk hrih pei.Curuangah, pawlkawmnak kan neih hi a rak sual lo lawlaw. Thil ṭha tuk le neih tengteng dingmi a rak si sawn. Asinan, zumtu kan si vekin kan pawlkawmawnak hi lei dan si loin Bible ih sim(zirh) dan vekin tuah ding kan si. Pathian thangtahnak hla sak, Bible zohlo siar le hlim le lungawi zetin Pathian thangthat tikih lam tivekpawl khal hi a rak sual lo lawlaw. Amahlawngte, thiamsawn cuhaw tahratin zuamaw ciamco khi cu Bible ah a rak um lo rair.Bible um lomi thilpawl, zumtu kan pawlkawmawnak ah kan telh, kan hmanguar a si ah cun , hi ti te in tluangtlam(simple) takin ka vun sang hngai ding “ Liberal thuphan pawl ih tuahmi pawlkawmnak” a si ka ti ding.Hminsin: Hi pawlkawmnak thu hi zawih Kawhhran khal ka bat hrimmi si loin, kan dung zumnak thu artical ka nganmi sung ih, pawlkawmawknak thu malte ka nganmi kha saya pakhat in a lungkim lo thu a rel ruangah, kim cang deuhin ka run betmi a si.Christian apuih
Louisville KY
USA
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Running the Race of Faith
A Sermon by Coty Pinckney, Community Bible Church, Williamstown, MA 1/29/95
The Bible is full of images that help us to understand the Christian life: we are part of the army of God, engaged in battle; we are part of the body of Christ; we are Christ's ambassadors, his envoys, representing him in this world; we are a building, being built up into Christlikeness; we are branches, Christ is the vine; we are the bride of Christ; we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. All of these analogies are rich and useful.
My favorite analogy, however, compares the Christian life to running a race. This analogy is not common throughout the Bible, but Paul loves it, as he uses the running and racing image at least nine times in his epistles. In addition, the author of Hebrews uses the analogy once.
The analogy is particularly rich for me because I am a creature of the running boom. I grew up during a period when mile world records would make the front page of the Sports section; when an American set two of those world records; when 100,000 fans filled a stadium to witness a track meet between the US and the Soviet Union. In 1972 as a 16 year old who had been running competitively for less than two years, I watched Jim Ryun, my boyhood hero, fall in an Olympic games heat; I watched Steve Prefontaine, an American runner only five years my senior, make a game effort to win Olympic gold in the 5k; and, most importantly, I watched Frank Shorter demolish the field to win the Olympic marathon. After those Olympics, millions of Americans began running, many hoping to run a marathon. Every teenage boy in the country who was already running competitively began to dream of mile world records and marathon victories. I was no exception.
I remember at that time searching the Bible for references to running, and especially recall encountering 1 Timothy 6:12, which I underlined in my Good News New Testament:
Run your best in the race of faith, and win eternal life for yourself.
This morning I would like to elaborate on this running image, supplementing the scriptural material with analogies I have drawn while training for marathons and road races. I apologize up front for the personal nature of this sermon -- uncharacteristically, I will range rather far from the day's text. I believe, however, that the image of running is not only a personal favorite but also is full of vivid parallels with our Christian walk. So I encourage you to think deeply about this image, and search the Scriptures to see if these things are true.
Recall that we have reached the third verse of 2 Timothy chapter 2. Paul has been exhorting Timothy to fan his gift into flame, to suffer hardship together with Paul. He has mentioned those who have fallen away, who were unwilling to suffer hardship for the gospel; he has mentioned his own endurance through suffering; and he has mentioned the good example of Onesiphorus, who evidently died in the service of the gospel. Let us begin reading in verse one of chapter two:
1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs-- he wants to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will disow us. If we arefaithless, he remains faithful, for he canot disown himself.
So how is competitive training and racing comparable to living the Christian life? What insights can we gain into living the Christian life from my own experience of running, and from the Scriptures that develop this image? In this sermon, I will draw seven parallels, four from training and three from racing. Since we must always train before we race if we hope to have any success, let's start with training:
(1) Be Consistent
Our training must be consistent if we are to fulfill our potential. After Frank Shorter won the Olympic marathon, we High School runners devoured all the books and articles about him we could find. So we all discovered that Frank had run every day -- for seven years. Not one missed day in seven years. We all learned that to be a great runner, we had to train consistently.
One coach puts it this way:
[A runner may say,] "Surely to miss training just this once will not matter? After all, there is a long season of it lying ahead." But to miss training once is to open a breach in the wall of routine. And a single breach will almost certainly be followed by others, to the point where there is no routine left. And then, bang! -- there goes your ambition to be a runner.
The runner's statement actually is true; to miss one day is no big thing, but missing days develops a bad habit, changes one's perception of what one is about. When I was training seriously, I found this to be true. I figured that running five days a week was sufficient to accomplish my goals -- and it was. But if I started the week thinking, "Oh, I can take off any two days I wish, whichever two are most inconvenient for running," I would invariably miss more than two days. Running became not something I was doing because that was who I was -- running became something I did when it was convenient.
One of the giants of American track and field, Ken Doherty, put it this way: "Run until the question of not running just never arises."
Most young runners struggle with this problem: Are they running because it is fun and convenient, or to impress someone else? Or are they running to achieve excellence, to become all that they are capable of being? Are they runners at heart?
Paul brings out this idea of consistency in verse 5, where he says no one wins the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. For the ancient Olympic games, the rules governed not only the competition but also the preparation. Athletes had to train rigorously for ten months -- or they were not allowed even to compete for the prize. In training, consistency is everything. Without consistency, you will never fulfill your potential.
The analogy with the Christian life is rich. Sometimes the Christian life is presented to us as a one-time conversion, followed by a joyful life of walking with Christ ever after. Well, that's not my experience and that was not Timothy's experience either. Paul's exhortations to Timothy again and again emphasize persistence, making a continuous effort: He tells him to "keep on fanning into flame" the gift that is within him, "keep on being strong in the Lord." Later in this letter he will tell him to "continue in the things you know and have become convinced of."
Timothy was tempted to inconsistency, he was tempted to give up, he was tempted to abandon the hard work of living the Christian life. So am I. So are you. We don't live happily ever after following our receiving Christ. Instead, day after day, hour after hour we are presented with the option: Are we going to follow Christ, or are we going to follow the world? Are we going to believe Satan's lie when he says, "Just this once! Just this once! You can be a Christian tomorrow; one day makes no difference!" Or are we going to be consistent in our training, consistent in our devotional life, consistent in our resisting temptation, consistent in our pursuit of righteousness, faith, love, and peace?
Take the Ken Doherty quote and apply it to your Christian life: Read the Bible until the question of not reading just never arises; pray until the question of not praying just never arises; resist temptation until the question of not resisting temptation just never arises.
You see, much as we hate to admit it, we are creatures of habit. What we do today influences what we do tomorrow. When we are inconsistent today, we make it that much more likely that we will be inconsistent tomorrow. And when we pursue righteousness today, we make it that much more likely that we will pursue righteousness tomorrow.
So remember: No athlete receives the victor's crown unless his training is consistent. Be consistent!
(2) Be Disciplined
I'm using the term "discipline" to refer to parts of our life other than running. For training to reap its maximum benefit, an athlete must discipline his entire life, not just his time on the track. A well-trained athlete must avoid distractions, must eat well, must get sufficient rest, and must avoid engaging in activities that could result in injury. A coach may put together a perfect training program, and an athlete may follow that training program to the letter -- but if he is not eating well, he will never fulfill his potential.
I had a college teammate who exemplified this. Let's call him by a pseudonym, Tom. Tom was an exceptionally talented athlete, and he trained hard. But Tom was completely lost when trying to manage his time. He routinely stayed up until all hours of the night finishing papers, or reading for class. The most notorious example of this was when 10 of us were running a 24 hour relay -- a crazy event in which a team of 10 carries a baton around the track for a full day, with each person running a mile, then handing off to the next person. This race is easy for the first few hours -- you're only running 1 mile about every 50 to 60 minutes. But, of course, it becomes impossible to sleep, and in the wee hours of the morning, your legs become tight as rocks.
Tom showed up for our 24-hour relay having stayed up all night writing a paper. While, if fresh, he was probably capable of running 2nd or 3rd fastest on the team, by midnight he was hopeless, hardly able to make it around the track. He dropped out -- and the nine of us who were left had 5-6 minutes less rest between each mile. Our total distance covered suffered badly.
As Christians, we too must discipline ourselves in all parts of our lives, not only in those that are specifically spiritual. Paul tells Timothy to flee the evil desires of youth & pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. We have to flee these negative areas if we are to pursue the positive. Similarly, Paul in today's text says that the good soldier does not entangle himself in civilian affairs; his focus instead is on pleasing his commanding officer.
Runners are faced with many distractions, many enjoyable or pressing activities that can divert them from the pursuit of excellence. Similarly, we as Christians face many possible diversions. The author of Hebrews uses a running analogy to make this point to us Christians when he writes, "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." If we're running, we don't want extra weight on our backs, we don't want our feet entangled with diversions. We need to avoid all that, and focus on our goal. We as Christians must do the same.
(3) Work Through the Pain
A good coach tries to make workouts enjoyable, but workouts can never be all fun and games. In order to achieve one's potential, hard work is necessary, and that, at times, is painful.
One necessary part of any distance runner's training is interval work. When running intervals, athletes run for a particular distance -- say one lap, 1/4 of a mile -- then rest for about 90 seconds, then run again. This allows the body to run a cumulative distance of, say, two miles much faster than would be possible by running with no rest. But about halfway through a workout like this, if you are running hard, lactic acid begins to build up in your muscles, legs begin to get stiff, and maintaining pace becomes difficult -- and, at times, painful. This is the whole point of the workout -- teaching your body to run well in race conditions, when your muscles begin to get stiff and tired. Completing the workout is key to reaping its benefits.
Interval work at sea level is tough, but it is even tougher at altitude, where each gasp of air provides less oxygen. When I was teaching high school in Kenya in 1977, I coached track and cross country. Our school was at an elevation of 5000'. I well remember a workout one hot afternoon, when I had scheduled seven intervals of 330 yards for my athletes. After they finished the sixth, I could tell they were tiring, so I encouraged them: "Good job! You're doing great! Just one more, and we'll be done for the day!" An athlete replied, addressing me by the Swahili word for teacher: "No, Mwalimu, we are too tired, we can run no more." I responded, "Yes, Joseph, you are tired -- it's almost the end of the workout, you're supposed to be tired. Running when you're tired makes you stronger!" "No, no, Mwalimu," Joseph replied, "running when we're tired doesn't make us stronger. Running when we're tired only makes us more tired."
Have you ever felt that way as a Christian? Have you complained to God, "Oh, Lord, I'm tired, I can't finish this! Give me a break, let me rest! This is too much for me! And it's all so pointless. All this effort yields no results. I believe in you -- isn't that enough?"
God intends to use trials and difficulties in our lives to tax our spiritual muscles, stimulating growth, stimulating dependence on him. As James tells us, persevering through trials makes us perfect and complete, lacking nothing. But God is training us to be champions, to be like Jesus -- he's not training us to be joggers. And this type of training is tough; it is bound to be painful at times.
Paul tells Timothy, "Endure hardship with me." He reminds him that he is like a soldier, who doesn't worry about his personal comfort but is set on pleasing his commanding officer. He says we are to be like hardworking farmers, who must suffer through backbreaking work, day in and day out, whether they feel like it or not, if they are to reap a harvest. In chapter 3 he tells Timothy to expect persecution also. He makes no promises that the Christian life will be easy -- rather, he explicitly promises that the Christian life will be tough. The promise, instead of the absence of difficulties, is that through all these difficulties, God himself will provide the energy to overcome, and we will grow more Christlike in the process. That's the goal: Becoming like him!
So endure hardship! Be willing to put up with pain, knowing what it produces!
(4) Enjoy the Training
The fourth lesson from training is that we must enjoy it. That seems contradictory; we've just mentioned the need for discipline, consistency, and hard work; we've highlighted that productive training always includes an element of pain. So how can we enjoy it?
An athlete may try to muster up his will and say, "OK, I'm committed, I'm going to be disciplined, I'll be consistent, I'll work hard, working through the pain." But if that athlete is only goal oriented, he may achieve some objectives but will not come back year after year after year. Herb Elliott was Olympic champion at the metric mile in 1960; in his entire career he never lost a mile or 1500m race; and he held the world records for both events. He probably trained harder than any miler up to that time. But Elliott retired when he was only 22. He achieved his goals, and then quit.
Now, we can't fault him for retiring. But as Christians we are training not only to achieve a goal, but to become like Christ in the process of living in this world. We are training not only for heaven, but for the rest of our life on earth. And we must learn to be thankful for our trials, to rest in God in the midst of those trials, and, yes, to enjoy the process, to "consider it pure joy" when we're faced with trials.
As a high school and college athlete, I always hated interval workouts. Weaker runners would beat me in those workouts; the pain was too great. So, although I ran a lot after graduating from college, I generally avoided track intervals. After moving to Williamstown, however, although there are few opportunities for track races, I've ended up running a lot of intervals with the college track team. Last season, one of the college athletes asked me, "Coty, why are you doing this? Are you pointing to a particular race?" And the answer was no. I run intervals now because I love it. I love to feel my body grow tired, I love to focus on maintaining speed and effort despite tightness and pain, I love to work through all that, to be mentally tough and complete a hard workout. There's no real goal now -- just enjoyment of the work. The process has become the goal.
The Christian life is closely parallel. If our being a Christian is solely a means to get to heaven and avoid hell, we've missed something vitally important. Eternal life begins now, we are in Christ Jesus now. We have his peace, his love, his presence, in the midst of whatever pain and suffering we encounter in this life. We need to rejoice in the Lord always, not only when things are going well; we need to focus on His presence, His joy, His overcoming of the world, even -- rather, especially -- when the world seems to be bearing down on us.
One of my favorite biblical examples of this is when are Paul and Silas in jail in Philippi. Their legs are in stocks, they can't move, the cell stinks, they can't sleep, they've been beaten -- and beaten illegally at that. And how do they react. Do they say, "Oh, Lord, how could you allow this to happen to us! We've worked so hard for you, and this is what results! God, this hurts so much! God, how unfair!" No, not at all. Instead, they rejoice. They sing. They praise God.
Are you rejoicing? Or are you simply bearing up under the pain, being stoic? If we are just bearing the pain, gritting our teeth, we're not really living the Christian life. We are to enjoy Christ's presence, whether we are in jail or in church, when the path is rough and when it is smooth.
So rejoice in tribulation! Rejoice that you belong to Christ! Enjoy your training!
Now, let's turn our thoughts to racing. An athlete who has trained consistently, who has disciplined all areas of his life so that the training has maximum impact, who has trained through the pain, and has enjoyed the process, is now prepared to race. But the race will not be successful unless he remembers certain key lessons:
(5) Stay focussed and alert
Roger Bannister is best known as the first man to break four minutes in the mile. But Bannister's finest hour came four months later, at the 1954 Commonwealth Games. In the interim, the Australian John Landy had broken Bannister's world record. This was the first meeting between two runners who had both broken four minutes in the mile.
Bannister was known for his fast kick, so Landy took the pace out hard at the beginning, passing halfway with a ten yard lead. Seeing the gap, many observers thought that Bannister was finished. Once one loses contact with the runner ahead in a track race, it is very difficult to close the gap. But listen to Bannister recall his thoughts at the time:
I quickened my stride, trying at the same time to stay relaxed. I won back the first yard, then each succeeding yard, until his lead was halved by the time we reached the back straight on the third lap. I had now connected myself to Landy again, though he was still 5 yards ahead. I tried to imagine myself attached to him by some invisible cord. With each stride I drew the cord tighter, and reduced his lead. I fixed myself to Landy like a shadow.
The result: Bannister ran by Landy in the final straightaway, setting a new world record and winning Commonwealth gold.
Note the terms he uses in his description of the race: he imagined a cord connecting him to Landy, he focussed on the runner ahead, and drew himself closer.
A related aspect of racing tactics caused me to lose our conference 5k when I was a senior in college. The 5 k was the last distance event. All the top runners had competed in another event either the day before or earlier that day. We were all tired. Halfway through the race, my legs were screaming at me because of the hard 10k the day before. Knowing that we were all hurting, one brave and smart runner substantially picked up the pace with about 1.5 miles to go -- even though he was as tired as the rest of us. I initially let him run by me, then -- too late -- realized that this move could make the race. So I went after him, moving into second place, but it was too late. He had broken contact and, though I thought of Bannister and his cord, I could never make up the ground.
I lost that race because, for a moment, I lost focus; I was not alert to what was happening around me. As Christians, we too need to keep our focus. We read part of Hebrews 12:1 earlier; let's keep reading:
let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus
Our eyes are to remain fixed on Jesus, looking straight ahead at him, not looking to the world around us, not looking at the problems that face us, not looking at our own past failures or accomplishments, but focussing only on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Like Bannister peering at Landy, we must look straight ahead, not thinking of our pain, not thinking of our own effort, but looking at him, depending on him, becoming like him.
Focussing on Jesus can easily be the topic of an entire sermon, but let me just mention three aspects of this focus, and leave the details for another time. First, we focus on Christ in order to tap into his power within us. Second, we focus on Jesus as our pioneer, as our trailblazer, as the one who has gone before us maintaining his focus on the joy set before him, and succeeding. Third, we focus on the triumphant Christ who will return to earth and make all things new, who will right every wrong and wipe every tear from our eyes.
Jesus tells us this in Mark 13:33: Be on your guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come! So we must fix our eyes on him, and maintain our focus, despite all the distractions around us.
(6) Maintain your Form
In addition to keeping focus, a good racer must maintain his form throughout the race. As our bodies tire, the natural tendency is to tense up: our shoulders rise, our jaws tighten, we become worried and then get even tighter. And though this is natural, it is quite counterproductive; the tighter we become, the slower we go.
One of my high school teammates, Mark, was like this. In a close race, or a particularly fast race, Mark would start to lean his head backwards, making his strides shorter and shorter, inevitably making him slow more and more.
This is one of the hardest things to teach young runners. Much of training for running at the elite levels -- much of interval training -- is designed to teach the runner to always maintain good form, even when he is about to collapse.
What is the parallel for Christians? Paul brings this up in chapter four of 2 Timothy, when he looks back at his own life and says, "I have fought the good fight." The word "good" is not the word that means "morally upright" but instead a word that means "aesthetically pleasing." He fought a beautiful fight, he maintained his form, he looked good all the way through the end. He didn't flail his arms, tighten his jaw, or lean back with his head, but maintained good form even when the pressure was on. So he and Silas praised God in the Philippian jail; he was beaten and shipwrecked, but continued to be faithful to his calling; he proclaimed the gospel boldly even when he knew that would result in persecution. He was afflicted, persecuted, perplexed, and struck down, but never in despair. He never acted ashamed of the gospel, he never lashed back at his persecutors, he was never quarrelsome. He kept his good form, focussing on the Lord Jesus Christ, rejoicing in him, despite all the challenges the world could throw at him.
Such is our goal. Focus on your form! Run the good race!
(7) Relax When Racing
Here we have another apparent contradiction. When racing, we are trying to get every last tenth of a second out of our body, trying to use our last ounce of energy so that we can run our best. Yet all great coaches emphasize that one key to achieving greatness is learning how to relax while racing. Work hard -- yet relax.
Many of you have watched Olympic marathons or the Boston marathon on television. Don't those runners make it look easy? Their shoulders are relaxed, their cheeks bounce up and down -- they look almost like they're out for a pleasant jog around the block. But they are running fast! The average pace for an Olympic gold medallist in the marathon is about 73 seconds for each 440 yards. Go out to the track sometime and try running one lap. I would guess that no more than 15 people here this morning can even run one lap that fast -- the best marathoners run 105 laps that fast, without stopping -- yet they look completely relaxed!
Why is this? It is actually quite logical. If I am going to use every ounce of energy to achieve my goal, I must not waste any of that limited supply of energy on something irrelevant. Now, I don't run with my jaw, or my fists, or my shoulders. So those must all relax, they all must use no energy, so that all of my energy can be focussed on those parts of my body that must work hard if I am to run fast. To achieve the supreme physical effort, we must relax every part of our body not necessary to that effort.
We as Christians are called to something similar. The author of the book of Hebrews tells us to "make every effort to enter God's rest," that is, "work hard at resting." Paul says at the end of the first chapter of Colossians,
To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
I am laboring, I am striving, I am working hard -- but it is with God's energy, not my own.
We've seen this earlier in 2 Timothy also. In chapter one, Paul gives Timothy several commands, but with each command he notes that God has enabled Timothy to keep the command: "Fan into flame the gift of God . . . for God has given us a spirit of power." "Join with me in suffering . . . by the power of God." "Guard the good deposit . . . with the help of the Holy Spirit." Indeed, one translation of 2 Timothy 2:1 brings out this thought quite clearly: "Keep in touch with the power that is yours in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." We are not called upon to be strong on our own, or to accomplish things for God through our own power. On the contrary, Jesus tells us "apart from me, you can do nothing." Instead, we are to rest in him, to relax in him, to allow him to work through us. Our job is to focus on him, to turn our thoughts to him, to pray to him, to depend on his word, to put on his armor -- then, and only then, can we succeed in the race of faith.
Conclusion
So examine yourself. How have you been running? How has your training been going? Are you consistent, day after day, hour after hour? Are you disciplining all parts of your life, so that you will grow in Christlikeness? Are you working hard, willing to endure suffering? Are you enjoying your relationship with Christ, in good times and bad? How is your focus? Are you ready and alert, keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, expectantly awaiting his return? Are you maintaining your form, fighting the good fight, or are you complaining and feeling sorry for yourself? And are you relaxing in Christ, letting his energy do the work?
This is the race of faith -- the most important race of your life, the race whose goal is eternal life with Christ, made perfect in him. Run your best in this race.
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