Gutsy Christians

Gutsy Christians...

These are people with the intestinal fortitude to do something hard for God. People who love God and are called according to his purpose. People who have the conviction to take on a major challenge. People who dare to answer God's call—even if it's difficult.

It takes courage and conviction to stand faithfully for the Lord when everyone else chooses to follow the crowd. God wants people who will love him enough to be loyal to him—and not cut and run when things get rough. People who will not back down when popular opinion tries to intimidate.

Once there was a boy who grew up in a single-parent home with an absent father. To make matters worse, the boy was bi-racial—caught between two cultures. His mother was Jewish; his father was Greek. He wasn't circumcised, so the Jews saw him as an outsider. But raised in Jewish ways by his mother, he didn't fit in with the Greeks either. He didn't belong anywhere. As you can imagine, this boy was adversely affected by his experiences and his upbringing. He became unsure of himself. He lacked confidence. He felt intimidated by anyone with a strong personality or more experience.

Then one day a man came to town with an amazing message. He spoke of God's love—a love so strong that it reached down to the lowest of the low. It reached down to touch sinners. This love reached down even to people who felt like losers. The man said this love was clearly shown by the Anointed One—God's own Son—who died on the cross for our sins so we can have a new start in life. This boy, probably a teen by now, when he heard about God's amazing love, accepted Jesus as his Savior, and he began a new life.

In time, the messenger, Paul, would become this young man's father figure. On several occasions he called Timothy, "my son"—sometimes "my dear son" or "my true son" or "my son whom I love" (1 Tim 1:2; 1:18; 2 Tim 1:2; 1 Cor 4:17; Phil 2:22). Paul worked to foster within Timothy a new, God-given confidence. He wrote to him:

1 Tim 4:12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers...

2 Tim 1:6-8 6 ...fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord...

2 Tim 2:1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

What Paul wrote to young Timothy—hesitant, insecure, unsure of himself—he writes to us. God calls us to rise above our past and fulfill our calling.

How many of you have ever sat in a military recruiting office? What do they do there? They tell you how great you are and what potential you have. They tell you about all the benefits of joining their branch of service—and how you're going to have wonderful opportunities to be trained, to grow and develop and prepare for life. They tell you about everything they can do for you. But they also say something like this: "It's not going to be easy. You're going to be pushed and challenged like you've never been before. We don't want everybody and we don't want just anybody—we're looking for a few good men (and women)." The best recruiters raise the bar to a new standard. They almost dare you to sign up.

God is the ultimate Recruiter. He has issued a call for you to be part of the greatest cause the world has ever known. He wants to enlist you in the fight against sin, against evil, against injustice. He wants you engaged in the battle for the souls of men and women—your family, your relatives, your friends, even your enemies and strangers.

God never said it would be easy. (OK, Jesus did say if we come to him we will find rest for our souls because his yoke is easy and his burden is light [Matt 11:28-30]. But it's still a yoke, and it's still a burden. It's easy because it fits us well, and it's light because he helps us.)

The bottom line is this calling is not for sissies. Being a follower of Christ means taking up your cross; it means counting the cost; it means making hard choices; it means sacrifice and commitment.

Look at how Paul challenged Timothy! Paul urged Timothy to fight the good fight—the good fight of the faith (1 Tim 1:18; 6:12; 2 Tim 4:7); he encouraged him to finish the race, to "run the full distance" (2 Tim 4:7, TEV); he warned him to be on guard (1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 1:14; 4:15); and he challenged him to endure hardship (2 Tim 4:5).

These things challenge me! Do I have the guts to live courageously for Christ? How daring am I? Can I stand against opposition? Am I willing to work and train to rise above mediocrity? Do I have the resolution and the audacity to be more than a "cookie-cutter" Christian?

Following Christ is demanding because it is such a radical, transformational way to live. It's a journey that is life-changing, mind-altering, kingdom-revolutionizing, heart-transforming, soul-renewing, eternity-connecting.

Following Christ requires a major, radical response to the love of God demonstrated on the cross. And what makes it even harder is that we can't do it our way; we must do it his way—and his way is counter-intuitive. Or, as Jeff said in his message a few weeks ago, it seems upside down. Following Jesus requires us to:

• Surrender to gain victory.
• Confess guilt to be set free.
• Humble ourselves to be lifted up.
• Die to self to live in Christ.
• Take a cross to receive a crown.
• Be a servant to be called great.
• Take a low place to be called to a high place.
• Be last to be put first.
• Be a slave of Christ to be released from slavery to sin.
• Be not conformed to the world to be transformed by the mind of Christ.

These things are not easy! These choices run contrary to our natural instincts for ease, comfort, and convenience. These responses are hard, if not impossible to do from a human perspective.

So, from the things Paul told that insecure, unconfident young man, here's a few things we can do to become a "gutsy" Christian:

1. Rekindle the Holy Spirit's flame.

2 Tim 1:6 ...fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

The Holy Spirit is described in the Bible as a fire (Matt 3:11; Luke 3:16). So here Paul uses fire to describe the gift of the Holy Spirit—and his spiritual gifts that can either cool down and die out or be rekindled and fanned into flame.

Paul says fan the gift of God into a blazing flame—so we won't be timid and fearful, but be filled with power.

CEV: God's Spirit doesn't make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power...

NCV: God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power...

2. Are strong in God's grace.

2 Tim 2:1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

We can try to be strong on our own, but human strength falls short. Our best efforts fail. Left to our own resources and good intentions, we will fall flat on our face. We cannot face the challenges on our own.

This is why, if we're going to be strong, we have to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus!

2 Cor 12:8-10 The Lord told Paul: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." So Paul was able to say, "When I am weak, then I am strong."

How do we receive God's grace? By admitting our need for his help. When we can confess our shortcomings, when we acknowledge our inadequacies, when we admit our inability, then we open the door for God's grace to come rushing in.

3. Team up with others.

2 Tim 2:2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

There are things we cannot do alone that we can do when we're in a community. When we're joined shoulder to shoulder with others who are called to the same purpose, we can accomplish much. This is the principle of synergy, which defies normal mathematics.

Leviticus says "Five of you will chase a hundred." So then a hundred of you should be able to chase 20 times as many—or 2,000. But with God's grace and synergy,  the Scripture says "a hundred of you will chase ten thousand" (Lev 26:8).

In the same way, Paul says we should team up with others in answer this call to God's purpose. We're not called to be individuals serving God. We're called to be a community, working together. Paul needed Timothy to carry on his work, but Timothy also needed to entrust the message and the call to others—those who would faithfully and diligently pass it along to others.

In this one verse, you have God's purpose transmitted from Paul to Timothy to faithful men to others—a team four layers deep. It was perhaps the first pyramid scheme.

4. Are willing to suffer hardship.

2 Tim 2:3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

This is about being willing, more than being about hardship. It is about an attitude.

Paul challenged Timothy to have grit and determination to see his way all the way through to the end. He warned Timothy to avoid looking for the easy way out. He didn't want Timothy focused on convenience and comfort, but to be ready for the potential problems that might come his way.

If you're going to take on this assignment, you must be willing to suffer harsh conditions. You must agree to accept hardships.

Three examples underscore his point to us: the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer.

a) Soldier. 4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

When someone enlists in the military, he knows he's signing up for something difficult. Even the recruiting ads play up the idea of being tested, challenged, like tempered steel. That's why we can't imagine a soldier going on strike, picketing for better working conditions, carrying signs outside the base: 101st Infantry On Strike, demanding lighter packs to carry, shorter marches, drier foxholes, gourmet food.

In the same way a soldier expects difficulties and challenges, we should prepare ourselves for adversity and problems. What Paul wrote to Timothy, he writes to us: "Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." As a church we are to be like a platoon, out in the trenches, away from the comforts of home and civilian life, following our Commander's orders.

b) Athlete. 5 Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.

Normally when I think athletic hardships, I think about the training, the working out, the curfew restrictions, and so on. I remember playing football in high school, hitting sleds, and doing drills and calisthenics. I remember running around the track to the point of exhaustion—until I became physically sick. I remember one day coming in last and Coach Deis saying, "Doebler! What took you so long?" me saying, "I had to stop and puke," and him saying, "Oh, okay. Well, get in line."

When I think athletic hardships, I think about what Olympic winners do to push themselves to top form, to excellence. I think about Michael Phelps, who won 8 gold medals at the Beijing Olympics and set 7 world records in the process. He didn't just decide last spring to enter the Olympics. He's been training for years. When he was 11 years old, his coach had him swimming 50 miles a week to increase the size of his heart and lungs. He trains about 5 hours a day, 7 days a week—even on Christmas; he does strengthening sessions 3 times a week to build endurance and flexibility; he uses a stationary bicycle for cardiovascular exercise. He doesn't live a normal life!

An athlete has to be willing to commit himself to the task and endure an intense physical regimen to win. But Paul in this verse was also speaking about something else: following the rules. He was saying, for instance, if you're running 1,000 meters, you can't take a short cut. You can't cut across the field to make your run shorter. You can't jump the gun. You can't skip a lap. You can't use drugs to enhance your performance.

In the Olympic men's 200m race, Churandy Martina of the Dutch Antilles, finished second behind Jamaican Usain Bolt. Wallace Spearmon of the United States, was third. But they were both disqualified merely for stepping on a line—for shaving the corner a bit too tightly. When you cut corners, you're disqualified. So the 4^th and 5^th place finishers, Americans Shawn Crawford and Walter Dix, who competed according to the rules, were moved up to the silver and bronze medals.

As a believer—as a Christian, if you want to win the prize, you can't cut corners. There are rules to follow, disciplines to guide you. There is a goal to reach or a finish line to cross, and if you try to take the easy way, you miss the whole point. Take the short cut and you'll be disqualified.

c) Farmer. 6 The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.

Paul also spoke of the farmer, hard-working—tied to the land, committed to the season (planting or harvest)—sacrificing his own schedule, giving up his freedom and his flexibility. The farmer has to give up a lot of personal comfort and convenience in order to coax good crops out of the land. He has to make a sacrifice in order to gain a harvest.

We are called to "suffer hardship," but don't forget there are benefits for the one willing to pay the price. The farmer receives his share of the crops. His hard work pays off in the form of food and cash. The careful athlete wins a prize. The soldier receives honor and recognition from his CO.

What's the hard thing for you to do? What are you facing that will require guts? Courage?

You know, we don't have to face hard things and challenges like some people. Our churches are not being ransacked and burned like they are in some places in India or Indonesia. Our pastors are not being imprisoned for speaking God's Word like they are in places like Iran or China. We can build a building for our gatherings and activities—unlike many poor congregations in Africa who worship under trees or on dirt floors.

In so many ways, we have it easy. But there are still many opportunities for us to choose the hard thing. Something that requires guts and courage. Are you willing to "suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus"? Are you willing to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus"?

What's the hard thing for you to do?

Perhaps for some it's giving yourself and sacrificing your time to a task God puts before you.

Perhaps for you the hard thing is living with a spouse who's become insensitive and uncaring—remaining faithful when he or she has been unfaithful.

Perhaps the hard thing for you is choosing life when an unplanned and inconvenient pregnancy happens.

Perhaps the hard thing for you is knowing how to deal with a family member's addictions—with tough love.

Perhaps your hard thing is daring to trust God with your finances. Things have been tight. You're fearful about the economy, about job security, about house payments. With all those concerns, you may be afraid there's nothing left for God's work. So it takes guts to put your fears and desires aside while you write out a check for that missions project or that special need. It takes courage to give 10 percent of your income to God—a tithe.

Perhaps the hard thing for you is speaking up for the Lord when others are putting him down.

Perhaps for you the hard thing is turning off the TV, picking up your Bible, and actually listening and doing what God says.