Grace Martial Arts Fellowship began in 1990, went online with a website in 1995 and began publishing newsletters to the Christian martial arts community in 1998.
Because of the quality of information found in those early newsletter articles and the fact they are no longer available online, we’ve decided to re-publish many of them in the coming weeks and months. Our hope is that a new generation of Christian martial artists will be blessed by the wisdom of those who were on the path before them.
GMAF NEWSLETTER
January – April 2007
Welcome to the GMAF Newsletter! We pray it will encourage you in your life, your martial arts and outreach for Christ.
Thoughts from the Master
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
Jesus Christ
“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.”
The Apostle Paul
Wisdom Notes
” The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”
Proverbs 15:3
“What We Have In Jesus: The First Blessing”
by
Mark McGee
GMAF Director
We have EVERYTHING in Jesus!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:3-14
Paul is specific about the individual blessings God gives His children. The first he mentioned is that God chose us in Him “before the foundation of the world.” When we consider who we were before we were saved, God’s choosing us becomes an even larger blessing.
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” Ephesians 2:1-3
We were “dead” in trespasses and sins. We lived our lives according to the direction of every other sinner in this world. We lived according to the direction of Satan, the prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit that works in all children of disobedience. We used to live as children of disobedience behaving according to the lusts of our flesh. We lived our lives to fulfill every desire of our flesh and sinful mind. We were by our very nature children of wrath, just like every other sinner. We were spiritually dead, dirty and diseased. No one would look at us and find anything attractive about us. If we were put up for adoption, no one would want us. No one, except God.
God “chose” us. He wanted us. He loved us. His desire was to make us part of His spiritual family, part of the Body of believers in His Son Jesus Christ. How amazing is that?
“He hath chosen us.” Those four words hold a world of hope for every believer and every person who will believe. God chose us. We are His choice. He wanted us. He loved us. His wish was that we belong to Him. How wonderful!
He chose us. We are not an unpleasant duty. We are not a dreadful deed God had to do to fulfill some ancient obligation He couldn’t find a way to escape. God chose us freely, voluntarily, willingly, wantingly, gladly!
God chose us “in Him.” The words “in Him” are used in the context of the location of our blessings: “in heavenly places in Christ.” God the Father chose you and me in Christ! God’s work is always done in perfect harmony. The triune God – Three in One – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – make “their” choice. It’s never one against the other. The Triune God makes a singular choice – and their choice was you and me! God the Father chose us in His Son and God the Holy Spirit agreed with the choice and plays a vital role in carrying out the purpose of the choice.
When did God make this choice? Was it recently? Was it just before we prayed to receive Christ as our Savior? Was it at our birth? Was it when our parents prayed we would pray to receive Christ? The Bible says clearly that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit chose us “before the foundation of the world!” God chose us before He created the world. His choice was not made in haste. He chose us in Christ before His creative act of bringing the world into being. God knew us intimately and loved us intensely long before the first human beings walked on the earth. He chose us before there was a world surrounded by a sky filled with stars, planets and moons. He created us before there was water, air and land. He created us before the birds sang, the fish swam and the animals foraged for food. God wanted us and chose us before He created the world we live in and depend on for life. God’s choosing us was an amazing activity of the Great Mind of God before He thought and spoke the worlds into being. God chose us, then created a place for us. What phenomenal love!
God didn’t just choose “people” to be saved. He chose you personally because He knew you before time, loved you and wanted you. He knew who you would be. He knew when you would be born. He knew where you would be born. He knew who your parents would be. He knew what you would look like, what you would do as a child, what you would become as a teen and adult. He knew all about you. He knew your strengths and weaknesses. He knew your sinful ways and made a way for you to become His child. He sent His Son to die for your sins and make a path to righteousness. He knew when you would believe, when you would pray to receive the salvation He provided for you, how you would live your life as a Christian. He knew everything and chose you!
God chose us in Christ before He created the world “that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” God had a marvelous purpose in choosing us. He wanted the best for us. He wanted us to be saved from sin, to be spiritually and physically whole again. God chose us to be “holy and without blame before him in love.” The word “holy” means we are separated and dedicated to God. We are set apart for God’s service. The words “without blame” mean we are without any blemish. God has made us perfect in Christ. We are like Him. Christ was the pure sacrifice without blemish and God chose us to be made like His Son. No one can point to any blemish and accuse us of being unworthy of belonging to God because God has made us without blemish. We are without blame (blameless) in Christ. That’s how God sees us now, how He saw us before the creation of the world and how He will see us through eternity. God chose us before He created the world that we should be holy and without blame.
The position of our blamelessness is “before him.” We would be foolish to think we are perfect in this world. We know our faults. We know our sins. We know our failings. We are as imperfect as they come. We don’t (can’t) live up to all God asks of His children. We are human. We are sinners. However, in Christ, we are saved sinners. God sees us differently than we see ourselves or other believers. He sees us standing before Him in love as sinners saved by His Matchless Grace. He sees us covered by the Blood of Christ. He sees us saved and set apart for service to Him. We are holy and without blame in God’s sight.
As we will see during our study, God is the reason we can be holy and blameless. We are not holy and blameless because of something we did, do or will do. We are holy and blameless in God’s sight because He sees us “in” Christ. Jesus is the Holy One. He is the Blameless One. We are holy and blameless before God because we are in Christ and He is in us. That is both a miracle and a mystery.
This first spiritual blessing is the greatest blessing of all. We have hope for every aspect of our lives. When we fail (as we will continue to do every day we breathe air on this planet and our heart pumps blood through our body), we can pick ourselves up and know that in God’s eyes we are holy and blameless in Christ. We will blame ourself for so many things in this lifetime, but God chose us to be holy and without blame before Him in love. That’s how God sees us and how He wants us to see ourselves, other believers and those who will become believers.
The first blessing is how we learn as Christians to see God, see ourselves, see others, see this world and the world to come. We can do what God calls on us to do because we have the proper perspective about life. We understand when He chose us, how He chose us and why He chose us. That perspective makes every day special, every moment important, every opportunity vital.
You are so special! God chose you from before the foundation of the world. He chose you to be holy. He chose you to be without blame before Him in love. Enjoy your life!
(Next newsletter: The Second Blessing)
“Improper Motivation for Obedience”
by
Dr. Robert Xavier
Set Free Youth & Family Ministries
Confident Kid Martial Arts
I. The Lord Looks at the Heart
The Lord Jesus repeatedly emphasized that His concern is not only what we do, but why we do it. The Pharisees obeyed many rules and regulations, but their hearts were far from the Lord. The following are some poor motivations for obeying God and their possible results. Someone May Find Out.
• Many people obey god because they are afraid of what others will think of them if they don’t obey. Example: Allen went on church visitation because he feared what his Sunday school class would think if he didn’t.
• Barbara was married, but wanted to go out with a man at work. She didn’t because of what others would think.
There are problems with determining our behavior solely on the opinions of others.
- First, there are times when no one is watching. Maybe you’re away from home and don’t know anyone in the city. The motive to refrain from sin is missing, so you indulge in it. Christians need to faithfully practice the Lord’s presence.
- A second problem is that the desire to disobey may eventually exceed the peer pressure to obey. Finally, once someone has found out you’ve sinned, you may no longer have a reason to obey.
• Sherry didn’t sleep with her boyfriend. She was afraid her mother would find out. One day, Sherry slept with her boyfriend, and as she feared, her mother found out. Sherry lost her motivation to obey, so she began sleeping with him regularly.
Obeying God because of others’ opinions might work for awhile, but it won’t honor God or set you free and eventually it won’t work at all.
II. What Gives You Power Over PBA: Propitiation Means Satisfaction
The Bible teaches that propitiation refers to Christ’s payment on the cross which satisfied the penalty for our sins. Christ’s death appeases, or turns away, the wrath of God. God’s righteous anger is directed against all sin, and therefore, against all of sinful mankind. Christ’s death removes God’s anger from repentant sinners.
• God cannot overlook sin… not even a “little one.” Even our “righteous” deeds – those deeds we do to look good in the eyes of people or to try to earn God’s acceptance – are like filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6).
III. Accepting Your Acceptance
• Yes, God’s wrath is person and is directed toward the sinner. All of us deserve God’s righteous condemnation because all of us are sinners. The fact that God poured out His wrath on His Son for you is proof beyond question that He accepts you and unconditionally loves you. If you have recognized you are a sinner and believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and arose again the third day, then you have received the Spirit of the eternal God and Savior Jesus Christ. You are a son of God, unconditionally loved, completely accepted, approved, and totally forgiven all sins.
(Next newsletter: You Are A Spirit, Who Lives in a Body, That has a Soul)
” Christians: Are we really one ? “
By
KARL WILLIAM MARX SR.
Founder of Keichu-Do Martial Arts
Hay! Just what is a Christian? You said the words someone led you with. Did you really mean it? I mean from the bottom of your heart truly mean what you said? Look at how many men and women, even men and men or woman and woman, who make the vow to love and cherish each other until death they do part, but end up in a stinking divorce. What happened to all those the commitments? Come on folks, wake up and smell the coffee. If you just said the sinners prayer but then live like the devil, there is some question as to if you were really saved or just thought you were. When I was saved back in May of 1970 and baptized the same night, was I really saved? I went around to several Churches giving my testimony of how Christ had saved me and people were moved and many accepted Christ as their Savior.
Now, I believed with all my heart that I was saved. Within two years I was licensed to preach the Gospel by my then Community Baptist Church. Shortly thereafter, I started preaching at the Louisiana State Penitentiary “Angola,” a Local Prison Farm. To my surprise a few of the inmates were former friends of mine from my bad days before Christ. Preaching in a prison (if you could call what I was doing preaching), I wasn’t very good as preachers go. However, the good thing was that I had a captive audience so to speak. After awhile my Pastor and one of the Church Elders came to my Karate Academy and asked me for my License they had given me. Boy! Was I surprised, and devastated. I asked why and what had I done and they said they would rather not discuss the matter.
WOW! Talk about a kick in the groin. OUCH! I suppose they felt that because I spent Sunday at the prison and not at my home Church like I guess I was supposed to do for first service and since I didn’t tithe to them I wasn’t doing what was required. I suppose they were right, however I would have gladly done what was required if they would have instructed me. I knew I wasn’t a great preacher. I knew that ever since my first preaching assignment as a visitor at a nearby Church. After the service as I was walking to my car in the parking lot. Some fellow shot me with a shotgun. Ha! Lucky for me it was just a hunter in a field shooting doves and only birdshot from way across the lot rained down on me.
I remember looking up to heaven and thinking, dear God, I wasn’t that bad was I? Hearing a gun blast and feeling bee, bees hitting me on the head like rice at a wedding, still was a bit frightening. Needless to say and possibly ironic as well, that was the last time I ever preached from the pulpit in a Church. With one exception when as part of my Bible college Timothy’s class we were required to give a sermon at Church on a Wednesday night. It is during those times that many folks begin to wonder if they are in fact a Christian. The Enemy loves to jump on our backs and rob us of our faith, and replace it with doubt, suspicion, and depression. I wonder which is worse. Doubting ourselves and feeling like we have let God down by failing to be in His will, thus losing His blessings.
Or for those who just think they are a Christian who really doesn’t live the life, as they should. There is more to being a Christian than simply saying a few words. God knows our heart and HE will NOT be mocked. Anyone who is living in the flesh and fornicating regularly is not obeying God. Call it rebellion or just plain old stupidity, either one is deadly, dangerous living. Young or mature, it makes no difference. Sin is sin and Hell is hell. I’m not saying that a real Christian is sin free. No, we all sin at one time or another. He who claims to be sinless is a liar. I do know this that couples that live together are asking for trouble. There is NO real commitment between the two, and if both have so little morals what is to prevent them from cheating on each other?
Many laws originate from some form of morals. Many started taken from the Judo-Christian Holy Bible. Take for example, it’s against the law to murder someone. That comes from the Bible. Stealing is against civil law and that comes from the Bible also. There are many other examples that you can look up for yourselves. Tell me, if your daughter were sleeping with her boy friend, how would you feel? Or let’s say you find out your husband or wife is sleeping around or has a lover, how would your mind accept that? Well, tell me what the difference is when you young people sleep around. It hurts your parents to the core. It’s bad enough that you have no respect for your mom and dad, but you’re sinning in the face of GOD. That takes a lot of stupidity on your part. The wicked shall not go unpunished, we are taught, and I for one can attest to the truth of that statement.
Ho! Boy, can I attest to that. Anyone who has first hand experienced the pain of a ten-penny nail going through his or her finger can attest to the fact of excruciating pain. (I did that, too). Anyway, I know for a fact that when we sin we pay a horrible price one way or another. When I was a young man I was guilty of the sin of fornication and even adultery. Here I was sinning and I had no remorse for sin. I didn’t care that I was being disrespectful to the girl’s father and mother, or to my own parents who had raised me to be a good Catholic boy, keeping my body pure, no sex of any kind including masturbation because that was sinful. However, when I did taste the sweetness of the apple, I was snagged, hooked, addicted to and in bondage to the belief that if a girl had sex with me she loved me.
You see folks it is not the sex act itself that hooks us, it is the thought that if someone cares enough for us to share their most important possession (their bodies) then they must care a lot about us. This is a boost in our morale. It lifts our self-esteem and confidence that we are a worthy person, despite what we feel about ourselves because of what someone (parent, family member, sibling, or anyone who matters who called us a loser or other self- defeating lie) says about us. The sad part of this is what sin does to one’s personal relationship with their Savior and God.
You know with me and I can only suppose that a big problem with the sin of fornication is that way to many participants of this particular sin, is that they do not think of what they are doing as a sin. Couples living with each other out of wedlock have so many excuses that after awhile their neck stiffens up and their hearts harden and they become callused. Eventually, they justify their sin as nothing more than acting naturally. Talk about a lot of hogwash. “Just because we don’t want to believe something is what it actually is doesn’t make it what we want it to be”. Hay! Just because YOU don’t agree with me doesn’t automatically make me wrong. Ignorance is only not knowing the truth. Stupidity is refusing to accept THE TRUTH. Now, what does all this sex talk have to do with being a Christian? I say a great deal. Look! It is not the sin I’m writing about. It is the fact that in many cases Christians are guilty of living like non-believers.
All too often I have counseled folks who say if so and so is a Christian, I don’t want any part of that Christian stuff. Christians who are poor examples of what a Christian should be like are more like what hypocrites are like.
Christians should not be quick to anger, but I am. Sometimes I curse like a Marine Drill Sergeant. I am not always an ideal role model of what a Christian should be. When I was younger I was also unashamedly promiscuous. I confess that is not the behavior of a real Christian. Was I really saved? Back then? I believe so. Why? Because eventually God broke me. I mean everything I touched turned to poop. I was riddled with bad health and rotten luck. One day I was high on the hog. The next day my girlfriend chipped out on me. I started having anxiety and panic attacks. Then on top of that at only 40 years of age I had a mild stroke and found out I suffered from angina pectoris. From there on my life just plummeted down to hard times.
Even Christians can and do come on to difficult times. Several months earlier my second wife and I split up and she married a younger fellow within 6 weeks. Texas Divorce HA! I thought I was a good husband. We attended church every Sunday. I bought a nice home on an acre of land. I had a good job. I was faithful, not a substance abuser or wife beater. I don’t know exactly what I did wrong, but I sure messed up royally. My ex-wife got a new husband and I got a girlfriend, then another and another. All the time not feeling like I was sinning. Now, that is what I’m talking about or should I say writing about. Christians living in sin and not fearing the wrath of God. Again my point is being a Christian doesn’t stop us from sinning, however, we should be dying to the old self and becoming more like Christ by reading daily what the scriptures teach from the Bible.
When you’re lonely and depressed most people pray for someone to love them and to share their life with. Instead we should be praying to be closer to Christ. Only God can fix our situations. Self-preservation is strong in most individuals. Most folks I have asked what are they searching for had the same answers.
Question: What are you wanting and searching to find in your life? Answers:
(1). “TRUTH”
(2). “THE WAY”
(3). ” Peaceful LIFE”
(4). “ENLIGHTENMENT”
Well, that is not so difficult to explain to non-believers. The answer is simple: You need Jesus Christ. No man in the history of humanity has ever spoken these words except one. ” I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE”. Jesus Christ also said He was the LIGHT of the World. So, that covers everything the whole of mankind needs. Not the kind of wants they think they need, but the real necessary ingredients of living they really NEED. One thing too many individuals don’t think about is that sin separates them from God’s Blessings. You think God is going to say Oh! That’s alright that you’re fornicating or committing adultery and Bless you for doing that. You must be really deep, dumb, and dense. What you might get is a pregnancy, venereal disease, or used and a reputation of being easy. They have names for girls and women like that. Living with your boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t change the name you’re labeled with the rest of your life.
Girls, men remember your name and locker talks in the men’s room is vicious. Bragging rights run high, and 10 years or more you and your husband might run into one of your lovers, and ladies, that picture isn’t pretty. Embarrassing does not even come close to the feeling. How will you feel if your husband goes to the men’s room and one of your old lovers happens to be in there. Talk is bound to start, and how do you think your husband will feel if the other fellow or two of them say, “Hay, I see you married old easy wizzy.” Look, what goes around comes around. You folks who have no respect for God will find out the hard way. Christians live by the Blessings of our ABBA Father God. Without these blessings life is not as fulfilling as with them.
When you’re sick or need a job, maybe a raise, whatever our need, prayer is effective if we are right with our Father. I mean surely a daddy will buy a new bike for his child rather than for a stranger. HAY! Check this out. He (GOD) will fulfill the desire of those who FEAR him. Can anyone of you honestly say you fear God when you’re fornicating? Come on, if your partner in sin really loved you, certainly they wouldn’t stand between you and YOUR GOD, your Creator and Savior. Get real. Now hear this! ” The Lord preserves all who love Him, But ALL the wicked He will destroy.”
Now if that isn’t enough to make you think, YOU need to get a life.
Any good Martial arts instructor worth his or her salt will tell you that conditioning is very important. My formula in teaching is:
(1) Technique First
(2) Speed Second
(3) Power Third
However, even more importantly, if you have all three mastered, unless you are able to perform them you will have worthless knowledge. This is the same with Christians. You might know the Bible inside and out. The devil and all his demons know the words of the Bible, but if you are not in condition, which comes from practice, you’re road kill. All sports need certain conditioning so they can function properly. A boxer who cannot last the required rounds and poops out from exhaustion will very likely be defeated by a less skilled fighter who is in better shape. By training your mind through Spiritual exercise, reading and studying a Christian Bible, you are exercising your brain, mind and body.
If just looking at a woman and lusting after her body is the same as fornicating or if your married committing adultery, what do you think living with a person of the opposite sex and having sexual relations with that person does to your relationship with your Creator? Do you expect God to bless you for sinning? Most of the time we don’t even think about the consequences of our actions. I never did, do you? Be honest. Well, what do you think? Do you really consider yourself a Christian? If so, great for you. If not, Hay! All you have to do is REPENT, ask God to forgive you for ALL your sins, and accept Jesus Christ as YOUR Lord and Savior. MEAN it from your heart and soul. Don’t jive with God. HE knows your inner self. You try and fool with HIM and I guarantee you will come out on the short end of the stick.
“Faith or Fear”
by
Phil Lewis
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Heb. 11:1
He who has fear, has torment, the Bible tells us (1 John 4:18). Tortured thoughts and state of mind cause us to hold back, to procrastinate, to hide, and to cower. Faith, on the other hand, lends to courage, to boldness, and to action. It is imperative for us to examine our actions, or lack thereof, to see if we are exercising faith, or fear.
Even when faced with uncertainty, and difficult choices, it must be our belief in God’s goodness, guidance, and sovereignty which guides us. God is good all the time. He knows how to give perfect gifts (James 1:17). He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will never short-change us. All His thoughts towards us are good (Jer. 29:11). The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. He has given His Spirit to guide us into all truth. He leads us with His right hand. His Word is a lamp unto our feet. And even when what we see happening around us, or to us, does not make sense, our God is in control. He is the Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and the ruler over all creation. He holds the hearts of kings in His hand, and turns them in whatever way He desires. And He promises to work all things out for the good of those who love Him and are called by Him (Rom. 8:28). So why do we fear?
Fear, like faith, involves “substance and “evidence (see Hebrews 11:1). When we take our eyes off of, and lose connection with the sure hope and glory of God,s presence, promises, and power, we are left with the substance and evidence which the devil and circumstances so easily provide. Yes, circumstances, when filtered by the devil,s lies, will deceive us into doubting God: Is He truly with me in this? Will He see me through it? How can He allow this? What good can come of this? Do I really need to submit to my authority? Doubting God will lead to doubting those in authority over us, doubting the application of His Word to certain things, and ultimately, to forming our own opinion and acting independently outside His will.
Fear does not come all at once. It comes by a shift in our focus. We begin to see the waves instead of the Master. We start to look at our surroundings and our circumstances. The natural realm of circumstances will never tell us the truths of the spiritual realm in which God operates. Deception creeps in as the “waves look too high, the “water too deep, and the “distance too far. These all tell us “It,s too hard! “You will never make it. “You don,t have to do this! “No one can expect this of you! And if you listen to these masters of deception, you will begin to sink. You will sink because of fear. And you will sink into fear. You will be lost in the high waves and deep water of the troubles around you. As you sink deeper, you become isolated, and no one can tell you anymore that you can walk on water. But it need not be so.
Peter knew where to look when be began to sink. He cried out “Lord save me! He immediately changed his focus. More importantly, he recognized that only the Lord could stop him from sinking. He knew Jesus was greater than the waves, was walking on the water, and could walk him through this.
You and I may be called to “walk on water in some way in our own lives. Perhaps you are experiencing this now. There is something seemingly impossible to deal with in your life. You feel you are being asked to do the impossible, bear the impossible, believe the impossible. And you are right. Without God and an implicit trust and focus on Him, you cannot do this. God does not call supernatural people to do ordinary things. He calls ordinary Christians to do supernatural things as they showcase God,s enabling grace in their lives. And God,s grace is received by faith (Eph. 2:8,9).
Faith is an action. It is the laying hold of the presence, promises, and power of God. By faith we believe that He is, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. By faith we choose to seek Him in praise and prayer. By faith we choose to submit to His Word and to the authority under which He has placed us. By faith we step out in obedience in that which we are being called to do, trusting that His power is unlimited and His grace is sufficient. By faith we choose to see how God sees, to look at things from eternity,s perspective, and to expect God to move on our behalf for His honor and glory. By faith we trust and receive God,s love for us. And “perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).
What is God calling you to do? What is that difficulty you are going through? What challenge lies ahead? Is there some area in which you are “sinking?” Call out to Jesus. Reach your hands out to Him. Keep your eyes focused on Him. In the words of a contemporary Christian singer: “Don’t give up, and don’t give in. This is a race that you can win. God loves and believes in you. He knows the pain that you’re going through. He’s with you every step of the way and He’s by your side.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:22, 37-39)
“A Cause Worth Dying For”
By
Dr. Daryl Covington
2Ti 4:6 “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.”
2Ti 4:7 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
2Ti 4:8 “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
Here in the text, the Apostle Paul likens the Christian life to that of a soldier. We in the martial arts community like to think of ourselves as soldiers, as warriors, and people of valor. I would like to offer the thought that one area we as Christians fall short in as far as being “soldiers” of the cross is concerned, is being ready to die. To be a good soldier, one must be willing to DIE.
There is no current draft in our U.S. military right now. All of our troops signed up as volunteers. We have been to war several times with a volunteer army: Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm, Somalia, Afghanistan, Desert Storm II. (Somalia: some say was not real a war, but I would challenge you to tell that to my Ranger brothers’ families that didn’t come back. Tell that to the guys that had to run out of the city getting shot at.)
Some say Panama wasn’t really a war. May I ask you a question? Have you ever been standing in an airplane and jumped out into a barrage of bullets just as your friend got his leg shot standing in the door? Ever had to charge a line of men firing AK 47s at you? Don’t tell me it wasn’t war. The question is, why would someone volunteer to do that?
Signing up for the military is a commitment. Before a man enlists, he sits down and figures out the costs, weighs the benefits. My parents almost had a cow when I signed up, but I had weighed the costs. When I got out I’d have money to pay for school, I’d gain some good training, I would get to choose where I would be stationed, I was guaranteed an airborne assignment, not to mention free boots, camo, and bullets. There were many disadvantages as well, but I sat down with the recruiter, got all details, and signed up. Why?
Let’s put the same question on a spiritual plane, because the answer is the same. WHY fight? If you have eternal security, why not just rest in John 3:16 (or more properly 1 Corinthians 15:1-5) and wait till the Lord calls us home?
Keep that in mind while we look at a couple of men of Valor on the battlefield. Nathan Bedford Forrest was a tiny Confederate General, but he carried a 5 ft. sword. Once he and 20 Confederate troops were surrounded by fifty Union soldiers. The commanding officer of the Union troops said, “Forrest, you are surrounded, now give me your sword. Forrest responded, “Here have it”, drew his sword, sliced the commanding officer’s head off, turned his horse, and chased the remaining Union troops away! Where did THAT courage come from?
General Armistat led troops by putting his hat on his Sword, and marching up front. Why?
You may not get recognition or reward in this lifetime. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain waited 30 yrs to get his reward from the battlefields of Gettysburg. Christian, you may wait longer that that, but Christian, there is a reward worth for fighting.
We have a weak Christianity today. We need valiant warriors, men that will drawn the sword and charge headlong into the enemy’s Camp: men that will cut the head off the enemy.
Some great soldiers died for their country’s cause. I’ve been in combat with guys that would have laid down their life for me. Their job was, if necessary, to lay down their life for me, so I could get done what had to be done. John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” There it is. That’s the answer to why we as Christians aren’t serving with Valor: We aren’t ready to die! Listen. We aren’t ready to die.
Paul wasn’t talking about being ready to die in terms of Salvation, HE KNEW HE WAS SAVED WAY BACK IN ACTS. He mentioned in Corinthians: “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Knows he is saved, but he wasn’t ready to be offered yet. Next words say in 2Cor. 5:9 : “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.” (This is not about salvation, this is about something else). Again, he desires to go … in Philippians: “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.” But he isn’t ready to be offered yet. Look at the next verse: Philippians 1:24.
Finally, back to our text, 2 Timothy 4:6: “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.”
2 Timothy 4:7 – “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
2 Timothy 4:8 – “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
You as a Christian aren’t ready to die until you have FOUGHT a GOOD FIGHT, FINISHED your course, and kept the faith (That’s not saving faith, but THE faith). THEN, you are ready to receive a reward.
Most aren’t ready for reward, so you’re not ready to die. Paul was. If most of us died today, there’d be no reward. Some may say, “Well, I raised my kids right, don’t get a reward for that?” God takes it for granted a Christian mom and dad will do that. Jesus says even a heathen takes care of the kids. We aren’t ready to die until we KNOW that we have done ALL we could for a cause worth dying for.
Why does a volunteer army work? Men find the cause worthy to die for. Jesus died for us, but men, we aren’t ready to die for him.
Paul, on his death bed, said, “Timothy the cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when you come, bring it, and the books, but especially the parchments.” (2 Tim 4:13). Now, if there has EVER been a man that didn’t need to study doctrine, wouldn’t it be the guy that wrote it? Why?
2Timothy 2:15 – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
We don’t love the Book enough to be offered yet. Love for the living word and written word leads to love of people. Let us work towards being ready to be offered.
(Editor’s note: AMEN!)
Taking God’s Grace to the World!
[Join our Grace Martial Arts Facebook Community!]
Grace Martial Arts © 1990 – 2025
Grace Martial Arts 