Excellence In Endurance

Hanging in my study is a birthday gift from one of my disciples. It is one of my most prized possessions. He discovered how much I loved the quote from President Teddy Roosevelt’s speech entitled “Citizen’s in a Republic” (France, April 1910). In it he reads an excerpt from “The man in the arena”… 

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

A person with a spirit of excellence determines to go the distance. This was the mantra of President TR. Although I immediately think of the movie “Field of Dreams” the phrase— “go the distance” is actually an idiom originally from boxing, meaning: ‘complete a fight without being knocked out.’ There has been and always will be someone on the sidelines, crying how it should have been done and could have been done and worse, how they would have done it, better. They are the critic, not the one actually in the ring. What we need today in the Lord’s churches is strong character and a steel rod for a back bone. It’s not so much what they do but who they are. A person of integrity, heart, passion, and a spirit of excellence. Paul, Silas and Timothy were those men.

1 Thessalonians 2.1-2 says— “For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.”

Paul continues his letter by referring to the past:  “you know” in verse 1; “as you know” in verse 2; “as you know” in verse 5; “you recall” in verse 9; “you are witnesses” in verse 10; “as you know” in verse 11. He is helping their recall by wanted them to remember… How he came.

First, we see that how Paul came was successful. The word: “vain” means ‘something empty, lacking purpose, or pointless’. His trip had purpose and meaning (the opposite of pointless). In fact it bore changed lives. The word in greek ‘keeno’ is also used as— to be seen foolish by onlookers. So we can assert that some were questioning the significance of Paul’s arrival. Remember there is always a critic. Sometimes it feels like what you have done for God meant nothing or maybe it feels like it’s not going anywhere. Listen to what Paul said to this letter carrier, Timothy in 2 Timothy 4.5— “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” The phrase— “make full proof ofmeans total commitment. It literally means to fully carry out your service. In the last letter he ever wrote on planet earth, Paul said for Timothy to have a total commitment… go the distance. We are to go the distance— have a courageous commitment to our ministry to the end. Paul was willing to go the distance with and for the people God had called him to serve— in face of terrible pain inside and out. That would take boldness.

Secondly, then, we see how Paul came was bold. Despite the hostility towards them, they were emboldened by God to share the message courageously. The phrase “bold in our God” sticks out. It means without reserve. Have you noticed the word bold is always used in connection with the Gospel? He and his companions fearlessly preached the gospel without diluting the message. You can beat them to an inch of their lives and they will sing for pure joy because they have been counted worthy to suffer for Jesus. You can lock them up in prison and they pray. You can turn them loose and they evangelize the world. Their ministry shook the foundation of the kingdom of Satan. Even if you kill them, you give them a martyr’s crown and a triumphant entry into heaven to receive a resounding welcome home. What has happened to us? Where is our go the distance spirit? No matter the circumstances they kept going, with a good spirit to boot. Paul said they were “shamefully entreated”. That phrase is one word in greek: ‘hubrizo’,  which means both to be insulted, and to suffer bodily abuse. Even that did not stop them! They were emboldened by God in the midst of pain and suffering. To be clear: They had just came from Philippi where they had been publicly stripped naked, flogged, and then thrown into prison without a trial (Acts 16). Amidst this terrible opposition, they pressed on to Thessalonica and preached boldly (1 Thessalonians 2.2). Instead of pressing on, they could have turned around and headed to port setting sail for Antioch with scars on their body and defeat in their heart. They would have been well received as unique and conquering hero’s in our modern churches. I would even imagine they could say as many do today, it must not have been God’s will.’  That’s not what he said to Corinth… 2 Corinthians 4.7-10 says— “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” Knocked down, but not knocked out! This was par for the course. What’s happened to us? They were made of a different material. They didn’t contrive their boldness from within… instead they found it in God. The center of God’s will isn’t a guarantee of safety, in fact it’s risky. 

Third, how Paul and his companions came was risky. Because of fear of personal hardship, many believers rarely attempt anything bold or risky for Christ. Nothing out of the norm for that Christian. Yet look at some of our examples: 

  • Joshua— In a new land, stepping into some big shoes (Moses), facing insurmountable odds with cowardice people who do not like him. Yet read this: Joshua 1.6-7,9— “Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”Only be strong and very courageous! That’s it. Let God do the rest.  
  • Jeremiah— Was warned by God at his calling that the kings and priests would fight against him and attempt his assassination (Jeremiah 1.19). But read these words: Jeremiah 1.8,17— “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.”It will be difficult…so cinch up your belt!They will disagree, argue, scold you, stare you down. Don’t look at them— look at me, God says!  
  • Micaiah— Was ordered by people to only prophecy things good to King Ahab. But he said: 1 Kings 22.8, 13-14— “And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak.” That’s the last we hear of him. It probably sealed his fate. But wasn’t it worth it? You open your eyes with a clear conscious and stand before Jesus proud that you didn’t desert him.

What does Joshua, Jeremiah, Micaiah, Paul, Silas and Timothy all have in common?  They were human. We are all only human, therefore we need help to go the distance. Paul wrote this letter just after he arrived in Corinth. So in 1 Corinthians he gives us a glimpse of his spirit when he was writing 1 Thessalonians. We see this in 1 Corinthians 2.3— “And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.” He had been manhandled and mauled, he had been hounded out of every city; He had been beaten by his own Jewish people; He had been abused by authorities who were supposed to protect him with the law; He had been laughed out of court in Athens. He was lonely and discouraged— that is when Timothy returns, just in time to encourage Paul with the testimony of the Thessalonians. God is never going to leave you high and dry.  

Please listen disciple when I tell you that— you cannot do it on your own strength! You must trust solely on the One who can take you the distance. My question for you this week is: When will you give up? When will you finally quit doing things in your strength and according to your knowledge and see that He has been standing by you all this time wanting to take it from you and carry you the rest of the way?

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