Blood, Sweat, and Tears

At one time in their history the Florida A & M Rattlers football team used a three squad system, calling them blood, sweat, and tears. I don’t recall who did what in the offensive and defensive alignments, but the description represents a vivid picture of commitment to their assignments. The idea of hard work is the meat and potatoes of athletic competition. Football teams all over the United States are bleeding, sweating, and probably shedding a few tears. I remember one of my high school team mates crying out loud during a particularly difficult drill. I also remember as an eighth grader going into the football locker room after a very close and hard-fought game. Our team lost. One of the seniors was sitting up against the wall crying like a baby. This really caught my attention. He was also a golden gloves boxer. Don’t tell me real men don’t cry.

The apostle Paul saw something beyond all the hard work of athletes to excel and win. He wrote to the Corinthian church, whose city hosted the famed Isthmian games every two years, and reminded them of what it takes to be a world-class servant of God. It takes self-denying, labor-intensive, year-round commitment to win the race or the boxing match (1 Cor. 9:24-27). How can it be any less for the Christian who loves God and lives to please Him? The body has to be disciplined. The athlete leads his body. He doesn’t follow it. To buffet the body is to accept hardships in order to spread the gospel. But there is a danger here. Without some other vital truths, Christianity could be reduced to a severe, tough-it-out, joyless regimen. The truth is that because of the believer’s love for God (loving God with one’s strength, Deut. 6:5), self-control is a delightful choice.

The Christian life as hard work is an oxymoron to many in the church. “Let go and let God” is the motto often proclaimed in Christian life conferences. However, it represents a flawed view of true discipleship. Faith is not independent of effort. Listen to Scripture. Unity in the church requires effort (Eph. 4:3). Living a God-pleasing life demands thought, planning, and energy (2 Tim. 2:15; Heb. 4:11; 2 Pet. 1:5, 10). The generous use of the word “work” in the New Testament tells us something important about following Christ. Without a doubt we are not saved by our works but by God’s grace (Eph. 2:9). But we have been born again for the purpose of good works (Eph. 2:10). It is work to come alongside a brother or sister in Christ and help them bear their burdens (Gal. 6:2). It doesn’t come easy to get up early in the morning and read your Bible and pray. There will be some tears shed when two believers repent of their sins toward one another and reconcile. Resisting temptation is heavy lifting. It is relatively easy to yield to temptation by hitting the right keys and going off into the world of cybersex. It requires strength to run away from Potiphar’s wife wherever she may be found (Gen. 39:12).

There may be some who will cringe at all this talk about self-discipline, effort, blood, sweat, and tears. It may smack of legalism and a joyless Christianity. Legalism perverts effort in the Christian walk into a prideful attempt to bribe God with good deeds. It is a mutation of the deadly sort that gives true Christianity a bad reputation. The work that goes into loving God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength is a pleasure and can only be accomplished by God’s grace. Notice the times the various words for power are used in the Epistles of the New Testament. Paul says that he did what he did through the working of God’s power (Eph. 3:7). His prayers for fellow believers are laced with petitions for God’s power (Eph. 1:19; Col. 1:11). Peter encourages the church with the truth that God’s children have been endowed with divine power at the moment of their regeneration (2 Pet. 1:3). Divine energy is needed if God’s work is going to be done through earthen vessels (2 Cor. 4:7). Both physical and spiritual strength come from our omnipotent God. Thankfully, therefore, we are not left to ourselves to engage in the labor of love for God’s kingdom.

We have been given examples of those who shed their blood for the sake of the gospel (e.g. Stephen, Acts 7:58). Tears and trials were a large part of Paul’s service for the Lord (Acts 20:19, 31; 2 Cor. 2:4). Cross-bearing is sweaty and hard work. But, oh, what everlasting joy there is for those who want nothing more than to run the race to win, who cherish the prospect of finishing well, and who count it all joy to work hard for the pleasure of God.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

Cost-Counting Christianity

Before we are converted to Christ we have no way of knowing what the cost is going to be. But after having followed Christ for a period of time with an earnest desire to please Him and love Him with our total being, we discover little by little what a cross-bearing, self-denying life means. It may involve choosing a ministry that takes us thousands of miles away from parents, friends, and the familiar comforts of our hometown. Our children may not be able to see their grandparents for months or years at a time. We may live in a simple, small home without air conditioning in a hot, humid, and mosquito infested environment. A family member who is intent on getting a divorce may need to be confronted, and they may not speak to us again as a result. Did we know these things when we came to the living and true God for salvation?

Jesus spoke about these things when He was surrounded by people who were following Him on His journey to Jerusalem to be crucified. Many were professing allegiance to Jesus. So, He does not mince words. The road to glory goes by way of the cross (Lk. 9:51). Those who would participate with Christ in His kingdom must respond to His invitation by believing in Him. The door of opportunity stood open (Lk. 13:1-14:24). For those who are followers of Jesus Christ the challenge is the difficulty of discipleship (Lk. 14:25-35). Here is where Jesus stated in no uncertain terms that the road to glory is paved with commitment and discipline. Growing in Christ (discipleship) means absolute loyalty to Him. Our love for the Savior should be so intense that love for all others would seem as if they were unloved. This is not a condition for eternal salvation, but a condition for following hard after the Lord Jesus Christ. Carrying one’s own cross means a willingness to follow Christ no matter what the cost. This means joyfully accepting any inconveniences in order to share the gospel with non-Christians. It will involve forgiving someone who has hurt you deeply. It includes laying up treasures in heaven and not on earth.

According to the story of the rash builder, discipleship means planning and sacrifice. The construction of a building is not something that should be entered into without careful calculation regarding the cost of the project. A king does not lead his army into battle without assessing the possibilities for victory. What does Christ want? He calls for disciples who take Him seriously and who will not live by emotional impulses. Instead, they give Him uncompromising allegiance. All that they have is at His disposal. Is this a description of our relationship to Jesus Christ? Some professing Christians think that as long as they have prayed a prayer to accept Jesus, that is the end of it. Fire insurance has been purchased. Hell has been avoided and so on with life, to do things our way. But Christ wants all of us all the time. This does not ignore the fact that as Christians we sin, get lazy, and may even deny Him at times (remember Peter?). But we must not excuse our feeble life. God will discipline those whom He loves in order to bring us into alignment with His purposes. He may even have to dispense with disciples who render themselves useless (Lk. 14:34-35). The sinning follower of Christ may have to be ushered out of this life (1 Cor. 11:30).

There will be a cost for living the Christian life the way God intends it to be lived. This reality, though, should not be confused with the free offer of the grace of God in Christ. No one is saved by counting the cost. How can an unbeliever even begin to grasp the significance of placing their possessions, talents, time, and family at the disposal of Christ? Obedience flows out of faith (Rom. 1:5). The lost are called to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The journey on the road to glory begins the moment one is born again. The Lordship of Christ becomes an unfolding experience in countless ways. Discipleship calls for thousands of choices, and they will not always be easy. Counting the cost will require vast quantities of biblical teaching, the guiding work of the Holy Spirit, tears of repentance, and wise decision making. This is not a grim, duty-bound joyless life. It is one of lavishing upon Jesus the gifts of love-inspired sacrifice.

To those who have not come to know the thirst-slaking, hunger-satisfying life that is in Christ, there is indeed some cost-counting to be done. It cost Christ His life in a brutal, blood-spilling death on the cross to pay for sin. There was no other way to pay the debt we owe to God. “Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” Because we could not pay the cost of our redemption, the Savior paid it. Those who belong to Christ and follow Him count it all joy to live a cost-counting journey to the gates of glory.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

A Famine of Truth

If churches and pastors were subject to malpractice lawsuits as hospitals and physicians are, we would have an ecclesiastical crisis on our hands. The practice of medicine is subject to strict standards, as it should be. The television commercial that shows a man sitting at his dinner table with a knife in his hand being told by a surgeon over the phone how to proceed with self-surgery evokes a laugh. The forlorn man says to the doctor, “Shouldn’t you be doing this?” What is not funny is the way many contemporary preachers are handling the Bible. They use hit and run hermeneutics, tell one story after another, and leave a butchered Bible in their wake. While all the time the congregation seems to be paying rapt attention, taking notes, laughing, or saying amen. These responses are not bad in themselves but what is being preached to them is malfeasance of duty. It is a violation of trust. A pastor is responsible before God to handle accurately the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

The times in which we live are bad. We are faced with a moral and ethical crisis of staggering proportions. This crisis is exacerbated by the non-Christian world and life views clamoring for adherents and bringing with them a host of idols. Eastern religions parading in western suits of clothes proclaiming altered states of consciousness, reincarnation, and karma deceive the unwary. We are in the midst of a crisis of authority. Pilate’s “what-is-truth” cynicism is eating away at the fabric of social stability. Many are buying into the notion that truth comes from within each individual or is merely a social construct (i.e. one’s truth is as good as another). And to top it all off, we are suffering from a crisis in the pulpit. There is a drought of biblical exposition. Pastors have retreated from a robust proclamation of the truth of God’s Word to an experiential-based pudding which poses as expository preaching.

What is it that constitutes authentic Bible exposition? Expository preaching is not pasting verses on felt needs of people. It is not a running commentary without a theme, outline, or logical cohesiveness. You are hearing expository preaching when the text of Scripture is being exposed. It is an explanation of the Scriptures which is true to its historical and contextual location with proper care being given to grammar and word meaning. It is then applied by the Holy Spirit as it flows through the personality of the preacher, then through him to his hearers (a paraphrase of Haddon W. Robinson’s definition). There are three essential elements bound up in this process. First, there must be Scripture. If you don’t need your Bible during a message, you are probably not hearing an expository message. Secondly, there is interpretation. The biblical text is laid open for all to see and understand. The goal is to determine what the intent of the biblical author was. This requires preparation on the part of the preacher and concentration for the hearers. Thirdly, application must be made. Frequently Bible exposition is given a bad name because the meaning of the text is not related to life situations. This is one reason why a “psychologized” Christianity has crept into the pew. Psychological categories such as self-esteem, co-dependence, and self-actualization have replaced sin, redemption, propitiation, reconciliation, and maturity in Christ.

One of the great Bible expositors of the past century, John Stott, has astutely observed that, “It is not an exaggeration to say that the low standards of Christian living throughout the world are due more than anything else to the low standards of Christian preaching and teaching.” It is not necessary to preach through books of the Bible to do expository preaching, but it offers the best opportunity to follow the flow of the Holy Spirit’s thought through the text of Scripture. Every text of the Bible has a context and it must be honored. To quote Stott further, “The worst kind of preaching allows people to say, ‘Well, I’m sorry, I don’t agree with you. I think you’re twisting the Scripture.’” In too many instances believers with open Bibles and hungry hearts are being given a stone rather than the bread of truth. Are you committed to a steady diet of expository preaching or are you allowing yourself to become comfortable with cheap and dangerous substitutes. Berachah Bible Church believes that the teaching of God’s Word must be flowing through our spiritual veins if we are to be the church we ought to be. Are you hungry? Eat often and tell others where they can find a meal of the wonderful words of life. If the American church continues to exist without demanding Bible exposition, God will send a famine “for hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11). Has this famine already begun?

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church