Post #100: Good Fight of Faith

Fight the good fight of faith.
Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
I Timothy 6:12

What is a fight of faith? It is the perseverance of the saint to be 'sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see', as Paul tells us in the Faith Chapter of Hebrews 11. It is the fight of post-salvation faith which, thus, only Christians can engage in. For some, we stumble at times because we fear that we may have believed in the 'wrong religion', because belief, repentance and confession sounds too good to be true, or rather, too easy to get to heaven. For others, we forget that it is God whom we should depend on for strength, help and comfort, like David.

What is a good fight of faith then? What is the yardstick of 'goodness' against which we can compare our own fights of faith to? Some people seem to do it better than others. Look at Jim Elliot, Peter the apostle, John Huss, Wang Ming-dao, Dawson and many other famous missionaries, apostles, martyrs and Christian workers. Their fights of faith have been celebrated and commemorated for decades or centuries, not to mention Peter, whose fight of faith have already been celebrated for over a thousand years!

Then there are some people who definitely fight their fights of faith better than others, people who are Samuels, Gideons, Johns, Rahabs, Lydias, Marys in our contemporary society. They glorify God and edify men, have a thirst for God's righteousness and Truth, are constantly growing in knowledge of the Word and in love, and are fervent stewards and servants for the Heavenly Kingdom. All these are done because they are sure of what they hope for, and are certain of what they do not see. They know they will be saved from the wrath of God's hands when Judgement comes; they know the injustices they suffered will be recompensed by the Judge. As that hymn The Old Rugged Cross goes:

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will sing to the old rugged cross
And exchange it someday for a crown.

These good faith-fighters know that because of Christ's blood, they escape the second death and are freely given a place in the Kingdom that is to come. They will come to God with hands full of the work done for Christ, and they will come with hearts of relief and joy, hoping that God would be very pleased with their stewardship.

What is the yardstick to measure if a fight of faith is good then? I believe the yardstick is always striving to learn and live God's Word and having fellowship with God. God makes it possible for all, whether we be of big or small faiths, to hold on steadfast to the Promise of salvation, thereby living lives that are fixed upon that place in the Lord's Kingdom. God gives us strength and faith to hold on to His Promise, and never imposes on us.

This reminds me of God's covenant with David in II Samuel 7. God had never demanded or even told the leaders of His people to rebuild His tarnished temple, yet David had this heart, this wish to restore God's temple to an even greater glory. And God was pleased, making a covenant with David, that his descendants will always be blessed (Lo, and behold! God chose David's genealogy for Christ!). David had faith in God - that He is the One and Only Living God, and He would fulfill the promise of Canaan made unto His people from old. How could it be that God saw David' fight of faith to be good?

David had personal experiences with God - he had fellowship with Him. He prayed even during the most dangerous and urgent times, for God's help and answer to save the lives of the 600 under him against their Gentile enemies. And we often neglect the power of prayer, as Wayne Mack said in Reaching the Ear of God. When we pray, we are in direct communion with our Father in Heaven - there's no more communion as direct as this. When we falter, we pray. When we are lifted up, we pray. When we are hurt and wounded, we pray. When we are joyful, we still pray. Remember the analogy of the fireplace in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim Progress? Satan, our enemy, fans hard at the fire at the fireplace, trying to extinguish it. But the fire never dies out, even though sometimes it may look as if it is, because just Satan is trying to kill the fire on one end, the Holy Spirit pumps oil into the fire at the other. The more often we come into direct communion with God (ie: through prayer), the more attuned our hearts, minds and lives are to Him. We can not only sustain our fires, but even grow stronger as we grow closer to God.

We have what God wants to tell us in His Word. David loved God's Word - the longest Psalm in the Bible is a re-dedication to love God's Word even more. He lived according to what he deemed God would be pleased with: He killed Goliath because he had blasphemed God's Name (I Samuel 17:26, 45); he did not kill Saul because he had great respect for the 'Lord's anointed' (I Samuel 24:6, 26:9, II Samuel 1:16); he treated Saul's son, Mephibosheth, as his own because he loved Jonathan so much (II Samuel 9:7). And how did he know that God would be pleased with what he did? Did he follow the counsel of men? No, he definitely did not. Because if he did, he would have gone home to his flocks instead of killing Goliath that blasphemer, neither would he have not killed Saul during the two times he really could. He knew God's statutes as stated in the Torah (what was then only available to him)- to put to death the blasphemous, to show mercy unto the pitiful, to obey the ruler because he has been anointed by God to rule in His Name. And look, we have the completed compilation of the Bible! We have multifarious books and commentaries on God's Word and our faith, all in a very comprehensive range (of course, discernment between the truly biblical and nominally biblical books is important). What are we doing with all this precious information that God has ordained His people to publish, to write for our edification? God's Word and biblical literature enlightens and trains us on the attitudes, the tactics, the work that we are to do to fight in this spiritual warfare against Satan and the world, to fight the good fight of faith.

Reflecting upon myself, I wonder how God and the angels in Heaven see my fight of faith on earth. Do I fight well? Do I fight well enough against the want for quick gratification and the harms of the world, instead of putting my treasures in the Heavenly Kingdom I know I have a place in? There are times when I stumble in this fight, sinning against my Lord, but how great and wonderful is He, even more wonderful because He comforts me especially with this verse.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are - yet was without sin.
Hebrews 4:15

And this is why when I stumble or lose courage in this fight of faith on earth, I can 'approach the throne of grace with confidence' (Hebrews 4:16) that my Heavenly Father will, on account of my weakness and repentance, turn His back on my sins and receive me in His arms once more.

Christ has redeemed us 'once for all' (Hebrews 7:27). Not fighting a good fight of faith does not equate to losing our salvation. This is the mysterious wonder of salvation, isn't it? That we are really, really justified by faith, not by works. Our Lord is merciful indeed. Our Lord will praise those who fight good fights of faith, 'Well done, good and faithful servant!'. But for those who have not been faithful stewards, they will face reproach, their world-centred works being singed to ash, with them being snatched from the testing fire. The latter come to our King empty-handed. How shameful would that be! To come to our Saviour, the Creator of Universe, the Judge of the world, the Almighty God, the Heavenly Father and the Giver of Grace...with nothing to see Him!

Father, please help me to be consistent in our fights of faith. Let me not diminish my first love for you when I was saved, but let me constantly grow in truth and love. In this way, I can hold true to the confession made before the Heavens, the Church and the unsaved that I have given myself over to You. When I fall, I mar Your Name. While I herald the ensign of the Heavenly Kingdom, I spit at and defy the commands and the loyalty the Christian soldier ought to have for You. I use Your Name in vain, while still priding myself, ironically, as a Christ-ian; I stumble the weak in faith; I dis-convince the unsaved of the saving power of Christ. So Father, please help me persevere in being a little Christ that glorifies You and edifies men, help me fight a good fight of faith!

My Movies Checklist for Summer

The first time I watched Rent, I fell asleep about half an hour into the film version of it. That's because I couldn't take it! It was a movie marathon. But now, I'm inspired to watch it. Along with:

On Dialects, Pronunciation and Orthography

The Lord's Prayer

Authorised King James Version (1611)

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Young's Literal Translation (1898)

Our Father who art in the heavens! hallowed be Thy name.
Thy reign come: Thy will come to pass, as in heaven also on the earth.
Our appointed bread give us to-day.
And forgive us our debts, as also we forgive our debtors.
And mayest Thou not lead us to temptation, but deliver us from the evil, because Thine is the reign, and the power, and the glory -- to the ages. Amen.

New American Standardised Bible (1995)

Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Bible In Cockney: Well Bits of It, Anyway..., Mike Coles (2001)

Hello, Dad, up there in good ol' heaven, Your name is well great and holy, and we respect you, Guv. We hope we can all 'ave a butcher's [butcher's hook = look] at heaven and be there as soon as possible; and we want to make you happy, Guv, and do what you want 'ere on earth, just like what you do in heaven. Guv, please give us some Uncle Fred [= bread], and enough grub [food] and stuff to keep us going today, and we hope you'll forgive us when we cock things up, just like we're supposed to forgive all them who annoy us and do dodgy [bad] stuff to us. There's a lot of dodgy people around, Guv; please don't let us get tempted to do bad things. Help keep us away from all that nasty, evil stuff, and keep that dodgy Satan away from us, 'cos you're much stronger than 'im. You're the Boss, God, and will be for ever, innit? Cheers, Amen.

Simplifying spelling...

Simplified (Idiolectic) Authorised King James Bible

Auer Father wech artn hehve(r)n, Heloud b Thi neim.
Thi keengdi(r)m kam, Thi wel b danin irth, es idizin hehven.
Geevuz thez dei auer deilee bred.
And forgeevus aure deds, es wee forgeev aure detirs.
And leedus nodeentu temteishn, bat deelevirus from eevl.
For Thinees thi(r) keengdi(r)m, and thi(r) pauer, and thi(r) gloree, ferehvir. Amen.

And..the Cockney version.

Bible In Cockney: Well Bits of It, Anyway..., Mike Coles (2001)

Helou, Dad, ap theren gi(r)d oul' hehven, Yawr neimez weal greidn houlee, and wee respekchyu, Gi(r)f. Wee houp wee kan awlafe bechrz at hehven and b ther asun as pawsebel; and wee wantu meikyu hapee, Gi(r)f, and du wachyu want eeirawn irth, jerz laeek wachyu dueen hehven. Gi(r)f, pleez gevi(r)sam Angki(r)l Fred, and eenav gri(r)b and sti(r)f tu keep as gouweeng tedei, and wee houp yuwi(r)l forgeevas wen wee kawk theengzap, ji(r)z laik weeir si(r)pouztu fi(r)giv all them hu i(r)noee as and du dawdg sti(r)f tu as. Therz a lat uv dawdg peepi(r)l irraund, Gi(r)v; pleez doun leddus get temtid tu du bad theengz. Help keep as i(r)wei from awl that nastee, eevi(r)l sti(r)f, and keep that dawdg Seitn i(r)wei frommus, cawzur mach strawngr thaneem. Yer thi(r) Baws, Gawd, and wil b for evir, eenit? Cheerz, Amen.

Should there be a major revamp to English spelling? Not for me, thanks. Moreover, I can't imagine how the colloquial Singaporean English version would be like!

If you then, being evil

“Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
Matthew 7:9-11

To: Me

In everything I did, I showed you that by this knd of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Acts 20:35

It must have been an intense emotional struggle for the Ephesian elders when Paul bade them farewell. He expected himself to land up in one life-threatening danger or another when he goes to Jerusalem and he might not see them anymore. The elders all wept, because they must have been intimate with Paul, who instructed them to defend against impending apostasy every day 'with tears' (v31) for three years. I think they would be feeling much anxiety. Although they knew this was part of God's Will, it reminded them again of the evil of the world - it is deliberately brutal to Christ and His people in this spiritual war.

O Lord, Paul's speech was so concerned with Your work nonetheless, that we must help the weak: those who are so in the worldly aspects (intellectually, emotionally, financially, socially and intellectually); and more importantly, those who are weak spiritually (the lukewarm, the stumbled, or the unregenerate that is still dead in transgressions). In the process of helping the weak, we give something, and giving implicates sacrifice. Thank God for His abundant empathy and mercy, for He replenishes with blessings that will far outweigh our giving. After all, 'every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights' (James 1:17).

Paul probably knew about Christ's crucifixion since his persecution of the early church commenced not long after it. He did not have the kind of intimate relationship James, John, Peter and the other apostles enjoyed with Christ. Looking at life after Christ left in the perspective of the Twelve, I believe there exists in them much poignance about Christ and His teachings and miracles before He was crucified. Christ knew His time on earth was not long, but yet the Twelve often stumbled and forgot His teachings to such an extent that Christ exclaimed that they were very dim. (But God is so praiseworthy that He chooses the weak, the lowly, the base to bring to shame the proud, the rich and the exalted, so that no man may boast before Him; I Corinthians 1:26-29) The apostles had to deal with shame, grief and regret for taking Christ for granted while He was on earth. Yet, amidst the great grief and discouragement came the hope that their Rabbi is the true, long awaited Messiah whom they will one day see again. They went back to their fishing livelihood when Christ died, yet this new hope they had gave them strength to evangelise in Europe, Asia and even up to Russia...to the ends of the world, and to proclaim their faith even unto martyrdom, save Judas the traitor and John.

In a way I'm not as privileged as the apostles who truly felt that pang of shame, loss and regret overtaken by wondrous hope and joy altogether. Paul didn't too, yet he was chosen to be the preacher to the Gentiles, received many visions from Christ and had as much strength to undergo multiple times of persecution as the apostles. He did this all realising that all things have become rubbish in the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:7-8). So I, too, am placed at where I best live out God's Will. Help me forgive, Lord - 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'. Not everyone is as strong as me in my strengths, and I'm just as weak (if not, more) in my weaknesses. Help me be willing to go an extra mile for the weak, just as many have done it for me though I may not be aware of it sometimes, because it will yield glory to You and make me a blessing to the edification of others.

Anger

Sometimes I feel really angry.

I'm angry with myself, with my situation, with the kind of family members and relatives I have, with my incapability. And/Or I could be angry at repulsive, stupid, incompetent people that exist at home, in school or in church (I have to accept the fact the world is not perfect in the eyes of the church, so is the church itself). I feel angry because most of the time, my altruistic efforts have been very, very rudely brushed aside by others when they might not be in the position to actually negate my efforts. Or it could be after much trying, I can't seem to learn and improve.

And when I get angry, I either cry and/or pray a lot and a lot about it, or verbally attack the person with ill-meaning words. And sometimes, I want to give that preposterous person a huge shove, a tight slap in the face or a roundhouse so he drops on the floor. I've never done such physically threatening things since I was in primary school, but sometimes when I'm really angry, I just wish altogether that the person never existed.

I don't need to be weaned with spiritual milk. I am mature enough to partake in the Word itself. I know that God says my anger cannot fulfil His righteousness, and that I have sinned when I think of how to harm others, even when the conjured is not realised. Most of the time, I avoid being angry in the first place by taking different perspectives and thinking in the shoes of others. When I get angry, I deal with it properly and with God's Word, I learn to forgive and pray for God to help me and the other party in our weaknesses. But there are times when, at the heat of the moment, I purposely reject all these usual methods and go back to my old self. I think of the other person as being stupid, frustrating, beyond cure and too arrogant for his own good. Sometimes I become arrogant and pretend to be oblivious to the person's presence, other times I just tell him off straight in the face, demeaningly. People say I'm an encouraging sister-in-Christ, but I must admit I am but a weak lamb who is often stupid to choose to disobey the Shepherd's heeds.

But my Heavenly Father, He never rejects me. Time and again, I falter, but He tells me in that small voice, 'My child, I am here'. When I sin, I cover my ears so I could pretend not to hear His call. But when guilt floods my heart, I feel so, so ashamed that I still sin purposely. It is then I acknowledge that small voice. O Lord, please forgive me and help me not commit the mistake again! My Father created me, how would He not know my weaknesses and my passions? He could have just ruled me with His sovereignty, making me conform to all of His Will. Yet, He only made me to be slightly lower than the angels, that I may be rewarded the citizenship of the Heavenly Kingdom. He gives me the ability to choose - this individuality that I enjoy so much from. I am special because I am different, just as everyone is unique.

My Father is patient, kind and loving. He is always faithful and merciful. When I get angry and sin, I don't glorify Him, I know this well. But He is always so willing to receive me back in His arms when I come back like the lost child who cries when she finally finds her father. He never ceases to forgive, so that I can never cease too, to cry, 'Amazing grace that saved an utter wretch like me!'.