If I would ask you to define the word, hero, what words would you use? If I ask you to tell me about people who are heroes, who would you tell me about? In our culture today, we often talk about heroes. There were the heroes of 911; the firefighters, EMTs, and police who were caught in the crumbling towers; then there are those who gave up their life or who risked their own lives to save the lives of others for example those on Flight 93 that crashed over western Pennsylvania. Perhaps, we might even think of the heroic efforts to dig out from the tornado damage that has happened all over the south this winter. We’ve used the word hero for those who died tragically in the space shuttle accidents. What is a hero? What does that have to do with me you ask?
Dictionary.com defines hero as;
- a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
- a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal.
I did find it interesting, that even in our politically correct culture the definition says “a man.” As we go forward today, we want to focus on definition #2; a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. I want to ask the question, “Where are the heroes?” and more specifically, “Will you be a hero for Christ?”
One of the things that we are taking a look at during our SpringLife emphasis is this idea of transformation; from being dead in our sins to becoming new creatures in Christ. There is a transformation that comes from knowing Christ. A verse that has become our theme verse this year comes from Romans 12:1-2:
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
What does all of this have to do with heroes? I’m glad you asked. Let’s take a look at what Paul writes in Philippians 3:17-4:1:
17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
1Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
Paul’s prayer here is my own for our church today. While I in no way would compare myself to Paul, I would pray that we would pattern our life after those who have gone on before. What do I mean?
Who are some of the heroes of Preston Wesleyan Church? Who are those who have gone on before? I know Bertha George would come up in the conversation. I know the name Arnold would come up. There are probably others who have gone on before that we could hold up as examples of contenders for the faith. In the 11th chapter of Hebrews, we have a long list of those who contended for the faith; Enoch, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, Gideon, Samson, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.
Paul could be writing in our day and our culture. “There are many,” he writes, “whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.” If we were truly honest with ourselves, how often do we really live like the citizens of heaven? How often do we live only for the here and now? What is most important to you? So the question becomes, “Are you an enemy of the cross or are you a citizen of heaven?” There really is no middle ground here. You are one or the other. Are you living your life as a living sacrifice the kind Jesus will accept, or are you living your life for yourself?
Rick Warren in his book, “The Purpose-Driven Life,” starts out with this sentence, “It’s not about you!” This is really what Paul is driving at. This life is not about you. This life is about living lives to the glory of Christ. We can also take this a step farther. Not only is this life not about you, but the church is not about you. The church is not about me. The church is about Christ. We, his followers (the true church) are the bride of Christ. As I continue to study “There’s No I in Church,” I’m convinced that somewhere along the line we missed the point. We’ve made church and the Christian life all about individuals. This is not the case. All we have to do is look at the early believers in Acts. They did things in community. They did things together. We need to remember that the church is not you or me, but us, followers of Jesus, the bride of Christ. I looked at a study that was just released this past week. The findings have far reaching implications. The study found that each generation is becoming more self-centered than the generation before. Most of the issues that divide churches today have nothing at all to do about theology, but preference. The bride of Christ has been separated in the past by carpet color, pew preferences, color of walls, musical accompaniment or lack there of, style of music, purpose-driven ministry, Bible versions, time of worship and the list goes on.
There are even minor theological issues that have split the church. I was looking in the archives of the Wesleyan Church and found an old Pilgrim Holiness Advocate (an earlier predecessor to our Wesleyan Life Magazine.) The church motto was, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.” This is the way the bride of Christ ought to operate. There are essentials to the faith; those are non-negotiable, but there are points of our theology that are non-essential. Can we debate these points? Yes, but only in the spirit of love. I wish I saw more of that going on. Many times these non-essentials are simply human preference. What happens when we don’t agree, give our Christian brother or sister some liberty and continue to love them. That’s what happens when it’s not all about me.
Paul concludes his passage with this prayer.
1Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
If there is any that has captured my heart of late, it is this. Stay true to the Lord. In order to do that, we must take I out of the equation.
So how do we bring this full circle? I began asking about heroes. Who are your spiritual heroes? Every person in this congregation from the youngest to the oldest has the potential to be a spiritual hero. I truly believe this with all my heart. There is someone who will look up to you. Are you worthy of that? Is your life up to being a hero in someone else’s life? There are those who have gone on before. They have gone and they are looking down from heaven. The writer Hebrews writes about the heroes of the Jewish/Christian faith in chapter 11. In the next chapter, he writes:
“1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.”
There are those who have gone on before us in the Christian faith, they are watching us. What is holding you down? What is tripping you up? What is keeping you from being a spiritual hero? So many times we thing we need to be this super spiritual person in order to be a person of influence. There are several here in our congregation this morning that I consider to be my heroes of the faith. They would be embarrassed if I pointed them out. People are watching us, not only are the ones who’ve gone on before watching, but so are those around us. Will you be a spiritual hero? Will you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus? It’s only He that can perfect our faith. We have been called to run the race before us. What is slowing you down? Is the Christian life tough at times? Yes, but when we remember what Christ went through for us, we remember that we shouldn’t be weary and we shouldn’t give up. Will you be a spiritual hero this morning?
