Fighting According to the Rules

Fighting According to the Rules

“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” 2 Tim. 2:3. “And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” V. 5.

There are certain rules you have to follow in a competition so that you are allowed to compete. If you don’t, you will not be crowned regardless of how competent you are.

As a soldier of Christ it is not only your zeal or your capability that counts, but whether you are competing according to the rules. There is much Christian work going on, and many people bring great sacrifices, but they do not compete according to the rules so that the result is unity to the glory of Him for whom they are competing. They seek their own honor, resulting in division and envy. “For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.” Phil. 2:21. In light of this, we also understand Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21-23.

One of the rules we must first of all pay attention to after we have become servants of God is: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit.” Phil. 2:3. “Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Gal. 1:10.

Jesus says, “I do not receive honor from men.” “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” John 5:41-44. Jesus fought according to the rules, and we notice the emphasis He places on this matter of not seeking the honor of man. He says further, “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.” John 7:18.

Many people sacrifice their time and all their possessions in order to serve God, gaining quite a reputation, but when the Lord, the righteous Judge, appears, it is questionable whether they will receive the crown. 2 Tim. 4:7-8. You have to do something extraordinary to gain honor, to gain a reputation. The angel of the church in Sardis had gained a reputation of being alive, despite the fact that he was dead. Rev. 3:1. This is how mistakenly the church could judge him. They thought that he was a mighty soldier of Jesus Christ. He was that, too, on a human level. Nevertheless, he was not a true soldier of Christ, for he sought his own honor rather than the honor of Christ. There were a few who were sufficiently spiritual to understand this. Only by seeking the honor of Him for whom I am fighting can I fight according to the rules.

There were some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus, but Jesus came with an explanation: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone . . . .” People are satisfied when they remain on top, to be seen. However, Jesus did not want to be seen; He understood to serve His Father so that He through death—by losing His life—could bear fruit. Through His death the church could grow, so that others could also know how to follow Him. These were able to serve so that there was oneness and peace.

God has raised up many servants throughout the years; however, they sought their own and became important leaders through the grace they received. They began to fight outside the rules. When these die, they leave behind an organization in which there is constant rivalry for being the leader, and thus constant division.

“If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me, and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” John 12:20-26. Only spiritual people can understand how to honor the grain of wheat that dies in order to give its life for the others. 2 Cor. 13:9. The Corinthians did not understand this. They considered Paul’s physical presence weak, and his speech contemptible. 2 Cor. 10:10. They looked at things only according to the outward appearance. V. 7. They looked for a swaggering leader, a renowned orator. Such people cannot help others. But the servants whom Jesus has put in the church, they can. Eph. 4:11-12. These servants seek only to honor Jesus Christ. He is the One for whom they are fighting, rejoicing over each and every one who is growing up into Him who is the head—Christ. Vs. 15-16. Only they can build the church as the body of Christ. Such people have their praise not from men but from God. Rom. 2:29.