The Man of God Fights for the Faith

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If it were not for the WOMEN of the CHURCH in AMERICA, There Would Be NO CHURCH!!!!!! WAKE UP MEN!!!!!!!!

Where are the men of God? Here in New Mexico, Ethel Marharg is leading the fight to save God’s babies from abortion! Ethel is getting everything but the kitchen sink thrown at her by the pro-abortion folks! Where are the men? This article is written by Gregory Brown. Too many men are more in love with personal possessions rather than our LORD! Men spend more money on their own possessions than giving to the Kingdom of God! You can’t take fancy to heaven! No U-Haul has ever made it to heaven! It means nothing! We all will have to answer to God. So many men our so very spoiled! BIG EGO’S!!! EGO stands for Edging GOD Out! WAKE UP MEN!!!!!!!! I live my life for God and I always think of God giving me a report card when I get to heaven….It helps keep me in check! I will be sharing on this at the Soldiers of The Cross Men’s Encounter.

Why has our Society Imploded??? Many men have failed God and His children!

Too Many Men Work for the Do Little Sit More Company, or They Work for The Do More For Myself Company!

 

The Man of God Fights for the Faith

 

Compete well for the faith

1 Timothy 6:12

Interpretation Question: What is Paul referring to when he says, “Compete well for the faith”?

“Compete well for the faith” can also be translated “Fight the good fight of the faith.” The man of God is not only known for what he flees and pursues, but also what he fights for. Paul says, “Fight the good fight of the faith.” What is he referring to? The presence of the article “the” seems to refer to the doctrines of the faith and not just belief in God. Fight literally means to “‘keep on fighting!’ It is a word from which we get our English word agonize, and it applies both to athletes and to soldiers. It describes a person straining and giving his best to win the prize or win the battle.”6 The Greek literally says, “agonize the good agony.”7

There is always a pain or agony that comes with fighting a battle; however, this fight is “good” because of what we are fighting for. Without this fight, the souls of men will be lost, Christians will be led astray from God’s best, and Satan will gain victory, even if only temporarily. Satan always attacks the doctrines of Scripture. He plants lies in people’s minds. He does this because he realizes what we believe affects how we live, and therefore if he can twist or taint what we believe, it will lead to loss or destruction.

For this reason, Timothy should guard and fight for the truth, even as Paul did. In 1 Timothy, Paul contends for the faith, as he does in most of his letters—combatting false teaching. The following verses support the importance of believers fighting for the faith:

Dear friends, although I have been eager to write to you about our common salvation, I now feel compelled instead to write to encourage you to contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.

Jude 1:3

O Timothy, protect what has been entrusted to you.

1 Timothy 6:20

Steve Cole’s comments on the fight for the faith are helpful:

The history of the Christian church consists of repeated battles where the enemy introduces destructive heresies, those heresies are confronted, and the truth is clarified and proclaimed. That’s what Paul is doing in First Timothy. Many other New Testament letters have the same polemic thrust. The great church councils and creeds, while not carrying Scriptural authority, were attempts to correct false teaching and to set forth sound teaching. The Reformation consisted of godly men like Luther and Calvin combatting the corruption and false doctrine that had permeated the Roman Catholic church and setting forth the great truths of Scripture.8

In addition, Steve Cole describes many of the great men of God and their battles throughout history, as he quotes J. Gresham Machen.

Tertullian fought Marcion; Athanasius fought the Arians; Augustine fought Pelagius; and Luther and Calvin fought the popes. He [J. Gresham Machen] concludes rightly, “It is impossible to be a true soldier of Jesus Christ and not fight” (cited in Fundamentalist Journal [3/83], p. 34). To persevere, we must flee worldliness; pursue godliness; and, fight the good fight of the faith.9

This is not only true on the macro-level as we consider the fundamental doctrines of the faith but any deception of Satan. When counseling or ministering to others, one must identify the lies that a person believes and insert the truth of God’s Word. Second Corinthians 10:4-5 says:

for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ.

Though fighting is difficult and undesired, we must hope to be faithful like Paul. At the end of his life, he declared: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7 NIV).

Are you willing to fight the good fight of the faith?

Application Question: What are some of the major attacks on “the faith” happening in the church today? What does fighting for the faith look like practically? By Gregory Brown: 19. Characteristics of the Man (or Woman) of God (1 Timothy 6:11-16)

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