PHILIPPIANS 3:10 (AMPC)
2 Timothy 2:4
 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian
affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
 Qualities of a good soldier include reliability, fearlessness,
discipline, consistency, courage, motivation and skill. Good
soldiers must also be prepared to exceed their abilities, be
diligent in getting tasks completed and stay focused on
safety
 The soldier has not only to take his life in hand, but to
abandon his civil pursuits and make the pleasure of his
commander the law of his life. The diligence of other people
in their worldly callings may well put us to shame; and if
that is not enough, our own diligence in the one half of our
life may shame our laziness in the other. All fire there, and
all ice here !
 The farmer has to exercise long patience, and to labour
hard in the field and wild weather, before he can sit down
and eat of the fruit of the harvest.
The one great peculiarity of military discipline is
prompt, unquestioning obedience
 out-and-out submission to authority
 The highest guerdon of courage and faithfulness
is the general’s praise
 Paul is saying that the Christian faces the same
thing. We are not called to be Christians to
merely enjoy life, to have everything around us
pleasant and comfortable.
 No, says the apostle, we are to endure hardness,
we are to get involved with life at its most
wretched, and sometimes most uncomfortable,
expression.
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Since soldiers are often entrenched in risky and dangerous
situations, they must subscribe to the philosophy that no one
is left behind.
Therefore, good soldiers must possess courage in their own
abilities to protect and defend and fearlessness to trudge
forward when faced with danger to secure and safeguard
fellow soldiers.
Battle zones and war bases prompt good soldiers to be
disciplined when faced with orders, fearless when entering
combat and diligent to follow through with direct commands.
Consistency is also an important quality of a good soldier.
Soldiers must learn how to complete tasks proficiently and in
a consistent manner to ensure policies and procedures run
smoothly.
Peacefulness is another important quality of a good soldier.
The strain and stress of combat can drain soldiers mentally
and physically, so maintaining a peaceful mindset helps them
cope with the stress and continue to serve their country with a
clear mind.
The second thing about a soldier is that he
requires a degree of single-mindedness; soldiers
have only one objective: "A soldier does not get
entangled with civilian pursuits, but his aim is to
satisfy the one who enlisted him.“
 Christianity is not a way of doing special things;
it is a special way of doing everything. The
objective is that, in the midst of whatever we do,
whatever our line of business, we are manifesting
the character of Jesus Christ. We are seeking to
be pleasing to him.
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2:1-7 As our trials increase, we need to grow stronger in that
which is good; our faith stronger, our resolution stronger, our
love to God and Christ stronger. This is opposed to our being
strong in our own strength.
All Christians, but especially ministers, must be faithful to
their Captain, and resolute in his cause. The great care of a
Christian must be to please Christ.
We are to strive to get the mastery of our lusts and
corruptions, but we cannot expect the prize unless we observe
the laws.
We must take care that we do good in a right manner, that our
good may not be spoken evil of. Some who are active, spend
their zeal about outward forms and doubtful disputations. But
those who strive lawfully shall be crowned at last.
If we would partake the fruits, we must labour; if we would
gain the prize, we must run the race. We must do the will of
God, before we receive the promises, for which reason we have
need of patience.
SOLDIER, ATHLETE AND FARMER
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Not every soldier wins its commander’s applause, but
only the veteran who devotes himself heart and soul
to his profession; not every athlete wins the crown or
prize, but only he who trains with anxious, painful
care; not every tiller of the ground gathers the earth’s
fruits, but only the patient toiler.
It is the enduring, patient, self-sacrificing toil that is
rewarded in the affairs of common life
Labor must precede reward; that if a man would reap,
he must sow; that he could hope for no fruits, unless
he toiled for them
Farmers should persevere in his toils, looking onward
to the reward.
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A hard-working farmer is known for rising early in
the morning, attending to a variety of important
issues throughout the day, and sometimes even
tending to problems in the evening.
A hard-working farmer always seems to be either at
work, or thinking about what work is next.
At the same time, despite the farmer's efforts, he is
dependent on God to produce the harvest: "See how
the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,
being patient about it, until it receives the early and
the late rains" (James 5:7).
Likewise, the Christian is called to work hard, to
suffer when necessary, yet depend on God for the
results.
QUALITIES OF A GOOD FARMER
Are money wise – Money management
 Innovation – specialty markets
 Are resourceful – are able to adapt to market
changes, take advantage of growth opportunities
 Manage time and people
 Have good relationships with stakeholders
 Pay attention to details – producing, processing
and marketing require both physical and mental
attention
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One who serves Christ, like the farmer, must sow the seed
of the Word of God.
The Christian worker must establish friendships, plant the
seed of God’s Word, cultivate the soil, and then he must
wait patiently.
When the farmer has done his part, he must sit back and
wait for the rains, and let the powers of nature produce
fruit. More than any other workman, the farmer soon
learns that there are no quick results. He must not keep
digging up the seed to see if it has sprouted.
The weeping sower (Psalm 126:6) shall someday bring a
harvest of souls, with rejoicing. He must keep on patiently
sowing.
The harvest of souls might include members of your own
family, or perhaps a neighbor—or maybe a friend you met
along the way.
The Apostle Paul says that we are to seriously meditate on
these things (2:7).
The Christian life is not a race to
see who comes in first, but an
endurance run to see who finishes
faithfully. Remaining faithful to
the finish makes us true winners.
We are judged by what we finish,
not by what we start.
ATHLETE – ANCIENT STADIUMS
COMPLIANCE TO ATHLETE RULES WAS A MUST
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Every athlete has a specific goal - to win the prize.
This was no small matter in ancient Greece as
victorious athletes not just a perishable wreath but
also received great benefits from their home city for
the rest of their lives, including such perks as free
meals, invitations to banquets, and specially reserved
places in the theatre.
In the ancient Olympic games every athlete had to
meet three basic rules including being a true-born
Greek, swearing an oath before Zeus that he had
prepared for ten months before the games (thus
giving Zeus liberty to take his life if he lied) and
abiding by the rules that applied to his specific event
Failure to comply with these rules resulted in
immediate disqualification.
ATHLETE
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2 Timothy 2:5 Also if anyone competes as an
athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes
according to the rules.
Amplified: And if anyone enters competitive games,
he is not crowned unless he competes lawfully (fairly,
according to the rules laid down).
Competes as an athlete (athleo from áthlos =
contest in war or sport especially for a prize) means to
strive or contend, to engage in competition or conflict,
to compete in an athletic contest in the arena.
The picture conveyed by athleo is one of a struggle
requiring great exertion, readiness for sacrifice,
discipline, determination and perseverance to win.
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1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium
compete, but only one receives the prize? So run to
win. Each competitor must exercise self-control in
everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown,
but we an imperishable one.
The athlete’s disciplined self–control is a rebuke of
half–hearted, out–of–shape Christians who do almost
nothing to prepare themselves to witness to the lost—
and consequently seldom do.
How was Paul doing in order to run well to win the
prize?
Run to Win
 Exercise self-control in everything. Self-Control is a fruit of
the Spirit.(Galatians 5:23)
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We must run the race carefully or we will be
disqualified.
How can we be disqualified
a)
b)
c)
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God can use someone else in the place we should have
served
We can miss the blessing in this life of seeing God
produce fruit
We can miss the reward in the next life
Paul knew the danger of losing focus and discipline.
Discipline :- Gal 5:24 “And they that are of Christ
Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and
the lusts thereof”.
He was committed to run in a way that pleased God.
HOW DOES GOD EXPECT US TO LIVE
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How does discipline and self-control affect other areas of
my life that could affect my ability to serve God fully?
2 Corinthians 7:1(AMPC)
7 Therefore, since these [great] promises are ours, beloved,
let us cleanse ourselves from everything that
contaminates and defiles body and spirit, and bring [our]
consecration to completeness in the [reverential] fear of
God.
Discipline like that of a serious athlete involves "spiritual
training which must not be discontinued. Godliness, of
which the discipline is the motive and aim, involves
fellowship with God, which can be cultivated only by
constant meditation in the word of God and by the habit of
prayer. Godliness, thus maintained, involves our
overcoming every kind of enticement to evil and our living
so as to please God.
HOW DOES GOD EXPECT US TO LIVE
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Ephesians 4:22-24 (AMPC)
22 Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and
discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized
your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt
through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;
23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your
mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],
24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self)
created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true
righteousness and holiness.
31 Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath
(passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger,
animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor,
contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or
blasphemous language) be banished from you, with
all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind).
HOW DOES GOD EXPECT US TO LIVE
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Philippians 1:27-28 (AMPC)
27 Only be sure as citizens so to conduct yourselves
[that] your manner of life [will be] worthy of the good
news (the Gospel) of Christ, so that whether I [do]
come and see you or am absent, I may hear this of
you: that you are standing firm in united
spirit and purpose, striving side by
side and contending with a single mind for the faith
of the glad tidings (the Gospel).
28 And do not [for a moment] be
frightened or intimidated in anything by your
opponents and adversaries, for such [constancy and
fearlessness] will be a clear sign (proof and seal) to
them of [their impending] destruction, but [a sure
token and evidence] of your
deliverance and salvation, and that from God.
HOW DOES GOD EXPECT US TO LIVE
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Colossians 3:12-13 (AMPC)
12 Clothe yourselves therefore, as God’s own chosen
ones (His own picked representatives), [who are]
purified and holy and well-beloved [by God Himself,
by putting on behavior marked by] tenderhearted
pity and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of
yourselves, gentle ways, [and] patience [which is
tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to
endure whatever comes, with good temper].
13 Be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if
one has a difference (a grievance or complaint)
against another, readily pardoning each other; even
as the Lord has [freely] forgiven you, so must you also
[forgive].