NIKE !     

 

“For whoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith.” (I John 5:4)

 

    By the words of John as inspired by God, Christians have “the victory” if they have “the faith”.  This is not a difficult verse to interpret.  Nevertheless it is a very difficult verse to experience, and very, very few individuals can say on a daily and continual basis that they experientially know what John is talking about.  Yet the entire book of I John is talking about experiential knowledge by participation, - “koinonea”. Superficial head-knowledge via words alone is not what this Apostle is trying to communicate.  Just read the first four verses.  Knowing Christ is sharing in His life.  It is beyond being able to “repeat after me these words” - Jesus is the Christ - “Jesus is the Christ”, etc.  Most average three year old boys can do that, and probably most two year old girls! (Who are more verbally adept earlier.) It is getting to know Him by living His life in our body (Gal.2:20) and then, (and only then), do we start getting some idea about what John is writing of in I John 5:4.  

     When we think of the word VICTORY, we should think of the word WORK, truly a four-letter curse word to most people these days.  Jesus came to do the work of the Father who sent him.  God finished His work on the sixth day, then He rested.  So think of working 6/7ths of the time, and you start to get an idea of the victory that overcomes the world. Faith could be defined as:  Following Actively In Trusting Him.  Faith is an action word.  Faith with works is ALIVE! (Since faith without works is dead) James 2:17.  “The Faith” that overcomes the world is alive - it works within us as we work it out in the world.

   The goal of the evangelists and elders is “to equip the saints for the work of service…” so that the church in unity can be like Christ. (Eph.4:12)  When we think of the victory that we have in Christ, we should think of brutally hard, sweat-producing labor that completely drains us of all our energy.  Interestingly enough, though, this work is not a painful chore of drudgery done under the whip of the LAW and fear of  a harsh taskmaster.  Rather it is the total 110% offering of love as Living Sacrifices (Christians) express their total surrender and appreciation to the most benevolent and righteous Lord of Heaven, Jesus Christ.  After all, disciples are not above their master, and Jesus demonstrated the same aforementioned hard-core work ethic during His days on earth in bodily form.

    The scary and unpopular word “sacrifice” must be considered and embraced by wimpy modern Americans who fear that the coffee maker might be broken Monday morning.  Those same Americans forefathers were made of sterner stuff.  “Doing ones duty” was the average man’s motto.  Being “manly” and keeping a “stiff upper lip” was not just joke material on Saturday Night live.  Not to mention the heroic deaths of the early Christians who sang hymns while lions ate them alive before huge crowds of neighbors and fellow countrymen who viewed them as unpatriotic criminals or dangerously deranged religious fanatics.  (Not to mention this, of course.)

    Do you know what the Greek word is for victory? NIKE.  Interesting, isn’t it,  that thinking of running  a marathon (26 miles), and then dying at the finish line should tie in with that word that is now the brand name of the very popular running shoes.  Not exactly a picnic on the coconut lined beach at Tahiti!  The word is NIKE, not Nyquil.  Jesus talked about faith that would move mountains, not molehills!  If faith can move mountains, how about our body???  The Greek messenger Pheidippides ran from the little plain of Marathon to Athens after the Persian forces of Darius the Great had been defeated by the Greek navy, so that the Athenians would stand firm.  His message?  “Rejoice! We conquer.” That is the “nike” or victory spirit. Just read Romans 3:38 - We are more than conquerors!!  We have a greater victory to live and proclaim than brave Pheidippides, do we not?

     So what do I say to the dear little old lady who sincerely says:  “I could never do what you are doing, going over there to Africa?”  My answer should be:  “Dear senior sister, you can go wherever your faith leads you to go.”  If God needs some sweet little ol’ American ladies in Africa, then they can follow Him here and do the work that God has for them to do.  Faith works.  That can mean two things:  It is able, and it produces.

     How about we decide that faith means doing the impossible, just like Jesus said we could?  How about we start with the total victory attitude - “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”, (Phil 4:13) then find out exactly what “all things” are as we get on with the work.

“All things” for you might not be the same for me.  Many sing out in their soul:

  

  “Please don’t send me to Africa, I don’t think I got what it takes.  I’m just a man, not a Tarzan, don’t like lions, gorillas or snakes.  Please let me stay in suburbia, in my comfortable middle class life.   Please (Lord) don’t send me out into the bush, where the natives are restless at night!” (Lyrics from a popular 1988 song by Michael W. Smith)

 

    Well, what can one say?  Either you can do “all things” with Christ, or apart from Him you can do nothing.  Two words here:  ALL or NOTHING.  That is what Christianity is all about.  No middle ground.  You are either going to have “the victory” by “the faith”, that Holy Spirit inspired John wrote about, or nothing at all.  Lukewarm Christians don’t exist.  They are either in the act of repenting or being vomited out of Christ’s mouth because He cannot stomach them.  These are not my harsh, unkind or unloving words. They’re Scripture.

   Paul wrote:   “And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” (Col.1:29)  Herein lies the “secret”.  “The faith” that overcomes the world is knowing that Christ lives within you in mighty monarchical splendor and complete martial power.  He has set up His royal court within you!!!  You have been occupied - by your own surrender and invitation - by the majestic presence of God Himself, with the unspeakable holiness of the Creator of all things.  That is what it means to receive the “gift of the Holy Spirit.”  All this as a result of your faith, that your got by hearing the Word of Christ. 

   Such a Biblical faith, or to be particular, New Testament faith, will completely empower anyone at anytime and anyplace to do anything that God intends one to do.  It gives us ATTITUDE CONTROL in all of our circumstances.  Let’s face it, we have little or no control over people, places or things.  There will be much wrong with all of this stuff in a fallen and imperfect world.  Check out the life of Paul, and you’d think he was a walking, talking, living disaster about to happen.  From storm to jail to riot!  And pretty sick too.  In chains and unable to get free for years.  Yet he said that he could do all things?!?  Thus we see that this victory that overcomes the world is not about controlling our circumstances to fit our idea of the good life.  It is not having God be our chief butler catering to our every whim.  It is a moral victory that is nearly always  not visible to anybody else.  It is invisible -spiritual.  It takes place beyond the realm of the scientific method and the testimonial mania of the popular religion of today. 

   For example:  Where and when did  Sir William Wallace (Braveheart) win his biggest victory?  At Sterling or when King Edward I had him tortured and beheaded?  If you say when he was beheaded, then you are correct.  His moral courage to refuse to submit to the tyranny of Edward “Longshanks” even when facing incredible physical suffering ranks high in the annuals of history of displays of courage and integrity.  Of course, his example inspired the Bruce to defeat the English at Bannockburn a few years later, at odds of three to one, and decisively defeat them and win Scottish independence.  Yet this military victory came after the death of Braveheart.  His eyes never saw it. 

    We are not to think that we can have such a victory in Christ that everybody will “know” we re great and awesome fellows admired and loved by those around us.  We often think that if Christ fills us with His glory, then everyone will “see” Him living in us and respect our changed lives.  Admittedly, this occasionally happens with a few men, or even at times many - usually after the person has died - but look what Jesus contemporaries did to Him. They crucified the Lord of glory.  Not to mention, of course, the apostles.  Sorry, but if you think that this world will reward and vindicate you for fully standing with Christ in all that you do, you are in for a rude awakening.

This world loves her own - those who play by her rules and not by those who go against the flow of hypocrisy, relativism, humanism and selfishness, and all other worldly principles by which the prince of this world, Satan, runs things.

    The victory that overcomes the world is a moral, spiritual victory won in the hearts of men who sanctify Christ as Lord and obey Him in all things.  The battleground is the mind.  It is where purity and light drive out all sin and darkness.  Where the forces of Satan are routed by the King of Kings through His Sword, the Word of God.

   To be plain and simple, the victory is not going to stand out for men to see.  Christ won this victory away from the prying eyes of men in the wilderness after He was immersed by John.  So will it be for you, Christian pilgrim.  You will fight this lonely battle unseen and unheard by most.  You know what I am talking about.  You know where you are weak and where Satan has had his way with you in the thoughts you think.  That is the soil where sin grows and then manifests itself in unrighteous actions.  It is a never-ending, life-long struggle that each Christian fights every day of his life.  Having a great attitude at all times, praising and praying without doubt or distraction is not boy’s play.  It is no-holds barred dirty wrestling.  (And not fake like WWF!) When the pioneer Texans or Tennesseans  fought, their favorite strategy was to gouge out their opponent’s eyes with their thumbs. They even beat bears this way! It is the struggle that Paul wrote about in Ephesians 6:12f.  It is spiritual warfare.  It’s tough and brutal.  It is life or death!

   Romans 8 speaks to this, saying that the mind set on the flesh is death, and the mind set on the spirit is LIFE!  So you cannot often change your circumstances, but you can change YOU.  Your attitude can be great always.  Nothing can rob your joy or effectiveness in the Lord.  If Paul could do it in chains, and Jesus while hanging on the cross, then we can do it in the next traffic jam!

    May it be the reality of your life, this VICTORY that overcomes the world.  May John’s words from 2000 years ago be an experiential knowing on your part by participation in the work of the kingdom.  May you record amazing victories daily in the battlefield of you minds, dear saints, that will astound the angels and cause spontaneous clapping and cheers to erupt from the heavenly grandstands where the great hosts of witnesses are enthusiastically watching you win points for JESUS TEAM. (Heb.12:1)  Just let Jesus win within you, give Him all the glory, and enjoy going from victory unto victory. (II Cor. 2:14) Paul said that we are hyperkinao - hyper-victors! (Romans 3:37)

  FAITH = VICTORY!  So put on your NIKE, spiritual Pheidippides, and run, run, run through the gates of glory.