Perseverance: Part I

I like to think that I am someone who embodies a little more perseverance than others.

I have not always been that way. I see this principle, or trait that one can grow into. My high school football coach taught me a two-word phrase, "intestinal fortitude." In college, I had a football coach that had much more perseverance, as he had ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. It is a disease that without any care for life or limb. The body atrophies until you lose all muscle function. I never once heard him speak negatively about his condition. I played under him for 2 years, and he passed away before I graduated in 2000. Today there is a rock that bears his name just beyond the back, right corner of our end zone.

Paul was a man than internalized and provides for us a great example of the word. Going back to the "Man on Fire" chapter, we saw that he returned to Jerusalem fourteen years later, one of the very places that he started teaching the Gentiles about Jesus, to gauge his effectiveness.

I think of perseverance as more than just continuing along a journey that you have set forth. It is a combination of belief, faith and staring opposition in the face; without doubt, not wavering from your goal. Faith + Belief + Opposition-resistance + No doubt + and unwavering commitment.

Over the next few days, I hope to deliver some scripturally-based examples, using Paul of course, that will help you redefine perseverance for yourself; gaining a strengthening in your vision and mission for the Lord, with clarity.

Paul had faith in his mission. Without having a personal understanding of the driving force; in our first example, faith, you are simply a bird that flies in the air without having a destination.

The first idea to "grab ahold of", is that God will give you faith; allowing you to be effective in your actions and purpose, when you embody faith.

Acts 18:9-11 shows us that if we remain connected to God and have faith in our mission, He will direct our path. It says, "One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision:  "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I a with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God."

What we see here is God providing instructions. He validates Paul's actions. He tells Paul not to be afraid; that he will be free from harm. I also would like to point out what it says specifically in last part of the sentence spoken by God in verse 10, "because I have many people in this city."

In Paul's case, we know about the denial from the people in his sphere  of influence regarding his transformation. The polar-opposite change in his belief in the goodness of Jesus Christ as our savior was immediate. We also know that in many cities there were mobs of people, banded together, to harm him. They wanted Paul dead. But the Lord would not allow this to happen, as he had already placed in motion Paul's steps, and would guide him as he spoke to the people and built the foundation for the early church.

We see Paul speak about perseverance to the elders in Ephesus. In Acts 20:20-24, Paul speaks. "You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus."

"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task that the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying the good news of God's grace."

Having faith in the Holy Spirit and the Lord our God is extremely powerful. I often pray, as I heard James Walker of New Morgan Hill Baptist Church (Lake Hills Life, today) say each Sunday before preaching, "Surround me with the Holy Spirit. Place a hedge of protection around me. Send the devil into confusion that he may not come at me or my family in any way." There is power in that prayer, with a divine certainty.

But let's get back to our first component of perseverance, that being faith for a minute.

Perseverance requires faith within a divine purpose. I also believe that it requires humility.

In Paul's letter to the Philippians, he writes in chapter 2:5-8 "In your relationships with one another. have the same mindset of Christ Jesus: 

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!

This passage is shared as verses being representative of servant-leadership. To become like Jesus, and imitating his value of purpose-driven leadership, we must submit to humility.

Just last week in church, my dear friend and pastor Scott Burgess spoke about having strength in what God allows us to endure; hardships we will undoubtedly face as Christians. Matthew provides an example in chapter 11:28-30. It says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn fro me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

So we have got humility.

Now; faith in our divine purpose.

The best example of Paul's divine purpose, which we have already examined in this text, is in Philippians. In Philippians 3:7-9, Paul writes "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith."

So we see that perseverance first requires humility. Not passivity, not a defeatist or second-place ideal, but quiet strength. Faith in your divine purpose is the second component.

Over the next few days, we will examine the pieces of belief, resistance in opposition that would derail our mission, continuing to act without doubt and having an unwavering commitment to "running the race" that you are commanded to do to gain people for the Kingdom of God.