Exercise Yourself Unto Godliness
Continuing his Mmm! Series, Pastor Wayne Surface taught us this last Sunday that scripture exhorts us to exercise ourselves unto godliness. In 1 Timothy 4:6–16, Paul urged Timothy to refuse profane fables and to exercise himself rather unto godliness, and he gives the reason:
"For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." (1 Timothy 4:8)
While bodily exercise is good, exercising our faith matters more. The Greek word is gymnazo, where we get gymnasium, and the same principles apply in our spiritual walk: repetition, faithfulness and steady building. Aerobic exercise builds a stronger heart and lungs. Spiritually, it’s the same idea. A stronger heart means running after God’s commandments and loving Him and others (Psalm 119:32; Matthew 22:37-39). Stronger lungs mean depending on the Spirit — because just as breath sustains the body, the Spirit sustains the soul (Galatians 5:16; John 20:22). But that work can get blocked, the same way cholesterol blocks circulation. That blocker is sin. Which is why Scripture tells us not to quench or grieve the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19; Ephesians 4:30).
Building Muscle by Faith
Anaerobic exercise builds muscle, and Ephesians 6:10 calls us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Spiritual strength must be built by faith, because results are not immediate. This why Pastor Wayne reminded the church of his challenge to memorize Scripture and start reading the Bible; many began but found it hard and pulled back.
Faith also stretches. Paul wrote:
"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13–14)
Reaching forth, Pastor Wayne explained, means pressing a little beyond what you think you can do. The believers in 2 Corinthians 8:3 gave beyond their power. He urged us to pray, as Jabez had in 1 Chronicles 4, for God to enlarge our coast — reaching forth in the small things: a little more Scripture, a little more prayer, one more verse memorized.
Spotters and Shared Burdens
Good lifters have a spotter. Hebrews 10:23–25 calls believers to consider one another, to provoke one another to love and good works, and not to forsake assembling together. Pastor Wayne recalled lifting weights with a friend named Tupu, who stood over him in case he failed and also urged him on to one more repetition. Accountability helps us go beyond what we thought we could do.
Sometimes we also need help carrying weight. Galatians 6:2 says:
"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2)
During the service, Pastor Wayne had a volunteer hold a 35-pound weight, then joined him so they could hold it together. Later he had another volunteer demonstrate by holding a 10-pound weight that seemed easy, but had to hold it until he began to shake. This illustrates that some burdens are not overwhelming, just wearying day after day. Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hands (Exodus 17:12), and the strong are to bear the infirmities of the weak (Romans 15:1). When we cannot carry a burden, we can do what the four friends did in Mark 2: bring the person to Jesus, who saw their faith.
Good Nutrition and Besetting Sins
Exercise alone will not help you lose weight; it must be combined with good nutrition. Just like our bodies require proper nutrition, our souls need to be nourished by words of faith and good doctrine (1 Timothy 4:6). Pastor Wayne explained that spiritual nourishment comes from the milk of the word (1 Peter 2:2), the meat of the word (Hebrews 5:14), the bread of the word (Matthew 4:4) and even the sweets of the word (Psalm 119:103).
Good nutrition also means saying no to things that hurt our body over time. Hebrews 12:1 says to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us. Saying yes to what is good for you means saying no to sin and to whatever keeps adding weight. Without that diet, spiritual muscles will not grow.
Consistency Over Good Intentions
The most important part of exercise is consistency. Pastor Wayne shared a saying that what we do consistently (not what we do once in a while) shapes our lives. Luke 9:23 speaks of taking up the cross daily. Showing up to church now and then, or reading the Bible now and then, will not make you grow. It takes discipline (1 Corinthians 9:27) and repetition; Hebrews 5:12–14 describes those whose senses are exercised by use.
The greatest hindrance is tomorrow. We buy the treadmill that becomes a clothes hanger, and we feel good about wanting to exercise without ever starting. James 4:13 shows how easily we talk about tomorrow. Start today. There is no pain, no gain, Pastor Wayne said; it takes labor (1 Timothy 4:10). Bad habits are exercise too: straight to the couch, straight to the refrigerator, until we become spiritual couch potatoes. James 1:22 says:
"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." (James 1:22)
“You see, coming to church without putting to practice is like watching an exercise video while sitting on the couch. It isn't going to do any good. And you can come to church every week and hear the message, but you sooner or later got to be doers of the word to see the changes. You got to put it into practice in your life.” Watch at 28:50
You Cannot Exercise Your Way to Heaven
Pastor Wayne made it clear that no amount of exercise earns salvation. He had a volunteer lift weights on a bench, then added weights for lies, bad thoughts and other sins until it was too much. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and our sin keeps adding weight. We cannot hold it up ourselves.
Jesus invites the weary and heavy laden to come to him for rest (Matthew 11:28–30). He was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Ephesians 2:8–9 says:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8–9)
A thousand miles on an exercise bike gets you nowhere, but you can sit on a plane and arrive because the pilot takes you there. Faith in Christ takes us to heaven.
“It starts with Jesus Christ. You cannot do it in your own strength and your own power. But he says, I want you to become stronger in the Lord.” Watch at 34:11
Pastor Wayne's ultimate challenge is to exercise yourself unto godliness: pick up your Bible and read, get on your knees to pray, and love your church and neighbors as yourself. That is how spiritual muscles are built.