Strong Christians

Bounds wasn't saying methods are unimportant, he was saying that methods are not all-important. And it would be well for the Church at the end of this century to heed the advice of this apostle of prayer.

Men and women is God's method.

God uses men and women who are surrendered fully to him. He uses cleansed and consecrated lives, men and women who have been to Calvary and Pentecost. These single-minded individuals resolutely follow the One who said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."(2)

Such men and women are strong—strong in the Lord. They have been exposed to their sinful nature. In the pure light of the Upper Room they have faced their depravity. They have no confidence in the flesh. They have been crucified with Christ and, as a result, they are dead to the world and the world is dead to them.

Oh, God, give us such men and women; and help me to pay the price to be counted as one of their company!

Strong Christians. A strong Christian brings glory to God, is a blessing to the Church and makes a positive impact upon the world.

What are some of the marks of a strong Christian?

A Strong Christian is Strong in the Lord.

Samson was not empowered to go out against the enemies of God on the basis of natural strength. He was empowered to conquer the opposition because of the covenant of obedience he had made with the God of Israel. His strength came from the Lord.

David was enabled to slay the bear and the lion as well as to fell the Philistine Goliath, because he was a man after God's own heart. He knew the Source of his power. "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel ..."(3)

When exhorting the Ephesian believers as to how they might engage the forces of evil victoriously, the Apostle Paul informs them, "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power."(4)

What is true of the individual is true of the Church. The Church, which was birthed in a holy inferno on the day of Pentecost, energized by the indwelling Holy Spirit, does not need man's help in expanding her borders. Does the Church need power? It comes from above. Does the Church need wisdom? It comes from above. Does the Church need workers? They're given from above? Does the Church need guidance? It comes from above? Her strength lies in her relationship with her sovereign Head. Let her look (pray, fast, wait, obey) to the Strong One to infuse her with strength.

A Strong Christian has been to Peniel.

It was at Peniel that Jacob confronted his falleness and besetting sin. There he acknowledged the corruption of his own nature as well as his proneness to deception. He came face to face with God; he came face to face with his flesh.

Peniel left its scar on Jacob. For by confessing his inherent weakness, God weakened him forever by afflicting his sciatic muscle. Jacob walked differently thereafter—he walked with a limp.

Strong men are weak men—weak in themselves, weak in the flesh, weak in their own eyes.

Some years ago I heard of an evangelist who once boasted to his colleagues that he was going to preach his greatest sermon in the following service. The brother who shared this account with me said he never heard of a more pathetic attempt at preaching. If this brother had ever visited Peniel, he had forgotten God's dealings with him. Because men and women who have gone down to the brook alone with God don't return boasting about their abilities, gifts and exploits. They have been humbled; they walk with a limp.

A Strong Christian is strong in grace.

 There are two dimensions to grace. There is God's grace for us, and there is God's grace in us.

God's grace for us is revealed through Christ's death on the cross for sinners. It is God's unmerited favor toward fallen humankind.

God's grace in us is his power at work within, providing us with the ability to do his will. Thus the Apostle Paul writes to Pastor Timothy, "You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."

By natural temperament Timothy was timid and fearful. He shrank from confronting false teachers and troublemakers. But because a pastor is called by God to protect and teach the flock, he must be a man of courage as well as compassion. To be faithful he must be strong—strong in grace. His fears and timidity must be displaced by the power of the indwelling grace of God.

To be strong-headed and strong-willed is not to be confused with being strong-graced. One is of the flesh; the other is of the Spirit. One is opinionated, desiring to control others and have its own way. The other is jealous for the name of God, wanting only God's will to be done. Some church leaders mistake the one for the other. God, and God's men and women know the difference.

A Strong Christian is weak in himself.

It is one thing to be strong in our own eyes and quite another to be strong in God's eyes.

We think of strength in terms of the ability to communicate our ideas, formulate our plans, and get things done. It is measured by size and compared with others. It's not enough to be strong; we want to be stronger than the competition, stronger than our peers.

But what does size matter to the transcendent Almighty God? God is not impressed with size. God is not impressed with our pitiful comparisons. What does impress God? Confessions of inability. Confessions of our limitations. Confessions of our weaknesses.

Confessions like King Jehoshaphat's: "For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do but our eyes are upon you."(5)

Confessions like the boy Samuel: "Speak, for your servant is listening."(6)

Confessions like Isaiah: "Woe to me ... I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."(7)

Confessions like Peter's: "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man."(8)

It was the mightiest apostle of them all who confessed, "For when I am weak, then am I strong."(9)

What do you mean, Paul?

"Just this: Following my Damascus Road conversion to Christ, the Lord granted me wondrous visions. I saw things few others have seen; I heard things only others dreamed about.

"If I wanted to, I could boast about these revelations from the Lord. I could wow you with story after story of God's mysteries and end-time events.

"If I had a mind to, I could entertain you with special insights I've received; I could mesmerize you with angelic happenings.

"But I won't. That would build me up, but it wouldn't do anything to help you grow.

"I would like to share such things with you, but I won't. See, our merciful Lord doesn't want me to become conceited. He wants to be a humble servant. Therefore he has given me a thorn to serve as a reminder—a reminder of my tendency to pride, a reminder of my constant dependence, a reminder of my innate weakness.

"I didn't want this thorn. It was so annoying, so bothersome. Everywhere I went, I was conscious of its presence. I thought it held me back from being more useful, more effective. I thought if I could just get rid of it that the Lord could enlarge my ministry a thousand-fold.

"And it wasn't that I was so conscious of the thorn that was the biggest problem. Others noticed it as well. That was really troublesome. It was embarrassing, sometimes even humiliating.

"Out of desperation I began to pray, 'O God, remove this thorn! Remove this thorn! Remove this thorn!'

"But he didn't do it. I've had many answers to my prayers, but he didn't answer this one, at least not as I wished. One evening, it was dusk; I was out in a field all alone. I heard him whisper, 'Paul, do you want to wanted to be used or do you want to bring me glory?' I said, 'Lord, I want to bring you glory."

"Then he spoke words I never shall forget: 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'

"Now I understand. For when I am weak, then am I strong."(10)

Dear reader, surely you desire to be a strong Christian. But remember: God often uses thorns in the making of saints—saints who acknowledge their weakness.

Yes, God is looking for better men and women: men and women who are strong in the Lord, have visited Peniel, who are strong in grace, who are weak in themselves.

– Soli Deo Gloria –  

1. Quoted in A Treasury of Prayer, Leonard Ravenhill, p. 89.
2. Luke 9:23.
3. 1 Samuel 17:45.
4. Ephesians 6:10.
5. 2 Chronicles 20:12.
6. 1 Samuel 3:10.
7. Isaiah 6:5.
8. Luke 5:8.
9. 2 Corinthians 12:10.
10. I have taken the liberty to amplify 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.