Training Camp

Introduction

“America can be changed. It will be changed.”...”Negroes have begun a persistent knocking at the doors of educational services and institutions of all kinds—a knocking that will not cease until every door is open.” - Mary McLeod Bethune

Born in 1875 to formerly enslaved parents, Mary McLeod Bethune was part of the first generation of African Americans born after slavery who pushed to take full advantage of the promises of freedom, including education. As a child in Mayesville, South Carolina, she attended a school established by Presbyterian missionaries. She received scholarships to attend the Scotia Seminary for Girls in Concord, North Carolina, and the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. In 1904, she founded a school in Daytona Beach, Florida, to provide African American girls with elementary education and vocational training. Through the connections she forged with Black community leaders and white philanthropists, Bethune raised funds to expand the school. In 1923 the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Girls merged with the Cookman Institute, a Methodist school for men in Jacksonville, Florida, to form the Daytona-Cookman Collegiate Institute, known today as Bethune-Cookman University.

Her story in the “Making A Way Out of No Way” exibit at the National Museum of African American History and Culture chronicles the echoing knock of disciplne that conforms challenge into change. She like many others in African American history take the backdrop of prejudice and paint the beautiful intense image of stick-to-itiveness that emerges from life’s training camp.

Paul, having the pedigree of one who oppresses but the conviction from Jesus Christ himself to serve alongside and preach to the oppressed expereinces the training camp of The Way which not only radically transform cities, but builds upon Christ’s foundation to change the world.

Focus: This text is positioned to present to us the principle that the hard work of a disciplined life in Christ produces the result of eternal life with Christ inspring others to desire the same.

Fuction: We are called to be diligent in our discipline so that we grow in the knowledge and work of Christ and others see Christ in us.

Big Idea: The discipline of God’s training camp delivers God’s crown.

The Exclusivity of Discipline (v.24)

Our discipline in God becomes distinct.

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Consider Daniel’s distinction in Daniel 6. Scripture says Daniel 6:3 “Daniel distinguished himself above the administrators and satraps because he had an extraordinary spirit, so the king planned to set him over the whole realm.”

Daniel displays the two things Paul recommends in this text in order for us to win the race

Determination to train - the will to work

Abstinence (enkrateuomai) - not eating meat or drinking wine from the king’s table (difference in diet or appetite)

Paul is not recommending a training regimine for the sake of exercise. He is admonishing this for the sake of winning the race. Training to win the race produces necessary exercise. What make a Christian distinct is that we are not living this life to go with the flow and do whatever makes us happy. We are living this life to receive the eternal reward of reunion with God in perpetual glory.

The Eternality of Discipline (v.25)

Our discipline in God must becomes definite.

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

If we discipine ourselves in what is eternal then our destiny becomes definite. Eternal joy and peace cannot come from temporary discipline.

Temporary pleasures are the enemy of discipline.

The Efficiency of Discpline (v.26)

Our discipline in God becomes useful.

Romans 12:1 “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.” Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”

…in other words, be useful to God even with your bodies.

*Mention Marie Van Brittan Brown, born in 1922 in Jamaica, Queens, New York. She started off her career working as a nurse. Her husband, Albert Brown, was an electronics technician. As a nurse, Brown worked long hours and would return home late at night. Her husband, too, had irregular hours so she was often alone at night. Fearful of being vulnerable in a high crime neighborhood, Brown decided to figure out  a way to see who was at her door if she heard knocking.

In 1966, Brown, along with the assistance of her husband, invented a security system which consisted of four peepholes, a sliding camera, television monitors, and two-way microphones. These items created a closed-circuit television system for surveillance also known as CCTV. With multiple peepholes, the sliding camera was able to capture images of people who were different heights. The two-way microphones allowed Brown to communicate with the person outside. She also had a remote that would allow her to unlock the door at a safer distance. Lastly, she could press an emergency button that would send an alarm to police or security.

https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/marie-van-brittan-brown

The discpline of their work schedules sparked an idea in them that has become useful.

When you arise from your valleys and mountain tops with God does it cause you to DO something, or does it stop as you just FEELING something?

The Example of Discipline (v.27)

Our discipline in God becomes duplicated.

Sometimes the full manifestation of our discipline is present in the lives of our disciples and descendants.

Nation of Israel comes out of the seed of Abraham

Moses sees the promised land but Joshua (disciple) enters.

Dr. King has been to the mountaintop by vision from God. His discipline was modeled after the likes of Samuel Dewitt Proctor and Howard Thurman. We are climbing that mountaintop as descendants of the discipline.

1 Corinthians 11:1 “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.”

Just like a leader with no followers is just someone taking a walk, a disciple of Christ who isnt makng other disciples is a hearer of the Word and not a doer of the Word.

If others modeled your discipline would they have God dreams or cultural fantisies?

Life Hack

Set SMART goals

Specific - desired outcome that is clearly understood

Measurable - quantifiable objective so that you can track progress

Achievable - break them down into smaller, bite-sized chunks

Relevant - aligned with the mission of God for your life

Time-bound - have a deadline

Close

Steph Curry to LeBron James after a game that went into double OT, “How does it keep getting better? How do we keep getting better?”

I have an answer. It keeps getting better and they keep getting better because for LeBron, The 38-year-old utilises high intensity interval training (HIIT) to maximise his strength and endurance. Which is necessary for an athlete who needs to regularly sprint up and down a 28-metre basketball court. LeBron works out six times each week. Three of those workouts are weights sessions and the other three focus on plyometrics and cardio.

With building endurance and longevity in mind, LeBron recommends a 30-minute warm-up ahead of each workout session on an elliptical machine, bike or treadmill to get loose. His personal favourite method of warming up is a 10-minute uphill bike ride to build stamina. Similarly, LeBron also ends his workouts with a cool-down. He’ll typically do 20-minutes of yoga practice to cool down and absorb the post-workout effects.

For Curry, he does high intensity drills like running full court sprints to each spot behind the arc. Corner to corner, wing to wing, top of the key to top of the key. In order to pass the drill he needs to make 8/10 shots and complete the task in under 55 seconds. Here he completes the drill in just under 50 seconds shooting 8 of 10. If he fails the drill he shoots two free throws and does it again until he successfully completes it. You don’t become the greatest in the world at something by accident.

But there was another who had to discipline his body. In Matthew 4 he was led into the wilderness to be tempted for 40 days...

He had SMART goals

Specific - Galatians 4:4–5 “When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Measurable - John 13:35 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.””

Achievable - Matthew 19:26 “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.””

Relevant - John 3:16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Time-bound - John 12:23 “Jesus replied to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

His discipline leads to my delight.

I've found a friend who is all to me, His love is ever true; I love to tell how He lifted me, And what His grace can do for you.

Saved by His pow'r, by His pow'r divine, Saved to new life, to new life sublime! Life now is sweet and my joy is complete, For I'm saved, saved, saved.

That’s why...

Philippians 3:14 “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:35–39 “Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”