Step Up and Stand Out: Living Boldly for God Every Day

Introduction (5m)

Anya, Jonty, and Jorja have covenanted with God today to step up and stand out

To live boldly for God every day.

An amazing thing, especially when you consider the context.

Many of us feel the tug to do more for God - whether it’s becoming adherent members or soldiers, or take up service - community service, musical service, administration service, volunteering - but we’re held back by doubt, fear, or distractions.

No doubt that Anya, Jonty, and Jorja would have had moments - perhaps during recruits classes, whilst they thought through their decisions, maybe even afterwards - about whether they were doing the right thing.

We struggle with the daily tension of being a Christian in today’s world - we hesitate to speak up about our faith at school, or college, or work. We prioritise comfort over commitment to spiritual disciplines at home. We hold back from serving wholeheartedly here at the corps - either withdrawing completely, or simply going through the motions and hoping no one - especially God - will notice.

Distractions keep us from remaining godly. Fear of judgment silences our faith. Indifference keeps us from engaging in our community.

In short, worldly comforts overshadow the call to step up, stand out, and live boldly for God every day.

The Good News is that God doesn’t expect perfection from us

He doesn’t expect us to live out our soldier’s covenant or the promises we have made to him perfectly every day.

Instead, he invites us to train for godliness.

Bible Reading

MESSAGE NOTES

1 Timothy 4:6–9 MSG

You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart.

Explanation (5m)

Training for godliness requires discipline

Becoming more spiritually mature doesn’t just happen.

It takes focus and commitment.

Spiritual disciplines such as:

Bible study.

Prayer.

Meditation.

Silence.

Solitude.

Self-examination.

Fasting.

Fellowship.

Service.

Sacrifice.

Submission to the will of others.

Witnessing.

Worship.

Confession.

All these help us to become more godly people.

These and other spiritual disciplines are like a regular workout in God’s gym.

Like an athlete, we must be focused, committed, constantly training, refusing to give up, always striving.

Anya - in your music, Jonty - football, Jorja - with your musical theatre - they all take rehearsal and training, focus and commitment.

Your spiritual growth and maturity requires the same focus and commitment.

It takes self-control, continual work, and commitment to strive to please God day by day despite our sinfulness and weaknesses.

In many ways, in days gone by in TSA, all of this discipline and commitment was handed to us on a plate:

3 x meetings and sermons on a Sunday.

2 / 3 x open air meetings every Sunday reminding us of the gospel message.

2 x Sunday School meetings.

Early morning prayer meeting.

Knee Drill at the end of the day.

Directory meetings.

Corps Cadets

Weeknight Holiness Meetings.

A solid epilogue in every practice - YP Singing Company, YP Band, Band, and Songsters.

Now many of those things are gone, we’re left to our own devices.

How disciplined are we going to be?

Are we going to discipline ourselves to listen to more sermons during the week, to engage with the gospel story regularly, to meet together for collective prayer, to join or start a Growth Group for deeper discipleship, to commit ourselves to play our part in ensuring there is a solid epilogue in each of our practices?

Or are we going to allow our spiritual growth to stagnate and go backwards?

Let’s not be caught being the kind of Christians who think that spirituality is a sense of having been in God’s presence, being surrounded by his love, and simply floating on some spiritual high to another.

Spirituality must be worked at, and at the kind of pace only an elite athlete knows. Only constant spiritual training will help us be the kind of person who reflects God’s image.

As Jesus followers we must run until our feet are like lead, and then choose to sprint some more.

We must pump iron until our muscles burn until another rep is impossible, and then do more.

This discipline will affect the whole of our lives

Changes our centre of gravity from self-centredness to God-centredness.

Once our minds were so full of wordly thoughts, ideas, and images, there was no room for God.

Spiritual disciplines help us to turn that around so that our minds and hearts become so full of God, that eventually, there’s no room for the earthly stuff any more.

It trains us in the right behaviour and in genuine Christian faith.

In fact, if you want to know what fully committed training in spiritual disciplines looks like in real life for the Salvationist, you need look no further than soldier’s covenant signed by Anya and Jonty today:

Responsive to the Holy Spirit.

Obedient to Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives.

Growing in grace through spiritual disciplines such as worship, prayer, service, reading of the Bible.

Values of the kingdom, not world, standards for our life.

Upholding Christian integrity in every area of our lives.

Allowing nothing in thought, word, deed, that is unworthy, unclean, untrue, profane, dishonest, immoral.

Maintain Christian ideals in all our relationships - at home, amongst neighbours, at work, and perhaps most difficult - with my fellow Salvationists.

Upholding the sanctity of marriage and family life.

Faithfully steward my time and gifts, money, possessions, body, mind, and spirit.

Abstaining from anything that would enslave my body, mind, or spirit.

Endeavouring to win others to Christ.

Caring for those in need and those disadvantaged in life.

Showing the spirit of Salvationism wherever I am and whatever I am doing.

That’s the life of godliness.

A life of obedience based on love.

The life of a disciplined Christian soldier.

Application (5m)

As we come to a time of recommitment in the light of the covenants and promises Anya, Jonty, and Jorja have made today, and on this Covenant Sunday at the beginning of a New Year

You may wonder why we go through a Covenant Sunday every year.

After all, you made your covenant or commitment many years ago.

Why should you repeat it?

Because our commitment to our hope in God, our willingness to engage in spiritual disciplines, and our desire to live godly lives wherever we are this time to tomorrow need to be constantly renewed.

New trials will emerge in 2025 to test our stamina.

No doubt that having made the covenants and promises they have today, Anya, Jonty, and Jorja’s faith and commitment will be tested - maybe tomorrow, maybe at a later date, but people and circumstances will try to knock them off course.

The devil will try to get at them. And he tries to get at us too.

I know when it’s happened to me, and I suspect, if you were honest with yourself, you know when it happens to you too.

That’s why we need this reminder to recommit ourselves to his service, and his discipline.

Take the opportunity this morning to examine your heart

Are you in shape spiritually?

How are your spiritual exercises?

Are you reading and applying God’s Word daily?

Are you praying constantly throughout your day?

Are you attending public worship regularly?

Are you giving your time, money, and abilities in God’s service in the proportion he is asking from you?

Compared to this time last year, how is your spiritual training progressing?

Take some moments to decide what to commit to God this year

Start with small, daily goals:

Maybe commit to reading/listening to the Daily Battle Drill devotional every day.

Or a moment of prayer before each meal.

Or speak one kind word to someone you’re with during the week each day.

Or choose to listen to a sermon podcast on the commute to work, before you reach the day’s demands.

Choose to share your faith journey with someone in your family, a trusted friend or neighbour, or a colleague at work. Let others see the progress you are making in your spiritual maturity.

Thirdly, ask God what service he wants you to commit to this year

Use your spiritual gifts to serve others. Don’t let them go to waste.

Practice hospitality on a Sunday or in the Hub.

Serve those in need through our Community Kitchen.

Show kindness to those around you this time tomorrow.

Be a contributor, not a spectator!

By committing to spiritual training and intentional godly living, we can step up and stand out for God—shaping not only our own lives but the world around us. On this Covenant Sunday the question is: will you take the challenge?

Next Steps

SB 682 - Thou hast called me from the byway

Covenant cards

Soldiers Covenants

Thou hast called me from the byway To proclaim thy wondrous love; Thou hast placed me on the highway That to all men I may prove There is mission in my living, There is meaning in my word; Saviour, in my daily striving May this message yet be heard. For thy mission make me holy, For thy glory make me thine, Sanctify each moment fully, Fill my life with love divine. 2 Have I lost the sense of mission That inspired my early zeal, When the fire of thy commission Did my dedication seal? Let me hear thy tender pleading, Let me see thy beckoning hand, Let me feel thee gently leading As I bow to thy command. 3 Lord, release that latent passion Which in me has dormant lain; Recreate a deep compassion That will care and care again. Needy souls are still my mission, Sinners yet demand my love; This must be my life?s ambition, This alone my heart shall move. Brindley Boon (1913-2009) © The General of The Salvation Army. Used By Permission. CCL Licence No. 135015 Copied from The Song Book of The Salvation Army Song Number 682