I want you to picture Jesus. Go ahead; I’ll give you some time…
…
…
…
Got it? No? Ok, a little longer…
…
…
…
Right, you have your image by now.
What is it? I’ll bet it’s probably some long-haired, bearded, skinny dude wearing long robes, rockin’ sandals with a halo, spouting pithy stories and just generally being a little bit unexciting.
Am I right?
Well, I hate to break it to you, but this probably isn’t the Jesus that was hanging out with tax collectors, crippled guys and people generally seen as undesirable.[1]
The Jesus these guys knew probably would have been quite muscular and probably pretty ripped (he was after all effectively a construction worker, swinging a hammer all day as a craftsman).
He may not have had long hair, as people often mistake Jesus being a Nazarene (a person from Nazareth
Lastly, he definitely didn’t have a halo – The Bible says “there was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him”,[3] which I imagine includes the lack of a halo, because you’re totally going to go over to the dude with the halo when thinking about prospective saviours. Right?
Now I’ll start moving toward the crux of this post – you probably think of Jesus as the ultimate pacifist, who wouldn’t say boo to a goose, and was trodden on so completely in his life by pretty much everyone that he’s actually a bit of a wussy God. It saddens me to say that this is the Jesus many people think of when I say “I love Jesus”; their reply is often “that wussy dude who the Jews owned?” (theology fail).
If this is you, if this is how you see Jesus, I’d like to point you to a part of scripture I love to remind myself of daily –
Revelation 19:11-16
“11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. 15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. 16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.”
There’s some proof that Jesus is metal. This is what I like to call “Diesel Jesus” or “Ultimate Fighter Jesus”, which leads nicely into the overall theme of this post.
Can Christians like and participate in MMA and UFC?
These days there seems to be a huge line of people in MMA who are Christians, and who are openly admitting it too.[4] Jon Jones (who I mentioned in my previous post)[5], Randy Couture (Hall of Famer), Matt Hughes (well-respected fighter and former title holder) and Rich Franklin (former title holder also) to name a few.
When most people hear this they always say “Christians shouldn’t like fighting, and they shouldn’t condone violence.”
Although this is partially true (we as Christians shouldn’t like fighting with bad intentions, such as to hurt someone, or with violence in our heart) I can’t help but think “would God want us to be missing out on great sport, great competition, a great way to be on mission in the community by breaking down stereotypes of Christians, a great way to work out masculinity for guys (let’s be fair, Christians guys often struggle with being manly), and a great way to use a huge stage as our very own pulpit for the glory of God?”
Put it like that and I have a really hard time saying “Christians can’t do mixed martial arts”. In fact, I just can’t say it at all.
We as Christians should always be ready for conflict, ready for war. Even in the Old Testament God was asking his people to prepare for war, like when he asked Joshua to go and kick some Canaanite tail.[6] Let me ask you this – would you be ready for battle if God so asked you?(He probably won’t, so don’t freak out on me here)
More often in the Bible we are warned of Spiritual Warfare, as opposed to fighting physical enemies we should always be ready to fight off the enemy, his minions, their works and effects. To this end we have Ephesians 6:10-18 –
“10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.11 Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armour so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armour of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”
Isn’t that awesome? I always feel so much more secure in my daily life after reading that. We see that God has gifted us with an entire array of ways to fight off the enemy, and to be warriors, fighters, for Jesus. He has prepared the best ways to keep us safe, in his eternal love and pursuit of us. Thank you, God!
In the Psalms we even see that God wants us to continually be training for battle –
“Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.”[7]
Don’t just ask God for the armour he offers, ask him to prepare you to use it. You’re more likely to hurt yourself if you have a weapon you can’t use. Read your Bible and make sure you keep that sword sharp. Then when it comes time you will be as the author of the Psalm is – ready for war.
So that’s a good biblical establishment for why Christians can pursue ways to keep their hands trained for battle, and how to justify through scripture a love of MMA, but what about practically? Here are some points I’d like you guys to take in and pray through.
Great sport & competition
That’s truly what Martial arts is about, the competition of being on your own two feet, and the only thing that’s separating you from the guy on the opposite side of the cage to you is how hard you’ve trained, who has the bigger heart, who wants it more, who has more belief. It’s a great way for guys to work on themselves and work through their innate need for competition and physical exertion. It’s also an incredible way to stay fit and healthy, which is an important aspect for Christians as we, as image-bearers of God, who have the indwelling Spirit of God within us, should work hard to maintain that body as a temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16 –
“Do you not know that you people are God’s temple, and that the spirit of God dwells in you?”
It’s mission in community
Are there many bigger platforms for people to see what being a Christians is all about? Probably not. The opportunity to show a Christian attitude in a sport where you can get beaten up badly, you can get shown the door in a humiliating way, you can get put on your rear in front of thousands (even millions) of people, is huge. Get put down and lose? Stand up, shake the guy by the hand, smile, and say “he did great, what a great fight”. Be humble in defeat and love your enemy, show the world what Christians can do when they love Jesus.
Matthew 5:43-47 –
“43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbour’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”
Breaking down stereotypes
In this world it’s often the case where you say “I’m a Christian” and instantly the people around you have negative thoughts attached to Christianity, which can make them think of you in a bad way –
“Christians are crazy, they stand on boxes in town and shout about Hell.”
“Christians are wusses, they have that whole “turn the other cheek” thing. That’s not manly.”
“Christians are weird, they like to sing prom songs to Jesus.”
Should I carry on? No, I don’t think I need to.
As Christian MMA fighters we can have opportunities to break the stereotypes and have the average guy think “they’re humble, they’re hard, they fight with passion and they are great losers and winners. There’s something in this whole Jesus thing.”
Break the stereotypes, in the same way Jesus did when he spent time with sinners.
Mark 2:17 –
“When Jesus heard this, he told them, ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.’”
Our very own pulpit
When a Christian fighter, such as Jon Jones (as discussed last week),[8] finishes a fight and gives props to Jesus, a whole lot of people will hear that. These guys are role models to millions of men out there, and if they can use that status as role model to point people to Jesus then they should, to God’s glory.
Philippians 4:13 –
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
I pray that this has been helpful to anyone out there who is reading it, and if there are any questions you have then please do comment on this post and I will try to get back to you with as good an answer as I’m capable of.
I pray that you men out there who watch MMA with a heart full of anger repent of your sin, so you can enjoy the spectacle for the sport and competition it is, for the glory of God.
I ask God that more men see Jesus as the powerful saviour and warrior that he is, so that they can reflect this in their lives and be a great witness to the men of the world who think Christianity is for girls and wussy guys.
Finally, praise be to Jesus for MMA and UFC, I love it.
0 comments:
Post a Comment