Something that I’ve recently been thinking about is how going to church is a lot like going to the gym. There are several angles to look at this. One is that consistency matters. Going to the gym once a week isn’t going to do much, so why are we okay with only going to church once a week. The bigger thing that stood out to me is that you have to go even when you don’t want to. This morning, I did not want to go—I did go and I got there earlier than usual, and it was a good message. Well worth it. That’s the thing about the gym; the exercise is also worth going when you don’t want to.
If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed. Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. ‘Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.’ This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.
Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (1 Timothy 4:6–10). Tyndale House Publishers.
The idea of “training for godliness” may seem foreign or wrong to some people. They may think that godliness is something you either have or you don’t, and if you don’t have it, then you should start praying for God to give it to you like some sort of Christmas present. Yet, Paul says that we can trust and should accept this fact.
The main command of this paragraph, though, comes at the beginning. A central part of pastoral work, of looking after the community of God’s people, is teaching instructing, feeding with the truth, laying things out in a clear and wholesome way so that people can understand what this strange new way of life really to which is they have been called in the gospel. We desperately need this today, as so many assume that Christianity is simply a way of being ‘religious’ from time to time, while the rest of life goes on in tune with the world around.
Wright, T. (2004). Paul for Everyone: the Pastoral Letters: 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus (p. 48). Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
This is why churches are like gyms. What Tom Wright is saying is that the foundation of training in godliness is going to church. While we’re there, we should also allow someone to teach us! Serving is amazing; many of us are called to serve on Sunday mornings. This is not something I am discouraging. However, if you serve but are never taught, you miss the primary activity that can help us become more like Christ.
A church I worked at essentially had me as the utility baseball player for Sunday mornings. I think the only thing I never actually did was announcements. It was my job, and I loved the work I did. While I was working there, I learned that worship tech (and performance tech) is not something that brings me joy. I know how it works, but I’d rather be on the stage—I have a long history of playing instruments, singing, dancing, and public speaking. Due to this, whenever I worked on the livestream or used ProPresenter, it was incredibly difficult for me to be engaged in a worship service. I was working at the gym but not exercising. Does this ever happen to you?
For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Heb 12:10–11). Tyndale House Publishers.
Working out is a discipline; similarly, we have our spiritual disciplines. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun is one of my favorite resources that was used in my undergraduate program. In it, she provides many options and methods for spiritual disciplines. Imagine if everyone at the gym wanted to use the stationary bikes while the treadmills sat empty. Now, imagine one of the guys currently on a bike talking about how he hopes to be able to do 10 pull-ups for the first time… but when he gets off the bike, he just leaves. What convicts us and what we desire should mold our relationships with the Father. Yes, we should want His will to be done above all else, but He gave us free will and made us unique from one another for a reason! To pretend that we need identical disciplines is going against His will.
We see folks who never miss a Sunday, yet they aren’t being formed into something new. There are those of us serving every single week who simply aren’t being taught. It’s like working out at the gym but never actually exercising; plenty of people are doing a lot for the church without being truly changed by it.
He who created you without you will not justify you without you.
–Saint Augustine of Hippo
Justification is declared right in the eyes of God. Neither justification nor sanctification will happen without our participation. This isn’t a chore—it is an invitation to be more like Jesus and to be transformed and made new. Think about those body transformation videos—applied to your spiritual life. How much more meaningful would that be? That is what we should be striving for: to put ourselves where the God who makes all things new is making us new.
Moments with Emmanuel 