By Apostle Aje Pelser
I loved watching ‘Le Champion’ – a weekly sports documentary from Europe – as a child. It inspired me to be a champion in sport and I particularly enjoyed their processes of preparing for the race or the fight or the match! Later on I set a regional record for hurdles and felt that glory to a degree and I can only reflect and confirm that looking at champions inspires the champion within.
Sometimes as a Christian we need to look at our Champion to find ways to overcome in this life too – Jesus was a champion in all aspects of the word.
Online Dictionary gives us a definition of a champion:
“a person who has surpassed all rivals in a sporting contest or other competition”
Jesus is unsurpassed in love, power, authority, respect, willingness to suffer, glory, and the good news is that He is our champion.
1. Cheer on the Champ!
When a boxer gets into the ring – he takes the punches and spends years conditioning his body to go through the fight. When he wins he takes his wife out for lunch – she is more than an overcomer.
Jesus took the blows and humiliation for us on the cross, he won the victory over sin and death – we believe in him and cheer Him on – we are more than overcomers.
2. Abide and hang out with the Champ
In order to be more than an overcomer – you need to get to know the Champ – our Lord Jesus Christ is a Champion in spirit, soul and body. He overcame every obstacle we have to face because he decided to live a life here on earth. God sent His son and His word became flesh – human – and dwelt among us.
He got tired, hungry, sad, and happy and he even had to learn obedience through the things He suffered.
When he overcame temptation, Satan, sickness, demons and finally death God exalted him and gave him the name above all names.
I hear people talk about who they saw, met and hung out with all the time and people go “Wow that’s great.”
We get to hang out with the most awesome champion of all time.
Abiding with the Champ ensures His victories rub off on you. You learn how to float like a butterfly sting like a bee if you like and you live and move and have your being with Him.
3. Imitate the Champ – find out His ways
Paul said we should imitate him as He imitates Christ.
The life of Christ should be studied through the harmony of the Gospels. There were 4 good accounts that were included in the Gospels that you can read like a journal from different angles. Matthew write predominantly for the Jews who needed to see Jesus as their King and Messiah – the lion nature of Jesus if you like.
Mark wrote a super sport blitz highlights package of action. Jesus the worker of miracles like an ox.
Luke was a physician and historian and wrote the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts of the Apostles for one friend and disciple – ‘The most excellent Theophilus”
Could you write the account of God’s dealings with you and your experience of a living Jesus to a friend on that level? If you had the inspiration of the Holy Spirit you could!
4. Accept the Champ
But to truly be a follower of the Champion we are talking about – Jesus Christ the son of God, we have to accept His lordship and confess ‘Jesus is Lord.”
There comes a moment when you are sold out. There comes a point of no return and you start thinking: “You know what, I’m a fan for life.”
I became a soccer fan of Manchester United in the nineties when Ryan Gigs was playing and then they won that nail biter against FC Bayern in the European Champions League.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored that famous goal in extra time for the win.
Ryan Giggs said in a recent interview that he found practise harder than matches because his defender was Gary Neville. Saturday was easy compared to weekdays for him. Giggs says the levels of training were so intense that when new players came into the side they had to adjust quickly.
I see that in our church work too, we are experienced in ministry and we are committed to in depth training and discipleship. When you are sent from here you are used to high spiritual levels of discernment and operations. When you go out into the world you are ready for anything and it will seem ‘easy’ compared to the rigorous discipleship you go through for preparation.
We get weekly mentoring session and regular spiritual talks and upgrades.
The summits have served to consolidate our relations with a global move of God nod serve to orientate people into that move as well.
We are in constant communication with a global network of churches and Bible Training Centre Satellites.
We are now learning from each other and growing in grace and favour with God and people on many levels including business and charitable work, as well as the core ministries of this move.
Eph 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
We have our feet prepared with the Gospel of peace. That preparation is given properly here by His grace may it continue!
5. Agree with the Champ and His followers
Unity with the Lord and each other – Jesus our Champion – requires the preservation of the unity of the faith and the collective brethren and sisthren!
When someone new comes in we need to show them the Christ culture – the culture of the Champ – the better new and living way to relate and serve God.
Eph 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
Eph 4:2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
Eph 4:3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
6. Believe the Words of the Champ and you will be more than an overcomer in this life:
Overcoming the World
1Jn 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.
1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
1Jn 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
1Jn 5:5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
To Summarize:
• When it comes to Jesus our Champion, he has actually done a lot for us already.
• When we praise Him together we cheer him on as he defeats our foes.
• When we read and meditate in His word we abide with Him and get to hang out with our Champ.
• This helps us to learn and imitate His ways and follow His process of success.
• What remains is for us to accept His Lordship
• Agree with His Word for our lives and believe it on a daily basis. Much of the victory is won through faith in our Champion Jesus, and the rest we walk out in His footsteps with the help of the Holy Spirit who empowers us to witness to His resurrection power and life wherever we go.
Are you ready to follow the Champ?
Photo by Fauzan Saari