2 Timothy 4:7

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

In this verse Paul is relaying not only his steadfast dedication to serving the Lord, but also explaining the trials that come with a life obliged service.

If we are committed to the service of the Lord, then we must be prepared for trials and troubled roads. A life of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ will bring opposition from some, and often from those that you would not expect it from—even the ones from which opposition should never come.

Just recently out of nowhere I was attacked verbally by an atheist for a reason I would have never expected.

A social media page had asked the question, “Do you believe the Bible should be mandatory reading in public schools?” My response was the single word “yes.”

Well over 50 others had commented that they agreed also—most with more lengthy answers—but mine was singled out by this person. What followed was a vile profanity-laced rant. I was caught off guard initially and then realized what was taking place.

My yes response was two-fold, not only did I wish this for students to read and hear the Word of God, but also for it’s unparalleled educational value.

Isaiah 55:11 so shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: It shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Of course, I could have responded to the profanity-laced rant with a rant of my own but my intention was to serve the Lord and expose the facts behind this person’s venom-spewing.

I began to explain that the Bible has been used in many disciplines of higher education for centuries, how it is referenced in archaeology, literature, architecture, linguistics, ancient languages and dialects, history, cultures, the arts, and other areas.

The individual tried to deny this, but he had been proven wrong and he knew it. I went on to explain that the only possible reason for his response was nothing less than sheer hatred of God. He did not know me from anyone else, and there was no other explanation except his contempt for God.

I have encountered atheists and agnostics before. As I have explained in another writing, the difference between the two is that the agnostic is suffering from ignorance of God, and the atheist is filled with hatred towards God.

The atheist hates God and has to profess that hatred in ugliness. Why? Because the spirit within all of us knows the truth when it’s spoken. John 8:32 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

There are other verses of Scripture that apply here such as Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

When we encounter hatred for God we are not encountering a person. In fact, we are encountering the fallen, one who is influenced so strongly that their ability to reason in the situation has been lost to the control of the principalities of the air!

As I was exposing this hate-filled individual, I began to be filled with a troubled heart for him, and I became saddened for this lost soul.

When I finished responding I went straight to my prayer place and began to pray that this man would be convicted in his heart and would be overcome by the Holy Spirit and fall upon his knees and cry out for the salvation of his soul. This is an example of fighting the good fight.

When we become discouraged by people who have no desire to grow in their walk or knowledge or when we are seemingly attacked by someone close to us for no apparent reason, we often think, however briefly, that this is not worth the effort.

We may begin to think, “What’s the use? No one is listening.” We may even want to give up on people completely and just hide within ourselves.

These are times we must remember to stay the course and to love and pray for them. Only if they persist can we dust our sandals and walk away, but only to move on to preaching, or teaching, to others.

We cannot allow those with no heart for God to cause us to stray from our appointed path of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ! We must keep and maintain our faith, knowing and remembering that the Word of God does not return void. We never know how our efforts may grow and blossom into many that will continue to share God’s word.

My Faith is not in man, my Faith is in God. It’s when we begin to place our faith in man that we start to fail and become easily disappointed. We must Love the Lord with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength and by doing so, in the end we will be able to say we have finished our course.

This is far easier said than done, but are we not told the path is hard and the gate narrow that leads to God? We also know according to the teaching of the Scripture that few will enter that narrow gate.

However, as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ we have an idea of who those folks are! All Christians were told to go and make disciples of all nations and that is exactly what we must do.

The late Charles Spurgeon said that if one who had heard him preach entered the Gates of Heaven then all his efforts were worth it.

The same goes for us—if we have the opportunity to share the Gospel with only a few or to many thousands, if one makes it into Heaven then all that we have done was worth every effort we put forth.

I recently wrote about a man whose service to God became fruitful and is still bearing fruit. Even now after he has passed on, I’m sure his service will continue to be fruitful. We never know how our service will be used in the future or the fruit they may come of it.

Go out and spread the Good News of our Risen Savior, Keeping the Faith, Fighting the Good Fight, and Staying the Course in your service to our Lord God.

I pray in the name of Jesus that this writing speaks to you and helps you to understand just a little deeper. Amen

Kenneth Kellar
A Man Called by God to Teach and Disciple