No pain, no gain

Athletes constantly push themselves, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider said in a divine service on 28 June 2024 in Buluwayo in Zimbabwe, which was about more than just sports. “Athletes accept suffering to win,” the Chief Apostle said. They want to surpass themselves. Their whole life focuses on training and competition. They watch what they eat and drink. Their whole life revolves around their sport and competitions, and they have their sights set on winning.

And what does faith have to do with all of this? The Chief Apostle had based his sermon on the following Bible passage: “And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules” (2 Timothy 2: 5). Grace is to be a child of God and to reach the glory of God at some point. Nobody has earned this. Nor does God force it on anybody either. Therefore, “He will give His salvation only to those who really want it,” the Chief Apostle said. “And your will, your determination to be saved, is measured by the efforts you make to be saved.”

Like an athlete, we should fight to be saved by God. “That is what we must do to be saved,” the Chief Apostle said. “Our whole life must be defined by our salvation.”

The important thing is: “It is not a competition in the sense that one has to be better than the others, and only the best one will enter the kingdom of God.” Nevertheless, it is a fitting image because in every sport the following applies: it is not enough to be good; you must stick to the rules, otherwise you cannot win. The Chief Apostle went on to explain which rules we must keep in order to receive salvation.

Rule number one: faith

“You must believe in God and in Jesus Christ,” is the first rule. It means that you trust God and believe in His word, even if you cannot see Him or understand Him. “Without faith it is impossible to come to God,” the Chief Apostle said. This faith includes belief in God’s word and in His love. And we must believe in His teaching and His promise that He will come again. And we must believe in the church of Christ, in the sacraments, and in the apostolate.

Rule number two: humility

“We must be humble.” The Chief Apostle used the story of King Saul as an example: “We cannot decide for ourselves what pleases God and what doesn’t. Let us do what He tells us.” Jesus once criticised the Pharisees and said, “You do the easy things and neglect the more important matters.” That is why the advice is given to us to be humble. “You must be humble and obedient and recognise that you need grace.”

Rule number three: our love for God

“Love God. And whatever you do, do it out of love for God and not for your own gain or benefit,” is the third rule. The Chief Apostle reminded the congregation of people who had done great things, but not in the right manner. For example, Ananias and Sapphira. They kept a portion of the money they received from the sale of some land, while pretending to donate the full amount to the church. “God killed them to make it clear to the growing church that this is not the way He wants to be served,” the Chief Apostle explained this drastic example. He went on to advise the congregation, “Whatever we do in the church, whatever we do for the Lord, let us do it out of love for God and not for any other reason.” This applies to the ministers as well as everyone else who helps along in the congregation.

Rule number four: loving our neighbour

“You must love your neighbour,” the Chief Apostle said, “because your love for God is measured by your love for your neighbour.” Here, too, he recalled biblical figures who were reprimanded for not complying with this rule. Like John and James, who wanted to punish the people in a Samaritan village who refused hospitality to Jesus. The Chief Apostle referred to the words of Jesus: “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5: 23–24). And then he made it clear, “You do not need to preach about loving your neighbour, all you have to do is accept him or her as they are and help them to be saved.”

Rule number five: unity

“This is a very important one too, unity,” Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider said about the fifth rule. “If you are not contributing to the unity of God’s children, you are working against Jesus Christ.” Working for Him means: “We want to be one in Christ. We accept each other’s differences and focus on what unites us and holds us together: our love for Jesus Christ, our resolve to enter His kingdom, to become like Jesus Christ, and to enter the kingdom of God together.”

In conclusion, the Chief Apostle summarised his sermon: “We praise the Lord for His mercy. He wants to save us, but we do not deserve it. He grants His grace to those who really want to be saved. We are constantly working to develop into the new creature in Christ, and in doing so we act in accordance with the five rules: we believe and trust in God even if we cannot see or understand Him. We are humble and obedient and ask for mercy. We love God. We love our neighbour. And we want to contribute to the unity of God’s people.