Bootcamp
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Bootcamp
Bootcamp
In every branch of the military there is a process of becoming a Solider, Sailor, Marine, or Airman. The process is called bootcamp. The marines have seized a memorial moment when you stand on yellow footprints. They explain that thousands of marines have stood on the same yellow footprints before you and the first steps off those prints are to transform into a marine. This is where every civilian goes for the transformation of becoming a member of a brotherhood. However, there is a transformation that happens during this phase of the military career. Everyone of you have already heard about bootcamp, but only a few if any have experienced it. This transformation cannot happen overnight and it takes dedication to earn the title.
I remember the first time I went to bootcamp. I remember my Drill Sergeant telling me, let me re-phrase that, yelling at me, that he was going to break me down to build me up. I remember thinking what the heck this walking demon was thinking and that I didn’t need broken down. Oh how naive I was. The first lesson of the military is “discipline.” The bootcamp process starts with removing everything you cherish, for instance, your cellphone, your clothes, your hair, and your comfort or sleep. They remove everything from you to show you that everyone in bootcamp starts out the same; worthless pieces of scum that needs discipline. Well there were other choice words that my Drill Sergeants called me. Still to this day, when I see a Drill Sergeant I have flashback and nightmares. These people were specifically made by the evils of this earth to cause pain that I have never experienced. I found out I had muscles that I never knew I had and they made them strong.
The first days of bootcamp sucked. I mean royally sucked. No sleep. Less than a minute to eat and non-stop physical disciplining. These few days seemed like years. Truthfully, I stopped thinking about graduation that was too far away. I stopped thinking about next 9 weeks of hell that I was going to have to go through. I remembering at time we were getting smoked (a term for physical disciplining). We had to sit up against the wall like we were sitting in a chair. I remembering that I sat in that chair for a good 45 minutes, but when I looked at my watch exactly 7 seconds have went by. I knew that these Drill Sergeants had jedi powers and slowed down time. So I had to limit my thinking to just the next meal. Meaning, when I woke up at 4:30 in the morning by a trash can being thrown at my head all I had to do was make it to breakfast. After breakfast, all I had to do was make it to lunch, then dinner, and then I got to snuggle my itchy wool blanket in 100 degree weather with 100% humidity.
But there was a change after the first week. I noticed a slight and I mean an ever slight change in my physical ability. I began getting stronger, I started to keep up with the group. I began to noticed that my thoughts even changed from “Please don’t let me do that, or there no way I can do that” to “I think I might be able to do that.” It is this daily discipline I had to embrace the suck. I had to find enjoyment in the discomfort because there was nothing in the world that was going to stop it. Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to join the military to live in the suck but we all are expected to have a level of discipline.
Paul talks about discipline in 6-8. It says
6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
1) Be Active
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Paul and Jesus never sat still for very long. You can read in the Bible that God’s people were never meant to be sedetary. The Israelitles lived in the wilderness for 40 years, but they traveled routinely. King David traveled throughout his kingdom to battle other kingdoms and to make gain spiritual insights. Jesus traveled all over teaching and saving many. Paul took his missions throughout the Middle East. God’s creation never was mean to sit still. This is makes sense that Christianity is not a passive religion. It is said many times in the bible that we are “to go.” To go baptize, to go courageously, to go cast out demons, to go proclaim the gospel. God wants us on the move, because the Devil is moving. God wants us to continually be in motion.
Reasearch has shown that sitting still has cause many harmful effects to the human body. They include obesity, increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal, high cholesterol levels — that make up metabolic syndrome. Too much sitting overall and prolonged periods of sitting also seem to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. If this is a cause to our physical bodies, what do you think if this was the case with our spiritual bodies?
Paul originally wrote to his disciple Timothy, but here we see that we need constant disciple if we are to be servants of Christ. Look back at verse 6. In the middle of the scripture it says “you will” The greek word for this is εἰμί (eemee) and it means to be or exist. Paul tells us in this scripture that if you want “to be” a Christian or exist in God’s family you have know God’s word, but to train yourselves in godliness or be active in his presence. Chrisitanity is not a passive religion. Christianity reflects God the Father, which is a very active God. Since we were made in His image we too are to be active.
Be Active
We are to
Next we need to discipline ourselves. This includes spiritual and physicial bodies. But what should be focusing on. Should be rely on horoscopes? Should we have the constant update of our lives on the instasnapachatagram? Should be be focusing on out bodies and physical appearances? What about fleshly desires? NO!
Verse 7- Have nothing to do with irreverent silly myths.
These sayings and false teachings are subtle tactics of the Devil to diseve you. Such as “I can eat what I want.” “I can look at whatever I want.” Or “I’m just looking and not touching.” Or “I’m in love with him/her.” Were going to get married…eventually. I don’t have time to pray. You don’t understand the stresses I have. On and on and on. Listen I have the same amount of hours that all of you have. I know someone out there is thinking, well you won’t understand because my life is different or I’m in school.
I’m going to have a little confession with all of you. In high school, my older sister moved away. My father was having an adulterous life and I was stuck home taking care of an alcoholic mother. I didn’t have time to have free time. When I came home everyday I didn’t know if I was going to open the front door to see if my mother choked on her own vomit. Everyday I had to rise to go to school on my own, and when I came home I had to take care of my mother clean the messes she had, feed her before my father came home or he would go ballistic. Then I had the troubles of school work. I have the hardship of having a girlfriend that was cheating on me. I had the humiliation of being bullied at school because I wanted to be a cop when I grew up.
I know how easy it is to find relief in something that is not heavenly. I know how easy it is to have fleshly desires. I know how easy it is to give up. Ladies and gentlemen, If I could go back right now I would change everything, because I am here almost 20 years later remembering my sins. What you do today will stay with you forever. Today I am a full time graduate student, husband, father of three children, business owner, military reservist and life is only harder.
But as Paul wrote back in verse 6, If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus. If you put God first, then you will live a holy life. I know how hard it is to find time for God, but I learned something from the famous Ricky Bobby. “If your not first, your last.” If God isn’t your first thought, your first step of the day, then God already finished last. He instantly became second in your worlds. IF you don’t put God before this world, then you have set your priorities wrong.
I know how hard it is to find time for God, but I learned something from the famous Ricky Bobby. “If your not first, your last.” If God isn’t your first thought, your first step of the day, then God already finished last. He instantly became second in your worlds.
When we start looking at discipline we have to discipline both our physcial and spiritual bodies. Last bit of verse 7 and 8, Rather train yourself for goldiness for bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way.
2) Be Disciplined
Paul tells us to be righteous and holy, but how. Let us look at .
1 O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the LORD;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.
The Psalmist states that someone has to abide by these values to dwell in God. However, I made this task even simplier. Just do exactly what Jesus did. Easy peasy, right? Look at what Jesus did. He constantly visited church. He prayed constantly. He nurtured others. He followed God’s commandments. He suffered through persecution. THEN he got the task of paying for everyone’s sins. He was betrayed, tortured, and slaughtered. Not just anyways, but by a grueling process only fit for only the worst criminals.
The process of death by Crucifixion was not to bleed to death. Actually, the purpose to to suffocate the criminal. When the Romans nailed criminals held themselves up by causing more pain in their hands and feet. However, people had to lift themselves up to take a breath. So when we read - Jesus gave a loud cry and took his last breath meaning Jesus suffocated. But he did something next that I want to explain.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
So what if we do this holiness process, we can expect to suffocate? No. What if we read a verse a day and pray everyday. So what? When you exert yourselves towards holiness there are so many rewards that you don’t see. First, there is a process of becoming more Christ like. This is called santification. It literally means transforming your lives/bodies for the eternal life. Meaning if you discipline yourselves now, then your body in heaven will be disciplined. Santification is the process of becoming more holy. Just like bootcamp this doesn’t happen overnight. It is a slow and methotical process of being holy. Many times you personally don’t see the change. However, this process was no different than trainees going through bootcamp.
Each week I only saw minute changes. I may have only done one more push-up, or ran one extra step, or instead of focusing on breakfast just focusing on ending the day. These changes are so small in my eyes, however, I didn’t know I was being the strength for others. I didn’t know that my buddy next to me was about to quit but saw me do that extra push-up. Look around you. You may not believe me when I say that I know the struggle. But the others around you do know. If they see a “strong Christian” using these myths and continuing to sin, it may allow another to. If your here praising the Lord, but tomorrow living a permiscious life, then your not discipling your bodies. If your walking in PE, but eat a triple-triple at in-and-out then your not disciplining your bodies. If your praying, reading the Bible, but gossiping then your not disciplining your bodies. Your goal is to become completely holy. I’m here to tell you that we all sin in our lives, but when minutes become hours, become days, become weeks between sinning then you are training your bodies correctly. This is the transformation that God wants.
After Jesus died on the cross, he was lifted up and transformed. Jesus wanted to go through the pain and suffering because he knew what his life would be like in heaven. This is the same that he wants us to do. Be transformed
3) Transform
3) Be Transform
This is what Paul wanted for all the followers of Christ to be like Jesus. Paul knew about this process…repeatedly. He too was persecuted, tortured, and killed for his faith. In his writings he gives commands in this scripture. Look back at verse 6 “you will” meaning if you accepted Christ, your being commanded to transform your lives and submit to God. If your willing to accept a little discomfort to enlist in God’s Army, then “you will” accept this transformation. Your days of being of this world are over. You no longer are to live a life of sin, you will strive for holiness. There are hard days and there are easier days, but your here and now. The motto of the Navy SEALS in their bootcamp is “No easy day! The easiest day was yesterday.” Meaning you survived everything that Satan could send you. The most vile demons and Satan himself didn’t stop you from living to today. If your here today to be in God’s Army and live to conquer death, then I say welcome to the Battlefield!