Lifting for Christ

Training Powerlifting
102

[quote]bigredaekdb wrote:
What mean is how many of yall feel that Christ works through you and powerlifting.
How many give glory to Chirst for bringing you to this sport. Because I realized today that I haven’t been. No i’m not sayin that before every deadlift you look to the sky and say " I pull this 600 lbs. for you Lord God!"
I’m simply askin whether or not many of you thank the lord everyday, workout, and/ or meet that He has given you the opportunity to do what we all love. Lift Heavy Weights. I most certainly didn’t think God had anything to do with it until today.[/quote]

You know, I get really annoyed when I hear athletes say that stuff like “I believe that God will help us to victory”. Like there isn’t starvation and disease and suffering in the world and God has nothing better to do than to help someone win a freaking football game.

I feel the same about lifting. Rather than help a guy pull 600lbs, I’d like to think that God might help save a soul or two or end a famine or something (or at least help use that strength to lift a car off of someone).

I believe in God, but I refuse to even entertain the theory that God intervenes and bestows blessings for trivial things, while there is so much bleeped-up stuff going on the world.

103

[quote]bigredaekdb wrote:
Is there anyone out there that believes we lift for Christ?[/quote]

If christ wants me to lift for him, he better start sending a biweekly check.

104

[quote]Biceptennial wrote:
Magarhe wrote:
Lifting for Christ?

Nah, I DRINK for Christ.

I drink to get drunk.
[/quote]

Aha, but it was a pun on being Catholic, you see.

True, also not meek of spirit, that’s for sure.

Life in HEAVEN, and spiritual life. Not a great big party.

superbia (hubris/pride)
avaritia (avarice/greed)
luxuria (extravagance/lust)
invidia (envy)
gula (gluttony)
ira (wrath)
acedia (sloth)

You’re right, one of those sins isn’t being committed in the pursuit of a magnificent physique.

Now, NOTE I am not at all attacking religion or bodybuilding etc… - you can do the same thing for two completely different reasons, not necessarily negative ones.

I think the human body is a magnificent thing and I lift because it is an awesome wonder of nature. I can understand why some would “lift for God” and know just what they mean. I believe this is good and if it wasn’t meant in the/any bible then it should have been.

I always liked the biblical strongman stories e.g of Samson. I also like Heracles and he predates Christ, Judaism and also, was most likely a real person.

105

I am a Christian and I lift for myself…but I do thank God that I am able to lift heavy and if I ever get nterviewed or talk to people about my lifting I try to use it as a ool to tell them about Christ…if I didn’t lift heavy things I would have to annoy people on the streets randomly handing out tracts…i would much rather attract them through my lifting adn earn their respect before I try to tell them to “change their lives for Christ” just my 2 cents

106

[quote]grody wrote:
I am a Christian and I lift for myself…but I do thank God that I am able to lift heavy and if I ever get nterviewed or talk to people about my lifting I try to use it as a ool to tell them about Christ…if I didn’t lift heavy things I would have to annoy people on the streets randomly handing out tracts…i would much rather attract them through my lifting adn earn their respect before I try to tell them to “change their lives for Christ” just my 2 cents[/quote]

Same here. I try to conduct myself in the gym (and everywhere else for that matter) in a manner that brings Him glory.

LJ

107

[quote]keaster wrote:
I lift because the evil monkey in my closet tells me to. Maybe he is Jesus.[/quote]

You have one of those, too? I thought I was the only one.

108

[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
Kehaya wrote:
How much would Christ deadlift? I mean, if he had chalk and straps of course…

He doesn’t need that stuff. He just puts the bar through the holes in his hands.[/quote]

And he lines up the bar with the holes in his feet to achieve a perfect starting position.

Good one, Zap.

109

As with anything in life, lifting can certainly be a way of giving glory to God. Now I’m not saying that means walking into the weightroom as if it were a church and screaming out “Praise the Lord!” after every db curl. What I’m talking about is having the presence of mind that being able to lift at all is a gift from God. (Why should we have been born healthy at all?) And because everything that God created is good, it is good that we should use this gift. In this way we glorify God when we lift. Like I said, it’s nothing dramatic, just a slight shift in your mindset. And this obviously can be applied to any act that we do in our daily lives.

Some have said that lifting and being Christian are incompatible and I’d have to disagree with this. As long as it’s an activity that’s seen in it’s proper place among priorities there should not be an issue. Everything in moderation. Certainly anything good can become bad. The very reason, according to Christian theology, that evil exists is because of the corruption of good, by directing things toward their improper end. So, if it becomes a means to feed one’s ego and vanity then it becomes sinful. If it is a means to stay physically and mentally healthy in order to praise God for your body and your mind, then I can’t see it as anything but beneficial.

I’d like to gently admonish all the people who have responded mockingly to the initial post – such a negative response was not warranted. He was asking a question which is definitely pertinent to Christian weightlifters. Although his question seemed to be slightly open-ended with regards to the types of responses it would receive (exceedingly negative ones), I’d ask that you don’t be so quick to ridicule something you may not entirely grasp. Thanks

110

[quote]marcomonz wrote:
As with anything in life, lifting can certainly be a way of giving glory to God. Now I’m not saying that means walking into the weightroom as if it were a church and screaming out “Praise the Lord!” after every db curl. What I’m talking about is having the presence of mind that being able to lift at all is a gift from God. (Why should we have been born healthy at all?) And because everything that God created is good, it is good that we should use this gift. In this way we glorify God when we lift. Like I said, it’s nothing dramatic, just a slight shift in your mindset. And this obviously can be applied to any act that we do in our daily lives.

Some have said that lifting and being Christian are incompatible and I’d have to disagree with this. As long as it’s an activity that’s seen in it’s proper place among priorities there should not be an issue. Everything in moderation. Certainly anything good can become bad. The very reason, according to Christian theology, that evil exists is because of the corruption of good, by directing things toward their improper end. So, if it becomes a means to feed one’s ego and vanity then it becomes sinful. If it is a means to stay physically and mentally healthy in order to praise God for your body and your mind, then I can’t see it as anything but beneficial.

I’d like to gently admonish all the people who have responded mockingly to the initial post – such a negative response was not warranted. He was asking a question which is definitely pertinent to Christian weightlifters. Although his question seemed to be slightly open-ended with regards to the types of responses it would receive (exceedingly negative ones), I’d ask that you don’t be so quick to ridicule something you may not entirely grasp. Thanks

[/quote]

I don’t think lifting weights and being Christian is incompatible. I do think, however, that this entire thread is abosolutely, utterly ridiculous. As someone mentioned, why on earth would anyone think that God cares how much they lift when there are little kids around the world starving, when wars and acts of terror kill innocent people, and when little kids get cancer or other horrible diseases? Are you truly so arrogant that you think that God gives a damn what you do in the gym? Until I hear a logical explanation for this, I will continue to mock, ridicule, and make fun.

111

Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)

As Christians, everything we do should be to the glory of God. Whether we’re in a secular job or full time ministry, we should be doing whatever we can to extend His kingdom.

Having said that, I find that a lot of this “I do X for Jesus” is really our way of convincing ourselves that we accomplish more for God that we really do. I know a lot of people that “Lift for Jesus” or “Ride for the Son,” et cetera. I guess the question you have to ask is, if you’re lifting for the Lord or riding for God or waltzing for the kingdom, how has this activity changed since you came to know the Lord?

A couple of friends of mine led a guy at the gym to the Lord the other night. That’s awesome. It also doesn’t change the fact that they lift primarily to build muscle. I lift because I’m transitioning from “String Fat Guy” to “Strong Lean Guy.” One of my pastors hits the gym because he likes to run marathons. We’re all Christians, and the gym is a part of all of our lives, but we don’t see our gym time as devotional time, per se.

Guys like the Power Team ad Strength team are “lifting for the Lord,” I suppose, but for the most part, the evidence of Christ in us is a transformed life, not a 6-pack and big bench press.

Having said that, there was a pastor a few years back who, every morning at 5 AM, would get up to pray, then lift weights. When he was asked why he lifted, he replied “so I can lift my hands longer when I worship.” He was lifting for the Lord.

112

[quote]thomas.galvin wrote:
Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)

As Christians, everything we do should be to the glory of God. Whether we’re in a secular job or full time ministry, we should be doing whatever we can to extend His kingdom.

Having said that, I find that a lot of this “I do X for Jesus” is really our way of convincing ourselves that we accomplish more for God that we really do. I know a lot of people that “Lift for Jesus” or “Ride for the Son,” et cetera. I guess the question you have to ask is, if you’re lifting for the Lord or riding for God or waltzing for the kingdom, how has this activity changed since you came to know the Lord?

A couple of friends of mine led a guy at the gym to the Lord the other night. That’s awesome. It also doesn’t change the fact that they lift primarily to build muscle. I lift because I’m transitioning from “String Fat Guy” to “Strong Lean Guy.” One of my pastors hits the gym because he likes to run marathons. We’re all Christians, and the gym is a part of all of our lives, but we don’t see our gym time as devotional time, per se.

Guys like the Power Team ad Strength team are “lifting for the Lord,” I suppose, but for the most part, the evidence of Christ in us is a transformed life, not a 6-pack and big bench press.

Having said that, there was a pastor a few years back who, every morning at 5 AM, would get up to pray, then lift weights. When he was asked why he lifted, he replied “so I can lift my hands longer when I worship.” He was lifting for the Lord.
[/quote]

This is right on the mark. MiketheBear, I hope this answers what you were referring to. No Christian “lifts for Christ” in the sense that they think Christ is making them lift big weights or that He cares how much one lifts at all (and if they do do this then they’re wrong). Along the same lines, when baseball players point up to the sky after they hit a homerun, it shouldn’t be because they think God gave them the power to hit that homerun or that God wants his team to win. If they choose to wear their faith on their sleeve in that way, it should be to give him thanks for their God-given ability and health, which is their livelihood (if they are professional ball players). Good post btw thomas.galvin.

113

[quote]marcomonz wrote:
And because everything that God created is good…

[/quote]

Before you go admonishing people for not understanding something fully, consider that you obviously don’t know anything about real religious study. I teach religion full-time, and if you actually say “everything God created is good” you’ve clearly never heard of theodicy. It’s the attempt to reconcile the existence of evil in the world with the idea of a benevolent God, and it’s a problematic concept in religious and philosophical study. So tell, O Wise One: if everything God created is good, how do you account for genocide? Apartheid? Rape? Systematic racial discrimination? Those aren’t good things the last I checked. So before you go lifting for Christ or God or anyone, consider your assumptions and study up. Otherwise you’re a thoughtless sheep, no?

114

[quote]InCorporeSano wrote:
marcomonz wrote:
And because everything that God created is good…

Before you go admonishing people for not understanding something fully, consider that you obviously don’t know anything about real religious study. I teach religion full-time, and if you actually say “everything God created is good” you’ve clearly never heard of theodicy. It’s the attempt to reconcile the existence of evil in the world with the idea of a benevolent God, and it’s a problematic concept in religious and philosophical study. So tell, O Wise One: if everything God created is good, how do you account for genocide? Apartheid? Rape? Systematic racial discrimination? Those aren’t good things the last I checked. So before you go lifting for Christ or God or anyone, consider your assumptions and study up. Otherwise you’re a thoughtless sheep, no?[/quote]

In my understanding of Thomistic philosophy, and it is a very shallow one I must admit, everything that God created is good and it is on account of our limitations in our imperfect nature that causes us to act out evil. So, for example, sex is good because God created it but if used toward a wrong end, such as rape, it becomes evil. Thus, there is an insecurity in the goodness of things as they can be separated from their perfection. So in the sense that “good” means “perfect being” evil means the “privation of perfect being.” In this way evil is accounted for – not because a good God created evil. Is this the same as the theodicy which you talk about? If not I’d like to read more about it if you can pm me a few links to books etc.

You’re right, I don’t have the deepest understanding in theological matters. But if there is any truth in the saying that “the only knowledge is knowing that you know nothing” this would not mean to stop discussing things entirely but to work with the very little we have (which is basically nothing in terms of infinity). There is a huge difference between asking people to stop mocking a different viewpoint because of misunderstanding than question it because of misunderstanding.

And I agree with you wholeheartedly about being a thoughtless sheep if we don’t study up. Thanks for your response.

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Could God create a deadlift so heavy even He couldn’t lift it?

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[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Could God create a deadlift so heavy even He couldn’t lift it?[/quote]

No. Could a woman give birth to a child that is older and weighs more than herself?

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I find that a lot of this “I do X for Jesus” is really our way of convincing ourselves that we accomplish more for God that we really do.

I think this is the key sentence right here. Perhaps I’m just too cynical and jaded, but I think that many, certainly not all, but many, people who call themselves “Christians” and do everything for Jesus are people with a, shall we say, less than Christian past, who have suddenly found the Lord and want to wear in on their sleeve to cover up their checkered past. Hey, I’m glad these people have repented and all, but they need to quit pretending that they’re holier than everyone else.

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[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Could God create a deadlift so heavy even He couldn’t lift it?[/quote]

How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

(bonus if you know the answer the Church decided on)

-Dan

119

Had to post it.

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[quote]bigredaekdb wrote:
Is there anyone out there that believes we lift for Christ?[/quote]

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

I haven’t read anything else in this thread yet, but…wow.

121

As an Angel is a spirit, the number would be endless.

A more intriguing question would be, “why do non-Christian” people feel the constant need to attack every Christian statement? Non-Christians always seem to find a need/reason to attack anything Christian at every possible chance, in what appears a desire to fill their empty life…