Who Are You Taking to Heaven?

Thirty five hundred years ago the Greeks began to organize the Olympic Games. By 3,000 years ago they were known throughout the ancient world. The winners names were carved in stone and enshrined on Mt. olympus home of the gods.To this day the winners from 776 BC to AD217 are on record. Finally this world evnt was abolished by the Emperor of Rome not to be restarted until morern times in 1896.

Of the different games the New Testament mentions three: racing, boxing, and wrestling. The race is mentioned most frequently.

In each of the three pictures of athletic life as employed in the New Testament there is prominent a special view-point of the spiritual life and effort.

• The race looks forward to the heavenly goal, to the “high calling of God in Christ Jesus,” to the realm above (Phil. 3:14).

• Boxing points to our opposition to the enemy in us. Paul at least so employs it: “so fight (lit. box) I, as not beating the air: but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage” (I Corinthians. 9:26,27).

• Wrestling refers to our fight with the powers of darkness around and beneath us. Thus Paul says: “Our wrestling (Gk. pale) is against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness: (Ephesians. 6:12).