Fighting the Good Fight of Faith

This is a significant week for me, as I prepare for chemotherapy in two days' time. And so it is not surprising, then, that the theme the Lord has been driving home for me over the last few days has been that of faith. As I've mentioned before, every time I gain a new revelation of the Lord - some new facet of his eternal nature - my response should be faith - not merely a belief in this new aspect of God's nature, but an active faith that brings with it a radical new transformation in my life. And so the revelation that I've embraced this week - that Jesus is "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) - has stirred within me a new level of faith.

For this reason, the last two days have been a watershed experience for me - there's a real sense where a line divides this week into a clear "before" and "after." But before I share about this in more detail, let me first share what the Lord's been showing me in his Word.

In 2 Timothy 4:6-7, at the end of his life, Paul wrote:

"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

You may remember from the very beginning of my blogging that this was one of the passages of Scripture that the Lord used to speak into my life when I was first diagnosed with cancer (see "Torn Between the Two"). For Paul, the timing of his death had everything to do with "finishing the race" that had been set before him (note Hebrews 12:1). By the time Paul wrote 2 Timothy 4:6-7, he knew his race was complete, that the time had come for his departure, and that he had "fought the good fight."

This was not the first time that Paul used the expression "fight the good fight." In 1 Timothy 1:18-19, Paul had earlier written:

"Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience..."

And again, in 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul instructed Timothy:

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

As I look back on the last few days, I realise that active faith means there is a fight. This is because faith, by its very nature, not only sees beyond the immediate circumstances but also demands attitudes and actions in defiance to those circumstances. Wherever there is opposition, a fight is required. This is why Paul spoke in Philippians 1:27 of the need to "stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel" (see also Jude 3).

Everything is now in place for the commencement of my chemotherapy this Wednesday. And so yesterday, at the Twilight service of Evangelical Community Church, I pre-empted the expected hair loss by publicly having my head shaved (see "Countdown - Shear a Shepherd"). This was a very meaningful event for me, for a number of reasons that I want to share with you.

Taking Charge

One of the main reasons I decided to get my head shaved was because for me this was, in itself, a step of faith. Instead of passively waiting for hair loss to happen, I decided to set the pace myself. My father has an old saying: "Never let the enemy choose the time and place of the battle." In other words, in the spiritual battle, we should choose the time and place for the fight. Rather than wait for Satan to attack, we need to take the battle to him - on our terms, not his. This is an important general principle of warfare, and on Sunday that's what I enacted symbolically.

One of the hardest things about cancer, I think, is the loss of control. Forces are at work in your body which are beyond your ability to control. And it is for this reason, that the first part of the fight is not a physical fight, but an emotional one. The fight against cancer is, first and foremost, is a "heart and mind" battle. For this reason, the "Shear a Shepherd" event was, for me, a statement - a declaration that I'm in full fighting mode. Not only am I not giving in to this deadly disease, I'm entering the ring with my gloves on, ready to go the full 15 rounds. Like Paul, "I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize" (1 Corinthians 9:26-27). I've "set my face like a flint" (Isaiah 50:7) - ready to contend for that which God has promised me in Christ Jesus. In faith, I've "taken charge".

Preparing to get shaved.

A Public Declaration

The "Shear a Shepherd" event was also a public declaration. It's one thing to have a personal faith in Jesus; it's quite another to declare that faith publicly. That's why water baptism plays such an important role in the Gospel process, and it's also why Romans 10:9-10 places such a strong emphasis on the public confession of personal faith. The Bible doesn't just emphasise believing with the heart (as a private matter between you and God); it also stresses the importance of a public proclamation of that private faith. And so, the "Shear a Shepherd" event was a means by which I could make a public stand in faith.

Alwyn Wong begins the first stage of the shearing.

Looking Beyond Myself

One of the most important lessons to be learned when facing any trial or hardship is the lesson of "looking beyond yourself." When you're going through pain and suffering, it is all too easy to become introverted. Your world shrinks to a very small package that is focused on you and your feelings.

But part of "fighting the good fight of faith" is refusing to fall back to this default position of introversion and self-focus. My life is centred in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I refuse to let cancer alter this basic fact. And so I decided not just to pre-empt the hair loss by being shaved, nor even merely make this a public declaration of my trust in the Lord. I also decided to make it a fund-raising event for the Online Bible College (and yes, if you would like to sponsor me, you can still do so by clicking here).

My passion is to see people trained and equipped for the great harvest (Luke 10:2). As a result of the "Shear a Shepherd" event, I was able to raise over AU$10,000.00 for OBC - far beyond what I had hoped or dreamed! Praise the Lord for his goodness, his faithfulness and for the privilege of playing a part in the training of workers for his harvest field.

Alwyn lathers me up for the final "close shave".

Well, the deed is done! I now have a new look - a more "military" demeanor, all ready for the fight that is ahead.

The new me.

Thank you for joining me in this journey. Your prayer support and encouragement has meant a great deal to me. My prayer is that you will also experience the Lord's grace in your life today, and that together we will "stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel" (Philippians 1:27).