I’ve always been a fan of boxing. I love the excitement, the strategy, and the personalities that you find in the world of professional boxing. One of the greats was Muhommad Ali. He encompasses all that I find great about boxing; skill, strategy, and definitely personality. When it comes to strategy there is one thing that Ali is always remembered for. The ropeadope. He first made this strategy popular when he fought the much larger George Foreman. Ali knew he couldn’t go punch for punch with Foreman, Foreman was just too powerful. So Ali had to use his speed and strategy. For the first part of the match it seemed that Foreman was destroying Ali. Ali kept falling back into the ropes while Foreman pounded away at him. Then all of a sudden in the latter rounds, Ali turned a now tired Foreman around and went to work on him. In the end Ali won. The whole fight Ali was using a brilliant tactic that is now referred to as the Ropeadope. The strategy is to allow your opponent to use up all of their energy throwing punches that may seem effective but is really not hurting you at all. In the mind of the person being tricked, they think they are pounding away, heading toward a sure victory. But little do they know, you are patiently storing up your energy while making sure that your opponent isn’t able to hit you with any “effective” punches.
Ok so what does a boxing strategy have to do with faith or church planting? Well I’ve begun to realize that it has a lot to do with these things. I’m reminded of a passage in 1 Corinthians when Paul is discussing his ministry. He finishes up with an illustration about a runner and a boxer. In 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 Paul states this:
“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
Notice Paul states that he is not like a boxer who is just “beating the air”. He is making a connection here to his previous statements about how he is strategic in his ministry and is also strategic in is own spiritual training. Paul is showing us that he does not minister or better yet live out his faith in a manner that would eventually leave him unable to finish the race.
We are all limited in time and energy. The big question is “what are we doing with the time and energy we do have?” I’ve begun to realize that the enemy often enjoys using a good old fashioned spiritual ropeadope on us. As I look at my life I’ve begun to realize that I use so much of my energy and time “keeping busy”, worrying about things outside of my control, and even being sidetracked on issues that do not effect me or my ministry. How often do we waste our time on things that we think are necessary but have no value in producing righteousness and furthering the kingdom? How often do we get mired down in fruitless debates that do nothing but wear us down and wear down brothers and sisters that we may be debating? How often do we get consumed with things that are not in our control to leave us without time and energy to focus on those things God has entrusted to us to do? How often do we spend hours upon hours consumed with our own failings and shortcomings as opposed to spending those hours being renewed in the presence of God? And finally, as churches, how often do we spend time and resources doing “ministry” that ultimately only keeps us busy and doesn’t effectively build the Kingdom of God?
How often? Well in my life and ministry I can say “way too often!”
I fear that many in the church have bought Satan’s ropeadope. We spend countless hours, untold energy, and large amounts of resources throwing punches that have no real effect on the mission at hand. Just like Foreman, we think we are winning the fight, but in reality we are just wearing ourselves out.
I want to challenge anyone who is reading this to join me. I’ve realized what has been occurring and now want to redirect my “punches”. Try to take this week and look at your life. How have you been spending your time, your energy, your resources? Now the common thing to do is to look at how much “church” stuff you have done and maybe decide you need to do more. This is not what I’m talking about. Often much of our “church” or religious activity are just wasted punches. Instead ask yourself how much of what you are doing is truly building the kingdom and growing yourself spiritually? Over the past year, even with all of the Christian activity you have done, are you more like Christ than you were before? Over the past year has the ministry you are doing impacted the world around you for the Glory of Christ? Search the scriptures. God in His word shows us what will truly cause transformation in our lives and in the world around us. It is interesting to find that God’s people have always added to His commands, but God’s commands are not that numerous, they are just very effective.
In boxing it is not about how many punches you throw, it is about the amount of energy you put into the punches that matter. In Christianity it is not how much “stuff” you do, but how much we put into what God has commanded.
