Worship with all your body

by Andrew Evans

O

ur motivation for any action should always be to honour and glorify God our Father. Therefore, when we approach physical fitness, we need to approach it in a manner that both honours and glorifies God.

In preparation for this article, I have been reading from books by General William Booth, Commissioner Samuel Brengle, various academic journals and texts and most importantly the Bible. Even though this topic has the potential to make people feel bad about themselves, this is an article that attempts to encourage you to treat your body the way God intended. If you are convicted to change, then listen to the Holy Spirit and change for God’s glory. Or, if while reading you feel you have been faithful with the way you treat you body, praise God, and help others do the same.

The world has done an excellent job of distorting the way people treat their bodies. For those who do not follow Christ, there are many consequences of abusing the body, and for those of us who do follow Christ, there are costly consequences for abusing our bodies.

Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the patterns of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Worldly patterns reflect two extremes and unfortunately, these patterns exist in our Army. One extreme is neglect for the body, characterized by laziness and poor diet and the other is overworking the body characterized by over-exercise and eating disorders. So what is God’s will for your body? It is pleasing and perfect! God wants you to be as healthy and vigorous as possible so that your bodily strength will increase to enable you to love Him more in mind and spirit. This covers the commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:5). And by doing this, it will be easier to follow the other great commandment, “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mat. 22:39). It is easier to love people when you are not tired and grumpy which is often caused by the two extremes.

Commissioner Bengle writes in his book Love Slaves, “We must remember that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost; hence, while they need sufficient nourishing food and restful sleep, they must in no sense be pampered, and all nervous excesses must be strictly avoided, or the body will react upon the mind and spirit, and weakness and impatience and gloom will cloud the soul.” Brengle knew of the impact the body has on the soul.

The bottom line for our bodies is set for us by Paul in 1 Cor 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body.” Throughout history, God has dwelt in magnificent buildings. Now the Holy Spirit is meant to dwell in the most magnificent of all - our bodies. We must be faithful with this responsibility. Do not let it be corrupted by the patterns of this world.

In Canada there is a pattern of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer and diabetes, being responsible for most cases of morbidity and mortality. CVD, cancer, respiratory diseases and diabetes are responsible for 75% of all deaths in this country, according to Health Canada. These are lifestyle diseases because they are caused by choices such as physical inactivity, smoking, poor diet and so on.

The more I learn about human physiology, the more I am amazed at God’s creation. Our bodies are a billion times more amazing than the temple built by Solomon. God designed us for physical activity and to glorify Him with our bodies. In the days of Paul, when people walked everywhere and did chores without machines, when people were physically active in lifestyle he said to Timothy in 1 Tim 4:8, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things…” . If physical training was still of value in the days where people were getting plenty of physical activity, how much more important is this word for us today?

What should we be doing to stay healthy? Many of you are soldiers in this great Salvation Army. I recommend, you brush up on your orders and regulations, found in Chosen to be a soldier. I believe that being a Salvationist is the best, healthiest lifestyle that any person can lead. Praise God for his Holy Spirit! In chapter 11, section 7, of Chosen to be a soldier, entitled “the care of the body”, is written, “… the Salvationist will not despise or misuse his body. Since it can be the instrument of God’s purpose, he will endeavour – insofar as this is possible – to keep it in a healthy, vigorous state.” It goes on to say, “The Salvationist will seek to ensure that he gets sufficient fresh air, exercise and sleep. This is Christian common sense. For example, a person who has insufficient sleep is likely to be both irritable and a poor workman.”

As soldiers we have no excuse. We have committed our bodies to God and are expected to get exercise. We have also proclaimed that we will abstain from all that can enslave us. This not only includes smoking, alcohol, and pornography, but also physical inactivity, over/under eating, television, computer, and twiddling your thumbs or whatever else can enslave and keep you from God’s plans for your life. If God planned for you to live to be 100 so that you can speak of Him to many people and bring glory to Him through many years, but you are physically inactive, develop a lifestyle disease and die at the age of 75 or 45, is God glorified? God had so many more plans for you but you could not fulfill them because you were unfaithful with your body.

Don’t let this happen to you. God is gracious and compassionate and a great restorer. He has designed our bodies to be healthy. Many diseases can be prevented and reversed with exercise.

For healthy living this is the minimum that you should do.

1. Every day pray and listen to the Holy Spirit as to what you should do.
2. Get at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity three times a week.
3. Do full body resistance exercises at least once a week
4. Keep up with flexibility and balance, especially as you age.

Now to the topic of food and diet, keeping in mind I am not a dietician. In The Salvation Army, our communion is at every meal. This means we remember Christ and His sacrifice for us at every meal. If we are glorifying Christ and remembering Him at every meal, we should be prevented from over eating or not eating. Also, if we were truly remembering Christ at each meal, our talk would be full of praise and spiritual conversation.

In eating we should follow the Canada Food Guide. William Booth wrote in his book Religion for every day, “Eating and drinking have much to do with the shortening of peoples lives… I very much question whether more people do not die from over-eating than over-drinking.” More than a hundred years ago, the Founder hinted at the danger of over-eating. When you go home after church on Sunday to your roast beef meal, or to a restaurant, do not over eat

Be a living sacrifice! Turn off the TV and computer. Do something radical and throw your TV away (or sell it and give the money to the poor). Read your Bible regularly (if you aren’t disciplined in Bible reading, and prayer, you don’t have a chance with your body).

And daily give your mind, spirit and body to God.

Writer: Andrew Evans holds to the biblical teaching that a believer’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and therefore encourages believers to represent Christ with a healthy body. He enacts this in his personal life through his involvement with organized sports and outdoor pursuits as well as in his work life where he practices as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with United Rugby Club, Cardiac Exercise Physiologist, Professional Fitness and Lifestyle Consultant and Certified Personal Trainer. Andrew also expresses his belief in acts of worship as the evangelism ministries coordinator at Cariboo Hill Temple, a Salvation Army church in Vancouver, Canada, and as fitness consultant for The War College.

6 Comments to Worship with all your body

1. Right on brother. I think many of us in the Army need to look at our eating and exercise habits more closely. I know many who use the excuse that the Army lifestyle is too hectic a demand of ones time to pay much attention to the physical body, but I have learned that this is not most often the case.

   Also, as an encouragement to any reading this who maybe do feel some conviction: I lost around 30 pounds last year over the course of a few months, very simply because I increased my amount of physical activity (by riding a bicycle everyday). As I started to lose weight, I began to change my eating habits, and I even began to ENJOY! exercising. It’s not as hard as you might think, and you don’t have to lose a 100 pounds overnight, start with some small changes and work your way from there. You can do it!
Jonathan Taube on October 25th, 2007

2. The Bible, Brengle, the Holy Spirit, William Booth, AND the Canada Food Guide. You have pulled out all the stops, and I’m always duly impressed when people invoke the founder. Overweight is certainly relative. In Darfur they might shoot me for my ivory, but on Oprah I might win an award for being in the low percentile of obesity. I also go a bit squirly when my right standing with God is attached to my status on the bathroom scale.

   I’m overweight, addicted to caffeine, I sleep 6 hours/night, and work way too much. Am I a bad Christian? Unsanctified? please…the way I look at it is this. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. If you want to give Him a bachelor apartment to live then that’s fine, but I’m giving Him a Prime estate complete with pillars and all the coffee He can drink down.

   I also offer this as an alternative to the minimum we “should” do:
   1. Every day pray and listen to the Holy Spirit as to what you should do, and when you hear, “upsize that b’fast meal”? Save the extra hashbrowns for Him.
   2. Buy Lace-up shoes - this will give you 30 minutes of heartpounding, air-sucking activity unless you go to sleep with them on.
   3. Resist Exercising.
   4. Old people (40+). Make it a double double. The last thing you want is imbalance in your coffee.

   Peace
Rick Zelinsky on October 26th, 2007

3. Man, that sounds like a cop-out if I ever heard one.
   Or perhaps you’re trying to be really funny… can’t quite grasp what you’re really trying to say here Rick.
Carla on October 26th, 2007

4. Hey Carla, Cop out? no. funny, yes, it was friday, but seriously, fat people are unrighteous? (reading between the lines). I just don’t see any clear indication from Scripture that calls us to a regimen of diet and exercise, or a link to a holiness. Certainly those who read the texts in their contexts would not hear them like this, and further, to suggest that a healthy body aids me in loving God more in body and spirit is way out there. Also, what are the implications for those who do not have the full use of their bodies due to physical ailments or disability? Are they less able to love God or live out His pleasing and perfect will? People can give 100% of themselves, but that doesn’t look the same for everyone.

   And a final comment, the soldier’s covenant does not call me to be physically fit, nor am I a poor workman because I don’t get a lot of sleep. Sometimes we’re weary and worn because of the battle. We don’t get enough sleep, and our energy is spent. Strength is not contingent upon all of my efforts. But when we have exhausted our store of endurance, our Father’s full giving has only begun.

   It is good advice, and practice for good health, and benefits us from that perspective. It does not make us more righteous and holy. To equate the two is misguided.
Rick Zelinsky on October 27th, 2007

5. “(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) ”
   Philippians 3:18-19

   “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” Ezekiel 16:49.

   Sometimes the Bible is pretty clear.
   Laziness, idleness, and obesity are not things to be prideful of. People who medically cant help these things are an exception in my opinion. 6 hours or 8 hours isn’t really covered in the Bible so I wont go there either.
   But if you trully are “addicted” then re-read your Soldiers Covenant, ddictive substances are a no-no.
   Sorry to do this to you again Rick
Nathan on November 3rd, 2007

6. I’m not the MOST fit person on the spectrum, but I could definitely do a little better. And I have to disagree with my brother Rick - I am definitely aided in loving God if I take care of my body. If I don’t follow the laws of nature that God has set in place for the universe (which includes proper health and nutrition for my body), I shouldn’t wonder at how miserable I feel after a steady diet of ho-hos and coffee, compounded by late nights of surfing the web aimlessly (I am speaking from experience here), getting little sleep.

   Sometimes I feel God is not answering my prayer for Him to work in my heart to make me more like Jesus. Meanwhile, He is telling me to stop eating badly and discipline myself enough to get to bed on time.

   Just one of the many applications of “present your bodies as living sacrifices”.

   Grace,
   Phil

   P.S. I think the Munns would be an excellent voice in this conversation.
Phil Laeger on November 5th, 2007

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