Excercise is Bad; Fat is Good

This past Sunday we had some great services at Church. Sunday evening we had a time of great fellowship and took some time to hear testimonies and share favourite hymns. Then I preached the introduction to a message on the basics of interpreting the Bible. We all have some rules and methods by which we interpret Scripture but we  do need to understand the basics of rightly dividing the Word of Truth. This is most apparent in eschatological matters.

After the service I had a great opportunity to demonstrate the importance of rightly dividing the Word. Two young men in the church, aged around 16-17, were joking with me about needing to get some exercise. I told them the Bible says bodily exercise profits little. They looked at me as if I were making it up and so I took them to I Timothy 4:8 - "For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."

Then to confound them more I told them being godly meant you would be overweight. Again, they looked stunned, even more so than before. So I took them to Proverbs 28:25 - "He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat."

They were almost speechless, and I thought I had better explain. It was a situation that illustrated well the importance of rightly dividing the Word.

But it was also very enjoyable winning the argument!