Every believer is a man of God, saved by Jesus, called by Jesus, and carries the message of Jesus Christ. Therefore they have certain characteristics. They flee from the things of the world, the love of money. They pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. These qualities are necessary because every man of God is in a fight. They are fighters in a good fight and these qualities are how the fight is fought.
Timothy was not a natural fighter. Many of us are not natural fighters. That’s why Apostle Paul commands us to fight. It’s an imperative otherwise we wouldn’t. We must fight continuously against the world and sin. Since Adam and Eve disobeyed in the Garden of Eden, sin has dominated the world, causing brother to murder brother. We are like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress, facing many difficulties (Acts 4:12). We cannot surrender to the battle but fight.
We must fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12). Not the fights for things of this world and not in a dishonest way. The wrong fight will only end in destruction (Matthew 16:26). The good fight means both the means and the goal is good. The good fight is good if it is for the Lord because God is good.
So we flee and fight against the love of money. The love and pursuit of money is a deadly thing and has plagued the modern church. The world accuses the church of being greedy and wealthy instead of modest and compassionate. We also fight against false doctrine (1 Timothy 1:18-20). We take heed of the failures of Hymenaeus and Alexander. We fight like Apostle Paul who suffered the loss of all things to know Christ. We hope that at the end we can joyfully say we have fought the good fight until the end. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
Our good fight is not a physical fight but a spiritual fight. We fight against sin, old nature, the world, and the devil. (1 John 2:16, Colossians 3:12-13, Ephesians 6:13). We fight not to repay evil with evil but with good. We respond to attacks against us with the gospel which can save them. We fight against the lies of the world that call evil as good and good as evil. Lies such as gender identity, preferred pronouns, homosexual love and marriage, and transgenderism. These are wicked behaviors that are being touted as truths and to go against them is labeled as a crime. So we must fight the lies with the Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We also fight for God’s glory in all circumstances. If we are honest, we are slow to give God glory, to give thanks to Him, and to recognize Him. Giving glory to God is a war. The Westminster Shorter Catechism rightly answers that the chief end of man is to give glory to God and to enjoy Him forever. Giving glory to God is not natural for us. We must fight to do so. Mercifully as redeemed children of God, we are able to give glory to God in all the things we do and we can trust that no matter the circumstance, God causes it for good. (1 Cor 6:20,10:31, Romans 8:28). This is such a wonderful blessing. Therefore we must desire and pursue the glory of God. It is foolish to pursue lesser glories that result in destruction. To steal God’s glory is very dangerous. But to fight for God’s glory is a good fight.
The purpose of the good fight is faith. We fight the good fight we remain faithful. Everyone has their own struggles. We all face our own fight for faith. Timothy knew the consequences of fighting the good fight and was faithful. Hebrews 13:23 shows that Timothy went to prison for the sake of Christ. Legend has it that Timothy was eventually martyred.
How do you know you are fighting the good fight? Remember Daniel who remained faithful during the training process, he refused to eat the meat. Eventually, he became one of the close advisors of King Darius. The others, out of jealousy, plotted against Daniel, by trapping Daniel in a plot to forbid any sort of prayer except prayers to King Darius. Even though the punishment was being thrown into the lion’s den, Daniel prayed as usual. (Daniel 6:10). So Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den which was a certain horrible death. Yet Daniel went through this dangerous trial without a single injury (Daniel 6:23). Daniel trusted in God and fought the good fight of faith.
The good fight is long and difficult. We grow weary and tired. We lose heart and are unable to praise. The early church shows us how to keep up the good fight. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer (Acts 2:42). First is a devotion to God’s word. By the word of God, we know who God is. We can always know more about God, deeper, wider, and fuller. We have fellowship. We should not waste our fellowship at church. Fellowship is a part of worship. We are fellow Christians with Christ in common with one another. We must share who God is and what He is doing in our life. As iron sharpens iron, we fellowship. It might seem awkward and forced but we pursue true fellowship out of obedience to God and love toward one another.
The early church also was faithful to the Lord’s supper. The Lord’s supper is not just a memory. We remember what Jesus did, but it is more than just memorizing a theory. It is the ordinance of God where the Spirit works in our hearts to strengthen the gospel and its effect on our lives.
Finally, the early church prayed. Faith and prayer always go together. Prayer is so powerful. Prayer can change a man. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel because he prayed. Prayer makes faith active. We fight the good fight as we pray.
In conclusion, our fight is not done. We continue to struggle, to pursue, and to fight. However, we are not alone in our fight. God is with us. The outcome of our fight is guaranteed in victory.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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