Today’s society is possessed with improving the body and the mind. Universities are filled with those who hunger for knowledge. Students spend hours—and thousands of dollars—reading and listening to lectures to gain information that will improve their quality of life.
And the physical fitness craze has become a billion-dollar industry with spas, gyms, and workout centers in every city. We spend hundreds of dollars on workout clothing and athletic shoes.
Yet many believers spend only Sunday morning dedicated to their spiritual growth. Our bodies get several hours of attention each day, but our mind is renewed and our spirit man built up only a few hours every week. Could this be a problem?
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
(1 Tim. 4:8)
When life is over and we stand before Jesus, I think I can safely say that we will not be interested in what shape our physical bodies are in. And throughout eternity, I don’t think we will be standing around discussing how we kept in good physical shape while we lived in our death-doomed earth suits.
No, I think we will be consumed with understanding the truth of God’s Word and drawing as close to Him as we can.
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
(Mark 8:36)
How about a spiritual checkup? What are you doing to bring spiritual growth? You cannot achieve God’s plan for your life without spiritual maturity. You’ve got to develop your faith muscle and your righteousness tendons—and that humility hamstring that tends to be weak when everything else is working well!
It’s ultimately your spiritual maturity that will carry you through in your mission.
Excerpt permission granted by Albury Publishing
Carman Domenic Licciardello is an enigma in Christian music, often described as part evangelist, part Vegas Showman. His concerts were more like a rock and roll Billy Graham Crusade than a Christian music event. After all the singing, dancing, clapping, and preaching, crowds of people would stream down to the counseling area to accept Christ-many times as many as 5,000 in an evening.
Admission was usually free; a simple offering was taken, similar to 30,000 churches on Sunday mornings. And he filled the largest stadiums the world over. Carman held the record for the largest Christian concert ever in Dallas, Texas. But it even goes beyond that. Take the Mega Stadium acts that played the famed landmark such as Pink Floyd, U 2, Madonna, The Jackson Five, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, and even Metallic. As the newspapers noted, you'll see that the one-act that drew the highest attendance in Texas Stadium was Carman, with 71,132.
Carman (1956-2021) was a popular contemporary Christian singer and songwriter.
Born Carman Licciardello, he began recording under his first name and released his debut album in 1980. Carman began charting contemporary Christian hits in 1984 with "Sunday's on the Way," reaching No. 1 with "The Champion" (1986) and "Radically Saved" (1988). His other hit songs include "Lord of All," "Jesus Is the Light," and "Satan, Bite the Dust!" Carman reportedly holds the world record for the largest audience at a Christian concert. His popularity was at its height in the 1980s and early '90s, but he continued releasing albums for years, including his most recent release, 2014's "No Plan B." In 2018, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
