THE BOYS IN THE BOAT

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT

Romans 12:1-21 (KJV)

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Notice with me the sense of church oneness in this passage.

·   We are many members, but we are one body, and that body is in Christ.

·   We are each different, but we each have our own role in the church body.

·   We are to be kindly affectioned one to another and, in honor prefer one another – be thoughtful and considerate would be another way to say it.

·   We are to care for each other empathize with each other and work alongside each other.

·   We are to live peaceably with each other and

·   We are to have the same mind one toward another

That can be a pretty tall order, can’t it!

It’s not going to happen easily.

It requires us to be very forgiving toward each other.

And some members just never even try to be a part of the body.

The church at Corinth seemed to have a bunch of those kind of members. Paul called them carnal.

Mind you, they would have insisted that they were the spiritual ones.

Paul called them carnal.

To that church Apostle Paul wrote,

1 Corinthians 12:12-25 (KJV)

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

For the body is not one member, but many.

If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

And if they were all one member, where were the body?

But now are they many members, yet but one body.

And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:

That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

Whatever place God gives us in the church is of the Lord and to attempt to usurp any role but the one God gave you, creates a schism.

A body all works together, each part doing what it was created to do, under the direction of the head.

Whenever a member of your body decides to express its own will, we call that a cancer, don’t we?

Ephesians 4:1-6 (KJV)

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

John Gill writes of church unity,

“… to endeavour or study to keep and preserve [church unity], supposes 

1. that this union does already exist[1];

2. that it is very valuable, as making much for the glory of God, the mutual comfort and delight of saints, and 

3. is worth taking some pains about; and 

4. that it is very difficult to secure, there being so many things which frequently arise, and break in upon it, through the devices of Satan, and the corruptions of men's hearts.”

Philippians 2:1-5 (KJV)

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Albert Barnes writes of church unity[2],

“There is always danger of discord where people are brought together in one society. 

·   There are so many different tastes and habits; 

·   there is such a variety of intellect and feeling; 

·   the modes of education have been so various, and 

·   the temperament may be so different, 

that there is constant danger of division. Hence, the subject is so often dwelt on in the Scriptures, and hence, there is so much need of caution and of care in the churches.”

·   Because this is the final Sunday of our “I Love My Church” theme and

·   Because tonight is our “I Love My Church” service

I have come to see that unity might just very well be that moment revival really happens in a church.

I am currently reading a book by Daniel James Brown called, “The Boys in the Boat.” It’s the story of the 1936 eight-oared rowing Olympic gold medalists from the University of Washington. 

I see a great number of similarities between the boat and the work of a church. 

Boats have a pretty big role in the New Testament. 

Consider:

·   Of the 12 apostles four of them (and possibly as many as seven) were  fishermen[3]

·   Jesus taught from a boat[4]

·   Jesus calmed the water to save their boat[5]

·   One of the last visits of the Lord was to them in their boat[6]

I found 63 verses in the New Testament containing the word, ship and another 4 verses containing the word, boat.

Sail is found in 25 verses and the word, rowing once.

·   Matthew, Mark Luke and John all have references to ships and

·   Nine out of the twenty eight chapters of Acts have stories of the sea.

Some of the greatest life lessons we learn in the Scriptures were taught from or derive from some connection with the sea.

That’s why the hymn and song writers were so keen on writing spiritual songs about the seafaring life:

·   Ship ahoy, ship ahoy, and loudly I cried ship ahoy

·   Throw out the lifeline across the dark waves, there is a brother whom someone should save

·   What man is this they all did say, who the wind and seas obey

·   I’ve anchored my soul in the cleft of the rock, I’ll sail the wild seas no more

·   Jesus Saviour pilot me

·   We have an anchor that keeps the soul, safe and secure while the billows roll

And I could go on and on.

So, I believe I am on pretty solid ground using some lessons I’ve learned about “eight-oared rowing” to draw some similarities for the local church and revival in that church.

An eight oared rowing crew consists of:

·   Eight oarsmen, 

·   A coxswain and, of course, 

·   Their coach

I. THE COACH IS TYPICAL OF THE LORD

Ephesians 5:23 (KJV)

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

It is the place of the coach, 

A. To put the crew together

Ephesians 2:19-22 (KJV)

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

The 1936 University of Washington rowing coach was a man named Al Ulbrickson.

Any given year Ulbrickson tried to fill four boats 

A freshman boat 

He’d start out with 20 or more raw try outs and whittle it down for a year

A sophomore boat

This nine man team competed in a class of their own throughout the year

A Junior Varsity boat, and a Varsity boat

Both of which could be tweaked by shifting boys between the two and even adding in a sophomore from time to time.

It was up to the coach to decided which boat a boy rowed for, and which position he had on the boat.

We have a spiritually damning idea these days that we get to pick what church we belong to.

We generally choose our church based on what feels right and, when it doesn’t feel right anymore, we take that as our cue from the Lord that it’s time to move on.

Truth is, if we are in a church where the Lord is the head, that uncomfortable feeling might be just when God is getting through to us.

We leave, just when God was going to do something important in our lives and condemn ourselves to mediocrity as Christians.

It is also the place of the coach, 

B. To make them fit for the work. 

Ephesians 5:25-27 (KJV)

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

In those days college scholarships were different than they are today. If a man earned a place on a boat, that meant that he was eligible for a job on the college campus. You still had to pay your own way, but you didn’t have to look for your job.

Ulbrickson would have them on the water early in the morning and very late at night, before and after classes and jobs, rowing in all kinds of rotten weather because he believed the only form of exercise that would make a person fit to row was rowing.

Whenever a boy was selected, they agreed to Ulbrickson’s rules

·   They would pay their own way (they even had to raise their own money to go to competitions – including the Olympics)

·   They would maintain their grades (one member of the Olympic team almost didn’t make it because he was doing so poorly in a class that he had to ace his finals just to pass)

·   They could not smoke (this was the 1930’s most people believed smoking was even good for you)

·   They could not eat desserts, sugary foods or any food with unusually high calories, 

And they had to agree to these rules year-round, even when not rowing season, for the full four years. 

They say that eight oar rowing is one of the most mentally, emotionally and physically grueling sports there is.

The coach’s job is to get them in shape.

The Bible says, Romans 8:28-30 (KJV)

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Romans 8:28 takes on a whole new meaning in the context of a coach shaping his athletes to top condition.

The next on the crew,

II. THE COXSWAIN IS TYPICAL OF THE PASTOR

Acts 20:26-27 (KJV)

Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.

For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

The coxswain of these crews has two key functions

A. He guides the boat

Using ropes in the floor of the boat, he turns the rudder this way and that to keep the boat steering straight ahead.

He’s the captain really.

The coach has developed a tactic for each race and communicated that to the coxswain, but in the middle of the race, it’s the coxswain’s job to give directions.

The boat goes where he directs it, though it is designed to only go one direction, straight ahead.

The pastor of the church, like the coxswain, is called of God to direct the boat straight. He has the oversight.[7]

Hebrews 13:17 (KJV)

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

B. He calls the strokes

He sits in a position to see the whole crew and the water before and around them. 

He is not a rower himself, never could have been. 

He has to be small. 

His only real quality is his voice, his ability to read the need at any given time in the race, and his ability to inspire the crew to row. 

Today the coxswain will wear a headset and microphone.

In 1936, he wore a megaphone strapped to his face.

It’s really pretty funny looking but it seems appropriate for the preacher!

He was half the size of everyone else in the boat

He was the only one not physically exhausted at the end of a race

But, if there is any hope of winning the race, everyone on the boat has to do what the coxswain calls, whether they agree or not.

Finally

III. THE CREW, OF COURSE, IS TYPICAL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH

Acts 2:1 (KJV)

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

The oarsmen do not look around. 

They only look at the man in front of them. 

“The stroke,” closest to the coxswain, hears the call and follows his cues.  

The others follow him, each man attempting to do exactly the same thing at exactly the same time, with the subtle differences that is called for in their position in the boat. 

The two near the back of the boat are “the stroke oar.” 

They set the rhythm and pace.

The two in the bow of the boat are the grace.

If they are off even slightly, they make the boat much more difficult to direct.

The four in the middle are the “engine room.”

They provide the horsepower.

When all of this is done well, rowers call it “the swing.” 

Athletes in other sports today call it being “in the zone.” 

I think the most modern term is “flow.”

The crew described it as almost magical.

There is almost no sound.

Eight oars enter the water 

·   At precisely the same moment

·   At precisely the same angle

·   With precisely the same stroke

They leave the water at precisely the same moment.

·   There is no spray or splash

·   There is no white water

Only one slight “swish” as in unison all eight oars begin and finish the stroke.

In a church we would call it revival.

A church is more like a rowing crew than maybe any other sort of sport because there are no stars in the crew. 

The crew either fits into one unit under the coxswain’s call or they flounder in the water. 

There is no room for someone to row harder, faster or dig deeper than the rest. 

There is no place for a rower to question the coxswain or begin barking out his own strokes. 

The crew has to work as one body under the coxswain’s calls, or they are no crew at all. 

That, my brothers and sisters, will be when revival happens in our church.

·   When we stop aggravating or irritating

·   Or trying to outdo or undo someone else

When we start lifting one another, supporting one another, praying for one another and caring for the success of each other as part of the whole.

When we stop trying to be seen and heard and noticed and appreciated and simply do our part to see that the light of Jesus Christ shines through our church.

Revival will happen when we no longer see ourselves in the church, but instead, we only see the church as it belongs to Jesus.

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[1] I’ve added the number listing for my benefit.

[2] Bullets are mine for clarity.

[3] John 21:2 (KJV)

There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.

Peter, Andrew, James, John, Thomas Nathaniel and one other not identified as a fisherman in the gospels but implied in this verse.

[4] Mark 4:1-2 (KJV)

And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

Using it as a kind of stage/platform and amplifier.

[5] Matthew 8:24-26 (KJV)

And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.

And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

[6] John 21:3-6 (KJV)

Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.

But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

[7] I do not believe it is accurate or healthy for the pastor to view himself as a leader. Jesus is the head, the leader. The pastor is merely the one called to see that the leader’s instructions get carried out.