Heroes

Posted by on Jan 25, 2012 in Devotional

The Men’s Advance

Definition of a Hero:
How would you define a hero? A hero is not a perfect person, or necessarily filled with moral perfection. A hero is not a Greek or Roman mythical champion such as those men you might find written about in Plutarch’s Lives of Noble Greeks & Romans. A hero is not a modern Sports great such as Kobe Bryant, Albert Pudjols, and Tim Teboe. A hero is not a superhero like Captain America, Spiderman, and Superman. Here are two simple definitions: A hero is “a man who exhibits extraordinary…greatness of soul, in connection with any pursuit, work or enterprise” (From: the Oxford Shorter Dictionary), or “any man noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose; especially one who has risked or sacrificed his life” (From: the American Heritage Dictionary). Moreover, it should be pointed out that a hero is a man, and a heroine is a woman with heroic tendencies.

Attributes of a Christian Hero:
Moving beyond a generic definition, what are some descriptive attributes of the Christian hero? Heroes may suffer, but they rise and overcome adverse circumstances (like Columba). Heroes are sometimes persecuted, yet they make courageous stands for Christ (like Polycarp). Heroes sometimes bleed and die as martyrs, yet they live on through their disciples, exploits, and writings (like Ignatius). Heroes typically do not think of themselves as “heroic”, yet they persevere through the difficulties of life and they don’t easily give up (like Patrick). Put simply, Christian heroes are “ordinary men who by God’s grace accomplish extraordinary deeds for the expansion of Christ’s kingdom.” For this reason, reading Christian biographies can be a life-changing practice because these stories encourage, inform, inspire, and motivate.

A Contest of Epic Proportions!
Can you name all seven of the Christian “heroes” pictured in our banner above? If you want to win a prize, bring your guesses to the Men’s Advance conference for a drawing on Friday night (February 10, 2012). Write your guesses on a 3 x 5 inch card (plus your name) for a chance at winning a copy of the book Heroes written by Ian Murray. Give your card to the Master of Ceremonies (Benjamin Serven) before the end of the first session. We’ll put all of the cards into a hat at the beginning of the second session and the first card drawn out with all seven correct answers wins the book! You must be registered for the conference and present at the drawing to win the prize. Will you take me up on this challenge?

–Pastor Marcus Serven