Sep 26, 2018
Eric Bofinger’s Testimony at his Baptism
Hi, my name is Eric. Believe it or not, I’ve been attending Shiloh for the better part of 13 years since Katy and I first starting dating in September of 2005. Mainly in church and in Sabbath school, I’ve kept to myself as I’ve never quite figured out how to fit in. While the church has always been a welcoming and inviting place, the Shiloh culture isn’t what I grew up in and has always just felt different. I went to a normal elementary school with a classroom for every grade. I didn’t go to Shiloh school and I wasn’t in Tyler Chroniger’s class. My last name is Bofinger—it’s not Davis or Bond. I’ve never driven a tractor. I’ve never been hunting because my grandfather was too old to take me when I was of age. It took until I bought my own gun before I shot one. I fell my first tree in 2018. And like Pastor Phil, I bought a Ford pickup truck to fit in. Don’t assume someone is comfortable because their spouse’s family has been attending the church since the 1800s. Invite someone you don’t know to dinner on Sabbath. If you want community, invest in lives of those involved in your community. Make yourself uncomfortable. Don’t be afraid to “step out of the boat.” Since for the majority of the last 13 years I’ve been driving 65 miles each way to attend Shiloh, I thought it would be appropriate to live in an adjacent zip code before becoming a member of the church. Last August, Katy and I prayed and took a leap of faith. We sold our home, packed most of our belongings into a storage shed, moved in with my in-laws, and continued to pray as the Lord revealed His plan. As of May, I’m now officially a taxpayer in the Peoples Republic of South Jersey (which is surprisingly less than I was paying in PA) and you can reach me by first dialing 609. Come September, you’ll be welcome in our home to share in fellowship.
Ten years ago a friend asked me to get a tattoo with him. While I was reluctant at first because of its permanence and the lack of approval from my girlfriend at the time, I went along with it. Now almost a third of my life has passed since I got inked and I’m left trying to figure out its meaning and moreover, its application to my life. Usually when someone catches a glimpse of it they ask if they can see it. When I show them, they look at for a few seconds, trying to read it, recognizing some of the letters before saying, “that’s not English is it? What is it?” “It’s Greek,” I say. “Are you Greek?” “No it’s scripture from the New Testament written in Greek: Oligopistos eis tis distazo.” (You of little faith, why did you doubt?) I’ve spent a decade trying to decide if I’m going to let this statement be a self-fulfilling prophecy or am I going to have faith?
The latter part of Matthew Chapter 14 reads:
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
About two years ago for 18 months, I went through a terrible time, where I struggled in many areas of my life—which included physical, emotional, spiritual, and occupational sickness. I found myself in a hospital room in November of 2016 with a frail body, a weakened spirit, and the choice to have faith. I opened my Bible and began to read. First, Matthew 14:31. Then my favorite verses, James 1:2-4: “Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, knowing that the testing of your faith develops perseverance, and perseverance must finish its work, so that in the end you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” I struggled to find the joy in the situation. Recently, I had lost my part-time job as the cross-country coach at Cairn University, a position in which my family and I poured our hearts into the lives of young men and women for nine years. In addition, I had a series of serious infections in my body, which caused me to lose 35-40 lbs. on two separate occasions, leaving my body weakened and unable to do the simplest of tasks. Joy? “Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, knowing that the testing of your faith develops perseverance and perseverance must finish its work, so that in the end you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.”
The author of James refers to testing in this verse. However, the testing that is discussed here isn’t the type of testing that we’re accustomed to—where previous rehearsed information is simply regurgitated. This is real testing where learning takes place. Where your faith is forged and you develop perseverance. In this verse, the Greek word for perseverance is hupomoné, a remaining behind, a patient enduring, especially as God enables the believer to “remain under” the challenges He allots in life. With all of my running experience, you’d think I’d know a little about endurance. When you properly train for a marathon, surprisingly you feel good for the first 18 to 20 miles—but no matter how hard you train or how much you want to finish, you must endure the remainder of the race patiently until you cross the finish line. There is not a thing you can do physically to make your body move any faster. Not to get too scientific, but there are specific physiological restrictions regarding glucose metabolism that cause this. It’s called “the wall.”
For me, I can relate this to the long suffering or enduring patiently that the author of James is talking about with one exception—there is no finish line. You see, where there is an end to the suffering, there is hope. Where there is no end, there is no hope. Therefore, do not place your hope in an end to suffering; place your hope in the Lord who gives you Joy—for “the Joy of the Lord is my Strength.” Then you will be mature and complete not lacking anything.
When I was a cross-country coach, I tried to lead as I was called. I often looked to the Bible for examples of leadership. There isn’t a better example of leadership than Jesus. Jesus had his 12 apostles and, as we have recently been learning in Sabbath school, these 12 were hand chosen and being set up to lead in their own right. In the sport of cross-county, a team is a group of seven runners, with the first five as scorers. But the reality is, in a duel meet, the top three are the most important. With a sweep in a duel meet of 1-2-3 you can win the meet with a score of 27-28 no matter where or how your 4-5 runners finish. In 2014, the men’s team made it a goal to win the conference championship—something that had never been done in any sport as long as Cairn has held a sponsorship in the NCAA. And thus, the “big three” was formed. As silly as it sounds, I can draw comparisons from the way Jesus mentored his “inner circle,” Peter, James, and John, and the type of mentoring it took to win a conference championship. If you haven’t figured it out yet, Peter is one of my favorite characters in the Bible. Peter, or Simon as he was originally called, means “the listener.” Jesus spent particularity more time mentoring his inner circle, as noted several times in the Bible, with a lot of time specifically challenging Peter’s faith in order that it would grow. God doesn’t call us based on how others see us; rather He calls us based on whom He wants us to become. Simon Peter had the skills to listen and, while he had faith, his faith needed time to grow—so that he would become mature and complete not lacking anything. In Matthew 16:14, Jesus charged him with the following, “And I tell you, that you are Peter (meaning rock or stone), and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
Consider this: if Peter didn’t sink in Matthew chapter 14, what would that have proved? It would have shown that he was mature and ready, but he was not. In Matthew chapter 26, Jesus predicts Peter’s denial of him. Peter debunks it. Later in the chapter he disowns Jesus three times.
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, in Mark 16:7, a young man in a white robe who was in the tomb tells Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ mother Mary to go, tell his disciples and Peter (and Peter) that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.
In John’s account (chapter 20):
She ran and found Simon Peter (Simon Peter) and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb.
4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— 9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead.
Matthew 28:16-20:
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
“Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance and perseverance must finish its work so that in the end you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.”
“You of little faith, why did you doubt? Verily I say unto you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
After Jesus’ ascension, Peter addresses a crowd of
God’s “chosen people” in Acts 2:
38 Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
So I leave you with this:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
