Stromberg: God Has Already Won the Battle for Faith

KNOXVILLE, TN (August 6, 2003) - The battle to hold onto the Christian faith can be won by remembering the God who has already won the biggest battle. That was the word from Bob Stromberg as he preached the closing service of CHIC2K3 on the campus of the University of Tennessee Tuesday evening.

A 31-year veteran of CHIC events in the Evangelical Covenant Church, Stromberg is well known for his many talents including music, mime, preaching and storytelling. He used the New Testament texts of Ephesians 6 and Romans 8 in urging his audience to fight the good fight in continuing their Christian journeys.

"I can pray nothing greater than that you would experience more of the abundance of God when you leave," said Stromberg, a founding member of the internationally acclaimed Triple Espresso three-man comedy production based in Minneapolis.

A story about the birth of his son, Nate, introduced Stromberg's message - Nate served as a CHIC2K3 counselor. Stromberg shared a number of humorous stories in documenting the process of yielding control of his son's destiny. Observing that God allows us to have control over our own destinies, he noted that the process is complicated by the fact that sin is prevalent wherever we go.

How does one find abundant life in the midst of a sinful world? Stromberg offered young people three one-word nuggets to help them discover abundant life in Christ: Remember, Resist and Rejoice. Touching briefly on the stories of Old and New Testament characters, Stromberg reminded students to remember "the Bible is the story of God's faithfulness to his people."

In discussing how we can resist the powers of Satan, Stromberg argued that Christians need to understand the very real spiritual battles that are going on around us. "Paul, in Ephesians 6, reminds us that our struggles are not against flesh and blood," he said. "They are battles that are heavenly battles . . . with Satan being the (figurative) 'roaring Lion ready to devour.' The battles to keep us from sin are very real."

Followers of Jesus must concentrate on the renewal of their minds and must be vigilant in overcoming temptation, Stromberg continued. "If we resist Satan, he will flee from us," said Stromberg. " . . . As you resist the pressure to give in to the enemy . . . it becomes more the character of God and less the character of the evil one. Some of those times, you resist two or three times, it's gone. Other times this resistance won't work - that is the beginning of addictive behavior.

"What enslaves you, if you are feeling this way, is not the sin," Stromberg continued. The power is in the secret . . . you let that secret out and that power over you starts to crumble."

In explaining how rejoicing can enable us to grow in an abundant life in Christ, Stromberg suggested that Romans 8 is enough of a reason to celebrate. "For I am convinced that . . . nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of Christ which is in Jesus our Lord. He will not let you go if you put your trust in Him. God is faithful, God is faithful, God is faithful. He will never let us go."

The evening opened on a rousing note as nationally known Christian rock band Audio Adrenaline presented a 35-minute performance. Later, a group of seven high school students shared some of their experiences from the "24/7" adventures that were videotaped and shown during many of the CHIC2K3 worship services. The seventh and final 22-minute episode of the "24/7" video was shown just prior to a brief on-stage interview. To learn more about the "24/7" experience, visit "24/7"

Jim Sundholm and Jerome Nelson, representing the Evangelical Covenant Church, announced that students and staff members of CHIC2K3 gave a total of $68,000 during a 24-hour period to assist in medical care throughout Congo. Some 200 pounds of loose change has yet to be counted. It also was revealed that an anonymous donor agreed to match funds from Tuesday evening's CHIC2K3 fundraising effort. Much of the money will address medical needs in the regions of Loko and Wasolo. Funds will also help pay for food and subsidize the medical costs of patients who lack the money to afford medical care.

Students also heard the CHIC2K3 worship band, which included Matthew Lundgren, Danny Martinez, Jelani Greenidge, Ruben Ruban, Kreg Moorhouse, Tracy Perrilliat, Peter Hong, Eric Chase, Roberto Alonzo and Derrick Hall.

The 11-member Teens of Praises from Oakdale Covenant Church in Chicago also assisted with the music. Curt Cloninger and Emily Kaufman presented a visual demonstration illustrating that following Jesus is about "washing each other's feet in love." They portrayed the character roles of father and daughter in a dramatic performance.

To learn more about CHIC2K3, visit the CHIC2K3 segment on the Covenant website at www.covchurch.org, which offers an extensive collection of stories, digital pictures and video and audio clips.

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