The title of my sharing today is "Love Lets Others Win."
1 Let others win
The Examples of Gideon and Jephthah
In this regard, the Bible presents a very interesting pair of contrasting examples. After God defeated the Midianites through Gideon and the 300 men with him, the Ephraimites came and argued with Gideon, saying, “Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” Gideon replied, “God gave the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” In other words, “You were the winners, not me!” The Bible says, “At this, their resentment against him subsided.”
A similar situation occurred during the time of Jephthah as judge. After Jephthah defeated the Ammonites, the Ephraimites again came to quarrel with him (they were very proud and liked to claim the honor). They said to Jephthah, “Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We’re going to burn down your house over your head.” Jephthah didn’t have Gideon’s kind of temper—on that day, he killed forty-two thousand Ephraimites. While the Ephraimites were certainly in the wrong, such a large-scale killing was not justified.
Moreover, their standard for deciding whether someone should be killed was crude—they judged based on how accurately a word was pronounced. They said,“Say ‘Shibboleth.’” If he said “Sibboleth,” They would kill him.
Therefore, brothers and sisters from China must learn proper English pronunciation. Once you go to another country, the people there may not be as friendly as Fijians—you might get caught up in ethnic conflicts. They might ask you, “Are you Chinese?” “No.” “Say ‘thank you.’” “Thank you.” “Kill him.”
So, welcome to join the church’s free English classes—they’re good for you.
Jephthah did not love the Ephraimites, actually he hated them because they had mocked the Gileadites before, saying, “You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh.” This may have been because, when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, the tribe to which the Gileadites belonged chose to remain on the more comfortable eastern side of the Jordan rather than crossing over.
Proverbs 15:1 offers a fitting summary of this situation: "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."
Practice in the Church
In the church, we sometimes encounter differences of opinion. If the issue is a matter of core doctrine—such as Jesus being fully God and fully man, the Bible being the truth and complete—we must not compromise. But more often, when it comes to small, insignificant matters, we should let others win.
The believers in the Corinthian church once argued over whether it was permissible to eat food sacrificed to idols. One group believed that Christians should not eat such food, lest they defile themselves. The other group argued that idols are nothing, there is only one true God, don not worry about the issue—eat them freely. Both sides seemed to make a reasonable case.
But Paul said, “If what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.”
What he means is: You may be right, but don’t quarrel over this. Think of your brothers and let them win!
During a previous Wednesday brothers’ Bible study, we talked about the differences between how the Chinese church and the Fijian church celebrate the Lord’s Supper. In China, we use unleavened bread, whereas in our church here, regular bread is used. I don’t think we need to change that—actually, the Brethren Church is one of the denominations that shows the greatest reverence for the Lord’s Supper.
Besides, the word used in the Bible to describe the bread in the Lord’s Supper is quite ambiguous—it can be interpreted in different ways.
And you know what? Among the Inuit in the Arctic, a long time ago, when they celebrated the Lord’s Supper, they would cut the heart of a seal into small pieces and say, “This is the body of Christ.” Why didn’t they use bread? Because they had no flour, and the cost of transporting it there was extremely high.
If bread were the only valid element for the Lord’s Supper, then some of them might never have had the opportunity to remember the Lord in their entire lifetime. So, when they used seal heart to remember Christ, do you think Jesus would be angry? I don’t think so—Jesus is not a tyrant, but a merciful Lord.
But after our discussion, that Sunday, I noticed the church had replaced the bread with roti for communion. I was deeply moved. I told my wife, “Look how much this church loves Chinese people. They didn’t have to change, but they laid down a tradition of decades just to help us feel more at home.”
And in my heart I said to myself, “If one day someone asks me what love is, I will tell them this story.”
Practice in the Family
We Chinese love to eat scrambled eggs with tomatoes. When my wife first made it for me, I found it way too sweet. I asked her, “Did you add sugar?” She said, “Yes.” I said, “You’re not supposed to put sugar in it!” She replied, “My mom always adds sugar when she makes it.” And I said, “Well, my mom never does.”
Looking back now, was that really worth arguing about? It’s not poison—it’s not going to kill me. I’m thankful that my wife chose to accommodate me. Now, whenever she makes it, she never adds sugar. She let me win.
2 Jesus lets us win
In 2016, during the final race of the World Triathlon Series in Cozumel, Mexico, Jonathan Brownlee was leading but collapsed from heat exhaustion just before the finish line. His older brother, Alistair Brownlee, was close behind. Instead of racing past to win, Alistair stopped, put Jonathan’s arm over his shoulder, and helped him toward the finish. Just before the line, he even pushed Jonathan ahead so he could finish second. Alistair took third place himself.let his brother win! Everyone at the scene wasn’t cheering for the champion, but for the older brother—because in him, they saw love.
Have you ever imagined how wonderful it would be to have a brother who loves you like that? You don’t have to imagine—you already do!
Jesus was whipped so that you could be healed. Jesus was stripped so that you could be clothed in a white robe of righteousness. He could have called upon twelve legions of angels to fight for Him, but He chose to remain silent like a lamb led to the slaughter. Because He wanted you to win—win over sin, win over your past self, and win over the world.
3 We let Jesus win
Jesus loves us, so He let us win. If you love Jesus, you should let Him win. Of course, Jesus will surely win. When He returns a second time, He will defeat all His enemies in an instant—no one can stand against Him.
But what role will you play in that moment? His faithful helper? A lazy servant? Or someone who stands against Him?
If you want Christ to win, then seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Every time you bring someone to Him, His kingdom gains another citizen, one more person’s sin is covered by His righteousness, and Christ wins in that person's life.
In 1952，Jim Elliot and his four friends went to Ecuador to bring the gospel to an unreached tribe. Tragically, they were speared to death by the natives. When the attack occurred, though they carried guns, they did not fight back—only fired into the air to warn—because then know the natives are not ready for heaven, yet they were.
After their sacrifice, Jim Elliot’s wife and a sister of another martyr courageously continued the mission in Ecuador. They entered the very tribe that had killed their loved ones and lived among them. Eventually, most of the tribe came to believe in Jesus.One of the men who had personally killed the missionary was named Mincaye. He later repented and became a pastor.They let Christ win in Ecuador!
The same is true in your own life—there will always be times when your flesh wants to fight against the Holy Spirit. If you love Jesus, let Him win.
Conclusion
So, my conclusion today is very simple: In the church and in the family, when it comes to things that are not matters of truth—let others win. And in your daily life and in your heart—let Christ win.When Christ wins, you win too — it's a win-win.