The Christian Archer

As believers, each of us will have goals, or callings, we receive from the Holy Spirit. Each of us attain these goals through the gifts we receive from the Holy Spirit.  Being strong and healthy in our bodies give us the strength and ability to achieve the mission we receive from the Holy Spirit.

I Corinthians 3:16-17

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?  If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”

The Bible calls the body the temple of the Holy Spirit, so the Christian’s body is capable of glorifying God. Christ not only died for our souls, but also for our body which was included in the price that He paid. Since the redemption of the body is part of redemption, Paul says, “You’re not your own.”  Our bodies are His, and is to be used for God to do good. 

Any athletic endeavor can develop the strength of body, focus, and discipline needed to fulfill the mission each of us are given by the Lord. 

In this community, we will use archery to take this step forward. 

A Christian archer develops skills in archery to attain what we believe we are meant to be, giving glory to God. 

In archery we develop strong, healthy bodies, along with mental focus and discipline, to be able to achieve our personal goals.  We strengthen our back muscles for stability, our legs and core for balance. 

Remember, we are charged to be the hands and feet of Jesus!

Learning and practicing each step of the archery shot process gives us insight into the steps we can take in our lives to meet our goals with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

1) STANCE

A good stance sets our foundation and points us towards our goal. 

God’s glory is our goal and the Bible tells us how to align ourselves to it. 

In archery, we choose our target and keep our eyes fixed on it.  

As Christians, our body and mind should always be aligned towards Christ. We accomplish this by using our bodies and minds only for things that please God. When we fail to do this, and we sin, we miss the bullseye.  We do all things in the love of God.

Hebrews 3:1  

“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.”

2-5) NOCK, HOOK AND GRIP, SET and SETUP

The purpose of these steps is to ensure our bow and arrow - the archer’s tools - become an extension of our body the same way before each and every shot. 

• We snap the nock to the bowstring and place the arrow on its rest the same way every time. (NOCK) 

• We place our bow hand on the grip and hook our fingers to the bowstring the same way every time.  (HOOK AND GRIP)

• We address our target, straighten our posture, and take a deep breath and exhale to relax our shoulders the same way every time. (SET)

• We raise both arms and begin to align the shoulders, preparing to draw the bowstring the same way every time. (SETUP)

In the same way, we believers must learn to use our tools correctly and consistently.  Our tools are the guidance of our parents and pastors, messages we learn in church service, and most importantly the Word of God and prayer.  Learning scripture in Bible study is the first step, but not the last.  We must practice what Jesus teaches us in our daily lives to be excellent at it. 

We obey and rejoice in God’s word

Psalm 119:11-16

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.  Praise be to you, Lord, teach me your decrees.  With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.  I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.  I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.  I delight in our decrees; I will not neglect your word.”

He has already given us the tools we need to love each other

1 Peter 4:10

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

And to stand up to the enemy…

Ephesians 6:13-18 

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

6) DRAW

Drawing the bowstring is the most dynamic and physical action in the archer’s shot process.  The heavier the draw weight, the faster the arrow flies towards the target. In time, with practice and building of strength, the archer can work up to the heaviest weight they can pull consistently and repeatedly. Hard work and practice always produces better results.

The draw comes after the “nock, hook and grip, set, and setup” steps for a reason.  Working hard only produces the best results after we have a purpose - with preparation and focus.  In other words, don’t just practice - practice with purpose.

This is also true in our Christian path.  We receive our calling and set our goal. We commit our mind and body to the goal.  We align our tools to be an extension of our body.  We work with diligence and humility to produce the best results we can. 

Colossians 3:23-24

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."

Proverbs 14:23

“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

Philippians 4:13

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

7,8) ANCHOR and AIM

After the archer draws the bowstring, he comes to anchor.  Anchoring is the act of placing the draw hand (holding the bowstring) to the side of the face or jawbone.  In order to achieve consistency shot after shot, the archer’s anchor must be in the same position each time.  This is an important step in the shot cycle to achieve consistent results.  Aiming is simple, but not always easy for reasons explained below.  To aim, the archer points the tip of the arrow or sight pin to the center of the target. (There are variations on the placement of the aiming point that can be discussed as archer’s become more advanced).

Why is the anchor a more important step than aiming?  Simply put, if all the steps leading up to anchor are correct (purpose, preparation, hard work), the archer can anchor themselves with confidence in the process.  With this confidence, aiming at the target can be performed without anxiety or mental distraction.  A confident archer aims best with relaxed eyes and a clear mind.  If an archer is not confident in their process as they come to anchor, the aim results in what we call “target panic”.  

Depending on the level of confidence we have in our process of developing a Christian life, will have one of the following results:

• For the Christian that is confident the life they are living is pleasing to the Lord, their aim toward eternal life in His kingdom will be relaxed and worry free.

• For the Christian that feels they are missing the mark in their path, their confidence in reaching the ultimate target will cause anxiety and panic in their everyday lives.

We can anchor to God’s promise:

Hebrews 6:16-20

“People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.  Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.  God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.  We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.”

Nahum 1:7

“The Lord is good.  A stronghold in the day of trouble.  And he knows those who take refuge in Him.”

Isaiah 26:3

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”

9) TRANSFER TO HOLD (BRACE)

Once at anchor, the archer must brace the holding weight of the bow in their back.  This allows the strongest muscles of the upper body support the weight and continue through execution.

Isaiah 58:8-9

“Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.”

10) EXPAND

Expand is the step in which the archer begins to complete the shot by applying equal forward tension through the bow arm and equal back tension by engaging the opposite shoulder blade.  A new archer will find this step to be the most difficult because it requires strength in a subtle, almost unnoticeable, action.

We can correlate the idea of subtle acts of strength in the Christian life when we think of acts of charity, love, and kindness with humility. 

Ephesians 2:8-10

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Jesus Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

11) RELEASE

Release is the step in which the archer cleanly and smoothly releases their hook on the bowstring.  The smoother and cleaner the release, the straighter the arrow will leave the bow.

At this point, after the arrow has left the bow, even if the archer has completed each step of the shot process perfectly, the result of the impact of the arrow on the target will not always be what the archer wishes it were.  There are other factors that can affect the result that are now out of the control of the archer (especially when shooting outdoors).

The strong, prepared, purposeful, confident Christian also understands this.  No matter what we do, all results in our lives are the will of God.  We trust in God.  The results are the will of God.

Matthew 19:26

“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

12) FOLLOW THROUGH

Follow through is the act of completing the shot process only after the arrow has impacted the target.  Many new archers drop their shoulders and arms immediately after release - as the arrow is still leaving the bow.  While it only takes a fraction of a second for the arrow to leave the bow, falling out of form at this moment can negatively affect the result.

In our lives, we are seemingly busy and distracted at all times.  Many of us have the tendency to turn our backs and move on immediately after performing even the most Christian acts.  We must remember the deed is not done until we hear from God that the deed is done.  This is part of being a 24/7 Christian, not just when it suits us.

Matthew 6:33

“But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

13) FEEDBACK

Once the archer has followed through the shot, that is, once the shot cycle is fully complete, the archer should give themselves internal feedback.  They can review if all the steps were followed, how the shot felt, or even how the bow sounded. (The bow does actually make a different noise from a poor execution and a proper execution).  This feedback may not necessarily have anything to do with where the arrow impacted the target.  Good shots can miss the bullseye (wind?) and poorly executed shots can find the bullseye out of sheer luck.

The Christian believer should frequently give themselves time for self reflection.  Improving our Christian lives can only come from the humility of recognizing our weaknesses.

Proverbs 1:5

“A wise man will hear and increase in learning.  And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.”

Psalm 32:8

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.”

Proverbs 3:6

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”