You might not think that a first-century Jewish rabbi-turned-missionary who originally hailed from ancient Turkey, and four guys in a 21st-century rock band from Tulsa, Oklahoma, would have much in common.

But you'd be wrong.

Likewise, the apostle known as Paul probably never could have imagined that one day, 21 centuries after he lived, a band called Pillar would deliver the very same message of Christ's love that he did—this time around via the incendiary crunch of distorted power chords paired with roaring vocals, over the cacophony of crashing drums and the bone-rattling thump of the bass.

Paul wouldn't, however, be surprised at the message he heard in those songs: "Fight through the hurt, fight through the pain," Pillar front man Rob Beckley sings on the title track of the band's fifth full-length studio album, For the Love of the Game. "Without the ache, there is no gain/And we live our lives for the love of the game!"

That arena-pounding anthem sets the stage for the ten-track project about tenacious faith, as the chorus echoes Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25: "Do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."

"You're going to face trials," Rob says, talking about the spiritual catalyst behind this song and the album as a whole. "But those are what sculpt us and make us stronger. Just like in a battle, just like in a sport, just like running in a race, it's pretty cut and dried. You only have two choices: It's win or lose. There are no overtimes or do-overs or tie-breakers. You only get one shot. And so with that thought in mind, we really want people to get this vision on the record. It's very important to us to see people come to Christ, to have their walks with Christ encouraged and strengthened."