The Race of Faith
(Heb. 12:1ampsim3)
One assistant leader of our small group confessed that he was fed up with unloading his personal trivial stories. He didnt want to share the stories that he talked about in his spiritual community with others. What does the Bible say about this? How did the forefathers of faith of whom the world was not worthy run their race of faith and how can we do that?
1. Run the race in front of a great cloud of witnesses. Faith is like a race where our forefathers support us after finishing their races. A great cloud of witnesses is watching our races. Countless witnesses have run their race of faith throughout the period of the Old Testament and New Testament. This seemingly lonesome race is in reality far from being lonesome because lots of our fellow Christians have been running with us, encouraging us. We Christians need to run our race of faith in front of a great cloud of witnesses. As Christians, we need to accept that we dont have our own life and we will be a public spectacle. Remember that some of them will mock us watching our race. Wooridle Church has also become a laughingstock by sharing its members affairs and bankruptcy, yet it has been applauded by a great cloud of witnesses, who have watched their race of faith even in trials. Last Wednesday, one of our pastors confessed that his family register had changed eighteen times after his parents divorce due to their affairs. Yet his trial is used as healing herb for those who have same suffering as his.
2. Throw off all burdens of sins, the heavy yoke The passage says that we need to throw off all heavy things and entangling things. The heavy things are our concern, disinterest in family, and obsessions. Entangling things ties us up and trip us up. Life is a long distance race, which we cant run properly with burdensome things and the heavy yoke of sins around us. We need to run our race after laying down our obsessions, addictions, avarice, pleasures, and property, focusing only on the goal of the heavenly kingdom where we will enjoy our eternal life. Our good relationship and comfortable life can be stumbling stones. Worldly joy is unquenchable. Without faith, we drift away to the place of worldly pleasure.
3. Run with patience. As a laughingstock, we absolutely need patience. The fruit of spiritual fidelity is patience. The candidate for the final winner is man of patience. Just as Olympic players need their hellish training, so we need the training of perseverance to receive what God has promised to give (Heb. 10:36). We should not just stay in the stadium, anticipating someone else will do something for us. We need to share the gospel. When we fall, we should rise again and keep running as Gods witnesses. We all have our own track that God gave us (Phil. 3:13). We need to press on toward the goal on this track, being ready to be a public spectacle as a faith runner. God will be us even when we make up our mind to be a laughingstock. Then our heavy load will be lightened.
4. Endure the cross for the joy of the Lord. Despite many peoples applause for us, the only one we need to focus on in our race is Jesus because he is the Lord of our faith, who makes us perfect. He is the alpha and omega of our faith. Nevertheless he endured being spit on, flogged, and stripped naked for the joy set before him. Perseverance means enduring the cross. In a passive sense, it means enduring, but in a positive sense, it also means getting through and overcoming the test. Yet we need to notice the previous phrase 'for the joy.' We can endure our cross for the joy set before us. We need to introduce Jesus to others instead of simply saying No divorce, or no affairs. Only when we look to Him, we can truly be humble before the cross, ready to give up our pleasure. We can endure our cross because of the joy set before us. When we are hurt or ignored, we tend to be obsessed with recognition. Yet by sticking to our own place, we can be the person everyone needs. In order to accept our present situation 100%, we need to find the great joy set before us.
5. Endure the opposition from sinful men. While enduring the cross, we grow weary and lose heart to see our evil or others unchanged. As for others unchanging evil, we need to rise above the opposition that God endured. Jesus endured the evil deeds of the sinners who stood against him and prayed to God to forgive those who crucified him. We can complete our race of faith by looking only to God. Considering the models of Jesus in Wooridle community, one deacon was able to take care of his mother for 30 years, who divorced his father during his childhood and accepted his father who dumped his family. Thats why we need to notice the applications of our small group every week. We often grow weary because of those who oppose us. An elite husband confessed that he could hardly endure his unfaithful wife. We can carry our cross with joy when we are fulfilled with the Holy Spirit, which enables us to steer clear of hidden rocks. By converting our own cross into Jesus and accepting theres no special life, we can boldly say to our unfaithful spouse, 'Its me, not you, who brought about this affair! Its because Ive made you lonely.' We can endure our cross without minding the shame on us just as Jesus did.
Here is a sharing from a small group leader of our church, running his race of faith with patience. 'Currently Im in a stalemate after making a contract for a new house because theres no one to move into my current rented house. And I have a young boss to serve in my workplace. Yet, thanks to the prescription of my small group, I have no grudge. I accept that everything is what Ive brought on myself. Now I notice Gods grace on me. This is my application. Ill put my house up for sale through many real estate agents. I wont have any grudge against currently rising interest rates. I will do my best to prepare for the promotion evaluation. And I will use my shameful story as a healing herb for the salvation of others.' What a model race of faith! Surely our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. May God bless us to hand over our great inheritance of faith to our descendants through our application focused on individual salvation in our social life!
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. (Heb. 12:1)
