1. Keep on running!
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, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrew2 12:1-3
When we do as the writer to the Hebrews says and ‘throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles’ we are then able to do the next thing: run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
It is so difficult to run when carrying heavy a heavy load or if our legs are tangled up. But running is very possible when we are free from these things and so the writer says ‘run with perseverance’. Staying on mission with Jesus is not a sprint, it is a marathon that lasts a life time. As we live our lives, things happen, life presents obstacles and challenges and it is often tempting to slow down, to walk and then to stop. These challenges come to all of us and if we allow them to, they will result in us being ineffective at joining Jesus in His Mission. Our lives will not show His transforming power and our passion will diminish because we will forget that, because of who Jesus is, we are living victorious lives. So, run with perseverance, run through the pain, breathe more deeply but keep on running.
The next words are a great encouragement to me, we are to run ‘the race marked out for us’. These words remind me of Paul’s encouraging words in the letter to the Ephesians:
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Eph2:10
God want to use us, He has a purpose for each one of us. He has a purpose that is designed specifically for you!
He knows that it is not easy and that you sometimes find it easier to give up than to keep on. In spite of the times that you and I have failed Him He has not given up on you or me. He still wants to work out His purposes in and through us, He wants us to keep on running and achieve all that He intends as we make progress, do good works, and fulfil the mission of Jesus ‘to seek and to save what was lost’.
This week, I encourage you, however tired or defeated you may feel, to take the first step and begin to run – He has the race marked out, He will be with you – Just run!
Dennis

1. Be a Champion.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. Matthew 7:24-29
Joining Jesus in His Mission requires putting into practice the things that He tells us!
I want to be really honest as I encourage you to stay on Mission with Jesus throughout this week and this honesty requires that I challenge you to consider how much it costs you to follow Jesus.
The sense I have is that the idea of cost is something that has been lost in many churches, if we find something difficult, or think it will be costly to do what Jesus wants us to do, our tendency and the prevailing atmosphere in many churches, is to not attempt what might be costly – we so easily revert back to our comfort zone and fail to see through the things that the Lord wants us to do. This frustrates the mission of Jesus!
In my gym there is a poster high on the wall that contains a quote from legendary boxer, Muhammed Ali, he says:
DON’T QUIT suffer now and live the rest of your life as a CHAMPION.
As Muhammed Ali urges people to pay the price to receive the reward, we see similar quotations in God’s word. The Apostle Paul writes:
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24
And:
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14
Our salvation and gift of eternal life are infinitely greater than being the kind of champion that Muhammed Ali refers to. We will live forever – all because of what Jesus did, His grace! But that does not mean we should just accept this and then live lives that keep ourselves at the centre. In response to the price He paid for us, Jesus wants us to join Him in His mission and make Him known

2. Don’t give up!
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. Matthew 7:24-29
If we are going to join Jesus in His Mission then it is imperative that we DO what He is asking us to do, even when it is difficult, even when we feel like giving up!
I mentioned last time that I go to a gym close to where I live and that this gym has words and pictures on every wall. These words and pictures have been put there to inspire the people in the gym to achieve what it is they have come to the gym for!
On the back wall of the gym, just above the boxing ring, is a huge poster which contains the words”
‘Don’t stop when it hurts – stop when you are done!’
In other words, ‘Keep going and don’t give up just because it hurts. If you want to achieve your goal you have to keep on lifting the weights or running on the machine!’
When He was on His way to Jerusalem, where he would lay down his life for us, Jesus met many people who said they wanted to follow Him. To these people Jesus said:
“No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62
I think that Jesus is saying something that is very similar to the words on the poster in the gym. If we are going to follow Jesus and join Him in His mission then there are times when it will hurt. People will reject us, people will disagree with us, people will say things and do things that we find it difficult to handle. At these times it is very tempting just to give up! I am guessing that as you are reading this you are remembering times that this has happened to you, times when you ‘gave up’.
Jesus wants to inspire and challenge you to do something that is far more important than pushing through the pain barrier to lift a weight or keep running for 5 more minutes. He wants you to continue to follow Him even when it hurts because if you do then His mission can be completed in you and through you. You will be transformed and your spiritual strength will increase, you will become increasingly effective. At the same time, the people that you are seeking to reach will not be left without your witness.
At the beginning of this week, reflect for a moment on Jesus words in Luke 9:62 and consider this question: ‘Am I fit for service in the Kingdom of God or have I given up?’
Jesus promised us that He would never leave or forsake us and, if you are willing to join Him in His mission, He will be with you, you can get ‘back on track’.
Dennis

‘Don’t be foolish’.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. Matthew 7:24-29
The crowds were amazed at Jesus teaching!
There were, I am sure, so many things that Jesus said that caused amazement, but, at the centre of this short story that Jesus told is a deep truth that so many of us can so easily miss.
At the core of this story is this truth: ‘When it comes to what Jesus told us, we have to do it, not just accept that it is true!’
I cannot begin to imagine the number of words that many Christians have heard in sermons but in spite of all that has been heard, what has been ‘put into practice? What have we done?
A few years ago, I was in a gym in Virginia Beach, after I had been there for a few minutes, a man came in wearing his gym gear and headphones – he looked the part! Then he went and sat on the rowing machine, took a fitness magazine out of his pocket and began to read it. He was still sitting in the same place, and reading the same magazine, an hour later when I left. I wondered if he thought that just going to the gym and reading about fitness would make him fit?
Then it struck me – do we do this in church?
I like to go to the gym and the gym I go to near where I live, like so many others, has pictures and words on every wall, all of which are intended to encourage gym-users to work hard and achieve the goal of getting fit and healthy.
It is clear that if we want to improve our physical condition then it takes work and application – we have to do the exercises and follow the disciplines! This is just as true with our spiritual condition! If we are going to stay on mission with Jesus, we need to be spiritually conditioned to face and overcome the challenges that we face.
Some of the words that are used in my gym are really inspirational and challenging and I thought that over the next few weeks I would look at some of these and help us to see how what they say are so similar to the things that Jesus said to us as he invites us to join Him in His Mission.
This week, as you reflect on what it means to follow Jesus, don’t be foolish and just listen to what He is saying – put it into practice!
Dennis