Finish the Race

(Re-written notes from a message shared on Oct. 31, 2010, at Corona International Christian Fellowship. Also, when you have a moment, please visit http://mycharitywater.org/alan_llavore. Read the blog there, pray about it, then, as you are led, please give. Thanks!)

Acts 20:17-24

¹⁷ From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. ¹⁸ When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. ¹⁹ I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. ²⁰ You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. ²¹ I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

²² “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³ I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ²⁴ However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. …”^[1]

Context

This at the end of Paul’s third and final missionary journey, and he makes a stop in Miletus to meet with church elders from Ephesus. He’s on his way back to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit, he says, but he also wanted to encourage the church leaders AND remind of their charge, their course, their race. And he reminds them of his own race.

Though he was opposed – especially physically (stoned, beaten, flogged, arrested, mobbed, just all out abused) by Jewish religious leaders and their followers, that didn’t stop him. It didn’t stop him from preaching the Gospel, nor did he try to hide that he preached the Gospel, doing so publically and meticulously (house-to-house). Nor did he water down the truth of the Gospel – that it all must turn to God in repentance and have faith in Jesus.

And he reveals his heart to his brothers: Yes, wherever he goes, he knows, by the Holy Spirit, that the Gospel he brings will be opposed, even to the point of throwing him in prison to keep him quiet. Still, he knows he has a task handed to him – to testify, to be a witness for, to share, to live the good news of life in Christ Jesus, “and this not by works so no one can boast, but by faith in Jesus.” To fall short of that, to not complete the race, mean that his life counted for nothing.

Teaching point No.1

We who say we follow Jesus have to run the race.

In the original Greek, the word Paul used that is translated as “race” in the NIV is δρόμος (dromos). It’s transliterated two ways: as race, that is, a foot race run along a pre-set course (some translations use the word course); and also as mission, that is, a career or calling from God. In the context of today’s passage, both seem to be correct interpretations.

Paul, as he does throughout his letters, uses the Greek athletic contests as metaphors or analogies, to get his point across. And when he refers to a race, it seems to descriptive of his calling, and the calling of all believers in Christ.

In Harper’s Bible Dictionary, it says:

From one perspective, Paul viewed the Christian’s life as an intense striving, a combat requiring self-discipline and strenuous training. In running this race, one must exert one’s energies to the full, throwing off clinging sin, contending for the faith, and persisting in the race to the finish line.

The Christian’s life is not a passive one. It is about constantly striving for the things of the Lord, about loving Him and following Him and His ways because of that love. It is about loving Him with all our heart, all our soul, all our power, all our strength, AND loving others as we love ourselves.

And that love is most shown, most demonstrated, most lived, most apparent to others by our fulfilling of the Great Commission, of going out and making disciples and teaching them everything about the things Jesus teaches us in the Word, from Genesis to Revelation.

Paul said that life is worth nothing unless he finishes the race – the task – of testifying, of living of sharing, of telling people of the good news of God’s grace.

That’s our race. That’s the course set out for us. And yes, like any race, it will have some challenges – some that can be easily overcome, and others that will make us want to give up. The Bible is quite clear on that.

Application: When was the last time you went out and actually made a disciple? If it hasn’t happened in the past year, why not? What do you have to do to run the race?

Teaching point No. 2

Some of us got “injured” in our race, and haven’t gotten back in it, for whatever reason, be it fear of getting “injured again or maybe we got to comfortable and got lazy.

In verse 23, Paul says:

“I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.”

Even Jesus told His disciples that following Him was not going to be a cakewalk. Look at John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble.”

It is a rough race. Any race is rough. Expect it. It’s going to happen.

Application:

The point is, we need to get up again. God gives us the opportunities – we just have to get up and go.

Isaiah 43: 18-19

¹⁸ “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.

¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland. …”

In James 1:2-4:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

And Peter says, just get up. 1 Peter 4: 19

So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Teaching point No. 3

Even so, some of us are still sitting on the curb watching everyone else run the race. The message is clear: Get off the curb and into the race.

It comes down to this: If we really love the Lord like many of us say we do – with all our heart, all our strength, all our soul – then loving people by telling them of the good news of eternal life through Jesus naturally follows.

It should be our way of life. And if it’s our way of life, well, CICF should be having a healthy conflict with Living Truth because this property is not big enough for the both of us.

But, as a church, it seems to me that we’ve been watching others run the race while we have collectively sat on the curb. While we pastors do bear some of the responsibility, you, too also share in that responsibility. I mean, we all have had opportunities in the past year to get in the race, whether it’s been through the Unity Nights, the spring retreat and summer camp, the bridging event with CCF-LA, Run for God, tonight’s Harvest Night with Living Truth, our upcoming Christmas celebration – your own discipleship groups.

We are NOT lacking in opportunities, church. What it seems we are lacking is getting into the race.

I’ve heard a lot of talk of getting into the race, of going out and making disciples. And we should be talking about it. Because we can’t be taking all this Biblical knowledge, gorging ourselves on it, and becoming spiritually obese because we’re not getting out and exercising what we’ve been taught in church or in group Bible studies or in our own private time with God.

A paraphrase of James 2:14-17 says it best:

"Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?"

James 2:14-17, The Message paraphrase Bible by Eugene Patterson

Application:

But you know what? Now is the time to quit talking, to quit trying to find ways and methods and tracts and events, and just go out and do it. Just get up, get out and run the race the Lord has set before us.

We have to get into the race.

Some of you may get mad at me for saying this. And that’s OK, because I can take you guys being mad at me – I can’t take the Lord being mad at me. But as I say this, I pray you are or will take an honest assessment of yourself before the Lord.

My question is, are you even in it? Are even in the race? Are you going out among your family and friends, maybe the random stranger on the street, and sharing the Gospel? Or have you become spiritually obese?

If you are not in the race, why? What do you need to get in there and start running?

Here’s one way: We ALL have personal trainers in this church. Look at your discipleship groups that way. If you don’t attend, if you don’t “work out” your salvation with the help of your d-groups, you will get spiritually obese … and that’s not a healthy way to live.

You need to get involved with your D-groups. And you need to just throw yourself on the Lord and let Him lead you on the course He has set out for you.

In the general scheme of things, I’ve come to the realization that my time on this earth is a little more than half over. And in the last couple months, I’ve taken some pretty serious looks on what I’ve done – but more importantly, what I have NOT done. And I’m not talking about some silly “bucket list” that people talk about these days.

When I first created Facebook profile a couple years ago, I had put down that I just want to make a positive difference somewhere, somehow … well, that way of making that positive difference has been here all along.

I’m talking about fulfilling the Great Commission. OK I’ve done some, but I haven’t kept at it. I’ve stumbled in my race, got distracted, got injured even, and getting back into the race is taking a lot longer than it should.

Then I come to a passage in Acts, and Paul says: “ … I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. …”^[2]

I want to be THAT. I want to be able to say – I want all of us who follow Jesus – to say at the end of our days here that our lives were worth something because we FINISHED the race, and we completed the job of telling people about God’s SAVING grace through Jesus.

And little while ago, we sang with Allona:

“Spirit now living and dwelling within me

Keep my eyes fixed ever on Jesus’ face

Let not the things of this world ever sway me

I’ll run until I finish the race.”

"Lord of Lords" by Brooke Fraser

I pray that we all are filled with the Spirit, that our eyes are fixed on our Lord and Savior through His written Word, that we are not distracted by the world – and that we finish the race.

"Lord of Lords" by Brooke Fraser

---

^[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ac 20:17-24

^[2] The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ac 20:17-24