Continue to be on Mission with Jesus

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.” (Acts 16:4-5)            Passage: 2 Timothy 2:6-13

         Paul talked about physical limitations he had from poor eye-sight to his “thorn in the flesh”, but I think that when he was young, he may have competed in athletics. Whether he did or didn’t, he used different sporting events as illustrations for believers, as you can read in 1 Cor. 9:24-27. Then, when he got to the end of his life, he looked back and said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
        The race Paul described was not the 4x100 relay, where you run a section and pass the baton. Paul understood the need to pass on the gospel and the responsibility for the church to a new generation. He was thinking about the marathon, the premiere race in the Greek games and in the Olympics today. Life is more like a marathon. Your race is not over until the day you die and go to heaven. Until that time, continue to be on mission with Jesus. Be determined to finish your race for Him. Pray boldly. Give faithfully. Worship consistently. Study God’s Word and have fellowship regularly. Share Christ relationally. Be a living example for the generations behind and even ahead of you.  

Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
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Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)