Part Two:
The Call to Start and Run Well
The Race Call From Scripture
The call to get the prize
I Cor. 9:24—"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." How do we do that?
The call is to obey the rules in order to get the prize—the victor’s crown
2 Tim. 2:5—"Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules." Integrated with obeying the rules is something else we must do.
The call to strict training and discipline
1 Cor. 9:25—"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. 26] Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27] No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
The call of a coach to his team
Phil 2:16—"Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15] so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16] as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing."
Questions:
- Coaches, disciplers, parents, friends... do you want to run or labor for nothing?
- From this passage, what must a team do to win?
- What must the team know about the competition?
- What must they understand about the potential character of those who run for the opposition?
- What book must the team have in their hands?
- How will a coach ultimately be judged according to this passage?
The call to being qualified and coached
As Paul reviewed his ministry, he wanted to make sure he knew if he was running the right race. Gal. 2:2 says, "I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain." What ultimately gave him the assurance he was running, or had run, the right race? If Paul needed reassurance about his own race, i.e., his gifts and calling, what does that say to us? We all need a coach or coaches.
The call to watch who you are running with, and what rules you are following
Gal. 5:7—"You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?" Avoid being cut in on. From this verse, what will veer us off course quicker than anything else?
In case anyone missed the application of the race to life, here is a summary verse concerning your involvement.
The call to start well and keep on running our unique race
Heb 12:1—"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every thing that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." If we start a good race, we have the assurance God will help us complete the race. Phil. 1:6—"...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to comple- tion until the day of Christ Jesus."
The Call to Run The Great Commission
The Purposeful Races
The mileposts along the race we will run are exciting signs of progress and maturity. They are based on three passages of scripture—1 John 2:12-14; Matthew 28:18-20.
Evangelism/
Witness: Marketplace Marathon
Mark 16:15. The pre-race stage is evangelism. Here the church brings an individual to the saving grace of Jesus Christ through the church gathered and scattered. When the church is gathered, evangelistic training and encounters take place during seeker-safe services, holiday services, regular preaching services, visitor follow-up assignments, mission activities, departmental evangelism activities and adult elective training seminars (e.g., apologetics).
The contact. When the church is scattered in the race, evangelistic contact takes place through a wide variety of circumstances (e.g., marketplace ministry and friendship evangelism). Education is involved in the training process, because it is through educational ministry in the local church that the Body is equipped and prepared for evangelism.
As the arrows show in the educational model, a person is able to show another person where they have come from. Thus, the evangelistic process is perpetuated and the educational role of the church continues to expand.
The conversion. In order to enter the race, a person needs to go through a conversions/retraining process. Once this occurs, he/she can begin his/her initial orientation.
The child of God. The result of this conversion is that a spiritual birth takes place and a spiritual child is born.
Birth—Establishment
Col. 2:6-7. After evangelism occurs, the next milepost is establishment. This is where the convert is established in the faith, where efforts are focused on the foundations of the faith and the implications of being in Christ.
The convert is taught the basic building blocks (e.g. assurance of salvation, forgiveness of sin and water baptism). In order for a convert to be taught these important truths, it is absolutely vital that he/she have continued involvement with more mature believers. It is the responsibility of the church to disciple the new convert: through a new believers class; spiritual friendship from a mature believer; support and accountability from a small group; as well as involvement in the gathering times of the local church. As shown in the model, once a believer has been established in the faith through discipleship, he is then equipped to teach others where they have been. It is from this place that the disciple can now move to the next milepost of being trained as a worker.
Equipping
and Healing
Eph. 4:11-13. To be trained as a worker, the person must be equipped and healed. This process has two parts: to be repaired from hurts and to be prepared for works of service.
These definitions come from a word study of equipping. This study produces at least three objectives in the equipping process.
First, the word equipped is used in another context to describe the mending of a net—hence, being repaired of rips and tears. The believer, likewise, often needs repair of his/her life before or as he is being prepared for service.
Second, the word equipping is also used in extra-biblical sources, to describe the outfitting of a ship and making it ready for sail. Here is a depiction of a person equipped and made ready to move into ministry. The third use of the word equipping concerns a bone being set in order or set in place. Therefore, as in the equipping procedure of a believer, the person is healed of past wounds, hurts, bends, and breaks, to then be set in proper relationship and service within the local church.
This is the most important part of the race.
The equipping process is to be the central ministry of local church pastors and associates. As Elton Trueblood states in the book The New Reformation by Greg Ogden: "The ministry is for all who are called to share in Christ’s life, the pastorate is for those who possess the particular gift of being able to help others, men and women to practice any ministry to which they are called." As Greg Ogden reflects in his book: "The reason for the pastor’s professional training is to use this knowledge to equip and deploy God’s people in ministry. . . .equipping pastors are committed to giving the ministry away . . . it is a fundamental approach that needs to be integral to the identity of anyone who is a pastor" (p. 97).
The preceding chart illustrates what I believe should be the focus of the local church. What does it mean to be a member of a local church? The Ministry Equipping chart is designed to help individual members make commitments to three specific areas—e.g., prayer, service and a small group.
Basics and Beginnings. To begin with, a person needs to have two foundational training classes. They need to know the basics of the faith (e.g., new convert training) and have an understanding of the philosophy of ministry of the local church.
Grace Gift Seminar. From this basic understanding, a regular seminar should be offered in gift discovery. Based on 1 Pet. 4:7-11, Rom. 12:1-8 and Eph. 4:11-16, this seminar's goal is to present a teaching on gifts and then supply tests to help participants discover their gifts, temperament and passion. There is a wide variety of the tests available, and each church should find one that fits its particular theological bent on gifts.
After the teaching and testing is complete, it is extremely valuable to provide a listing with job descriptions of the various ministries available within the local church. This provides a preliminary look at ministry opportunities for each attender. This will enable them to see how their gifts, temperament and passion might be focused on a particular ministry. In addition, each participant should be informed in general terms about two other possible commitments: one to individual prayer or prayer ministry, or another to small group involvement. Because people have different gifts and time available, then a variety of small groups should be offered for them (e.g., neighborhood Bible study, spiritual friendship with a small cell, or a ministry team focused on a particular ministry).
Grace Gift Counseling. In order to facilitate these three commitments, it is helpful to assign each participant to a follow-up appointment with the volunteer coordinator, a spiritual gift advisor, or a department leader.
Training and Testing. If it is evident during the process of gift discovery that further training is needed, referrals can be made to the various training opportunities offered in the church. This is where adult classes have a primary role. These are educational opportunities designed to prepare people for ministry (e.g., caregiving, Tele-care, Sunday school teacher, apologetics, etc.).
Marketplace Ministries. If it is apparent that this individual has a burden for ministry in the marketplace, the church scattered, it would be the responsibility of the gift counselor to set up an appointment with the Marketplace Ministries committee. This is a ministry team given the charge of helping people develop and deploy their spiritual gifts outside the church gathered. They might team them with others with similar interests, give encouragement as to possible application of their vision and gifts, or encourage them to find a support group and move into ministry.
The above model is the central core of the equipping process in my educational philosophy. Classes are designed to equip people for ministry, to give theological foundations to ministry and life, and to provide continuing education for those already in a place of service. It is my contention that prayer, service, and small group interaction is where the action and thrill of the Christian life is. This model provides the essence of what was seen earlier in the Dynamic Life Cycle. The three commitments are an expression of each of the elements found there. For example, prayer focuses on the Inner World; the small group brings us in touch with the Biblical World and Relational World; the service commitment draws from the Church World, Biblical World, Relational World and the Inner World. Potentially, all of these focuses relate to the Outer World. Besides these three commitments being a fulfillment of the instruction of Eph. 4:11-16, they are the missing elements in the life of many Christians. Therefore each should be emphasized in the educational ministries of the church.
As J.I. Packer said in a editorial in Christianity Today : "How exhilarating it is to push yourself in a good cause! This, I know, is dangerous doctrine; such pushing easily becomes an ego tripping performance that expresses pure satanic pride masquerading as a sense of duty." But as Packer reflected on seeing a friend of his involved in a bungee-jumping exercise, he continued: "Zeal for anything makes you push yourself in pursuit of it, and there is exhilaration in rising to challenges, that is as true of Christian life and service as it is of bungee-jumping. Watching the zeal of bungee-jumpers, I found myself wishing I saw more such zeal among Christian people. Now and then it appears, but most of us choose to get conventional, play safe, and plod. That, however, is hardly the spirit of New Testament Christianity—is it? (Christianity Today, Oct. 5, 1992). Packer has said it well; the local church needs zealous workers. I believe the experience of zealous service is a missing and needed element in the life of so many Christians.
Enlistment
in Leadership
Mark 3:14. After equipping takes place, enlistment in leadership is the next phase. This is not so much a classroom as it is a small group and one-to-one process. In this phase the worker is being trained as a leader. Robert W. Pazmino would call this type of training non-formal education (p. 78). It might be an apprentice small group leader who is being trained to become a small group leader. The process could be summarized in the following way:
tell me and I’ll forget,
show me and I’ll remember,
involve me and I’ll understand.
It is a Paul/Timothy approach to modeling leadership. Paul Stanley and Robert Clinton in their book, Connecting, discuss the need for mentoring relationships. They identify four principles unique to adult learning which they apply to the mentoring one-to-one process. While keeping in mind what Gregorc says on how people learn, this is what Stanley and Clinton have to say about how adults learn: "Adults generally have a deep need for self-directed learning, even if that need varies between adults. Adults increasingly appreciate learning that takes place through experience. The learning readiness of adults arises primarily from the need to accomplish tasks and solve problems that real life creates. Adults see learning as a process through which they can raise their competence in order to reach full potential in their lives. They want to apply tomorrow what they learn today." (Connecting, pp. 231-232).
What is the implication of training a leader, in light of how people learn? The mentor needs to be a resource to the mentoree, who learns from experience in real life situations, in a learning process that they see will benefit them personally. I would argue that the mentor must know the mentoree’s learning style, as proposed by Anthony Gregorc, so the teaching methods of the mentor can be specifically geared toward how the mentoree learns. Therefore, both small group and one-on-one training is necessary to successfully train leaders. It is important to note that after this phase is complete, the trained leader can then teach someone else what they have learned through the educational process.
Extension
into Cross-Cultural Outreach
Matt. 9:35-38.Once a person has shown himself as a leader, God may call him to go beyond the local church and the local community and into cross-cultural missions. It’s here the church has an educational mission as well. Since most don’t announce their missionary call and leave immediately, and most are involved in a process of becoming aware of what they are called to do, the church can—on an individualized basis—provide enormous help. Calling can be discussed and a study program suggested, e.g, books, classes, seminars. Arrangements can also be made for potential candidates to have short term missionary experiences. This will help them to firm up their call and expose them to missions in action. Finally, missions candidates need instruction on the selection of mission boards, the raising of support and cross-cultural awareness. An active missions committee, along with the education department, is the best place for this kind of activity and guidance.
Eccl. 9:11—" I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all."
Acts 20:24—"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 Cor. 9:24—"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."
Gal. 2:2—"I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain."
Gal. 5:7—"You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?"
2 Tim. 4:7—"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
Heb 12:1—"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."
The finish
Note: Additional verses—Proverbs 18:10; 4:12; Ps. 119:32
The prize
The detours
Study proverbs for detours or inappropriate things people run after—Psalms 16:4; Is. 5:11;7:25; 10:3; Matt. 6:32; Lk. 12:30; 17:23; John 10:5,12-13
Dynamic Life Tracks
These circles are a generalized way of seeing various arenas or "tracks" where God works in our life but which are not run/traveled in a sequential or obvious way. These life tracks are usually interspersed throughout the race, but there can be times when they are run simultaneously, because there may be points where they overlap or are interrelated.
Various training sessions/seminars will equip the race participants for these life tracks, and some will be introduced along the race as well. All of these components or tracks are interrelated, but ever expanding.
The Biblical Track
This world concerns the theological foundations of life, both individually and corporately. This is what Scripture is calling the church to be and do. It focuses on the key passages that all churches should heed when seeking to discover their missions (e.g., Matt. 28:18-20) and those which the Lord is emphasizing in the lives of people that may indicate specific direction and calling (e.g., Rom. 12:1-8; Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Pet. 4:7-11; 1 Cor. 12-14).
The Relational Track
This world represents where we live with others. This may involve a small group setting, a mentoring relationship, a friendship, the workplace or the immediate or extended family. The relational world is the place where people interact with one another. Our spiritual lives are drastically impacted by and through our relationships.
The Inner World Track
This world has to do with an individual’s inner journey with God. This includes the spiritual disciplines essential for personal growth in Christ Jesus (e.g., fasting, biblical meditation, journal writing, prayer). The practice of spiritual disciplines and the time spent in personal reflection are needed to refine the inner life of a believer. This area has an emphasis on "being" as foundational to "doing."
The Church Track
The church consists of the contemporary church world and church history. The 21st century church could save itself a lot of heartache and failure by learning from the successes and failures of those who have gone before (e.g., lessons from Israel’s past, lessons from the New Testament church, biographies of people’s lives). In addition, the church world is affected by what takes place in the local church—the church gathered.
The Outer World Track
All that takes place within the church gathered is not just for the purpose of encouragement and for equipping the saints for service. We are also gathered that we might be scattered as salt and light in the world. I believe we have a mandate to be a force of change, love and compassion within the world. Therefore it is imperative we have the Great Commission in view and be trained to be effective in applying it. This will call for an awareness of the needs of the outer world which will in turn impact how people can be reached. A local church must be discerning of cultural values, trends and needs, if it hopes to effectively reach an unsaved world.
With these descriptions in mind, it is important to note that these arenas will constantly refine and change our view of our life race. These arenas are dynamic in their operation. Webster defines dynamic as "powerful, active and marked by continuous, usually productive activity or change." Therefore as a person's life is impacted by these dynamic tracks, there will be expanding understanding of himself and what he does. Applying these Dynamic Life Tracks means that as each of the elements interact with each other we will mature as our understanding of Scripture, ourselves and the needs of the world are more fully comprehended.
