The Scripture further records that God sent His Word to dwell in the midst of humanity in the bodily form of the man, Jesus.  Finally, His Word has been given to us in written form and canonized into one book which forms The Book, “The Bible”.   It is important to note that the physical pages, ink and cover of a Bible are not holy.  While the power of God resides in the recorded word, we must resist the temptation to exalt the physical book which we hold in our hands.  We must take care not to make an idol of the printed text we call the Bible. 

Seeing the Big Picture in Scripture

If we step back from the pages of the Bible and look at it with a broad, panoramic view we can see two things particularly occuring within the Bible.  The Bible 1.) points us to our coming Christ who then 2.) points us to The Father.  The Bible is the history of God’s actions in human history to restore His human children in a redeemed relationship to Himself.    If we fail in our understanding of the intent of the Scriptures, then we will miss most of its power. 

The Bible is the point from which our study and meditation departs.  We begin our study in the Bible and we conclude our study by meditating on the wisdom of God we have experienced.  It is through study and meditation that the power of God which resides in the Scriptures is transferred in to our “hearts/minds” and becomes the wisdom out of which we live.  Once the Wisdom of God enters our “KEEP”, it becomes the source of the issues of our life. (See Proverbs 4:23.)

We must study the Word of God as part of our discipline as followers of Christ because we cannot know the Will of God unless and until we have studied His Word to discover it.  Even our prayer will be impotent.  The responses we believe that we have received will be in question if we have not studied the Word of God to know first, His voice, and second, His Will.  ESSENTIAL POINT:  There are some things that God will not say in response to your prayer. 

We have all heard people say, “I prayed about it…and God told me…”  We cannot trust this response unless we can see in it the Will and Way of God as expressed in Scripture.  God tells us this in Romans 12:2.  God says,

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  KJV

The New Living Translation interprets this passage of scripture in the following way. 

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Clearly, we are transformed by the renewal of our thoughts.  The only means by which our thoughts can be renewed is through Study and Meditation upon the wisdom we receive in study. The renewed minds of the disciple will seek the Will of God in prayer and will be able to distinguish the voice of God in response to the prayer from their own inner thoughts. 

Just as a “false-positive” pregnancy test suggests that a woman is pregnant when in fact she is not, people often pray and hear their own voice in response.  The voice confirms our heart’s desire, which may not in actuality be the Will of God for us.  The result is that we decry the actual voice of God because it competes with our inner voice. We experience false-positives in our prayer because we have not invested in the Study and Meditation necessary to distinguish between God’s voice and our selfish inner thoughts.

No Idols Allowed

God says of humanity and our incessant desire for idols,

“The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power.  Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!”  Jeremiah 51:17&18 (NLT)

Today, sex is worshipped, money & conspicuous consumption are worshipped, and “star-powered” personality is worshipped.  The demands of these idolatrous religions are heavy, their burdens are not light.  They are exacting task masters who promise pleasure, but in fact only offer dulled, numbed senses and bondage to the Flesh. 

These godish idols like those of Biblical History are mere fabrications of the depraved human imagination.  We possess the beautiful capacity to see what is not, and call it into reality through the vividness of our thoughts.  Our subconscious minds can not distinguish between something experienced in reality and something vividly imagined.  Both the actual experience and the vivid imagination are registered as memories. 

And so, we create gods wherever we desire, on the stage, in the pulpit, in public office, in our bank accounts.  Our weakness and our strength are found in the Living God’s gift of creative imagination.  Both Faith and Fear find their power in this gift.  Worship and praise of the Only True and Living God as well as the false gods, the inanimate idols is seated in the power of our imagination, our creative ability to see. 

John Calvin said of idolatry,

“Man's mind is like a store of idolatry and superstition; so much so that if a man believes his own mind it is certain that he will forsake God and forge some idol in his own brain.”

We must rely upon the truth of God’s Word to maintain the proper perspective. God has given us the power of intellect and the profound gift of creative imagination. We are vessels filled with power, but the power is not our own. (2 Corinthians 4:7).  If we shine, it is because we are reflections of Him and that He is the Light (John 1:4) 

We keep the proper perspective and overcome contemporary idolatry by, “keeping our eyes on Jesus on whom our faith depends from start to finish.”

“It exposes us for what we really are.”  Verse 13 picks up and says, “Nothing in all creation can hide from Him.  Everything is Naked and exposed before His eyes.  This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done.”  

We are already exposed.  We don’t have to hide behind our masks and become less than we really are in Christ Jesus.  The illusion of righteousness through good behavior must be replaced and supplanted through righteous submission to the truth about Jesus and by the Grace of God that leads us to Love and serve more completely.  We are already exposed for who we are and none of us can hide. 

This is true even though we won’t openly admit our depravity and our sickness, and many of us wear an illusory mask of righteousness that only shrouds our conflicted spirit from the casual glance of the fellow disciples.  God sees the real, true you, the conflicted deeply troubled you, who at some levels hates yourself, and other levels doesn't know what to do with this God-thing that you feel so drawn to. 

The Good News Is …

The truly good news is We have a High Priest in Jesus Christ.  God clarifies verses 12 &13 with the verses that follow and close out this chapter.  

14 “That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.”

We languish in spiritual poverty because we don’t want to submit to the surgery performed by the Living Word of God upon our lives.  We try to become righteous by "living right," "attending church" and "paying" our Tithes and Offerings.  The reality is that we cannot become righteous by any means other than acknowledging, who we are under the penetrating light of God’s Life-Giving Word and trusting in Jesus Christ to intercede on our behalf.  Trusting Jesus is the source of our Righteousness.  Embodied in our trust is a mandate to be obedient and to follow the model of behavior and to adopt the attitude of meekness and humbleness we see in Jesus.

We are called to do this not because we will appear righteous, but because of our Love and Trust in Jesus.  Our Love of Christ and Trust in Christ are the pure Intents of the Heart that the Scripture penetrates our hearts to find. In the final analysis we must answer the question of ourselves, what were and what are the intents of my Heart?  Only then can we begin the wholesale destruction of the illusion of our personal righteousness.

“In Him was Life; and the Life was the light of men.” 

 What we find here is that Jesus was both the Word of God and the Life of God at the same time.  John 1:14 says that the Creative Power of God, His

“…Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” 

The Word of God is the life and light giving force that God expressed in Creation.  This same creative force was present in Jesus and remains in the substance of the Bible, God’s Word. 

The very power that formed the Universe is present and active in the Word of God for us to read/ingest, study/digest and live/invest.   God’s Word is the source of Power and Life that every person needs to live a truly fulfilled and Empowered life.

What We Don’t Know About God’s Word That’s Killing Us!

It is the truest challenge that demands to be addressed.  It must be addressed because there is so much pain, suffering and strife in this world.  We experience the struggle at the most intimate levels in our homes and neighborhoods.  The reality is that this problem could be overcome if we would engage the LIFE-Giving Force of God’s Word.  The old saying that “What you don’t know can’t hurt you.” is proved wrong by the fact that ignorance is one of, if not the most prolific and effective killers on the planet today. 

The truth is, What you don’t know will almost always hurt you; especially if you need to know it to live healthy and well.  The scripture tells us:

“For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 KJV

This is the beginning of our problem.  Most of us don’t want to be pierced and opened up to the scrutiny of God’s Word even though it promises to heal us and make us whole.  We prefer to remain in our miserable half-life state, because we have grown accustomed to the discomfort and have found some semblance of comfort in it. 

One of the most unique features of God’s creation, the human being, is that we are extremely malleable.  We can adapt to virtually any circumstance, if we live in it long enough.  Why do most disciples steer clear of Bible Studies across the country? Is it because they don’t want to engage the Bible at a deep life-changing level?  

Would a deep penetrating study of God’s Word require the painful removal of destructive habits and life conditions to which we have happily adapted.  It has been said, "People prefer an known hell to an unknown heaven!"  Are we living in a comfortable and familiar “Hell”?

We read in the New Testament letter 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16 & 17: “16 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, (teaching*) for reproof, (disciplinary action*) for correction, (corrective measures*) instruction in righteousness (doing what is right and Life-giving*)” KJV

The New Living Translation interprets the same passage as: 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”

If we take this passage of Scripture at face value, then we must conclude certain things about the purpose and value of The Bible for our lives. The King James Translation says that the Bible PROFITABLE. The only reasonable conclusion that we may draw from this statement is that God’s intent and purpose for constructing the Bible for human consumption is to produce a return in the lives of believers. If we fail to experience the benefit and the profit available in Scripture, then the indictment is not upon God or the Scriptures, but upon us. The first point of agreement must be: God gave us the Bible so that the Bible would produce a return in our lives.

What return on investment (ROI) is expected?

God says that the Bible is profitable to teach us, indicating the method by which the Word of God is invested in the heart of the believer. There are many things that people get from their reading and study of God’s Word.

Oftentimes they arrive at seemingly fanciful conclusions that seem more like superstitions than Biblical Truth. Yet there are times when our reading of the Bible is so accurate and so profound that it is as if God had pressed His lips to our ear and whispered His truth to us directly. How can we have such wildly different experiences with the Bible; more importantly, how can we maintain a consistent experience with the Bible that is an accurate, true, truthful and profound reading of the text.

If we hope to arrive at intelligible and accurate conclusions about the Power and Substance of God’s Word, then we must begin with God’s Word to find our answers. God’s Word says about itself the following: “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 KJV

The Bible is an exacting force that probes the depths of human life and thought and lays it bare before you. To ignore or deny the truth that you see yourself in the pages of the Bible is to refute the authority of the Bible over your life. This attitude is borne out of our naturally rebellious spirit and is the source of our impotence and weakness. What do we make of this passage of scripture and how do we conform to the truth of God’s Word, so that we might enjoy full weight of God’s Graces and Promises while we yet live on earth?

If we look at the Bible and particularly this passage of scripture we will find a series of truths that can and will through our obedience fill us with the Power to live and the strength to endure. Let’s look at this passage in detail. The New Living Translation interprets this passage in the following way: “For the Word of God is full of Living Power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.” Hebrews 4:12 NLT

We have a powerful example in the Lord Jesus Christ as he begins His public ministry. Following the wilderness temptation experience, the Master returns to Nazareth. Luke 4:14 relates what follows,

“Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Soon He became well known throughout the surrounding country. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When He came to the village of Nazareth, His boyhood home, He went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll containing the messages of Isaiah, the prophet was handed to him, and He unrolled the scroll to the place where it says: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that the captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.’ ” He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue stared at him intently. Then He said, “This Scripture has come true today before your very eyes!”

Examining this passage of scripture as the official announcement of Jesus’ public ministry as it has been called, yields a great many clues as to the meaning and substance of ministry. Why do we find the best clues to ministry here? Simply put, the Church of Jesus Christ is the continuing incarnation of the Living Christ in the world.

We dare not take this statement to lightly. We must not forget that we have this ministry because Jesus Christ has given it to us. 2 Corinthians 5:20 ought to convict us as we think about ministry and the work that the church is engaged in doing. If in reality, everything we do as His Church is as His ambassador, then how can we take lightly His words? Jesus says he was appointed by the Holy Spirit to do works that are life-giving and liberating.  Jesus says His ministry is to:

• Preach Good News To The Poor
• Proclaim Release To Captives
• Make The Blind Will See
• Freedom For the Oppressed

The King James translation translates this passage in the following way.
Jesus says His ministry is to:

• Preach Gospel To The Poor
• Heal The Brokenhearted
• Preach Deliverance To The Captives
• Recovering Of Sight To The Blind
• Liberate Those Who Are Bruised

If we look at these four or five things and examine the ministries of our churches across this nation and world; how many of them would come close to Jesus’ statement as announces His work and objectives to His contemporaries.

We must avoid all temptations to over spiritualize or de-spiritualize, what Jesus is saying here about ministry. Rather than interpret these critical elements of Jesus’ earthly ministry and therefore our continued calling to ministry in a vacuum, we must look for examples in Jesus’ life for each of these and align our works of ministry with the examples we discover in Scripture.

Preach the Gospel to the Poor

For centuries the Christian faith was regarded as the religion of the poor and disconnected masses. In fact, we know that the Faith of Christ is for all who Hear God’s call to Salvation. A large portion of Jesus’ ministry was spent in and among the poor and those who felt disadvantaged by birth, mental or physical handicap.

In order to understand the Christ’s ministry to the Poor, we must first understand what the Gospel or Good News constitutes. Luke 18:18ff relates the experience of the Rich Man with Jesus and the response of the disciples. The disciples’ response to Jesus statement illustrates the need for Good News/Gospel.

In the minds of disciples, wealth and privilege are associated with the blessing of God and poverty and disadvantage are considered the blight of God. The message of Jesus is that neither is true and more importantly, that God in fact favors the poor and disadvantaged. Jesus says, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call sinners to turn from their sins, not to spend time with those who think they are already good enough” Luke 5:31 (NLV) The poor have hope in Jesus Christ because He represents God’s favor and promise to those who have no hope. In Christ the humanly impossible becomes divinely possible. Luke 18:27

“He said to his disciples, “The Harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest, ask him to send out more workers for his fields.” (NLT)

Yet the words that precede this passage of scripture in the pericope Matthew 9:35-38 tell the true challenge of people in need of ministry. Verse 36 tells us, “He (Jesus) felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn’t know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd.

The Demand of Ministry has both an intention and an expected outcome. What does God intend to communicate and accomplish with ministry.

The intention of God’s ministry is simply:

To communicate the Love and Grace of God as offered to sin burdened people through faith in Jesus Christ.

Ministry tells the story of Jesus through the lives of the believers in their acts of service. In a very real way disciples are offering themselves as a sacrifice through ministry to God as Jesus Christ offered himself as a ransom for us.

Romans 12: reminds us of this as it tells us:

“I Beseech you therefore, brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.” (KJV)

God makes plain to us the outcome of ministry in this passage. It is here that we find the power in ministry. Ministry at its best is an act of sacrifice and is therefore an act of worship.

All of this is designed to help us understand the value of and the power of serving in ministry. We must not fail to remember that each of us is called to ministry and that it is part and parcel of what we do and who we are as disciples.

“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us this word of reconciliation. Now we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (KJV).

There is much confusion about the work of ministry in the church and therefore, there is little real effective ministry being done in most churches. Remember that confusion creates paralysis or impetus activity. James 3:16 tells us that where we find confusion we also find its parents, Jealousy/Envying and Selfish Ambition/Strife.

The confusion is caused by an incomplete understanding of Biblical ministry. I am convinced that this grievous condition has been caused by the father of lies himself. We have believed that ministry is only one thing, preaching/pastoring. The Word tells us that ministry extends beyond those two and reaches into areas that we have for years neglected to our detriment.

The goal and purpose of this study is to open the Bible and to rediscover the God’s models of ministry. We want to identify the ministries that God in Christ has placed in the church and seek the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit as we fully implement the full spectrum of ministry that God intended.

Paul provides a list of the members that God has placed in the body of Christ: He says,
“First are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers
then those who do miracles
those who have the gift of healing
those who can help others
those who can get others to work together
those who speak in unknown languages.”

Found in 1 Corinthians 12:28 this list should be the foundation of all church related ministry development. God provides models of ministry throughout His Word and by His Grace we will discover and understand them as we study God’s Word and experience His will in it.

Next: The Roots of Ministry In Scripture

This command is at the same time a Blessing. God has given his human child the responsibility to care for and tend the garden. It is clear from the earliest pages of the Bible that God intended that we have a purpose and a focus in our lives as His children.

That same purpose and focus finds expression in the Great Commission given to disciples in the last moments of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Matthew 28:18-20

“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (NLT)

Both commissions require work and are very specific about what must be done. This is the nature of ministry. It requires a four letter word, “Work”. The call and the challenge to ministry are issued by God to his people. Many people believe that a calling is a dramatic experience had by someone who has been selected for a specific and spectacular task. In fact, we have accepted the call to discipled living as men and women following the Way of Christ through the act of obedience in baptism.

2 Corinthians 4:1ff shows us very clearly whose we are and to whom ministry belongs.

“And so, since God in his mercy has given us this wonderful ministry, we never give up. We reject all shameful and underhanded methods. We do not try to trick anyone, and we do not distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know that.  If the Good News we preach is veiled from anyone, it is a sign that they are perishing. Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don’t understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. We don’t go around preaching about ourselves, we preach Christ Jesus, the Lord. All we say about ourselves is that we are your servants because of what Jesus has done for us. For God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness’, has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. But this precious treasure, this light and power that now shine within us is held in perishable containers, that is in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.”

The Demand of Ministry:

The demand of ministry is real and when the demand is not met with an adequate supply, there is a deficit in the lives of people who would have otherwise benefited from ministry.

God tells us through Paul in Ephesians 4:11-12

“He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to EQUIP God’s people to do his work and build up the body of Christ.”

The responsibility of those who are given to the church is to prepare and outfit God’s people to do his ministry. Therefore, it is clear that the demand of ministry is not solely in ordained ministry, but also in the lives of the “lay” ministry. God goes on and says later in the chapter, that under the direction of Christ,

“...The whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. 4:16 (NLT)

The great truth of ministry is that no part is greater than the whole. Meaning that both lay ministry and ordained ministry are equally critical to what God describes as:
“...healthy and growing and full of love.”

The demand is upon every disciple to engage in ministry. We are all called to service in God’s kingdom. Because we have been called, we have been also equipped with the gifts necessary to accomplish the work that God desires of us.

As a church working to do more than exist in the 21st Century, we must look forward with eyes of faith and expectation that there is a great work prepared for us to do. There is a work that has been made ready for us. Jesus said it in Matthew 9:37& 38

“He said to his disciples, “The Harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest, ask him to send out more workers for his fields.” (NLT)

Yet the words that precede this passage of scripture in the pericope Matthew 9:35-38 tell the true challenge of people in need of ministry. Verse 36 tells us, “He (Jesus) felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn’t know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd."

Next: The Demand of Ministry

I Need You Jesus

Hebrews 12:1&2 are well known passages of scripture. They are so well know that it is hard to imagine that most church-going folk, haven’t heard it preached in every way imaginable. Yet, there is great value in re-visiting these well known and highly trafficked passages of scripture from the perspective of connecting the dots in the scripture to glimpse the larger picture of what God is teaching to His people. He says through the writer of Hebrews,

“Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes of Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.”

The simply profound truth of this passage of scripture could easily be missed if we don’t take a slow walk through it. As stated in the sermon the first clause of the passage is a proof statement. God is stating that we can conclude, based upon the abundance of evidence that was just presented in chapter 11 that the life of faith has value and is worthy of our greatest effort. God draws a conclusion for us and says that we have an over abundance of proof that trusting Him pays off, and that in light of that truth we can let go of the things that we cling to.

The fear that moving into the unknown creates in us should be lessened or completely negated by the fact that we have so many witnesses who speak to us throughout the balance of scripture. If we, but look at them we will be inspired to strip off many, if not all of the weights that we carry around. Abraham overcame his dependency on the inheritance he would receive from his father to go to a land he’d never known. Joseph released his brothers from guilt and freed himself from the bitterness of their abuse to rise to the position of prominence and saw his life as the work of God’s hand.

The Word of God is replete with example after example of how God responds to our faith in Him. As we are moved by the witnesses who are literally exhorting us to move forward, we are also incited to run with “patience (KJV)/endurance (NLT)”the race that is set before us. It is this patience/endurance that is exciting to consider. We must look to Galatians 5:22 for a hint at the power that is present here. Paul tells us in Galatians 5:22

“But the Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness. Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control against such things there is no law.”

How wonderful to note that Trusting God produces Fruit of the Spirit in the life of disciple. The Fruit of Patience is the Attitude of Faith that keeps us moving against the tide of failure and disappointment as well as the current of success and blessing. It is the voice of the Holy Spirit that says to us in the midst of disappointment; get up and do it once more. It is the voice of God that says at the peak of excitement and triumph, celebrate, but then come down off the mountain and continue working.

Patience is a function of the “Fruit of Peace” or “Shalom”. If you recall, the Hebrew word Shalom means “to arrive safe”. Peace is the confidence in God that He will deliver you and me safe to the appointed promises. The confidence that is born out of The Fruit of Peace produces the Attitude of Faith that the scriptures call Patience/Endurance/Longsuffering.

God tells us in Hebrews 12:1&2 that we have evidence that God delivered a huge cloud of witnesses to Glory and because of that evidence we are exhorted and inspired to move constantly in the direction of God’s blessing. Our Faith in God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the magnetic force that draws us with patience through the race that God has set before us. We can remain patient because we are assured of the outcome by the evidence of the witnesses who ran ahead of us.

God tells us,

“We do this by keeping our eyes of Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.”

It is our focus on Jesus that creates the patience that we need to move forward toward the finish line. This is the substance of our Hope that Jesus has cleared the path from Life to Life.