Why Christian Leaders Are Not Olympians

“Run in such a way that you might win!” – Paul, 1 Corinthians 9:24

The Olympic Games and Christian Leaders

What would you think if 10 sprinters lined up for a race and the gun went off. Six of the athletes run down the course straining toward the finish line, but four of them casually stand up and walk down their lane waving at the crowd, talking and laughing with one another, listening to their ipods, and passing a big greasy bag of Peanut M&M’s back and forth?

Would you be surprised and maybe even a little appalled at their brash disregard for all that the Olympics means to the world? Would you wonder how they could so offhandedly disregard and neglect the great privilege they have as gifted athletes?

If you’re upset, what do you think their teammates must be feeling? What about the countries that they represent? Can you imagine the disappointment of their coach, and what he might say to them after the race?

Run to Win, Not to Control

Pastors and leaders, whether you know it or not, this is the exact illustration the Word of God uses to remind Christians of our privilege, responsibility, and accountability as ambassadors for Christ. Even the great Apostle Paul feared not winning his “gold medal”—the prize of hearing Christ say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” He unashamedly told the Corinthians that he was competing for the prize, running the race with all his might, constantly thinking about standing before Christ on that day. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Are you running the race of life as a dedicated disciple of Christ, straining for every opportunity to serve Him faithfully and glorify His name? Or are you one of those Christian leaders who is trying to persuade the Lord Jesus that you know the path you should be running, the next step, and the final objective. Now that you have Jesus tamed, you can run the race at your own pace and in our own direction, just walking along with a bag of Fritos, munching away self-indulgently as you enjoy all the privileges of grace and position while disregarding all the responsibility to glorify the Grace-Giver by selflessly giving your life to His people?

Everyone is Watching

Those you lead are watching. They are deciding whether to follow you by determining if you’re on your own course of kingdom-building and clinging to power or if you’re on the course the Apostle Paul took in 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8. That course? Giving them not only the Gospel, but also your own life.

Your church is watching. A lot of your teammates are running the race to exhaustion, but every time they try to hand the baton to you—asking you to give a little to the cause of Christ, to serve somewhere in the church, to tell your friends and loved ones about Jesus—they notice that you avoid them. So they just keep running, looking for someone who will share the burdens of disciplemaking with them.

And, your Coach is watching. He’s deciding right now whether you deserve any significant assignments in His work now and if He will be justified to give you what He really wants to give you then—the eternal rewards and inheritance He prepared for you when He planned the works He would empower you and encourage you to do in His name. (Ephesians 2:10)

BUT, UNLIKE THE OLYMPIANS!

It’s not your self-discipline that will determine your success, it’s your capacity to trust God. When Paul prayed for the “performance” of the Thessalonians he made it clear that every achievement for the Lord Jesus is by faith, not by being better and doing better for God: “We pray for you always that your God will make you worthy of his calling and fulfill by his power every desire of goodness and every work of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).

It’s the Lord who makes us worthy of our calling. It’s his power that fulfills every desire of goodness and work we do. And, it’s our faith that invites all of this.

The most successful Christians aren’t those who do more.

The most successful Christians are those who believe more.

“Run in such a way that you might win!” – Paul, 1 Corinthians 9:24