The Relay Runner (a parable)

.... In evangelism God works through us, and in the hearts of those who hear us, to confirm the gospel message that we are sharing (Philippians 1:28). In every way He is the senior partner and we are the junior, so we must learn to speak when we feel Him prompting us and to keep our message pure . . . and in other areas, we must even learn to stay out of His way. Evangelism is the great adventure and now it begins.

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.... Think of God as a relay runner who has labored long and hard in the life of the person we are about to share the gospel with (Psalm 19:5). He has prepared their way and made their path straight – and now He is handing the baton to you, to assist in their effectual calling. The prize is their salvation; and on behalf of this person you must run in such a way as to obtain it:

.... "Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air."

(1 Corinthians 9:26)

.... Like our relay runner, you must compete according to the rules and try to keep your message on track (2 Timothy 2:5). You must be a team player, which we'll discuss in a moment. Furthermore your attitude in evangelism must always be humble, in deference to God Himself, so that you are never found to seek your own glory. If you’re out there running and pumping your arms, you had better not be doing it for a personal show, because God allows no flesh to glory in His presence (1 Corinthians 1:29).

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.... In all of this, you must set your sight on the runner ahead of you and guide every step toward him with a sense of purpose, so the hand-off will be perfect. That relay runner will be God again, and a large part of the progress He makes afterward will depend on your matching stride with Him now, as you are still approaching, as on you give Him something to run with. So you must anticipate Him in this sense, and keep His next steps in mind.

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.... When we share the gospel, the hour is quietly dramatic. The candidate’s whole purpose in life, and all that they’ve experienced with God to date, will come to it’s moment of truth. The role that we play is incredibly vital yet it is also intrinsically weak, and here is why:

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.... To some extent the candidate will believe the gospel, at first, simply because they are taking your word for it. God allows this as a first step but He wants to go beyond it very quickly, to draw their faith directly to Himself and establish His own relationship with them:

.... "that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

(1 Corinthians 2:5)

.... This is the situation we must anticipate from the beginning. It brings us to the signs that will follow the gospel and their purpose in helping new Christians establish a direct relationship with God. Here is where your teamwork plays a vital role because it prepares the way for miraculous manifestations in their lives. Miracles are an awesome topic, and we will address them further in our next posting.

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Daily Bible Reading: Mark 8