Exploring God’s Word with Brad Thurston

Finishing the Race

Episode Summary

This episode is from Liberty Church in Birmingham at their missions conference. It was also the launch of my autobiography, "Surprised by Mercy" which is available on Amazon.com.

Episode Notes

Finishing the Race

2 Timothy 4:7,8

Liberty Church Birmingham

Sunday, October 8, 2023

  1. Appreciation for Liberty Church – John Snow, David and Betty McCutchen and Ferrell Maughan were my first supporters, and continued after I married Jan. Bill Stamp, Bruce, Jeff Cato, and Ferrell visited us. Many wrote encouragement. Bill introduced us to Globe International in 85 and Liberty Fellowship the next year at Norman Park. 
  2. Thank you, Bruce, for helping me finish this book. He suggested we launch it here today. And will be in the back room to sign copies for those who wish to make a donation for one to reach an Unreached people group in northern Mozambique. Providing local evangelists, trained by our German missionaries, motors cycles and bicycles to reach distant villages where you follow goat paths and cross torrent rivers in a canoe. – this book includes several events from here including one of Jerry Strong. How a German youth help a WWII vet get deliverance.
  3. Finishing the race – a scripture for finishing well, spiritual warfare, and funerals.  What if it applies to God and is prophetic in a way that OT scriptures are? What if Paul writes it as pertaining to himself, but God inspires it because it also applies to Jesus and his work, specifically his work by the Holy Spirit in us? It could apply to his work on the cross, as well as his work through the church until the great and glorious day when he appears, and we all enter heaven. But that is a very western mindset to this problem. Always a focus on the winner!

 

  1. When you think of races like the Marathon, you don’t know many if any of the participants. Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya holds the world record and 2 Gold medals in the Olympic Marathon will try for a 3rd in Paris next year.  That seems to be focus of our society as we hold such accomplishments in high esteem. Selfish Ambition can easily become a downfall for anyone. But two races impress me and give me a new sense of understanding regarding Gods plans and intentions: the Iditarod race is a grueling difficult race in March in Alaska, and it is not over until the last team arrives at the finish line.  The concern is for all to reach the goal! The Dream Marathon is unique in the fact that the established runners train the new runners personally 22 weeks before the race and when the first ones reach the finish line they return to the last ones and run with them encouraging them to finish as well! Here the whole idea is that the whole group is involved in the whole group! 

 

  1. Look at this from God’s perspective it is not over until all ethnic people groups, language groups, cultures, races, are represented at the marriage feast of the lamb! Until All who call upon the name of the Lord are saved, it is not over! Until all have heard and have had a chance to respond, the race is not over! It will not be accomplished without more dedicated career missionaries that is for sure!  Pray to the Lord of the harvest that he will cast out more into the white, ready and prepared harvest fields! But we need more than those who will sacrifice to go, we need those who will commit to do the praying, encouraging, communicating, visiting, pastoring those who have gone! We need an army who see that church is not where we go to be entertained, but where we learn how to serve, how to invest in people, how to give what is needed in the Kingdom of God.  It is not about a few doing the most, it is about us all moving together as the Holy Spirit directs us. Not listening to the myriad of voices but following the one! The task of reaching the Lost is our task together. Wherever they are found.