Observation: As the writer concludes a discussion of all the great Jews in history, he now pivots to the challenges of the believers. He encourages them this way ... with such a great group of witnesses - those who have for centuries stood fast in their faith - we should now lay aside the issues that ensnare us, and with endurance remain steadfast in our faith.
Application: I cannot read this without remembering the conflicts of the PC(USA) in the early 2000s, and how terrible it remains to think back on those conversations, even knowing then what would happen and seeing now that the outcomes were worse.
At the general assembly I'm thinking of, they even used part of this verse - "So Great a Cloud of Witnesses" - as the tagline and theme of the event. The primary agenda item at that event was (ultimately) the passing of a set of policies that explicitly and intentionally declared that we should not debate matters of sin and biblical truth ... in an effort to create "peace, unity, and purity." In other words, their method for laying aside the sin that ensnares was to accept the sin, leading to the path of declaring it not sin. In doing so, they ignored the actual point of Hebrews chapter 12 ... we should be strengthened by our faith and the faith of others, and struggle against sin even if it results in persecution, just as Jesus did.
These were dark times in my Christian journey, as I watched first-hand as all the negative attributes of Christianity came out. There was division and arguing. There was legalism and confrontation. There was wild misuse of scripture, and crazy human logic to justify actions. Ultimately, there were strong declarations by 'leaders' that the word of God was in error, incomplete, inaccurate, and outdated. And there was division. In all this, the body of Christ - the capital C 'Church' - became weakened by the apostasy of moral truth by some within the body, and the perceptions of those outside the body who therefore saw all Christianity as just another institution full of infighting and angst and even hate.
We left the church in order to find those who were actually running the race. We wanted a place where Christians were seeking to serve Jesus by 'doing' the great commission, and doing so out of their full faith in Jesus Christ as savior and master, their full reliance on Yahweh the Lord God almighty and his holy word, and their full engagement with the Holy Spirit for strength and direction.
Churches are not perfect. No church leader is perfect. The Lord absolutely knows that, most of all, I am very, very far from perfect. However, I desire to run the race with endurance. I desire to know and live within the word of God. I desire to make disciples of Jesus, baptizing and teaching, as the true pursuit of ministry. I desire to live out both justice and mercy while walking humbly with the Lord. Neither I nor my church do these things as well as we could, but I do want to keep running the race.
Prayer: Lord, I often ask for your strength in my daily walk. May I word it this way today. May I have the endurance found only in you so I may run the race that lies before us all. In your name, may I stand firm in the faith, as billions of witnesses before me have done, and by your strength and endurance may I live within your word, within your will, and within your body of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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