What if the race you're running has already been won for you? Dan Orange unpacks Paul's famous passage about pressing toward the goal, revealing it's not about religious performance, but about pursuing God while He pursues you. Using athletics imagery from Usain Bolt to Paula Radcliffe, Dan explores what it means to forget the past, focus on Jesus, and run this race knowing the prize is already yours. With honest stories about being an introvert learning to communicate and the tension between running, standing, and resting, this message offers hope for anyone who feels like they're not yet where they want to be.
01Talk notes
It’s easy to feel like you're not there yet on this whole being a Christian thing. Like you're still making mistakes, still wondering if you're doing it right?
Dan Orange brings a refreshing perspective on one of Paul's most famous passages. Rather than being about religious performance or trying harder to be a "better Christian", this is about something far more hopeful. It's about a race where the prize has already been won for you, and the one handing out the medals is running towards you whilst you run towards him.
02The Athlete's Mindset
When Paul writes to the church in Philippi about "pressing on" and "forgetting what's behind", he uses the language of athletics. Think about Usain Bolt or Paula Radcliffe. These weren't just naturally gifted people who woke up one day and won gold medals.
Bolt trained six days a week, 11 months a year. Three hours daily of drills and gym work. That's what made him the fastest man alive. Paula Radcliffe won the London Marathon three times despite discovering at 14 that she had exercise-induced asthma. She could have quit. Instead, she trained.
However, what's fascinating about Paul's use of athletic imagery is... The Greek word he uses for "press on" is dioko, which means to pursue, to chase, or even to persecute. It's actually the same word that described Paul's old job, when he was hunting down early Christians before God literally knocked him off his horse.
God redirected Paul's talent for pursuit. Instead of chasing Christians to imprison them, Paul now chased after those who didn't know God. He took his natural drive and let God transform its purpose.
03The Best Bit
We pursue God. That much is clear from Paul's letter. However, Psalm 23 uses the exact same word—dioko—when it says, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me." The word is pursue.
We run towards God, but God runs towards us.
Remember the prodigal son? The young lad who basically said to his dad, "You're not dead yet, but can I have my inheritance now?" He blew it all, ended up feeding pigs, so desperate he wanted to eat their food. When he finally came to his senses and headed home, his father saw him coming from a distance and ran to him.
That's God's heart. The Creator wants to meet with his creation. Whether you've been exploring faith for years or you're just asking questions, God is pursuing you.
04What's the Prize?
So what exactly is Paul pressing towards? What's this goal that's worth all the effort?
In verse 20, Paul writes: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body."
The goal is citizenship with God in heaven. To be made perfect, made whole with him. It's massive.
Some people say becoming a Christian isn't just about going to heaven, which is true in one sense - faith affects how we live now. But if we downplay heaven, we miss the incredible sacrifice God made. The only way we get to heaven is through Jesus. He won it for us on the cross.
Our striving, our training, our focus - that's not to earn heaven. God has already won it for us. The prize is ours. The race we're running is different from any other race, because we can all get first prize.
05Not There Yet
Paul says something incredibly helpful in verse 13: "I do not count myself to have apprehended."
He's not there yet. This is Paul - the one who said, "imitate me as I imitate Christ." The man who performed miracles, taught churches, and suffered horrifically for his faith. And he admits he's not there yet.
That's a relief. It means this is a journey. It's not about arriving at some perfect state where you never struggle or doubt again.
Dan shares his own journey as an introvert who had to learn how to communicate effectively. In his previous job, where he helped people with software, he couldn't just sit quietly - he had to ask questions, understand problems, and communicate effectively with people. When he was dating Lisa (now his wife), he spent all day trying to pluck up the courage to ask her out. In the end, he did it by text. Not the most romantic start, but 18 years of marriage later, it clearly worked.
Natural talents are great, but they can be developed. And sometimes God gives us entirely new ones. Dan's currently reading "The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication" because he wants to convey the message of Jesus Christ as clearly as possible. He wants people to know how much God loves them.
As Sir Alex Ferguson said, "Hard work will always overcome natural talent when natural talent does not work hard enough."
06Forgetting What's Behind
Paul says to forget those things which are behind and reach forward to those things which are ahead. There are two parts to this.
First, don't rely on your standing or your natural talents. Paul had an impressive heritage - the right tribe, the right family, the right religious credentials. We all have things we could rest on. But God wants to do something new in us.
Second, leave the past in the past. If we come to God, he forgives us. Those things we did, where we messed up - don't let them have a hold on your new life.
This doesn't mean the past has no consequences. Some things we've done have physical effects that last. We're still subject to the laws of the land, and those need to be obeyed. But if we're not careful, our old life can take over. "God, I did this. I'm not worthy. My old life was messy."
Paul says, "Forget those things that are behind, and reach forward to what's ahead."
The past isn't to be totally forgotten - we learn from history so we don't repeat mistakes. When we go to school, we start with the basics and build on them. We don't discard what we've learned; we build upon it. That's what Paul means when he says, "to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule."
07Walk, Run, or Stand?
Not all of an athlete's training is running. You need to eat right, build strong muscles, know when to rest, and understand when your moment comes.
There are times to walk. Remember Peter stepping out of the boat to walk on water towards Jesus? He didn't run. He stepped from the safety he knew to the safety he'd never known before. He kept his eyes on Jesus. When he looked away, he started to sink. Peter's speed wasn't the factor - it was keeping his eyes focused on Jesus.
There are times to run. David faced Goliath, knew his God was bigger than any giant, and ran towards the Foe. He threw his stone and slew him. That was a time to run.
There are times to stand. The first verse of chapter 4 says, "Stand fast in the Lord." First Corinthians 16:13 says, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong."
The key is to stand and focus on him. Focus on the goal. We do not need to worry because we have a hope that's steadfast and certain.
08Conversation Street
After Dan's talk, Will and Anna unpacked some of the themes with questions from the online community.
How do you manage the tension between running (effort), standing, and resting?
The answer is Jesus himself. At different times, we'll feel very close to him, confident in our faith - perhaps that's a period of rest. Sometimes, circumstances mean we just need to stand for what we believe and remind ourselves of God's promises. The written word of God is helpful here because we can stand on those verses and say, "This is what I believe God to be."
Sometimes there is running, putting in effort. However, management comes from hearing Jesus and putting yourself in a position where you want Him involved in every area of your life. It's not just a religious box on Sunday, but a daily prayer, "Jesus, help me manage this tension."
The Holy Spirit gives us discernment about when we need to stand, when we need to rest, and when we need to run. It's a lifetime of learning.
How do we forget the past, especially when things have been painful?
Sometimes logic helps. If there's something you have no control over, you have to make a mental decision to put it behind you. Don't let emotion rule every decision. Jesus promises that his mercies are new every morning. The very story of the cross - being forgiven and made new - means our past does not rule us.
But it's also a process. You don't lose a baby and forget it the next day. You don't experience trauma and instantly move on. The scripture about forgetting what's behind isn't about never thinking about complex things again. It's a process of learning to let go, learning to trust God, and learning to believe He is who He says He is, even when things aren't easy.
Sometimes it helps to change your focus, like the Psalms do. The psalmist will say, "I feel like this, and yet I choose to lift my eyes to the heavens and look to God." It's about shifting your gaze away from the problem and onto who God is and how big He is.
It can also be helpful to process the past rather than just pushing it aside. The word of God can bring clarity and revelation, but people can also play a role. When we internalise things and hold onto them, they seem bigger than they really are. Sometimes, sharing with a trusted friend can decrease the power of what's haunting us.
The Bible says the word of God is like a light unto our feet. When you bring things to light, they become visible. That could be as simple as a conversation where you say, "There's stuff that happened that I'm finding hard to let go of." Often, when you share it, you discover you're not alone.
09The Race We're In
Dan finishes with this thought: we're all at different stages of our walk with God. Some haven't started yet and are just inquiring. Some are at the beginning. Others are further along.
That's why church community matters. That's why Crowd Church meets - physically and online. We can learn from one another, build each other up, train together, and pray for one another. We're a crowd, all on this journey together.
The Book of Hebrews puts it like this: "Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another."
Finding rhythms that nourish your soul is crucial. God isn't looking for performance. He's not waiting for you to get a personal best at being good. He wants to be with you. In the rhythms that bring wholeness to your life, that's where you meet with God.
One rhythm that has helped some in the Crowd community is using the daily posts on social media - short passages from Philippians with a thought for the day and reading them, letting them settle, and asking God if there's anything He wants to say through them. Then, continuing to think about it throughout the day, even while driving or doing the washing up. It allows space for God to speak through his word.
Protect your heart. It's the wellspring of your life. Hearts get battered by circumstances, by things outside our control, by world events, by work situations. Your heart is precious. God pursues you because he thinks you're worth it.
10One Last Thing
The goal isn't what Jesus can do for you. It's easy to pray and seek God for what He can give you - to change situations and fix problems. None of that is wrong, but the first and ultimate goal must be Jesus Himself. Not the gifts he can give you, but the giver.
When you strip it all back, the prize we're chasing is simply knowing Jesus—just His presence and just being in a deeper relationship with Him. That's the goal.
And here's the beautiful mystery of this race: as you run towards him, he's running towards you too.
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(250) Pressing Toward the Goal (Philippians 7) Transcript: (00:00) wasn't expecting that welcome welcome to live stream slick as ever to start with aren't we we are here um physically in the building and now we're online for all those joining so very big welcome to crowd church this evening my name is will I'm hosting with the wonderful Anna hi everyone nice to see you all tonight I'm Anna Kettle so will tell us what have we got happening tonight well tonight we are carrying on with our Series in Philippians and it's a very well-known passage for anyone that's read any of the Bible um there's quite a lot of Athletics in it so I I wondered (00:39) as a start um I I've I've got some painful memories of Athletics mostly when I was very much younger but um are you an athlete at all Anna I I'm not really an athlete no I'll be honest this is not my strong point I play a bit of tennis I do a bit of yoga and plates but no I'm not a super athletic person I'm afraid are you so well my memories of Athletics was uh when it came to that time in the year that dreaded summer term and when there was Athletics at school uh and was asked what I'd like to do and the 100 meters seemed like the thing that was over quickest so I uh I (01:18) volunteered to do the 100 meters and and I did that for a few years very embarrassingly there was one time actually when bizarrely I found myself doing the javelin uh because someone in our team was Ill that day I had never thrown a Javelin i' thrown a dart before no one had told me how to throw a javelin I just like you should just pick it up and throw it as far as you can it's a very dangerous thing a javelin um so I I failed at that I was actually I was pretty good at the long jump oh which I which I put down to a misspent youth on the beach jumping off sand (01:48) Junes but I I quite enjoyed the long jump but uh I mean one year in athletics when we did it at school I got put on the high jump and anyone who's seen me off camera will know I'm not a particularly tall person so what was that about I have no idea kind of where career ended really so enough said about that yeah if if we got any athletes online please do Post in the chat we'd uh love to hear you particularly if you're a tool professional I do remember actually uh Someone I used to work with who was a very very good swimmer um but she gave (02:18) it up at the age of 16 because she kind of basically wanted to just be normal and I think the training was was getting to so we're hearing a bit about that and the the work that goes into being an athlete um is there anything else we need to announce before we introduce our speaker I don't think so we just need to say that um we're carrying on our Philippians Series tonight so who have we got speaking we've got the wonderful Dan orange who any of you who have tracked with crowd for a little while we (02:48) recognize and know and we've got him live with us so um Dan over to you please remember put in your questions as we go along um and we will talk um after this this welcome welcome to next part of Paul's letter to the church in Philippi um a couple of weeks ago in conversation Street Matt and CLA were discussing where Philippi was so I thought I'd pop a little map up because I'm quite a visual person and it just helps to know so you might be able to see that little red dot the north of Greece just helps (03:27) me to know this was someone real this is where this is the where the church was that he was talking about um and what a letter isn't it and I just want to take a moment before we get into the talk and talk about letters just very quickly because it's um it's a bit of a lost art and are you a a letter writer got sorry we got some feedback all I I like a letter yeah I like writing letters um yeah it's a bit of a l start it's like why write two pages of letter when you could just put a an emoji in there (04:05) and and send it to someone um but perhaps there is a time to express your feelings or write things down I was I was thinking when I was dating my now wife Lisa I used to write her love letters and perhaps sometimes a poem I know um just to say what I felt about her and when I was writing this talk I thought that might be a good idea to do now so I went read that out it got a bit sppy she got emotional um and but I think she appre appreciated it but I thought I'd just say that because I just felt perhaps there someone listening (04:39) that just needs to convey that message it might be to a spouse it might be to a friend to a parent might be some way of apologizing just to say do you appreciate them um anyway let's get back to this letter and um we start in Philippians 3: 12 and I'll just read out not that I have already attained or am already perfected but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me Brethren I do not count myself to have apprehended but one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind (05:20) and reaching forward to those things which are ahead I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus therefore let us as many as are mature have this mind and if in any think you think otherwise God will reveal even this to you nevertheless to the degree to the degree that we have already attained let us walk by the same rule let us be of the same mind our citizenship our citizenship in heaven Brethren join in following my example and note those who so walk as you have (05:58) us for a pattern for many walks walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are the enemies of the Cross of Christ whose end is in destruction whose God is their belly and whose glory is in their shame who set their Earth their mind on Earthly things for our citizenship is in heaven from which we also eagerly await for the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body according to the working by which he is able bble even to subdue all things to himself therefore my beloved and long (06:36) for Brethren my joy and Crown so Stand Fast in the Lord beloved so this is quite a famous if you like well-known passage and I find it very emotive very challenging inspiring it gives hope and um I'm going to just try and share some of my thoughts on it so firstly let's take this idea of obtaining and laying hold pressing towards a goal or in another translation says focusing on the mark where putting where our ultimate focus is and um as will was explaining before I think of an athlete when I read these verses so if we spoke to say usin bolt or Paula (07:20) radliff I think we'd find that there are people that have a natural Talent they're fast they love to run but it's a lot more than that Talent he say bolt he looks so comfortable when he runs doesn't he he's got it all sorted his form his reactions his speed his name I mean bolt it's pretty cool isn't it to be born do you reckon you just yeah woke up well realized I'm fast and my name says I'm fast your name's great but his natural talent's only so much he has the build for it but what if he um well if he just sat on his couch and ate his apparent favorite food according to (07:58) Wikipedia which is chicken nuggets um and didn't exercise then he wouldn't be the fastest um I asked Jack G GPT to to create me that image of his same bolt with his nuggets he's still yeah he's still quite buff considering his eating his nuggets um but he did train so he trained six days a week 11 months a year 90 minutes a day in the gym 3 hours in total doing exercise and drills that's what made him the fastest man alive he was dedicated and if we look at another um athlete Paula Radcliffe she's one of my favorite athletes those of you that don't know her she's a British (08:40) long-distance Runner and I just love her determination and her running Styles is perhaps not like she's a long distance not like Usain Bolt but you can see in her face the purpose in every stride and the miles she trained must hurt but it it made her fast fast enough to win the London Marathon three times New York Marathon three times so she she trained um and she discovered went at 14 that she had um exercise induced asthma so that would have been a good re reason to sort of quit I would have thought but she she's trained um and she (09:22) she got those goals those people they ran for their goal and they ran for that immediate goal um and for the future titles of being the fastest and the best at their sport um you may have guessed that I like watching Athletics I like people perform and run um I like to run not long distances as I always thought when I was younger perhaps 400 meters was my my sort of Target um event it's not too fast but not long distance um my sister who's been on before she runs she well she used to run she's a sprinter she ran for England when she was at school yeah (10:06) um and for me running it's it's a discipline it's just what I do to try and keep a little bit fit when I'm getting close to 50 you hear words like cholesterol and belly fat and BMI you got to do these things um but to be disciplined it just is an outward thing that helps my inward discipline my focus is to get a bit fitter but it helps my focus to pray to read to listen I could just chill I could not get involved but I want to live the life that God has given me and I want to do it well and I want to inspire and to be an example to (10:42) my kids and those around me and I want to speak of this great message and good news of Jesus Christ I want to have my eyes set on that goal that Paul speaks of now I'm not a Greek scholar but I can Google um and when Paul uses this word to press on it's a word called Dio which is a word and it says to pursue to to like persecute to chase to apprehend a bit like um a policeman would do when he's trying to cture a criminal um and it's a word that requires action it's not something that's just immediate um it's something that we've we've got (11:29) to do to attain and interestingly it's the same word for the task that Paul used to do so when God literally knocked him off his horse and he was persecuting the early church that word persecuting is that same word to pursue so um perhaps God used that Talent he had to pursue Christians to then pursue those that don't know God and he changed his goal and dedicated his life to this new Pursuit um so we should pursue God but have a look have a I'll going to read out this in Psalm 23 ver 6 the psalm says surely (12:13) goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and that word there follow that word is the same word pursue so we've got to follow God but he this is the best bit he pursues us I love that so we run towards this goal but G God is running towards us too God pursues us how many of you have heard the story of the prodal son there was a young man who asked his father for his inheritance early so imagine that hey Pops you still haven't died I've been awaiting a while but can I have what I'm owed now and um (12:53) because his dad loved him he gave him his inheritance and he went off to another country tree blew it all on wild living lost it all and he's left feeding feeding pigs for a job so hungry that he he'd rather have ate that pig swill cuz he just was right down as down as you could get and he came to his senses and realized he would see if his father would take him back and here's my point the father his dad saw him walking towards him and he ran after him and this is of course a parallel parab of God he comes he pursues us and maybe you know God maybe you're (13:37) new to this Christian faith or you're just looking around and asking questions God is after you the Creator wants to meet with his creation that's his desire and I love God's word it's this Bible is an active Bible it's not a stagnant religion it's not something we just listen to It's essential has got purpose so let's move on this goal the focus the mark what exactly is it is it worth the work Paul seems to think so in verse 20 if we look back it says for our citizenship is in heaven from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to (14:25) his glorious body according to the working by which he is able to seem to subdue all things to himself so our goal his goal Paul's goal is this citizenship with God in heaven to be made perfect to be made whole with him um a few weeks ago Pete parenton was talking on Philippians and he mentioned some people say becoming a Christian isn't just about going to heaven which which is true but if we say that just we we take away this amazing sacrifice that God did for us by dying on the cross uh so that we can be in heaven with him it's huge the only way we get to heaven is (15:09) through Jesus so we lay hold in verse 12 we lay hold of that which Christ has also laid hold of for me so we obtain what Christ has won for us so our strivings and that goal what that training that's not so that we get heaven God has won it for us the focus is heaven and citizens with Christ but the price has already been won he won on the cross the Forgiveness of sins it's our reward and it's his cost if your goal is anything else then I think you're missing out gold medals are amazing to stand and know that you're the best at certain discipline I mean that would be phenomenal wouldn't if you watch the Olympics standing there yeah fastest man (15:59) in the world world but it's fleeting and it ends someone else is going to come along and take that record the race we're running has a prize and that's been one for us and we can all get first prize so God so Paul in these verses he um he guides us and shows us how we can focus on this goal so if we look again at verse 13 Brethren and sisters I do not count myself to apprehend to have apprehended but one thing I do forgetting these things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead so he acknowledges he's not there yet which is (16:43) um a relief that this is Paul he says he's said in the past imitate me as I imitate Christ he's done some amazing things Miracles taught the known Church being through amazing well horrific suffering but he's not there yet and that's helpful to me to know I'm not yet there yet it's a journey and back to the athlete and an analogy um there's training and next he says this he says forgetting those things which are behind and there's two things that I take from this statement firstly don't rely on your standing don't rely on your natural talents we heard last week a few verses (17:26) before the this passage here that Paul he had a heritage he could have relied on who his relatives were what tribe he was um they stand in in the community we have talents and God uses those but he also gives us new ones I know that naturally I'm not the best Communicator I'm a bit of an introvert I used to be the person that would just sit on my own at parties and hopefully someone would call come to talk to me um when I used to work for a big company I had to change some of the those ways and learn learn new talents I was helping people write software and fix bugs and it's no (18:03) good if you can't talk to them and ask them those questions so getting dropped into the situation had to learn um a little story I mentioned I used to write letters to my then fiance now wife um and that was before that was after I'd asked her out and that took a bit of a challenge when you're a bit of an introvert and I was out with her and friends all day I was like I'm going to ask her out um but I couldn't really pluck up the courage I couldn't get her on her own um in the end night had gone um I have to (18:38) ask her by text but um not the most romantic but 18 years later um was still married so the the the moral of the story is that talents can get honed we can get better at thing and by God's grace he uses us I'm learning um I'm currently reading a book the 16 undeniable laws of communication uh and to law 11 so perhaps when I do my next talk you might get I might get some comments like Dan you must have got to chapter 16 or Dan perhaps you need to read that book again um but the reason I'm doing that is I want (19:19) to convey this amazing message of Jesus Christ I want people I want you to know how much he loves you and how much he's for you um I found this quote and um Matt crew who's a longtime member of crowd he might like the fact that I've mention in Sir Alex Ferguson um he says hard work will always always overcome natural Talent when natural Talent does not work hard enough so natural Talent is great but don't dwell on what you can't do dwell on what God can do in you and through you moving on in these verses Paul says forgetting those things which are (20:03) behind so our past the things we've done if we come to God he's just and righteous to forgive us our sins those things that we did where we messed up don't let those things have a hold on your new life don't allow them to limit your new life it's not to say that the past doesn't have consequences some things we've done have consequences that last that physically affect us and although God has forgiven us we're still under the authority of the law of the land and these need to be obeyed but if we're not careful we can let our old life take over oh God I did this I'm not (20:41) worthy of this my old life was messy you may bring it up and others who knew you may bring it up but Paul says this forgetting those things that are behind and reaching forward to those things that are ahead and on a similar note he continues nevertheless to to the degree that we have already attained let us walk by the same rule let us be of the same mind God has taught me and he's taught you let's not regress let's not go back on what we've learned and what he has taken us through but build on it the past isn't (21:17) to be totally forgotten history as we learn in school is to be learned from so we as a country and we we as a person can not do the same mistakes when we go to school we don't we start at Basics don't we and we build on them we don't throw out the basics and but we add on to them this is what I believe Paul is saying here and to finish I'd like to go back to a little bit more of a athlete analogy not all of the Athletes Training even if their Runner is running if you got to have energy you got to eat right (21:50) you got to have strong muscles um you got to be able to relax you got to wait you got to know when your time is whether it's the Sprint you got to wait for that gun whether it's a marathon you got to know when it's time to push there are times to walk in the Bible we read about when Peter a disciple of Jesus was in a boat on a lake and saw Jesus walking toward him on the water he looks at Jesus and Jesus says to to join him he didn't run but he stepped from where he was from the safety he knew to the safety he' not known before but he kept his eyes on (22:29) Jesus when he was Lo when he looked when he looked away he started to sink Peter's speed wasn't the factor it was keeping his eyes focused on Jesus and there are times we do need to run you might know the story of David and Goliath David is a Shepherd but he knows God and he knew he could trust in God and he knew his God was bigger than any Giant and this Giant Goliath threatened his people so David stepped up to the plate he faced Goliath and he ran towards the giant he threw his Stone from his sling and slay the Foe and that (23:08) was a time to run and there's also times we need to stand the first verse of chapter 4 a Philippians says Stand Fast in the Lord the Bible also says in 1 Corinthians 16:13 be on your guard stand firm in the faith be courageous be strong M many times the Bible tells to stand firm I think the key is to stand and focus on him focus on the goal we have no need to worry as we have a hope that's steadfast and certain hope that we can rely on there are times that we need to walk times we need to run and times when we (23:47) should stand but at every stage of our life we need to focus our Focus must be Christ our goal it must be him and the Church of Jesus Christ this church crowd church here it's a community Paul says in verse 12 and 7 join in following my example we can learn from one another we can build each other up train one another pray for one another and this is why we meet we're a crowd we're all at different stages of our walk with God some of us haven't started yet and we're inquiring we're wondering some of us are just at the start and others are further along let's (24:29) train let's learn and please do ask questions that's the great thing about crowd that's why we do this we want to know more about Jesus we want to know we want you to know more about him and I'll finish with this last quote another quote from Paul but this is in the book of Hebrews and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some but in encouraging one another and all the more as you see this day Drawing Near thank you wow there's so much in that thank you so much Dan for unpacking those (25:16) verses um yeah lot to get your head round Anna what what were the key points for you yeah there was a lot in that talk wasn't there and I think there was so much but one of the things for me that um um really jumped out immediately was that whole idea of God pursuing us as we pursue him he also pursues us and I I love that because sometimes that whole idea of um you know kind of pressing forward and pushing on it can sound a bit like striving and self-effort can't it and yet I loved what Dan said about how as we pursue and (25:52) go for God he also pursues us that that just really hit me and I noticed a lot of people mentioned something similar in in in the comments as well so I think that really was a point that resonated a lot what about you what did what struck you yeah know I love that it's a kind of odd image with the Athletics isn't it that that you're kind of running for the gold medal and whoever's carrying the gold medal is running after to you to give it to you and it's like it's a bit hard to get your head around maybe not a good analogy but um yeah this is the verse I think that I've Heard lots of (26:23) times as I've grown up as a Christian and and I think it's I think it's often misused and you just get the pressing on to the goal bit and you miss the second bit which is to take hold of that for which God's already taken hold of you absolutely it was it was great to great to hear that um I I I also love the the sense of community that that Dan was was saying that that we're all at different stages in this race and if you're not very athletic like myself um pressing on sounds pretty exhausting to be honest and and and I was thinking actually about well as an athlete you get to a (27:03) certain point where what what what is there left to do when you I mean gosh winning three London marathons three New York marathons is like where's there left to go for for Paula Radcliffe and and she's you know she's still Paul rli what are her goals now that she's done that she she doesn't stop being an athlete and and and everything else but I wonder what her her goals are now so that's that sense actually of the journey that we're on that what that looks like that pressing on to take hold of God maybe changes (27:35) over over time as as you're yeah in different seasons of your walk yeah I think that's a fair point to make I think that's probably really true you can't live your whole life like it's a Sprint can you like a fast you same bul sprint you've got to pace yourself there seasons of busier there's Seasons when you've got young children there's Seasons when you're single there's Seasons when you're married as Dan just talked about and I kind of think different seasons of life even Seasons when like work's busy and pressures are (28:05) on there and yeah it really strikes me that the way it's talked about in that passage it's very much an endurance race it's not sprinting through your life it's so it's a lot about pace and um yeah I mean I I not particularly knowledgeable about this but having a pace set is really important for longdistance runners and yeah and I think having that pace and um being in it for the long haul is really important and I think it's good to just ask that question of ourselves and go what what what is it that God's taken hold of for us what what is the prize (28:43) because maybe we don't always think about that I we yes as Dan mentioned you you may think in terms of Heaven for example but actually Jesus wants to walk with us in fullness of life and what what does that look like for you what what is it that um there's this analogy of of racing for um and for me I think it's it's the acceptance Jesus acceptance and love for us and it's not something I have to earn it's it's not something I have to to train for every day as you would to win a race it's it's weird that this race is (29:25) isn't a competition it's not like you know the fastest 10 get to know God it's like no actually God's given us uh that offer of a fullness of life and actually sometimes that's work in itself to just stay in that place rather than think it's all about me it's all about how I look it's how how much I read the Bible it's whether I can sing in tune whatever it is it's not actually anything about me except that God loves me and and and and that that takes some effort to get a hold of because we I mean for me I'm constantly tripping myself up and it becomes about my activity um but you (30:04) know throughout the Book of Philippians that we've seen it's not about our activity it's about God's gift to us yeah and I think equally like when I think about what you were just asking there and I was just reflecting on as you're speaking will but that whole idea of what is the prize what is it that you're competing or you know chasing pursuing really in God and I I sort of thought actually the thing that we're chasing after it's simply Jesus it's Jesus himself and I think it's so easy in our culture isn't it to um chase after this thing or that thing or this (30:40) goal or that goal but actually all of it pales away in comparison to just knowing god just knowing Jesus just his presence his just being in Greater relationship with him and I think when you strip it all back that is the goal like the goal isn't what Jesus can you know it's easy as a Christian I think um to kind of pray and seek God for what he can do for you and I think it's very easy to fall into that trap like we pray and we come before God and we ask him for stuff and we ask him to change situations and none of that is wrong in itself but the first (31:15) and the ultimate goal has to be Jesus himself and nothing less not not the gifts he can give you but the giver you know what I mean yeah no absolutely and it ties into one of the questions we've had actually how do you manage the tension between running in Brackets effort standing and resting and and and that's it it's it's Jesus it's Jesus is the answer to all those things and and at different times um maybe that's we feel very close to Jesus we feel very confident in the faith we have or whatever um and and that's maybe a a (31:49) period of rest um sometimes there's a situation in our lives a circumstance that means um actually we just need to stand we just need to stand for what we believe we need to uh in our own thoughts in our own mind we need to stand for it we need to remind ourselves and and that's where having the written word of God is so helpful because we've got those verses those promises we can remind ourselves of and sometimes it's a matter of not not trying to make them true it's just standing on them and just saying yeah this is this is what I (32:19) believe God to be um but actually at times yes there is that running and there's no easy answer to that question um but I think the management of but is hearing hearing hearing Jesus and putting yourself in a position where um you're wanting Jesus to be involved in each of those areas of your life it's not just a uh a kind of a religious box on a Sunday or when you're meeting in in this kind of way but but actually daily there's a there's a question of saying Jesus helped me manage this tension I I feel torn in in lots of different ways (32:58) um and and I think the Holy Spirit can give us discernment there as to when we need to stand when we need to rest when actually we need to be putting in the effort and running but it's it's a good question and it's a it's a lifetime of an answer yeah that's for sure still learning it um there's another great question here in the chat box um so it says love the idea of putting the past behind us so that we can pursue what's ahead how do we forget the past though because it that that scripture talks about forgetting what's ped and straining for what's ahead um pressing on for what's ahead but it's a really (33:34) interesting idea isn't it like how do you put the past behind you and whether that's you know things mistakes we've made things or things that have gone wrong or maybe even things that have been done to us yeah another another question on the same line saying especially when things have been painful um it's difficult it's it's not there's nothing magic to it really um I think I think probably in my own experience um at times I apply some logic to it so if you're feeling I mean that's just the way I'm made um but you know if if there's (34:12) something if there's an anxiety if there's something that's keeping me awake at night there's something that that's happened that um I don't know the the outcome of it um then you know at times that there's just no I don't have any control over the situation so I just have to put it behind me and it's it's almost a sort of a mental decision and and if you've got that kind of brain that can just compartmentalize the the emotion from the um from from whatever else then that's easier um I think sometimes too we we have to we have to (34:45) be quite we have to work quite hard to do that sometimes um in we have to I I guess I don't know what I'm saying um we have to not let the emotion rule I think and again I'm I'm talking as a logical sort of bloke um it's easier said than done but at times we can become aware that actually I'm all my decisions are being completely driven by this emotion from something in the past and sometimes you just actually have to be quite disciplined and say no I'm not going to be I'm not going to be ruled by the past um but actually in that Jesus's promises that his mercies are new every (35:24) morning and and the the very story of the Cross and being forgiven and and made new is that that hope that actually we're not ruled by our past we're not governed by what's happened before and so coming to Jesus and saying thank you for that just acknowledging it saying help me help me put aside the pain and actually show me a different future what about you what what what would you say to that yeah I I agree with all that um I think sometimes it is about just choosing to focus on something different and there are some scriptures aren't there like I think of (36:00) a lot of the Psalms and you know the psalmist will say something like I feel like this and yet I choose to lift my eyes up to the heavens and look to God and sometimes I think it's about kind of changing our Focus like almost like a lens in the camera it's like you can shift your gaze off the problems and the issues and what's in front of you and choose to look up towards God so it's like almost like eyes of yourself eyes of the problem and eyes onto who God is and how big he is and how able he is and (36:30) how much he loves you so I think there is that's a really really important point but I also think somebody's put in a chat far there about how do we move on from painful situations and how do we let go and I think sometimes for me it's it's important to say like it's a real process I don't think when the scriptures talking here about forgetting what's behind that you just forget something awful that's happened to you and certainly not quickly I think you know like me and my husband went through um pregnancy losses like a whole season of that a few years ago and um you know (37:04) you don't lose a baby and then just forget it the next day just you know we still remember those babies now and I don't think it's necessarily A forgetting in like I'll never think about it again it's a yeah yeah it's it's a process of learning to let go and learning to trust God and learning to believe in God um even with the things that are difficult or that you can't fully understand or that you don't fully get or that aren't easy to trust that he's God and trust trust that you know he is who he says he is even and the things aren't easy so I think it's also about that and and yeah I really wanted to say (37:43) it's sometimes a process it's not always an instant thing yeah yeah no absolutely completely agree with that and some someone's commented here as well to follow up to that that sometimes it's it's good to look at the past and process it yeah absolutely I'd agree with that that this kind of slightly flippant oh I'm just putting it aside um doesn't matter um just leads to a lot of pent up emotion particular if something's been painful um and sometimes people can be very helpful with that I mean the word of God As a Christian I'd believe is very helpful for that and and I believe that that God (38:14) can really speak through his word and bring uh Clarity and and and Revelation to a situation but actually also people um because when we internalize things and we hold on to them um that they they can seem an awful lot bigger than they really are and actually that's a that's a place that's not a very healthy place to be um the Bible says that uh the word of God is like a light onto our feet and and somewhere else it says when you bring things down to the light they're visible and that could be a simple conversation with a (38:48) trusted friend and just saying that there's stuff that's happened that I'm finding it really hard to let go of and it even in sharing it it kind of the power of it decreases um and sometimes for me it's been I've I've shared something very it's like oh they think of me and they just look at me and go yeah I get that all the time and you're like oh oh it's not just me um so there's very practical things as well as how to process um past and uh but yeah it's uh again another big question is like you get these things thrown as like (39:22) oh yeah in 5 minutes I'm going to give you an answer it's it's not that it's a process of of walking uh with God um yeah yeah I think that pretty much sums up the whole um passage doesn't it it's not a once andone thing it's a journey it's a process it's an everyday kind of living with God coming before him um you know kind of listening to his voice reading his word taking time to speak with him and and hear what he wants to say to you and I think you know for me when I think about pressing on in God that's what it looks like it's it's it's about day by day by (40:00) day yeah I think the other thing I love about and the the analogy actually of an athlete is that there is a rhythm to it um and as you said it's it's not all a big sprint you know and and even those even sprinters training they'll need times to rest muscles and and finding rhythms that work and we're all different we're all wide differently there's no kind of one answer but finding um a rhythm of our life that actually doesn't overwhelm us that doesn't doesn't bring stress that actually nourishes nourishes our soul feeds our inner kind of life um I think (40:37) that's a that's a really important thing to think about and sometimes we can just be led by everyone else's expectation or everyone else's structure and Rhythm and and finding your own is actually um quite important because I think that God will meet you in that place God loves you um absolutely loves you and he's not looking for the performance he's not looking for the oh you got a personal best this week at being good or whatever it that's not God's heart he wants to be with you and actually in those rhythms that bring wholeness in your own (41:10) life that that absolutely is is where he's at and that that's that's where we meet with god um in some ways yeah and so that that is a really good point and I was just wondering as you were talking they're like what does some of those rhythms look like right now in your life because I can talk about mine but like I'm interested to hear what what that looks like dayto day for you at the moment just as some examples really so for me I've really returned actually to to more regular um remembering different scriptures and (41:41) actually have written them out and and just reading them um each one I was just talking before we started about the kind of difference between a quite informal sort of crowd church and and and a more formal uh sort of church service that that I grew up in and and I've kind of returned a bit to that actually and and that that that sort of repetition of of different scriptures um has been really really helpful because it it just it stops me each day so whatever is going on at work whatever's going on with a family um that discipline of actually stopping and having um a few verses that (42:14) I read each day I'm finding that God just keeps bringing something different each day because they they yeah it's amazing how that how often they speak to my situation um so you've mentioned the Psalms the Psalms are very good at that they express a whole range of human emotions so so that's a rhythm I've really um yeah I've really appreciated what about some of yours um well it's interesting you ask actually because I recently have I mean I'll be honest I've struggled to get enough spending time with God and reading the Bible dayto day in my life recently it's been a really busy season with my job and just with (42:53) parenting um but one thing that's really been helpful to me is that I've been using the Daily Posts that crowd church are doing so if you look on our social media um there's like we're going through the Philippians um at the moment and um each day there's just a short passage just a verse or two and I've literally been like using that and there's normally a thought for the day um and just if someone's Reflections so I've been using that and just kind of saying to God each morning like speak to me Lord and then just like reading it through and then letting it settle read it through again let it settle a bit and (43:34) then just kind of asking God if there's anything he wants to speak to me that day through it and and then continuing just to think about it through the day even while I'm driving the car or doing the washing up or whatever it is in the day and that that's really helpful because I think it allows space for God to speak to you through his word um so yeah I've been trying to practice that and it's it's really good because it's kind of just almost bite size like it's something that even when life gets really pressured and encroaches I can just do it and do it in the cracks of (44:07) time as well I think it's really important to spend extended times with God but let's be honest that doesn't happen every single day for most people so it's good to find for me it's really good to find those small ways to bring God into my every day and I I definitely recommend if anyone hasn't used it um the uh yeah current series on our social media because it is really good those little devotionals and thoughts for the day they're really good place to start what a great crowd plug well done yeah um yeah yeah completely agree I think um you know that the the Bible the (44:46) word of God the Living Word of God is such a resource for us and and it cuts across some of the expectations and some of the assumptions that we might be surrounded by about um you should believe this you should act like this this is how you behave um and so often the word of God can just show us something different um which is challenging but it's also brings brings a freshness because um because God made us he's he's our creator and he loves us that's our faith as Christians um and so the words he's written um actually bring life um and you know we we we need that (45:25) why that life there a wonderful verse um which says protect your heart for it's the Wellspring of your life um I think one other thing that uh yeah to to to be aware of is just how battered our hearts can get it can get they can get battered by by circumstance they can get battered by things way outside of our control world events um stuff at work that we have no control over all sorts of things can just batter um our hearts and and there's a there's a encouragement to know protect them your heart is precious someone else has written that love that God pursues us he must think we're worth it he absolutely (46:05) thinks you're worth it God absolutely thinks you are worth pursuing and just that very fact just dwell on that um each day um because our hearts are are precious and they they need protecting at times um so you know whether that's getting out getting some fresh air meeting with friends reading the word of God that there's a whole load of ways that you can do that um but certainly encourage it yeah that's such an amazing thought isn't it that um that's how gold feels about us I think that's probably a really great place to kind of finish this conversation I'm (46:41) just aware that we're time's flying and we're running out of it um but um so yeah we'll finish that but it's um yeah just a few few kind of notices and things to say before we finish up this crowd so first of all if you want stick around for the small group that's going to be running online afterwards there should be a link um and that will be starting shortly in in the chat bar um also just to say that if you guys have any more questions or thoughts or comments about this through the week if you've got anything that you want us to pray for you about um anything that's (47:19) worrying you or yeah we've got a whole team here and we just love to be able to pray um so hopefully the details will be coming up in the screen in a second but um there's an email address and a website that you can go to and contact us through that and we will pick that up and get in touch with you through the week and um we love to pray for people don't we will we do we do and and prayer we haven't really talked about prayer but um that that conversation with god um is also just a really important part certainly of rhythms that I have um (47:53) because again it it it just recenters us um just refocuses us on uh a lifegiving perspective rather than whatever's going on around us so um yeah do pray yourselves um there's there's no magic about it we're not qualified any more than you are to pray um but also very happy to um to support you in that way and stand with you in it amazing and um finally well can you tell us what's happening next week I'm so glad you asked because yes it's right there um yeah we carrying on our uh Series in Philippians again we (48:30) will be live here in Liverpool and also online uh to pick up um through the week as well uh we have Sharon Edmonson I think speaking uh next week so uh if you want to know what she's talking about just read the next bit of Philippians from the bit that um Dan read tonight in fact Dan there was one question of what version were you reading from because it it was clearly different from the one we were broadcasting but um English oh okay it was a it was a it should have be the English Standard Version it was a clearly a slightly different English Standard Version but whatever version you read read on in (49:06) Philippians and then you'll be ready uh for next week and Sharon's talk yeah whatever version you read it all counts guys so it's all good so yeah we need to finish up there but make sure if you've enjoyed tonight that you like follow subscribers share this link with friends um and we will see you this time next week thanks guys have a great week take care God bless you bye-bye [Music] [Music]
