Running the Race — But Not Alone

I have been a runner for the past six and a half years, and believe it or not, I love it. I enjoy the privacy, the peace and quiet, and the solitude of running alone. I find that God speaks to me during these solitary runs and I am able to pour out my heart to Him in a unique way. When I first started out, I read books and online articles about proper training, stretching, posture, hydration, diet, and other important subjects. There is something about setting a goal (a certain distance, time, or pace), working to accomplish it, then finding you can go further and faster than you thought.

One thing I didn’t do was get involved with a coach or a running group, as I preferred the isolation of running alone. If I’m being honest, I also really like the sense of accomplishment of doing it “on my own.” Unfortunately, at different times in my life I have discovered this same mentality creeping into my spiritual walk. I find myself living out my faith in isolation, unconnected to other believers, and trying to be spiritually disciplined on my own. I have also seen many other Christians living the same way — as a solitary island with no desire to be a part of the lives of other believers or to have others as a part of their own life.

Biblical Mandates for Community

My brothers and sisters, this should not be so! We are called and commanded to live life in community with other believers, leaning on each other and connected to one another as parts of the body of Christ. God has given us the gift of community. It is not only a gift, but a responsibility to each another. If we try to live on our own, we are likely to find ourselves straying from the godly life we are called to lead.

There are several biblical mandates that show us how to be community for one another. The first is through support, encouragement, and motivation for each other. We can easily get discouraged when we falter and fail. It is such a tremendous blessing to have other believers around us to pick us up when we fall and help get us going again. Galatians 6:2 reminds us to “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ,” (NASB). Hebrews also tells us to “…consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching,” (10:24–25 NIV).

Another mandate for us to follow in being a community is accountability. We need people in our lives who will help hold us to the standard of Christ. Ecclesiastes 4 contains a powerful reminder of this: “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up,” (4:9–10 HCSB). We also see this in Proverbs 27:17 which says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Lastly, we are called to serve as an example for one another of how to follow Christ. Having someone we can look up to and seek to emulate is very valuable as we face the everyday and overwhelming challenges of life. In 1 Corinthians, Paul told the church at Corinth (and tells us as well) to be imitators of him as he imitates Christ (1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1).

Ways to Transform Your Church?

It is crucial for members of our churches (and members of the body of Christ) to value the importance of being community together and not trying to walk in spiritual isolation. However, it is just as important for them to have opportunities to put it into practice. Several methods for this incorporation into the life of the church might be:

1. Intentional Discipleship Ministry

This can be done through one-on-one mentor relationships that pair up a mature believer with a younger or newer believer. This allows for the support and encouragement elements to take place, but even more so, the example. It is very important for a newer believer to see the godly example of a more experienced believer. However, it is also important for the more experienced believer to pass along their wisdom to another and not keep it to themselves.

2. Corporate Worship Times

We should seek to make our corporate worship gatherings intergenerational, not just multigenerational. The distinction being that multigenerational just indicates that more than one generation is present in the service. While intergenerational implies that not only are those multiple generations present together, but they are interacting and engaging with one another in some way. Having members of different generations leading from the platform, either through song, public prayers, or sharing testimonies serves to connect each of those generations to one another.

3. Specific Prayer for One Another

What I mean by this is going beyond the mere platitude response of “I’ll be praying for you,” when someone shares a concern or a need with us. Instead, we could take the opportunity to stop right then and there and lift that person’s burdens to the Lord.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul says, “Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize,” (9:24 HCSB). The world record marathon is 2 hours, 2 minutes, and 57 seconds (Dennis Kipruto Kimetto) — running alone for 26.2 miles.

Back in May, Nike put together a team of runners to try and change that. Called the Breaking2 initiative, they came within 25 seconds of breaking that elusive barrier. A sub-two-hour marathon has yet to be accomplished. However, the main runner, Eliud Kipchoge, that was set to break the record, was able to go faster than his personal best by two and a half minutes because of the training, support, pacing (or motivation and example), and accountability from the entire team surrounding him on the run. Our lives as believers can be just as successful when it is lived not in solitude, but instead lived in a loving, caring, Christian community, pursuing God together.