Worshiping With the Historic/Global Community (Hebrews 12:1, Galatians 3:26-29)

[Read Hebrews 12:1 & Galatians 3:26-29]

Many of you know that I’ve been enjoying riding my bike all summer. The more I’ve enjoyed riding my bike, the more I’ve enjoyed learning more about biking—even watching bike racing. One aspect of bike racing that everyone is somewhat in awe of is the peloton—this large group of riders, doing 25mph with only inches between them. Yet, they are so close to one another for a reason. I’ve heard it said that in the middle of the peloton riders are working 35% less than the riders at the front. That’s a lot of energy savings. And, the vast majority of the riders “pulling their weight” at the front of the peloton until they are tired and drop back to conserve some energy. 

I’ve experienced this to some degree. I wasn’t in a peloton, but I did participate in a group ride with cyclists who were WAY better than me. A couple had been sponsored bike racers, one had set a record for the fastest time around Lake Winnebago, all of them had bikes that were worth more than my vehicles. I was way over my head, but I decided to give it a try anyway. I showed up with the bike my grandpa had given me and started pedaling with all my might. 

It was a humbling experience and a cool experience all at the same time. As you ride in a group like this, you hug the guys wheel in front of you to draft—or cut down on wind resistance. The guy in front leads the way, cutting the wind for everyone else. Once he gets tired, he pulls out and falls to the end of the line and the second guy pulls on the front. When we started out the ride, we were pacing over 2mph faster than I had typically been riding and the ride was longer than my typical ride, so I was concerned about being able to finish. Yet, these guys knew what they were doing and helped me cross the finish line. Each time I would get into the second place position, a couple guys would pull around in front and take over pulling. They were watching out for me, making sure I didn’t have to “pull my own weight” at the front. We all knew that I wouldn’t finish if I had to pull at the front. So, we worked as a team to finish as a team. And because I had these other guys shielding me and cutting the wind for me, I was able to finish the ride feeling pretty good AND with an average speed almost 2mph faster than my typical ride. 

This is what I’m picturing as I read Hebrews 12:1. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…” (Hebrews 12:1, NIV). As I spent time meditating on the “cloud of witnesses,” I couldn’t help but change the analogy in my mind to a “Peloton of Witnesses.” As you look at this picture of cyclists crammed next to each other, it looks like a cloud, but there’s more going on. That’s what this passage is talking about. We are surrounded by a Peloton of witnesses.

As we look at the rest of this passage, it tells us why it’s so important for us to realize we are surrounded by a peloton of witnesses. Our passage reads, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1, NIV). The Christian life is an endurance race—a hike through the Appalachian Trail. It is not always easy. There are times when we don’t think we are going to make it to the finish line. There are times when it seems like everyone else is way stronger than you and going way faster than you. There are times when you want to simply give up and quit the race. Yet, we are not in this alone. This isn’t a solo race. We are surrounded by a peloton of witnesses, and we are working with you to get you to the finish line. When you are weak and don’t feel like you can push up that next hill, someone will shield you in and pull in front of you so that it is easier for you to make it up that hill. When you are feeling strong and everything is working well, then you can pull in front of someone else and help them make it up the next hill, or help them cross the finish line. We are surrounded by a peloton of witnesses and we are all working together to help each other cross the finish line—to make it to the end. 

Yet, what makes this analogy even more powerful, is understanding that the peloton of witnesses is much larger than we can even imagine. Our natural inclination is to think only of this community we have in front of us—that’s what we talked about last week. Yet, this passage broadens our scope to think of a much larger community—a much larger peloton that is helping us cross the finish line. This passage is pointing us to the people of God throughout history. When it is referencing this “peloton of witnesses,” it is referencing those people mentioned in Hebrews 11—the Hall of Faith. 

Hebrews 11 is littered with examples like, “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice…By faith Noah…built an ark…By faith Abraham…obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going…By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future…By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born…By faith Moses…chose to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward…” (Hebrews 11, various verses, NIV). 

These are the witnesses that surround us in the peloton—these faithful followers of Christ throughout the ages. Not only these, but faithful followers throughout all of history. We are surrounded by the faithful followers of Christ in the Reformation. We are surrounded by the faithful followers of Christ throughout the time of the Holocaust. According to Hebrews 12:1, we are surrounded by all of these faithful followers—they are a peloton of witnesses around us, helping us to persevere in our walk with Christ, helping us to finish the race.

There are three ways they help us: by example, by exhortation, and by encouragement. Let’s just look at Moses for a moment. “By faith Moses…chose to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” (Hebrews 11:24–26, NIV). Moses was tempted to enjoy all the pleasures of sin. He was a prince in Egypt. He could have anything he wanted whenever he wanted it. Yet, because of his faith, he chose to be ill-treated with God’s people. He saw Christ as much more valuable, much more satisfying, much more rewarding than anything Egypt offered him. So, by faith, he chose to follow Christ. 

Does that sound relevant to you? It should. The poorest of us, have more wealth than Pharaoh did back then. Pharaoh would have given half his kingdom for your old beater vehicle. We can indulge ourselves with any pleasure of sin we want whenever we want. It’s everywhere. It’s being encouraged by the world around us. Yet, Moses is crying out from the past, “Don’t do it! It isn’t worth it! I’ve been there, done that. Christ is more valuable than anything you can have in this life! He is of greater value! Look to Him and trust Him!” In that, we see Moses leading by example, we hear Moses exhorting us to keep our eyes on Jesus, and we are encouraged because we can see God’s faithfulness to Moses and find comfort that God will also be faithful to us. 

This is also why you will find my often quoting pastors and Christians that have been dead for centuries. They are also part of the peloton of witnesses. They are able to see things that we can’t see. They aren’t blinded by our same cultural blinders. They are able to encourage us in ways that our current community can’t encourage us. If we completely ignore the historic church, and only focus on “the church of today,” we are losing a tremendous resource God has given us to help us cross the finish line of the Christian life. 

Yet, our peloton is even bigger than the historical church. In Galatians we read, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26–29, NIV). In this passage we are reminded that the church is not only about the historic people of God, and not only about the people of God in our current culture, but the church is worldwide. We have brothers and sisters in Christ in practically every, single country throughout the entire world. They are also part of our peloton of witnesses, who are on this race with us, helping us to endure to the end, helping us to finish the race. 

In the same way, these Christians from other countries and cultures help us in running the race by example, by exhortation, and by encouragement. 

One of my favorite examples of this recently, is by a Methodist professor from Liberia named Dr. Jerry P. Kulah. He was a delegate to a gathering of the United Methodist Church in the United States which has discussing some ideas that were going to take the denomination in an unhealthy direction. Some who wanted to lead the church in an unhealthy direction were “strong-arming” churches by threatening to pull their denominational financing. In response to this Dr. Kulah said, 

“And then please hear me when I say as graciously as I can: we Africans are not children in need of western enlightenment…We do not need to hear a progressive U.S. bishop lecture us about our need to ‘grow up.’ 

Let me assure you, we Africans, whether we have liked it or not, have had to engage in this debate for many years now. We stand with the global church, not a culturally liberal, church elite, in the U.S…

[W]ith all due respect, a fixation on money seems more of an American problem than an African one. We get by on far less than most Americans do; we know how to do it. I’m not so sure you do. So if anyone is so naïve or condescending as to think we would sell our birth right in Jesus Christ for American dollars, then they simply do not know us.

We are seriously joyful in following Jesus Christ and God’s holy word to us in the Bible. And in truth, we think many people in the U.S. and in parts of Europe could learn a great deal from us…

Please understand me when I say the vast majority of African United Methodists will never, ever trade Jesus and the truth of the Bible for money.”

(Full Address HERE: https://juicyecumenism.com/2019/02/23/african-united-methodists-wont-trade-bible-for-dollars/)

Whew!! Now, doesn’t that stir your heart like it does mine?!? We need to hear these words from our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. We need to be reminded that the United States is not the “be-all and end-all” of every concept and reality of the Christian faith. This faithful brother is here to exhort us and point us to the truth—to point out our own cultural blindness. Not only is he exhorting us, but this faithful brother—and many more like him throughout the world—are there to be examples to us in the faith and encourage us. I can’t help but read this and be stirred to speak the truth in love and to do it courageously. I can’t help but read this and be strengthened to continue “fighting the good fight” of faith. The global church is also part of this peloton of witnesses that is working with us to help us cross the finish line of our faith. If we completely ignore the global church, and only focus on “our church” or the “U.S. church,” we are losing a tremendous resource God has given us to help us cross the finish line of the Christian life. 

Yet, in all of this it is important to remember the ultimate resource we have in this race of the Christian life. “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1–3, NIV). Christ also serves as the ultimate example for us—as one who endured suffering and shame in order to bring redemption to you. Christ serves as the ultimate exhortation to us—rebuking our cultural blindness and opening our eyes to see the Truth of who God is and what He has done for us. Christ also serves as the ultimate encouragement for us—as the one who joyfully endured the cross, scorning its shame, relying on God’s power and strength throughout, finally resulting in resurrection and ascension to the throne of God. Yet, Christ is not only an example for us, but he is our strength in the race. He is the one who starts us on the race, and He is the one who brings us to the finish line of this race—he is the author and perfecter of our faith. We cannot run this race apart from Him, no matter how many people we have in our peloton. He is the one pulling all of the weight at the front of the peloton, enabling many to follow him and finish the race in His strength.

So, as we run this race of the Christian faith, as we encounter trials and opposition, as we find ourselves in situations that we don’t think we have the strength to go on, let us listen to the author of Hebrews. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,…so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:2-3, NIV).