As the Apostle Paul recounts his life to his disciple Timothy, he uses distinct imagery. He says that he has “finished the race”, “fought the good fight”, and “kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). There is an important principle here for all Christians, churches, and ministries. We must put a premium on finishing well. Many have started well but finished poorly. This is a sad reality. It can happen on an individual or corporate level.
We are now beginning our seventh year of ministry with Campus Outreach Minneapolis. God has been good to us. We have seen steady growth across the board since our inception. Even though we are not an established, aged organization, we could easily begin to lose the urgency that brought us into being. That urgency is the fact that the world needs the gospel of Jesus Christ more than anything else, and the college campus is a key place to spread that gospel. Our greatest challenge now is not to survive or to get established, but to fight the temptation to coast; to rest on our laurels.
Coasting as a Christian or a Christian ministry is a strong temptation. Paul specifically addresses this idea when he communicates dismay at some of the Galatian believers. He says, “You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” Paul’s specific concern is abandoning the gospel of grace, but the principle applies to us in many ways. We want the gospel to free us from any temptation to coast as we minister this year. Here are some ideas that will help resist the urge to coast:

1) Don’t pine away for the ‘old’ dines; the first part of a race is the easy part. My wife and I ran the Twin Cities Marathon in 2004. The starting line is like a big party. The runners are energetic and excited. The finish line is quite different. Most cross the line with dogged looks of determination on their face. Sometimes following Christ is hard in a moment. Faithfulness to a biblical vision can be unpopular with some or economically challenging but sometimes this is the path to which God has called his children. While I think with fondness of our first few years on campus in the Twin Cities, we know that there is much more to be done.
2) Run/Fight everyday well – we don’t know when the finish is! Jesus is coming back in all of his glory. He will establish his rule of perfect peace. However, we don’t know when that is so we are to run/fight with the simple knowledge that the finish line is ahead of us.
3) Deeply embrace the reality that we are called to run/fight AND that any fruitfulness or faithfulness here is wholly because of God’s grace.

Thank you for your partnership in this ministry. We feel a deep responsibility to continue to steward the donations that are given to Campus Outreach Minneapolis. Please join us in prayer that we may run after, fight for, and keep the vision that God has given us.