Preaching - Keep Going

It's always nice to go to different places to share God's Word. It's even nicer when I get invited back to places I've been before, because that means I didn't completely mess things up the first time!

So earlier this month, I returned to Peebles Baptist Church to share the Word in their service. They are such a great group of people who are all stepping up to lead various elements of services while they are in this time of vacancy.

Coming hot on the heels of my time volunteering at the Commonwealth Games (a blog I'm yet to write!), this brought some inspiration for a message entitled "Keep Going", using Bible Readings from Philippians 3:7-14 and Hebrews 12:1-3. But whilst the readings were about pressing on to a goal and running the race, thankfully no physical activity was required!

As always, you can either listen to, or read the full sermon below. And if you'd like me to come to your church to preach, please do get in touch plus there's a diary on the Ministry page so you can see when I'm available. And yes, Peebles Baptist have invited me back again!!

Keep Going, PBC, 2 August 2026

21:23

Keep Going – Peebles Baptist Church – Sunday 2 August 2026

Philippians 3:7-14; Hebrews 12:1-3

Our thoughts today are on keeping our focus on Jesus no matter what is happening around us.  We’ve heard from 2 New Testament books giving us thoughts around pressing on to a goal and running the race.  Panic not though – no physical activity is required.  This is all about looking to Jesus and receiving all He has for us. 

Our songs have helped us through the service as well, thank you Denise.  We gave our praise to Him, as Name above all names, worthy of our praise.  We sung that beautiful arrangement of Turn your eyes upon Jesus, with the additional section saying “Jesus, to you we lift our eyes, Jesus, our glory and our prize.”  We cried out for a fresh dose of oil in our lamp so we could keep singing praise.  We were reminded of the importance of taking everything to God in prayer. In a while we will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord that is new every morning.  And that whatever we may face, God is all we need.

So let’s delve into this a bit and explore not only what this is all about, but importantly, how we can achieve it.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had the privilege of being a volunteer (or Legend as we were officially known) at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.  I was a media volunteer, assigned to the swimming at Tollcross International Swimming Centre.  I was part of a team looking after journalists, writers, bloggers, country press attaches, and photographers from all around the world. It was so much fun, despite being incredibly hot and humid poolside, and I met some lovely people both amongst the media and also the other volunteers and support team.  And it was so inspiring to see the swimmers and the other athletes at different venues who have trained for years for that single moment.  The games this time were different for many reasons, but most beautifully, for being fully integrated, so that para-athletes had their races in the same sessions as non-disabled athletes.  The same crowd watched them all equally.  I’ll touch more on that in a little while, but the analogy towards our 2 Bible readings was clear.  We may not be on a sporting journey as these athletes were, but, much deeper than that, we’re on a human one.  We’ve heard from the Bible this morning, telling us that we too are runners (or swimmers, cyclists, jumpers, bowlers, fighters, or any other sport if you like), but we’re not chasing medals.  We are pursuing Christ.  Paul told the church in Philippi that he would “press on toward the goal”, and the writer to the Hebrews urged us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”  So, with all this in mind, let’s explore what it means to live our spiritual journey with the same focus, discipline, and hope that we see in the athletes I saw over the last week.

Now, it is pretty clear that athletes don’t drift into excellence.  They don’t just turn up at a Commonwealth Games or any other competition without having done some work towards it.  They train with intention.  Similarly for us in the Christian life, we need to undergo our own training.  Spiritual disciplines such as prayer, reading Scripture, gathering in community, worshipping God, are our training ground.  These are the intentional practices that shape a believer’s heart, mind, and character so that we can press on, or run with perseverance as our Bible readings suggested.   Paul’s “pressing on” mirrors the athlete’s mindset: effort, direction, and resilience.

The difference here from us and athletes is that we’re not after reaching peak fitness and aiming to win an actual competition.  Our training is to enable us to achieve Christ‑likeness. Paul’s desire to “know Christ” (Phil. 3:10) sets the tone: training helps us become more aware of Jesus, more responsive to His voice, and more aligned with His character.  So, let’s go through some of these Spiritual Disciplines.  You will probably know all of them, and some may be more familiar than others.

Prayer

Prayer is the equivalent of the athlete’s daily conditioning.  As an athlete would listen to their coach, trust their guidance, know their body, and become stronger, so for us, prayer is about strengthening trust, dependence, and intimacy with God.  Jesus often withdrew to a quiet place to pray and hear from God.

It builds spiritual endurance through regular conversation with God, it trains the heart to surrender control, it develops attentiveness to the Spirit’s leading, and includes structured rhythms (morning/evening prayer) and spontaneous moments.

Scripture Immersion

Our Bible contains wisdom, guidance, instruction, analogy, and so much more for our spiritual journey.  As a sport manual or training programme will contain all an athlete needs to know, so does the Bible for us.  We need to read it regularly, but not just for readings sake, but to learn, because in reading God’s Word, we stand the best chance of hearing from Him directly.

Immersing ourselves regularly in the Bible helps to shape our worldview and decision‑making.  It can correct unhealthy patterns and, as we heard in Hebrews, it will help us throw off what hinders.  It can fuel perseverance with truth, and build confidence in God’s promises.

When Jesus came to the temple at the start of his formal ministry, he read from the Scriptures, knowing exactly what portion to use as he had studied it fully.

Worship

Athletes need a focus.  Something that keeps their mind on the main thing.  For us, worship, whether individual or corporate as we have done this morning, trains the heart to re‑centre on God rather than circumstances.

Worship helps to reorient our identity, it breaks the power of fear, comparison, and discouragement, strengthens joy and gratitude, and from a practical point of view, it can be sung, spoken, or lived through obedience.

Every act from Jesus was surrounded with worship, praise, honour and glory to the Father

Community

While athletes have their personal focus, they rarely train alone.  And neither should believers in Christ.  Being around others is important.  Ecclesiastes 4:12 says “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”  A personal favourite is Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”  I have trusted friends that I refer to as my iron sharpeners.  Being amongst fellow believers brings encouragement and accountability that keeps us moving forward.  There is shared wisdom and shared burdens, and togetherness helps us see blind spots and celebrate progress.  Jesus brought together a community of disciples and other followers.  He sent them out in twos.  He knew they would need each other.

We’re half way through so let me just pause here for a moment, and return to the Commonwealth Games for a tale that emphasises the power of Community.  Have a look at this picture. 

I didn’t realise how important or helpful this photo would be when I took it.  I was simply trying to catch the start of a backstroke race.  This is the start of the Mens 100m Backstroke S9 first heat last Sunday night.  If it helps, the S9 category in para swimming is for athletes with severe weakness in one leg, single limb loss, or joint restrictions.  So have a look at the bottom left of the picture.  In lane 8, not getting the best of starts, is 25 year old Bahranian athlete Antwahn Boyce-Vaughan.  By the end of the first length of the pool, he was half a length down, and eventually finished a minute behind the race winner.  But for the almost 50 seconds from everyone else finishing to Antwahn finishing, the crowd went wild.  It was louder than a Scottish athlete because the whole community was involved.  They cheered and clapped him home.  He was struggling in the final strokes as he passed where I was sat.  His face was dropping below the water line so much.  But he kept going, spurred on by the cheers from the crowd.  He finished his heat and had achieved something many people could never do.  He had swum 2 lengths of the pool in a Commonwealth Games heat with just one leg.  And it was so clear that the whole crowd – the games community – got him through to the end.  And we can do that for each other.  Okay, not in a swimming race, but much more than that.  We can support each other in life, every day.

So let’s return to the final four spiritual disciplines.

Silence & Solitude

When many of the swimmers came out for their race, they have headphones on.  This doesn’t bring silence, but it brings solitude.  It helps them focus.  For us, this discipline strengthens spiritual clarity and reduces noise.  It puts us in a position where we can better hear God’s voice.  Importantly (and one I struggle with), it can break the addiction to busyness that we often have.  It creates space for reflection and repentance, and builds inner resilience.

Again, Jesus often withdrew to those quiet places to hear from God better.

Service

Serving others trains us to live like Jesus, remembering that He came not to be served, but to serve.  It builds humility, breaks self‑centredness, strengthens compassion, and turns faith into action.  But keep in mind what we just looked at with silence and solitude.  Do not let service simply become busyness, without a focus on why we’re serving and of course, Who we’re serving.

Confession & Repentance

This can be difficult and one we often avoid.  For an athlete, they may have to confess to their coach when they’ve not kept to a regime of training, or splurged out on an unhelpful meal or other activity.  For us, this discipline removes spiritual weight so we can run freely, returning us to the message in Hebrews when we throw off what hinders including the sin that so easily entangles.  Whether personally with God, or with a trusted friend, this can release guilt and shame, restore intimacy with God, build honesty and integrity, and keep the heart soft and teachable.

Sacred Rhythms

These include Sabbath, fasting, and regular communion.  Sabbath trains us to rest in God rather than performance.  Fasting sharpens focus and dependence.  Communion re‑centres us on Christ’s sacrifice and victory

All these spiritual disciplines are our training regime as Christians.  They can help us as individuals, and as church together.  And they can lead us into greater service in our community as well.  So let me leave you with a practical step for each of the 8 disciplines:

Prayer Practical step: Set a daily “anchor point”, or time, as a fixed moment where you pause and pray.  We can snatch a prayer here or there, but finding a set time where possible is so important.

Bible Practical step: Read one passage slowly each day, more than once if necessary, and ask: “What does this reveal about Jesus?”

Worship Practical step: Start your day with one worship song or psalm to set your focus.  The same one each day, or a selection.  Whatever works for you.

Community Practical step: Commit to one spiritual conversation each week with a trusted friend.  If that seems too much, make it every 2 weeks, or monthly.  But make the commitment and work on it.

Silence and Solitude Practical step: Take 5 minutes of silence daily.  No phone, no music, just presence.

Service Practical step: Choose one small act of kindness each week that is intentional, unseen, and joyful.

Confession and Repentance Practical step: End each day with a 30‑second heart check, saying “Lord, show me anything I need to release.”

Sacred Rhythms Practical step: Protect one weekly Sabbath moment — even if it’s just an hour.  Don’t confuse a church service with Sabbath.  Jesus taught that the Sabbath exists to serve humanity, not to burden it with rigid rules, emphasizing rest, mercy, and human well-being.

The Commonwealth Games celebrate athletes who give everything for a crown that fades. But we run for a prize that lasts forever. So let’s run our race — with focus, with freedom, with perseverance, and with our eyes fixed on Jesus.