Cómo correr la carrera que Dios te ha dado | Crossroads en Español

Bienvenidos al Run Journey, toda la charla de carreras. Me recuerda a los Juegos Olímpicos de invierno. ¿Alguien más los ve sin parar? Sigo intentando decidir. ¿Sabes? Si pudiera practicar algún deporte olímpico de invierno, ¿cuál haría? Y habría dicho el salto de esquí. Pero les tengo miedo a las agujas y me ponen nervioso las inyecciones que hay que ponerse para ganar. Así que, si no entiendes, di que dije trineo. Solo bobsleigh es lo que amo. Bienvenidos. Soy Kyle, el pastor líder aquí en Crossroads. Estamos emocionados y honrados de que estén aquí para empezar este Run Journey. Hay dos cosas que deben llevarse al salir. La primera es esta. Esta es su guía personal. Tiene muchas cosas divertidas y sorpresas atrás. Preguntas para convertir lo aprendido en progreso real. Es totalmente gratis. Todo es gratis. Si son nuevos, no hay costo. Este es un regalo. Queremos que tomen uno. Lo segundo que necesitan es un grupo. No pasa nada si no tienen uno ahora. Sin culpa. No están atrasados.

Pero antes de dormir, asegúrense de tener un grupo. Hay dos formas. Uno, compren en línea en crossroads.net. Sigan los enlaces y encontrarán un grupo. O el botón fácil, si ya están fuera de la vista, solo tienen que caminar hacia el atrio. Y tenemos una feria de grupos allí. Grandes letreros que dicen, encuentra un grupo. Ahí es donde deben ir para encontrar un grupo. Así que asegúrense de conseguir esas dos cosas antes de irse hoy. Durante las próximas cinco semanas, seguiremos los pasos de una de las personas más importantes e influyentes en la historia de la humanidad, el apóstol Pablo. No es exagerado decir que estamos aquí hoy por él. Si rastrean la fe hacia atrás desde ustedes, llegarían a Pablo. Como la persona que les habló de Jesús y a quien le hablaron, y sigan así por 2,000 años, probablemente terminaría en Pablo. Él es el tipo que llevó el mensaje de Jesús desde Jerusalén al resto del mundo. La semana pasada, nuestro pastor Brian dio los antecedentes de su historia. Si se lo perdieron, o es su primera vez, les recomiendo que lo vean. Pueden encontrarlo en crossroads.net o la app Anywhere. Al estudiar la vida de Pablo, algo destaca. Una cosa que lo hace diferente de cualquier otra persona que

puedan ver o estudiar, es su visión que es totalmente original y única para él sobre lo que es su vida. Si le preguntaran al apóstol Pablo sobre su vida, diría que fue una carrera. Y tenía una meta que no era solo correr la carrera, sino ganarla. El llamado a la acción de Pablo para cualquiera que quiera vivir una vida de impacto, que moldee y remodele el mundo a su alrededor, es hacer lo mismo. Considere su vida como él consideró la suya. En la primera carta que escribió a la ciudad de Corinto, dijo, ¿no saben que en una carrera todos los corredores corren, pero solo uno se lleva el premio? Corran de tal manera que obtengan el premio. Y durante 2,000 años desde entonces, ha habido algunas personas lo suficientemente locas como para intentar hacer eso. Gente que intenta seguir sus pasos y ganar la carrera dada por Dios. Y eso ha remodelado el mundo. Hay muchas cosas a nuestro alrededor que no consideramos. Como, ¿cuándo empezó eso? ¿Quién lo inició? Cosas como hospitales, orfanatos, educación pública, derechos humanos universales, derechos civiles, derechos de la mujer. ¿Se puede seguir y seguir? Todas esas cosas fueron iniciadas por personas que intentaban seguir el diseño y la carrera de Dios para sus vidas.

Ni una sola de ellas fue iniciada por un filósofo iluminado, o un místico oriental, o gurú, o un estoico súper disciplinado. No. Son todos tratando de seguir al Dios de la Biblia en la carrera que él marcó. La premisa de este viaje es muy simple. Y es que Dios tiene una carrera para ti. En este viaje, buscamos respuestas a dos preguntas. Uno, ¿cuál es mi carrera? Y número dos, ¿cómo la corro para ganar? Si vieras a Pablo, su consejo sería muy simple. Es el único que dijo algo así en la Biblia. Fue un llamado a la acción muy audaz. En esa carta a los corintios dijo, sigan mi ejemplo como yo sigo el ejemplo de Cristo. Así que en este viaje, estamos tomando a Pablo al pie de la letra y siguiendo su carrera por todo el mundo romano, tierra. empezando en Jerusalén. Pablo viajó 10,000 millas a través del imperio romano, sin aviones, sin coches, sin trenes, sin cómodas jocas, sin mezcla de frutos secos, sin reloj inteligente de Apple, sin Apple Watch. No podía contar sus pasos. No. No cerraba sus anillos. Solo siguió. Escaló montañas. Cruzó océanos y corrió su carrera.

La Biblia registra que fue a 60 regiones con nombre, 30 ciudades importantes. En este viaje iremos a cinco de esas ciudades, cinco lugares clave en la carrera de Pablo. La primera con la que comenzaremos hoy es la ciudad de Tarso, que es tanto donde nació Pablo como donde yo argumentaría que fue rehecho. En su experiencia, será como 20 minutos de peregrinación virtual. Los llevaremos en video a estas cinco ciudades para ver lo que Pablo hizo, entender mejor lo que pasó y reforzar la fe. Todas estas historias, su vida, no son cuentos de hadas, son hechos. El registro arqueológico lo demuestra. Así que vamos a entender que son personas reales en lugares reales, con encuentros reales con Dios. Tras ese video, seguiremos con enseñanza en vivo, en recreaciones muy detalladas, digitalmente exactas de esos lugares, para que nos metamos en lo que Pablo sintió y experimentó en estos lugares y sigamos su ejemplo. Sabes, la carrera de Pablo no solo cambió el mundo, sino que lo cambió a él. Y creo que no importa dónde estés en tu vida, estás para un cambio. Quizás estás estancado y no puedes avanzar. Quizás estás listo para el empuje de Dios. Quizás sientes que solo corres en círculos y lo que necesitas es ser transformado para poder avanzar. Quizás estás en un momento de tu vida donde, según todas las métricas del mundo, estás ganando,

pero nada de eso es profundamente satisfactorio de la manera que habías imaginado. Y te preguntas, Dios, ¿hay algo más para mí? ¿Podría haber más? Mi esperanza y mi oración es que durante estas próximas cinco semanas descubras la carrera que Dios tiene para ti y comiences a experimentar la emoción de la carrera. Permítanme orar antes de seguir. Dios, gracias por todos aquí y en línea. Pido que estas cinco semanas nos captures la atención. Dios, que consigas nuestro enfoque, que hables fuerte a nuestros oídos, que escuchemos la carrera que tienes para nosotros de una manera nueva y fresca. Danos el valor hoy para seguirte y el valor de correr para ganar. Amén. Aprende a convertir el sufrimiento en resistencia, la resistencia en carácter y el carácter en esperanza. Es hora. Despierta. Corre tu carrera y gana. Encuentros reales con Dios. El Run Journey. Estos paisajes impresionantes y de otro mundo se encuentran en lo que se conocía como Asia Menor en tiempos bíblicos, ahora Turquía moderna. Un lugar importante para el cristianismo. Este país, que ahora es musulmán, fue donde nació la primera iglesia en Europa. Es hogar de muchos de los lugares que leemos en el Nuevo

Testamento, incluyendo las siete iglesias del Apocalipsis y es donde nació el apóstol Pablo. Pablo escribió mucho del Nuevo Testamento en sus viajes misioneros aquí y aún hay pruebas del gran impacto que tuvo el Evangelio en esta región. Empezamos nuestro recorrido en Cappadocia porque aunque Pablo no vino aquí, las buenas nuevas de Jesús que él compartió sí lo hicieron. Hay mil iglesias en cuevas esculpidas en roca volcánica que hoy sirven como prueba de la comunidad de fe que habitó y adoró en este lugar. Hola a todos y bienvenidos a la temporada 5 de Encuentros Reales. Nos encontramos en Turquía y Grecia, llevando la Biblia más allá de las fronteras de Israel y siguiendo la propagación del Evangelio. Conmigo tengo por primera vez a Nerula, creyente turca, guía local, apologista y famosa. on YouTube, by the way. Bob is a Princeton scholar, archaeologist, historian, and expert in the Bible. He also studied at the Hebrew University and at the French School of Biblical Archaeology in Jerusalem. I think I said it right. Tell us why we're here. We have to get to the point. Yes, look at this. We are in this impressive church in a 1,000-year-old cave here in Cappadocia, just surrounded

by the physical evidence of what came of the ministry of Paul and the apostles in this land. And it's a reminder, as we'll see in this whole series, when Paul and his disciples traveled from Israel to this area and beyond to Greece. They entered these Roman cities, facing an incredible opposition and a rich culture as almost impossible obstacles. And yet, by the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of Jesus, the Gospel won. And this movement of Jesus not only expanded, but it was rooted. And over time, through the centuries, it began to flourish and bear fruit. And being seated in this beautiful church in the cave is evidence of the result of all that. And these churches in the caves, we have been in Cappadocia, and there are hundreds of them in this area. The first Christians literally excavated them of the unique geology here and painted these beautiful images. Literally, there are 30 scenes of the life of Jesus around us. So we are surrounded by this worship of the first Christians. And that's what happened in this land. And that is the growth of the Gospel. And that is so exciting. You can literally see it exposed on the walls. This area of Turkey is 99% Muslim.

You being a Christian in this place, what does it mean to you? And how have you seen the uniqueness of the primitive church here? I have always been fascinated by these places. And it saddens me that most of our people do not know the rich Christian history. Here, and especially when I say that I became a Christian or that I am Christian and Turkish, they think and sometimes tell me that I became a Westerner. I adopted a Western culture in some way because they think that Christianity came from the West. But as I mentioned, you know, trips like this are, I think, great examples to share with them. Then they see that the Westerners come here to live. Do you know the Christian history in these biblical lands that we have in our country? It was here and, in fact, spread to the West and not the other way around, right? As well as being able to experience all this, I believe that for me personally, as well as a local Christian, it strengthens my faith both intellectually and on a personal level as I walk through these churches and biblical places, routes. I'm just experiencing and finding the story of E, of our faith. And it really takes it to the next level. It doesn't just turn it into something you look at or read. And you know what?

A lot of people may never travel to Cappadocia or, as you pronounce it, Cappadocia. Did I do it correctly? All clear. No doubt. They may never get here for themselves. Fortunately, they are with us in real encounters, but also to explain the importance, Bob, if you want, of being here and what that implies and why. Well, it's incredible to be able to visit these ancient sites, these huge Roman cities. Well, the archaeologists have unearthed for us the concrete proof that the scriptures we read are true. That really the story we read in the Bible is, in fact, historically true. And that is a powerful source of security for us in our faith. This is not just a myth or a story, but they are real events, real people, real place. But there is more. There is more than that. Not just for intellectual reasons, but for 2,000 years. Since the disciples of Jesus went to the tomb in Jerusalem, Christians have come to these sacred places as an act of spiritual devotion. And we call it pilgrimage. Pilgrimage is a spiritual practice where we visit places where God has worked in the past,

experience it in a new way here and now. And it's a privilege to be able to do that. I've been coming here for 40 years, bringing my family, my friends, my family, And it's exciting that you don't have to be here physically. We'll do the work for you, right? and I've been doing this for 40 years. You are going to experience and see what this place offers And I've been doing this for 40 years. and how it has come to life. Sometimes, while I read the Bible, I think, Bob, that you can simply ignore a passage. As you would say, oh, he went to Asia Minor and now we are in present-day Turkey. And that means something. So, by following the life of Jesus Christ, you are going to be able to experience what this place offers and how it has come to life. So, by following the life of Paul, we observe how the good news of Jesus spread all over the world. We must begin with the man who really initiated much of that. Paul. We will begin in his hometown, which is Tarsus. Nineteen kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea, on the edge of the great Taurus Mountains, hidden in the southwest corner of Turkey, this is Tarsus. It is not just an old city, but an ancient city.

It has 6,000 years of history. In reality, as far as they have dug, they have discovered layers and more layers of history. This path that I am walking right now is 2,000 years old. This indicates that Tarsus had been here for at least 4,000 years before the Romans built it. This city changed the world. This city changed the world. A city that, in the time of Paul, was a leader in the world, known for its academy and schools of philosophy. There was a library here with 200,000 books full of scientific works. In reality, the teacher of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, was born in this place. The ideas that arose from this place have literally shaped the world. It is also a place that shows that the Bible is reliable. The apostle Paul said that his hometown, Tarsus, was not a common city, but a special place. This path shows this. The dark stone in the center is basalt, and on the sides there is white stone. This stone is limestone that, under the moonlight, would have reflected light, allowing people to walk through the streets and orient themselves at night. You will find remains of pipes,

which indicate that there was running water in this place. There are holes in the street that reveal the sewage. This was an important city that had wealth and prosperity. The apostle Paul was born here. It is also the place where he was reborn. Born here. Born into a Pharisee family, Paul was considered a Pharisee of Pharisees. The Pharisees were the group that were the most rigid in the Jewish religion. Their commitment to the Bible gave them a very polarized view of the world. In their mind, the cause of the problems, why the Romans were here and dominated them, is that they had forgotten the law of God, because there were rebels in the camp. And so they decided that the way to make God bring His kingdom here to the earth and establish Himself was that each person of the entire Jewish nation strictly followed every little detail of the whole law. There are even factions within the Pharisees who are so committed to returning Israel to this pure state, perfect that they were willing to use violence to force people to align themselves. Paul was born into a family that believed in those kinds of things. He was a prodigal child. A genius of a well-off family. At the age of 18, he was accepted into the best rabbinic school and went to Jerusalem to study. He spent 12 years there,

but the first time his return was recorded here, he returned as a failure. What happened? Thinking about how Paul felt when he returned home, not as a respected and powerful Pharisee who hunted and killed Christians, but as a believer in Jesus, we are going to travel the same Roman route that is still found around Tarsus, where we know that Paul returned home. Well, maybe you feel that you know the story of Paul. He goes to Damascus because he committed to eliminate this small group of rebels, followers of this crucified Messiah, Jesus. And he goes to destroy them. Suddenly, a bright light falls from the sky, knocks him down from his donkey, and his life changes. And from there, what we think is that his life goes up, only miracles, victories, and triumphs, and he enters the town, shares the message, and everyone applauds him and says thank you. It's just great. Well, that's not what happens to Paul. The fact is that when he leaves, he requires resistance. When Paul arrives at a certain point, he is not alone. No one is grateful to him. No one rejoices at his presence. He is not alone. And what leaves Paul is only division. Listen to how the facts speak about the beginning of Paul's career.

And he spoke and debated with the Hellenists. But they wanted to kill him. And upon learning of this, the brothers took him to Caesarea and sent him to Tarsus. The church in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace and growing. And with the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Spirit, it grew. In essence, this means that where Paul was going, there was division. So when they send him to Tarsus, the church grows and there is peace. The divisor is gone. There is multiplication. Yes. Think of being Paul. You return by the road, home, with your tail between your legs. And when you arrive with your new beliefs, your family, the Pharisees are not excited to see you. Your synagogue, your family, and the people of your childhood are not happy that you are returning. They are not accepting your new ideas. It is said that Paul probably married at the age of 30 as a Pharisee. It would be strange if he did not. However, upon returning home, his wife would have rejected him. We know from the writings of Paul that he was not married. Perhaps his wife left him. There is an old document that seems quite true. It says that in this period of his life, when Paul returns to Tarsus, he is so completely rejected that he ends up living alone in a cave. For ten years, he goes back to making shops. And alone, he lowers his head. How would you feel? Frustrated? Yes. Depressed? Would you be? Yes, of course. And that is where I think our story joins that of Paul.

And I know that you and I did not go to Jerusalem, and we did not become Pharisees, and there was no blinding light. There is not. The details of our stories are not like those of Paul. But I think the moment in which many of us are is the same as he lived. I think many of us leave home with dreams and ambitions of doing something great and significant, running a race that mattered, crossing the finish line well. And then we leave, and instead of early victories, we only experience losses. Instead of victories, we only have a lot of disappointments. He said no, she left, they gave the promotion to someone else. And at some point, at some point, we stop trying to win. We stop running with energy, and instead we start accepting. Well, yes, I could have a day, a good day. That would be enough. If I only had a week and a good life, and someday a retirement. Yes, that's fine. The problem is that the Bible does not say, God never says that his people must aspire to what is sufficient. God does not say in the Scriptures, I have created you and I have given you a purpose for what is right. No. God says he has a race, a unique race, marked for each of us that is specific and personal, that fits in his great design of his kingdom, which comes more here and right now. But many of us have chosen to conform to what is acceptable. There our stories come together. The most surprising thing I see in Paul is that at this point in his life, when I know he was tempted to stop, he did not. I'm sure there were days when he wanted to give up.

But more than those days, there was a flash in Paul. There was this little flame, this little thought that did not leave him in peace in his mind and in his heart that said, there is more than this. And so, instead of stopping and giving up, Paul made an effort. And in this decade of his life, the most difficult questions began to arise. Who is this God who has called me to run? What is the race that he has marked for me and how does he want me to run it? Observe, at this time, the old Paul was dead. And a new Paul arose, a new man to run the new race that God called him to do. A man who understood that the sufferings that came from his greatest disappointments could produce something that he needed called perseverance. A man who knew that if he endured, God would form his character. And a man who understood that his character changed from someone unexpected. that he was vengeful, that he was angry, that he was furious. Instead, he became a man overflowing with hope and grace, so much so that his essence transformed the world. That is the story of Paul. And in these ten years of silence, in these ten years of being alone, Paul understood the secret to run and win the race, the secret he shared with us in Romans 5. We rejoice in suffering, knowing that suffering brings perseverance. Perseverance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not let us down. And one day, after ten long years, Barnabas arrives, a friend of Paul's. He comes all the way from Jerusalem. He says, Paul, it's time to run again. And Paul, who once failed and appeared here with his tail between his legs, would walk through these same streets, would climb mountains,

would cross oceans, would turn cities. That same man would walk to the most powerful city in history, Rome, and would double it to his desire. He was a man who changed the world, not just at that moment, but a man who left such a strong mark on what God made him be. A man who ran with such strength the race he had in the world that today you and I are still on his foundation. You have a race. Do you know what it is? God has called you to be a new person to run the new race he has given you. Do you know how to do it? On this path together, as we advance, we will find out what race it is, and together we will begin to run. 24 YEARS LATER Twenty-four years after leaving Tarsus, Paul, for his race, and after going to Bernabé for him, he was in a Roman prison, knowing that his race was ending soon, and thinking of all the roads he had traveled, all the phases of his race, all the miles he had traveled, he knew he could write one last letter, and he thought of the people and places to write to him. He thought of kings and rulers, important people he had met, but he decided not to write to them. He thought of all the important cities he had visited, all the centers of power, but he decided not to send it there. Instead, Paul wrote his last words for a young man who was at the beginning of his own race, a man named Timothy.

They are part of the last words of Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy. He says, As for you who are always sober, bear the suffering, do the work of an evangelist, complete your ministry. He says, I am being poured out as an offering, and my departure has come. I have fought the good battle, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Observe, in these final moments, what Paul longed to do was to look at the coming generation and tell them, your race is coming. I have finished mine, I have finished everything, and from here, Timothy, I want you to focus on completing your ministry. That is equivalent to finishing your race and obtaining victory. If you look at Paul's writings, he uses the word ministry 30 times, 15 times the metaphor of athletics, mainly race or running, but it means the same. Well, what is your ministry? What is a race? Well, put simply, your race is the land that God wants you to conquer.

That is the point. The race is not turning in circles. It is not just going and coming. Maybe that is how life feels. Good news. God did not make you for the living uncle. God made you to take up new land. That is what he is looking for in your life. Paul said it like this, in a letter to the Ephesians. He says, We are his work, Created in Christ Jesus for good works. Paul says, why do you exist? The reason you were created is for good works. The work is to take new ground. It's progress. Some say, I didn't know that. Yes, apply it in your work. You could ascend. That's the point. Take new ground in your life. You think God has a goal of contribution. But by default, you and I started with a goal of consumption for life. It's like my dog, Rooster. He has a goal of consumption for his life, for sure. I took this video of him yesterday morning, doing what he always does, which is chewing things. Probably something he shouldn't have.

About a month ago, Sarah and I went to a wedding retreat. A great opportunity. We had a flight at 6 o'clock in the morning. And the night before, we had to take our dogs to La Perrera before 7 o'clock at night. La Perrera is 30 minutes from our house. At 6 and 29 in the afternoon, Rooster went to the bathroom. He found a pair of Sarah's panties on the floor and swallowed them whole. This is bad. We have a flight. This is bad. So I called my neighbor, who is also our veterinarian. I said, what do I do? He said, come here. I have hydrogen peroxide. You have to give it to him to swallow. And that will make him vomit. So I said, great. Give me the hydrogen peroxide. I found a syringe in my workshop and applied the hydrogen peroxide to Rooster's throat. It was like feeding a raptor with a spoon. It didn't work. It's going everywhere. It's falling on me. It's horrible. I move on to plan B. Plan B is that Rooster is dizzy. He has vomited in every car ride of his life. So I think, great.

We're going to be late to La Perrera. And I throw him in the back of our 16-year-old minivan. And I drive like Dale Earnhardt to La Perrera. It's in the countryside. So I take those 25-mile-per-hour rural road curves, like 55 miles per hour. Everyone bounces in the truck, grabbing each other. It doesn't work. The dog doesn't vomit. We get to the station. He was drooling over the hydrogen peroxide. It looks like he's angry. And we say, well, here's our dog. We're leaving. Goodbye. I know you want to know the end. Good news. Rooster pooped on his underwear three days later. And so everything is fine if it ends well. We just rinsed them. Now they're back in rotation. So part of my career is sleeping on the couch today because I told that story. But it's worth it. The point is, God doesn't want you and I to have the same purpose for our lives as Rooster has for his own. He doesn't want it. But many of us do. Many think that the purpose of life is consumption. I simply consume information and news headlines.

And I have hot political opinions. I simply devour every update that comes out. A new phone comes out. I buy the new one. Something new. I buy the new one. I improve my house and my car. Maybe I'll improve my spouse someday. Who knows? I simply devour improvements. No, no, no. God doesn't have a purpose for your life. He has a purpose for contribution. His purpose for you is progress. Not mere participation. We all participate. Some say, yes, I heard that. Pablo said that everyone runs. Yes, everyone runs. That's why you might feel exhausted even if you're moving forward. All runners run. But not everyone gets the award. Not everyone progresses. And there's no participation trophy for life. That's not God's purpose. He says, man, I wanted to take you to the end. And then just thank you for being here. That's not what he's looking for. He says there's a reward.

And the reward is the result that you take the land that God has specifically assigned to you. Separated intentionally so that you assume it in this world and in your life. To achieve it, it is necessary for you and I to mature. We cannot achieve it with our current capacity. Therefore, your career demands constant growth. I don't know what you think your career is right now. But I'm telling you that if you can achieve and win within your current character and your current capabilities, either you're delirious or it's not your career. It's not. Pablo had to learn this. We saw that in the video. Pablo tried to make it happen and ended up in a cave for 10 years. How does that happen? How does a guy go from a blind light to a cave? Well, it's because Pablo tried to leave and fulfill his career within his old capacities, within his old character. and runs his new career as he lived his old life. In his past life, he had been trying to impose religion on people, just as I am trying to inject hydrogen peroxide into a rooster. It's identical. It doesn't work. It doesn't work. And in his new career, Acts 9 says, he leaves immediately after the blinding light. Immediately. But it doesn't work. People reject him and get angry. They try to kill him. Divisions everywhere.

And so he was sent home for a decade as a failure. And it was in that moment, in that place, where Paul had to discover the key that he needed to mature. How do you do it? How do you grow? You don't grow without intention. You don't grow without a training plan. In that letter to the Corinthians, we have seen where Paul says that all runners run and aim for the prize. He also says this, everyone who competes in the Games enters into strict training. Now there are many training plans in the world that promise to lead you to the growth you desire and the life you want. There is a popular one in the world, the plan of zeal. It says that if I just strive without stopping, that will lead to progress, that will lead to prestige and wealth, and that will lead to happiness. That is the method of the hustle and bustle to move forward and change your life. There is a message of the Gospel of prosperity. One who stumbles on the word of the Bible. That sounds like, if I just have the right beliefs, God will bless my life, I will avoid suffering, that would be great. And then I will have a little position and prestige,

and finally, the prosperity in my life is what God has. It will be a glorious form. There is an old version of religion, of a training plan, that leads to a better life. It is like the one that Paul used before, but there are versions of this that exist now. It says, if I can handle my behavior very well, do everything right, not do everything wrong, that will lead to purity. God will notice my purity, that will give me status. That status will give me power over all the fools who are not as good as I am. That is the religious plan to progress. But it turns out that in reality, there is only one path, only one path that leads you to grow, and to become the man or woman that can win the career that God has for you. The one that Paul discovered, I think, inside that cave. But when he details it in Romans 5, we enjoy our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint us. Suffering, resistance, character, hope. And I think it was here that Paul learned that lesson.

Why do I think that? Because a different Paul came out of this cave for that. A Paul who surely had suffered. A Paul who had endured this decade, and his character changed to a person with hope, who continued to change the world. It begins in affliction. Is that hard? Yes, it is very hard. I think, man, it would be better for Kyle to bring something on his journey, if it were as easy as bringing peace. It leads to prosperity, it leads to the incredible. That would be incredible. I would love it if that were the path. It is not. It is not. And I do not help you. We do not help you if we do not deal with the reality of what God said that leads us to run and win our career. And it begins with difficulty. Yes, it is hard, but it is worth it. Jesus called to this path, the narrow path. He said that few people are willing to take it, but he promised that all who do it, all who come out of the comfortable cave where they are, where they only know everything and everyone, all who come out will find the true life. Paul put it like this. In his letter to Ephesus, he said,

Wake up, sleeper, and rise from among the dead, and Christ will shine over you. So God says, if you trust me, if you are willing to do something new, if you are willing to leave your comfortable place where you have been stuck for the last decade or more, if you are willing, there is something better waiting for you. That is the promise of this journey. There is more and there is something better. God wants to empower you and equip you and change you and remodel you to take the specific ground that he has set aside for you. And I mean specific because your career is singular. Your career is not my career and vice versa. We heard Nerulia before, a Turkish believer, Bob. Bob has a different career than mine. Nerulia has it. Hanna has a different career than mine, Brian. Everyone has a unique career. That is by design. This week, the main goal is to start defining it. Every week in your group, there is a golden question that your group leader knows. knows that everyone needs to respond. And the golden question of this week is basically, what do you think your career is? And I know you could think, I don't know how to define that, but we're really going to start there. What is the path that you have drawn for me? What is the trajectory that you want me to follow in my life?

And if that seems too soon to you, like, how will I know what God has for me? If it seems too soon to you, relax. We're just looking for an eraser. It can change. We can refine it. It's OK. We're looking for an eraser to start. What is your career? Before I leave, I have five quick tips to define your career. Number one, don't discard it. By thinking, meditating, and praying about this, the materials will help you. They will help you process it, talk to God. By doing that, you might want to discard your career as insignificant. Maybe you think it's not something big or global. It doesn't fit. Don't ignore it. Think of my grandfather, my mom's dad, my grandfather, Ball. He was born to a 14-year-old mother. He never met his father. His mother had horrible mental health problems and died very young. And so my grandfather was raised by her parents, who owned and managed a bar. And so literally, he didn't know his father, and he was raised on the floor of a bar.

That man found faith. And by having nine children, 35 grandchildren, and dozens and dozens of great-grandchildren, and not just his family, but anyone who felt alone and lost in his life, he knew that his vocation was to be a father, like a verb. I imagine it would have been tempting for him to discard that as something insignificant. But don't do it. You don't know the domino effects and the generational impact. My life wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't be the father I am to my family or this church without him. You don't know what God will do in you. Your career could be similar. It could be redeeming, being a father, or redeeming, being a mother. It could be, in your family of origin, breaking the cycle of addiction or abuse or stopping the pattern of bitterness that has kept you stuck. I don't know what it is, but don't discard it as something insignificant. It isn't. It's the land that God wants you to take. It's crucial for his kingdom. Now, tip number two. Don't assume that it's impossible. God can give you something and you'll think, that's out of my capacity.

Yes, that happened to me. I was 23 years old asking God what to do. I was deviated. I was going in my own direction. I had a corporate career and this was what I did. And God made it clear to me that there was another way. I spent time asking him, what is God? Where do you want me to go? One night, while I was praying, these four words came to my mind. I wrote them down. Evangelizing a new church. You say, that's what it says? I promise that's what it says. I'm fit to be a doctor because you don't read my letter. That's what it is. And that was stimulating, but also intimidating. And by the way, new church doesn't mean like, you know, new theology, totally new things. It's not that. People are surprised at crossroads. The more time you spend, you'll see that we are orthodox, conservative, and traditional in our beliefs. New only means a new way of reaching people today. Paul expressed it like this in his letter to the Corinthians. He said, to the Jews, I became a Jew to win over the Jews. To those who are out of the law, I became as if I were out of the law to be able to win over those who are out of the law. To the weak, I became weak to be able to win over the weak.

I have become everything for everyone to be able to save some through all means. That has basically been my vocation since then. To be an American of the 21st century. To be an American of the 21st century. That's why we have videos and lights and everything. Because that's what we Americans understand. Those are the tools that the world uses to convince us of history and the way. So we say, great. If you understand that, we'll use that. Great. It has been my career, but then it was stimulating, but more intimidating. Because I think, God, I don't know. I don't know how to make that path. I was 23 years old in a corporate career. My only ministerial experience was being a volunteer helping to lead a youth group in high school in a very old and traditional Methodist church where I didn't go. It was impossible. You could have a career like that where when you think about it, you say, God, it's impossible. No importa cual sea tu carrera, grande o pequeña, es imposible para ti. Es totalmente imposible. No puedes hacerlo. Pero afortunadamente sigues a un Dios que sí puede. Jesús dijo en Mateo 19. Sí, aplaudan por eso.

Dijo, para el hombre, esto es imposible. But for God, all things are possible. It's because it's not about your strength. It's about His strength. Paul understood this in his career. That's why he was actually mocked for his weaknesses, his failures, and his inability to do what God said. In his second letter to the Corinthians he said, but he said to me, Enough of my grace, for my power is perfected in weakness. Therefore, I will glorify myself with much more grace in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Guess what? God does not exchange power for pride. God does not exchange power for achievements. God does not exchange power for tenths in your list of spiritual qualifications. God gives power to people who know they are weak, and who do not have what is necessary. Whatever your vocation, I tell you, it is not impossible for God. Number three. Do not compare your career with that of others. You will be in your group and you will share your career. There will always be that little thing in you that just wants to compare and measure, you know? You, me, you, me, how important is my career? And maybe someone shares something and yours sits here and thinks, Okay, I'm not up to it when I share it. Do not measure, do not compare. You do not have that rule. You do not know the domino effects.

You do not know what your career is. You do not know what the final result is. None of us knows. Do not measure, do not compare. Maybe your career is to start something new to bless and build people. A friend of mine, apart from her career, was to start a non-profit organization to help dress children in Cincinnati. By the way, that seemed impossible to her. She is a nurse, she still is. She has never led anything, she has never done anything, but she has achieved it, and she is doing it, and it is having a great impact. Maybe your career includes expanding your family. One of the most impressive people I have met is a young father whose career focuses on adoption. He has adopted children with special needs, which are difficult. I do not know what your career is, but it is yours. Do not compare it to anyone else's. The following is, do not focus on your past. One of the temptations when these thoughts come to you, and when God begins to talk to you about your career, is that you are looking forward, but your head is still turning a little backwards, over your shoulder, thinking about the things that have happened, behind you, and behind your back. You know, Paul has an advice. Remember, this whole trip is, follow me as I follow Christ. Do you know what Paul would say about thinking and focusing on your past, and your mistakes, and what has happened? He would say, forget it.

Literally, that is what he says. His letter to the Philippians. He says, I continue to take possession of that for which Christ Jesus took possession of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have already attained it, but one thing I do, forgetting what is left behind, and striving towards what is ahead. I continue to the goal to win the prize for which God has called me in the heavenly in Christ Jesus. Paul's advice, forget what is behind you. This is the guy who killed Christians. This is the guy who spent ten years of failure in a cave. He says, forget it and march towards what God has for you. Perhaps you have been running for a long time in your career. Perhaps you are at the point of inflection in life where it seemed you knew what your career was. Perhaps you were focused on raising children, or being a business leader, but recently you have retired, or now your children have left home. Well, my friend, good news. That was just a stage of your career, not everything. You can ask God what is the career of which that was a stage, and what is this stage that he has for you to run. The last and perhaps most important thing is to look at the prize. Look at the horizon. You will see there is a prize that is here and now for you. There is a prize while you are running your career that seems peace, that surpasses understanding, that seems purpose in your day to day, that seems to be full of grace and hope,

that overflows and changes the people around you. And there is a prize that comes later. And later, there is a prize that seems to be like Paul. When you reach the end of your life, and you know that the finish line is near, do not be afraid, do not feel weak, but feel a power in you that allows you to cross the finish line of life, knowing that you have done everything and that you will be given the prize. Friends, that is what we want for you. That is the goal for each one of us, because that is the goal of God for you. I pray for you while you start this career. God, thank you for the fact that you did not design us or build us to be spectators. You could have done it. You could have made us only observers of your work, and instead you have invited us to it. God, would you give us ears to listen to you? Holy Spirit, I am asking you to speak to each one of us this week. In the next seven days, will we hear your voice? Maybe it will be a whisper in the background. of our mind. Maybe it's a little push, or maybe it's strong and overwhelming to get our attention. I don't care. You would talk to us and you would begin to define the career, the terrain you want us to take in our lives, and maybe we have the courage to follow you. Amen.