It doesn’t matter how slow you are, run for Jesus...
Gavin Calver
When Evangelical Alliance CEO Gavin Calver preached recently in Daventry at a church plant from Rugby Elim, he issued a rallying call, not just to that congregation, but to churches across the land: keep going, don’t shrink back, live by faith. His message was rooted in Hebrews 10:35-38.
Do not throw away your confidence – the call to bold faith
“We need to be confident in the Lord in this season,” Calver said. Don’t let people take your confidence away by making you always take the worst picture on what God’s doing.”
This, he argued, lies at the heart of what the church must rediscover. His words echo the enduring admonition of the New Testament, that believers should “hold fast your boldness” (Hebrews 10:35) because to abandon it is to abandon hope itself.
But Calver didn’t just quote Scripture.
He painted a picture of contemporary Britain, where many churches hesitate to speak about Jesus, even in toddler groups, for fear of offending people. He described this as “bonkers”: if we don’t talk about Jesus in church, where else will He be spoken of?
“I was interviewed by a secular journalist for the BBC, and the first question he asked was, ‘Why is the church dying?’ My answer was basically that is the most ridiculous question I’ve ever heard! More people gave their lives to Jesus yesterday than on any day since He rose from the dead. And if you want better news still, more people will give their lives to Jesus today than did yesterday!
“I’ve never felt so much on a winning team. I’ve never felt so encouraged.
“The next question was why is the UK church dying. That’s a completely different question, I said. There’s not a British section in heaven, but globally the church is growing faster than ever. I just pray it happens more locally!”
RUNNING THE RACE
Perseverance when it gets tough
To illustrate perseverance, Calver drew on a vivid personal analogy. He recounted running the London Marathon, the first 13 miles flew by because he had trained for that distance; then came the gruelling middle of the race, where fatigue and discouragement set in, and by 23 miles he found himself feeling utterly unfit.
“I kept going,” he said. It doesn’t matter how slowly you run, but you must not stop … don’t let this obstacle be the end of your journey.”
His finish time, 4 hours 29 minutes 58 seconds, was far from glamorous. But it was a finish. The lesson? Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. And the path to God’s promises demands endurance, just as the author of Hebrews urges believers to “persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what He has promised.”
Calver acknowledged that enduring seldom looks neat and tidy. It might mean pressing on slowly while others surge ahead. “It doesn’t have to be quick … it doesn’t have to be gracious … but keep going,” he urged.
In our “instant culture,” says Calver, the temptation is to give up or walk away when faith becomes inconvenient or costly. But the Gospel calls us to persistence.
He shared a personal moment where, on a walking retreat, he told God he felt he couldn’t carry on leading the Evangelical Alliance any longer. The response from the Lord came back sharply: “I never told you it would be easy – I told you I would be with you.”
What could have been a moment to quit instead brought renewed vision: “I said to my board I would stay for at least a decade if they would let us dream. And we’ve been dreaming together.”
FAITHFULNESS
The long-haul commitment
Finally, Calver challenged the church to be faithful, not merely zealous in a season, but steadfast for life. He lamented the throwaway mentality of modern culture, where even a broken zip may lead to disposal, not repair. By contrast, true Christian faith is built for the long haul.
He told the story of his late grandfather, a “great man” who preached weekly until he was 85, then physically failed but remained mentally sharp, until he died aged 92. On his final public appearance, wheeled to the front at a diamond wedding celebration, he preached with trembling voice, reminding people that Jesus died, rose again, and offers life to all who believe. “Even at 92,” Calver said, “he was still confident that the Jesus he had given his life to would deliver in that moment.”
That, he said, is faithfulness: continuing to trust, preach, witness, love and serve, long after novelty has faded and energy has waned.
Calver hammered his message home with an anecdote of a father in a supermarket speaking to his infant, calmly repeating “Don’t worry, George, we’ll be home soon.”
The child screamed, the trolley filled up, the queue progressed, but the refrain stayed the same. Then came the twist: it was the father who was called George!
“Some of us have to have a pep talk with ourselves to keep going,” Calver reflected.
In a culture bombarded by despair and cynicism, the invitation of Calver’s sermon resonates. Hold fast. Keep going. Don’t shrink back. Live by faith.
This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.