How to Move Forward with Faith and Purpose
2: Learn Important Lessons from the Past
The past offers us more than just nostalgia; it provides critical lessons for the present. Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us of the “great cloud of witnesses” whose stories inspire us to stay faithful:
“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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)
Learn from POSITIVE examples.
We have here a popular New Testament race metaphor. The picture here is running into a stadium with a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on. And who is in this crowd? Well, the word “therefore” at the beginning of chapter 12 connects us back to chapter 11 which contains the famous Hall of Faith. It includes bible heroes like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Sampson, David, Samuel, and many more. As these Old Testament heroes were running their own race, some of them faced jeers and flogging, they were stoned and sawed in two, they faced death by sword, and were persecuted and mistreated, they wandered in deserts, and caves, and holes in the ground. They all faced their own crossroads.
But early in chapter 11, the author of Hebrews reveals why this list is important to people like us who can only see the example of these heroes through a rear-view-mirror. In speaking of Abel and his controversial his worship offering, he says in 11:4, “And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.”
We can still learn from his positive example many generations later, because his example still speaks to us. We must gain strength from this “cloud of witnesses” as we run in our own arena of life because they are not just witnessing our run, they are witnessing to us as we run that God is faithful. Their lives are shouting, “Don’t give up, keep pressing on, keep enduring when times get hard.” It’s not just them looking to us as we run our race, but we are looking at how they ran theirs.
You see, these heroes are not just uninterested observers, but former runners who successfully completed the race themselves. They know what is involved. They know of the blood sweat and tears. They understand the sleepless nights and the stress-filled days. They experienced the conflict and the pain. And from the pages of scripture these witnesses cry out to us declaring the faithfulness of God.
Part of finding your way forward when you’re at a crossroads in life or ministry is to remember that you are standing on the shoulders of those who have also run the race. In this case we can read and study about their lives in the pages of Scripture. But there may also be some of these heroes who are still alive and can be reached by phone or email or zoom. Talk to them, ask them, get curious with them, let them in. What does it look like for you to be faithful in this moment? Learn positive lessons from those who have gone before.
But we don’t only learn from positive examples; we must also reflect on negative lessons to avoid repeating mistakes.
Learn from NEGATIVE examples
We must become students of the past; of our collective history so that we can avoid repeating mistakes again and again. Some years ago, the US government hired a company to build and run their new health care website. Over time it came out that this was a Canadian company. Irony aside, this company had also recently been fired by the Canadian government for their inability to build a functioning website for their national health care system. Governments are not great at learning from past mistakes.
Too many couples get married and swear they will never repeat the dysfunctions of their family of origin, and yet before long they find themselves in the same cycles of violence and drinking and destruction and cheating that they swore to avoid. And they’re now inflicting on their own children the sins and habits that they swore would end.
Many church leaders make similar mistakes. Trusting old ways of thinking, old habits, and old methods that stopped working long ago, and yet we turn to them again and again as we’re considering our future. As the leaders of God’s people, we must become students of our collective history and our individual histories so that we don’t make the same mistakes.
The history of church leadership offers many lessons in the importance of avoiding the mistakes of the past. For instance, in the 15th and 16th centuries, the church faced a crisis of credibility and corruption as leaders prioritized power, wealth, and political influence over spiritual integrity. This behavior directly contributed to the Protestant Reformation, a seismic event that exposed the dangers of neglecting accountability and failing to self-correct. Yet even after this wake-up call, history has shown that some church leaders and denominations have repeated similar mistakes—placing institutional preservation above Christ-centered discipleship, or enabling toxic leadership cultures that prioritize charisma over character.
More recently, many churches have been slow to respond to cultural and generational shifts, relying on outdated ministry models that alienate younger generations or fail to address pressing societal issues with relevance and compassion. Instead of evaluating why these methods no longer resonate or seeking new ways to minister effectively, some leaders stubbornly cling to “the way we’ve always done it,” repeating cycles of decline and disconnection.
As leaders of God’s people, we must not ignore the lessons of history. By examining the failures of those who came before us—whether moral failings, cultural blindness, or resistance to change—we can step forward in humility, acknowledging our need for wisdom, accountability, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Through Christ, we have the opportunity not only to avoid repeating these mistakes but to lead with renewed faithfulness and courage into a future of hope and transformation.
One of the ways we stand on the shoulders of the past is to learn from both the positive examples and negative mistakes of the past – and in the power of Christ step into the future.
Practical Tip for Leaders: Take time to reflect on your ministry’s history. Identify one positive example to emulate and one negative example to avoid. Share these lessons with your team and discuss how they can shape your leadership moving forward.
