Run with the Trophy in Hand

 2/15/26

Stetson Memorial UMC

Scripture: Acts 10: 44-48

 
2026 Winter Olympics                        

< Live vs. Highlights>

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, how are you holding up this winter? I know, for some of you, it feels like this Maine winter is just too long and far too cold. Even if you’ve lived here for decades, you never quite get used to that biting wind, do you? But for others, this is the most exciting time of the year. We just finished the Super Bowl last Sunday, the 2026 Winter Olympics are in full swing, and if you have grandkids, I bet your calendars are packed with hockey games and basketball tournaments.

I want to ask you a question: Have you ever watched a game Live where the score was neck-and-neck until the very last second? When you watch it live, your heart pounds. You’re anxious. You’re sweating. In Korean, we say, “Your palms are sweating”. You don’t know how it’s going to end, so every mistake feels like a disaster.

But think about the difference when you watch the Highlights of a game that is already over. You already know your team won! You can lie back on your sofa, relax, and watch a snowboarder do a 1080-degree flip or a skier fly down a mountain with a smile on your face. You aren’t nervous because the victory is already secured.

I want you to imagine this today as "Running with the Trophy in Hand." When we run a race without knowing the outcome, we run with fear. But if you are already holding the trophy while you run—knowing the gold medal is yours—you can climb the steepest hills and navigate the muddiest valleys with deep peace and gratitude.

Today, as we dive into the Book of Acts, we are going to look behind the "Live" broadcast of our messy lives to see the "Spirit’s Highlight Reel." We are going to see that we aren't fighting for victory; we are running from a victory that has already been won.

 

< The Secret Protagonist of History >

The Book of Acts was written by Luke, the physician and companion of the Apostle Paul. If the Gospel of Luke tells us what Jesus started to do, the Book of Acts tells us what the Holy Spirit continues to do. It covers thirty years of the early Church.

On the surface, it looks like a story about famous people like Peter(1-12) or Paul(13-28). But the real protagonist—the one actually calling the plays—is the Holy Spirit. This isn't just a "religious book"; it is a record of how the Spirit moved through real history. Some people ask, “Can we trust these stories of miracles?” But ancient history and secular literature from that time actually back up these events.

Specifically, Luke uses a special technique. Six times throughout the book, he pauses the "Live" action to give us a "Highlight Summary." He wants us to see that even when things looked chaotic on the outside, the Spirit was winning. Let’s look at how the Holy Spirit writes history beyond our imagination.

 

< The Six Highlights of Victory >

Highlight #1: The Word Spreads in Jerusalem (6:7)

At the beginning, the "Live" situation was terrifying. Jesus was gone. The authorities were hunting the disciples. Jesus told them to wait in an upper room for a "Spirit" they had never seen. 120 people stayed in a room for ten days. Can you imagine the tension? "Is anyone coming? Are we going to be arrested?"

But then, the Spirit fell like fire! Peter preached, 3,000 people were saved, and the church began to care for the poor. Luke pauses the tension and gives us the first Highlight in Acts 6:7:

"The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem."

 

Highlight #2: Expansion through Persecution (9:31)

Next, a tragedy happened. Stephen, a godly leader, was stoned to death. The "Live" broadcast looked like a total defeat. The believers fled Jerusalem in fear. It looked like the team was being destroyed.

But wait—look at the Highlight Reel! The Spirit used that scattering to push the Gospel into Samaria—a place the Jews hated. Even an official from Ethiopia was saved. Luke summarizes the victory in Acts 9:31:

"The church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up... and it increased in numbers."

 

Highlight #3: Breaking the Gentile Barrier (12:24)

Then came Peter’s turn to be confused. God showed him a vision of "unclean" food and told him to eat. Peter didn't understand. But the Spirit was rewriting history! Peter went to the house of Cornelius, a Roman soldier, and saw the Spirit fall on the "outsiders." The "Live" moment was awkward and strange for Peter, but the Highlight Reel in Acts 12:24 tells the truth:

"But the word of God continued to advance and gain adherents."

 

Highlight #4: The First Global Mission (16:5)

In Antioch, the Spirit told the church to send away their two best leaders, Paul and Barnabas. Humanly speaking, it made no sense to lose your best pastors. But they obeyed. They traveled through Cyprus and Asia Minor. What was the result? The Highlight in Acts 16:5 says:

"So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily."

 

Highlight #5: Turning Toward Europe (19:20)

Paul wanted to go one way, but the Spirit blocked him. Paul was frustrated—his "Live" plans were being canceled. But then he had a vision of a man in Macedonia. Because Paul followed the Spirit's detour, the Gospel entered Europe. New partners like Lydia and Priscilla joined the team. Luke summarizes in Acts 19:20:

"So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed."

 

Highlight #6: The Unstoppable Gospel in Rome (28:31)

Finally, Paul goes to Rome. But he goes as a prisoner! He is shipwrecked, bitten by a snake, and held in chains. If you were watching "Live," you’d say, "The mission is over. Paul is finished." But the Holy Spirit says, "I have him exactly where I want him." The book ends with this beautiful Highlight in Acts 28:31:

"Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance."

This word, without hindrance (in Greek: akōlytōs) is the most significant conclusion of the Book of Acts. It captures the powerful paradox that while Paul was confined in chains, the Gospel was spreading 'without hindrance.'

< Writing Acts 2026 >

Do you notice something strange about the end of Acts? It doesn't have a formal "The End." It feels unfinished. That’s because the Holy Spirit is still writing! He wrote Chapter 28, and now He is asking us to write "Acts 2026" here in Patten, Stetson Memorial UMC.

What is the "Live" broadcast of your life today? What is making your palms sweat? Is it a diagnosis from a doctor? Is it the pain of a broken relationship or a divorce? Is it the heavy heart you carry for a child struggling with addiction? When we watch our lives "Live," we feel like we are losing.

However, this past week, I met many of you who are already living out the Holy Spirit’s 'Highlight Reel,' running with the trophy in your hands. My heart was deeply moved as I heard your stories—stories of falling and stumbling, yet rising again by the Lord’s strength. Even when you felt surrounded on every side by hardship, you held onto God’s Word, trusting the One who always provides a way out. Seeing you endure with such steadfast faith truly warmed my heart.

I sometimes get stuck in the "Live" stress too. My children sometimes tell me, "Mom, why are you so worried? We’re doing okay! You can stop nagging us to clean!" (They want me to stop nagging, and they have a point) They remind me to look at the Highlight Reel. They remind me that God is growing them, and I can trust Him.

 

< Fighting From the Victory>

Brothers and sisters, we need each other. When you are too tired to see the victory, when your hands are shaking with fear, we need to reach out and hold each other’s hands. We need to say to one another, "Let's stop watching the stress of the 'Live' game and start looking at the Spirit's Highlight Reel together."

The theologian Watchman Nee said it best: "We are not fighting for victory! We are fighting from victory!" You aren't running to see if you can win the trophy. Jesus already won it on the Cross. He handed it to you at the starting line. So today, take a deep breath. Let the Holy Spirit rewrite your "miserable story" into a "wonderful His-story, History."

Run with the trophy in your hand. Climb those hills with confidence. Face the winter with hope. Because the Word of God is still spreading, still increasing, and it will surely prevail. Amen.

Hudson Taylor (Missionary to China)’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, I am no longer going to try to be holy or strong by my own power. I give You my weakness, and I take Your strength. I give You my failures, and I take Your victory. I thank You that I am a limb of Your body, a branch of Your vine. I am not fighting for the Victory, but fighting from Victory. Your victory is my victory, right now. Amen

 rit’s victory over your weakness