​Mountain Marathons
As Christians we are called to be long distance mountain marathon runners – not just short distance sprinters.  Just as an athlete needs to build up their muscles and aerobic fitness, developing the strength and stamina for the endurance needed, so we need to stretch our faith, our devotion, our obedience and skills.  Christians need to stretch minds and muscles, escape from comfort zones and persevere – keep on keeping on – fighting the good fight of Faith.  "Holding fast the Word of life, so that I may rejoice in the Day of Christ that I have not run in vain or laboured in vain." Philippians 2:16
 
Essential Ingredients for Success
A successful athlete needs training.  Discipline.   Motivation.  Focus.  Persistence.  Perseverance.  Athletes need stamina.  They need to build up their oxygen levels so that they can run and not grow weary, walk and not faint.  This requires discipline and diligence.  Keeping on when you want to stop.  This requires stretches, stair training, repetitions of sprints, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and perseverance.  "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest,
​when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

​Much of the opposition and criticism which Christians receive is due to ignorance and misunderstandings of what a Christian actually is. From the very beginning, there were false accusations against Christians in the Roman Empire.

False Accusations
Christians were accused of cannibalism! “You Christians eat the flesh and drink the blood of people during your ceremonies!” Because the Lord’s Supper symbolically refers to eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Lord Jesus, certain Romans, either out of ignorance or malice, spread the rumour that the Christians were actually involved in human sacrifice and cannibalism!

Christians were accused of incest! “You Christians marry your brothers and sisters!” As Christians referred to everyone in the Church as their “brothers” and “sisters” in Christ, outsiders misunderstood this Spiritual brotherhood and accused believers of marrying close relatives.
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It may surprise you to know that for the first three centuries of the Christian Church believers were accused of Atheism! Because Christians refused to worship the gods of Rome they were attacked as “Atheists!” When Christians were being condemned to death in the arena the cry often was: “Away with the Atheists!”