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In July 2024, millions will 
flock to Paris for the Olympic 

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Games. 
But did you know 100 years ago 

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there was a man who stunned the 
entire world at the 1924 Paris 

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Olympics? 
Eric Lidl was born in China to 

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two Scottish missionaries, Mary 
and James Lidl. 

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So unstable was China in those 
days that they made the 

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difficult decision to put their 
two children, Eric and Roberts, 

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into a respectable boarding 
school in London. 

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It was here, at Eltham College, 
that Eric Lidl was to be made. 

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Even as a boy, It was clear that
Eric was very unique. 

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The headmaster described him as 
being entirely without vanity. 

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He came to sports. 
No one was better. 

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Not only was he the fastest 
runner in the school, but he won

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at the high jump, the long jump,
and he was the captain of both 

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the cricket and rugby team. 
God had assigned greatness to 

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Eric Lidl for a reason. 
Why? 

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Because he was trustworthy. 
He was humble and every 

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opportunity he got, he would 
share the gospel to anyone he 

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would listen. 
Whilst at the University of 

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Edinburgh, Eric joined the track
team and you guessed it, he won 

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race after race, beating every 
man in Scotland until the press 

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eventually gave him the nickname
the Flying Scotsman. 

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Although Eric was a humble man, 
he did not shy away from his 

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newfound fame and he took every 
opportunity to tell the crowds, 

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to tell the press, to speak at 
universities all about his 

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saviour who loved the world 
enough to dying across for 

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sinners. 
But Eric was about to get an 

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even bigger microphone to 
announce his faith to the world.

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On July the 6th, 1924, Eric Lidl
got the opportunity of a 

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lifetime, a chance to compete in
the Paris Olympics. 

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It was his race, the one he was 
favorite for the 100 meter 

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Sprint. 
But there was one huge problem. 

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The qualifying heat was held on 
a Sunday and Eric believed that 

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this was the Lord's Day and he 
had a conviction that it should 

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be kept special. 
In other words, he felt it would

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be wrong for him to run on that 
day. 

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Even back then, this was seen as
an over the top stance. 

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Lidl was the favorite to win and
he was letting down his country.

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After all, wouldn't God be 
pleased that he was bringing 

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back a gold medal to Scotland? 
But Eric stuck to his principles

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and instead competed in a 
completely different category in

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the 400 meters, a race that he 
had virtually no chance of 

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winning. 
July 11th, 1924, Eric Lidl was 

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preparing to run the hardest 
race of his life when he 

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received a little note from one 
of his team mates. 

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It's simply read in the old 
book. 

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It says he that honours me. 
I will honour wishing you the 

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best of success. 
Always as Eric got into position

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he could hear the words on your 
marks. 

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He knew he was the underdog get 
set. 

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He knew that he was on the 
outside lane and that he was 

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disadvantaged because he 
couldn't see the runners behind 

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him go. 
But that didn't stop the Flying 

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Scotsman from sprinting with all
of his might for the 1st 200 

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meters. 
However, fellow competitors 

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Horatio Fitch and Guy Butler 
began to catch him up on the 

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home streets. 
But to quote Lidl, the secret to

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his success for the 2nd 200 
metres with God's help, I run 

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harder. 
And he did. 

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Unbelievably. 
Not only did he win a gold medal

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for Scotland, but he broke the 
world record with an impressive 

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time of 47.6 seconds, A record 
that would be unbeatable for 12 

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whole years. 
It was official Eric Lidl was a 

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superstar with a glittering 
career of sports ahead of him. 

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And yet, at age 22, Lidl would 
do something even more 

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surprising than refusing to 
compete on a Sunday. 

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He made the decision to retire 
and throw it all away. 

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For what? 
For Jesus, little left all of 

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his comfort and glory behind and
moved back to China. 

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He lived in poor conditions, and
he had one goal. 

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He wanted to show the love of 
Christ to those you needed it 

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most. 
While it felt like missionary 

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work was tough, Eric hadn't seen
anything yet. 

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In 1941, the British Prime 
Minister advised all British 

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citizens to leave China and 
return to the UK. 

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So Eric's wife Florence went to 
Canada as she was with child 

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with their daughter Maureen, But
Eric remained in China after 

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relieving his brother Robert 
from an exhausted mission 

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station in Jio Zhang. 
Eric eventually was taken and 

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put in the Why Sheen internment 
camp, where it was noted that he

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poured himself out in love for 
the people there. 

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He ran Bible classes, he helped 
the elderly and organized games 

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for the youth who referred to 
him as Uncle Eric. 

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But sadly, our story doesn't 
quite have the happy ending that

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we were hoping for. 
Some blame the conditions of the

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camp, others say it was the bed 
squashed together, some say it 

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was because he only ate one meal
per day. 

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And other states it was the 
nervous breakdown that Eric had 

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from overwork. 
But whatever caused it? 

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At just 46 years of age, Little 
died from a brain tumor. 

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But I can hear exactly what 
you're saying, you say. 

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What kind of a reward is that 
for such a man of God who gave 

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up talent, who gave up success, 
who gave up fame, money, all for

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the Lord's work? 
Is this how God would repay him?

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Well, let's let Eric Liddle 
answer that question. 

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In the 34 years Eric Lidl served
as a missionary in China, he 

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only came back to Scotland 
twice. 

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And on one visit a lady asked 
him, do you regret your decision

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to leave all of the fame and 
accolades behind for an 

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unglamorous career as a 
missionary? 

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This is what Eric Lidl said. 
It's natural for a chap to think

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over all that sometimes, but I'm
glad I'm at the work. 

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I'm engaged now. 
A fellow's life counts far more 

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at this than the other, and I 
believe if Eric Little was here 

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today, he would ask you this 
question. 

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What race are you running? 
The Bible says, therefore we 

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also, since we are surrounded by
so great a cloud of witnesses, 

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let us lay aside every weight 
and the sin which so easily 

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ensnares us, and let us run with
endurance the race that is set 

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before us. 
Looking unto Jesus, the author 

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and finisher of our faith, I 
wonder now, after hearing the 

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story of Eric Little, I wonder 
if anyone today will start 

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running this race. 
Because did you know this? 

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Everyone who enters into this 
race wins. 

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Everyone who starts to chase 
after the Lord Jesus Christ gets

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surprised. 
Why? 

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Because as you run towards Jesus
Christ, he doesn't just stand 

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still. 
No, He runs to meet you also. 

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So it's impossible not to find 
him. 

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But you say to me, Joe, I don't 
know where to start. 

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Well, it's very simple. 
It's all you have to do is 

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change lanes. 
What if a race you've been 

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running right now, whether it's 
the rat race for more money, 

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where it's the race for more 
time, or if you're just running 

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a race for yourself. 
It's time that you switched 

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lanes and started running on the
Lord's track. 

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Because the moment you step foot
on His track, you'll see waiting

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for you at the finishing line is
the Lord Jesus Christ with His 

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arms open wide, those same arms 
which were pinned to a cross for

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your sin, dying there so that 
all of your sins, past, present 

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and future, can be washed away 
with his very blood. 

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There the Lord Jesus Christ 
waits to forgive you. 

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And if you step on that track 
today, you'll be forgiven. 

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You'll gain eternal life because
the one who rose in the dead 

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promises to give you eternal 
life and to take you to the 

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prize to heaven for all of 
eternity, to be with him if 

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today you'll start running. 
So the only question you need to

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ask yourself is this, will I do 
it? 

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Will I run towards Jesus Christ 
today?