Play Ball

When I was younger I never gave the importance of attending church much thought. It seemed to me that church was there for me to get fed and recharged. I was not concerned if I missed a service here or there, or if I skipped several weeks in a row. I mean the same people were there talking about the same things right? Well, thankfully, many years have passed and I no longer feel quite that way. Do I think its okay to miss church now and then? Absolutely! But, I’m even more thankful that the Lord has shown me that church is not about me, it’s about Him. It’s about being encouraged and equipped for certain, but it’s also about encouraging and serving others even more.

The cry “Play Ball” went out everywhere last month and our numbers in the children’s programs have taken a noticeable dip in attendance. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “He’s going to criticize me for taking my child to a baseball or soccer game on Sunday morning or Wednesday night.” No, not exactly. I have been involved in athletics for most of my life, so I certainly understand the importance of relying on others in order to win.

As parents, we are given Biblical instruction to raise a child in the way he should go and they will not depart from it. In truth, there are some things that sports or other programs will teach our children that we simply can’t do on our own. The team concept and structure of learning to rely on others is a vital ingredient in placing ones faith in Christ. Until a child sees his utter sinfulness and need of a savior, they simply won’t see the urgency or need of salvation. Realizing that they can’t “win” without Jesus is a necessary fundamental and a good concept taught in sports.

Now it is true from my own personal and highly biased perspective, I wish there were no games played on Sundays or Wednesdays, but such is our society today. We are subject to schedules and time constraints. Yet, we need to remember and remind ourselves that we are to be in the world, but not of the world. Taking a stand for what is right is never easy. Teaching our children to take a stand is even harder. As parents, we need to consistently and constantly balance our children’s schedules to ensure that they have opportunities to grow but also to develop a strong passion and desire for God.

Run to Win

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." (1 Corinthians 9:24...italics added)
Have you ever heard of these track superstars? Chances are you might recognize a name or two, but others might be foreign to you. Take a look and see:
Ignatius of Antioch.
Polycarp.
Perpetua.
Boniface.
Thomas Becket.
Jan Hus.
Hugh Latimer
Nicholas Ridley.
Eric Liddell.
Ed McCully.
Roger Youderian.
Pete Fleming.

All of these men and women, and others that I havent the time or space to mention, ran gold medal races. And yet, some of them aren't known to us and have been relegated to the ranks of the unknown, unseen heroes of the faith...they are the ones described by the Greek word "martus"...the testifiers to the worthiness of running the race of faith.

There is a great book available for you to purchase entitled, "131 Christians Everyone Should Know", put together by the collective efforts of the editors of Christian History Magazine. I highly encourage you to get this book and add it to your library.

Within it's chapters, you will be reminded again and again that the Race of Faith is real. For some, it has cost their very lives. For others, it came at great personal and individual sacrifice of reputation, prestige, power, influence and wealth...all the things to which well all desire to both aspire and cling. And yet, they ran the race with a goal in mind: they wanted to win.

Last Sunday, we looked at Hebrews 12:1-3 and (hopefully) discovered that there is no such thing as a "free race"...in other words, running the race is going to cost you something. Perhaps the cost to you will be that hindrance...the thing you and I love, but yet weighs us down and causes us not to run as fast as we can. Maybe it will be the decision to go to battle with that sin that so easily entangles...that habitual sin that, for one reason or the other, you and I have somehow not destroyed from the root. And, like that tiny, seemingly harmless little vine off of my back patio, just when you think you have it clipped, it comes back almost overnight and has you wrapped around the legs in an attempt to possess you.

Whatever is causing you to be slow or trip, get rid of it. Turn loose of the weight and deal with the root of the sin. Make your lists and start your race training. Be rigourous. Be vigilant. Be eccentric if you have to be. Do not settle for limping across the finish line. Do whatever it takes to be men and women possessed solely by the prize.

And who knows...maybe someday there will be a book of Faith Champion Runners that has your name in the list.

He has run the race, and the victory's been won!
Our God was victorious; He gave us His Son
Now the victory is ours...He died in our place
Now we, in His power can get on with the race.

Those weights that deter us must not weigh us down;
They rob us of joy and of Heaven’s sweet crown.
And by His sweet grace, may we see oe’r and oe’r
Those besetting sins will destroy us no more.

We can still have the victory; God has conquered the sin
So why don’t we right now...start over again?
With a fresh breath of Heaven, His will to resign
Let’s shout it together: "The victory’s mine!"