Acts 17:26-27 ~ And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
The chatter on Facebook and other social media sites yesterday was abuzz with College Football comments, cheers and pics of fans sporting the colors and logos to the tune of millions of dollars in revenue for the teams. Postgame comments of the losing team fans left one wondering if they actually owned stock in the company. I guess technically they do with all the team merchandise they’ve bought. And then there’s Sunday. This is my game day! I’m every bit as excited about what is going transpire in a few hours on my home court as the fanatical collegiate sports nuts were yesterday. I’ve got my game face on! And my day will be spent without regret, foul language or poor sportsmanship. Go Team Jesus!
While there is but one Church, one body in Christ, there are many members of that body. And although some wear their denomination like a team jersey and feel that they have exclusive rights to the clubhouse God will disprove that theory one day when they’re shocked to discover who their neighbor in Heaven is. But while we live down here on earth we each have our perspective bounds of habitation. Those places of appointment that God has given us to serve in. For me it’s Victory Baptist Church in Grantsville, West Virginia; that’s home field. The place that I feel happy!
Why is it, perhaps you can explain it to me; that the same people who are screaming bloody murder for their home team yesterday can’t give a shout out to the Lord today, or (you’ll have to forgive me) can’t even get out of bed to go to their own home field? Why is it that people will spend hundreds of dollars on home team paraphernalia but feel it’s a burden to contribute to the ministry? I know, I’m likely preaching to the choir if you’re reading this, but I feel we all have something to learn from fanatical living.
If your place of worship does not have you in that happy place this morning you are either in the wrong place or your heart’s not in the game. When the preacher gets up in the pulpit this morning you should be cheering him on, (we should have prayed him in). He’s got the play book! Every word that comes out of his mouth has the potential to win the game for you if you’ll take it and run with it. Our game doesn’t end at noon either, it’s just starting when the church bell rings. It was the preacher’s game from eleven to noon (Or whatever your perspective services run). But now it’s time for you to hit the field. The great thing about Team Jesus is everyone has the opportunity to play, God’s got no favorites! That alone ought to put a shout on you. You don’t need any equipment other than the Word of God, and it’s better than a set of football pads, it’s a shield of armor and two edge sword. Our cheerleaders are a host of angels in Heaven that would likely deafen us if we could hear their shouts of joy! And the trophy you’re after … eternal life for that soul outside the stadium who’s in the game without a coach or protection from the opposing team. They don’t stand a chance if someone doesn’t defend them.
So… it’s game day, are you ready?
