When I teach passing, I emphasize to the player without
the ball that he needs to be standing in the ready position and look as though
he wants the ball. When teaching kids, I often point out the type of youth
player that stands with his arms at his side, shoulders slumped, etc. And then
the player complains that he never gets the ball. There must be a posture of
readiness…
Likewise, I teach the one with the ball the proper way to
not only make different passes, but also why different types of passes are
needed in order to be successful… (i.e. a chest pass is the fastest pass from
point A to point B, but also the one that is easiest to steal or deflect, so a
bounce pass becomes a better option in traffic…) I get as detailed as showing
how to hold the ball, what the passer’s hands should do, and, of great
importance, where the receiver should catch the ball…
And one thing I have found about readiness in passing, it
is hard to make a pass or catch one with clenched fists… there must be open
hands.
Last week I talked of the crazy times we are in, but the
following truths are relevant for any time. To be successful in following the
Great Commission of sharing the hope of the Gospel, there needs to be a posture
of readiness and technique that can adapt to the situation. There has to be a
proper posture and an “unclenching of fists” in order for the exchange to be
made. Let me explain via a Biblical example:
In Acts 17 we find Paul ministering in Athens and taken
by the philosophers to the Areopagus… Paul’s goal was to “pass” the good news
of the Gospel on to them but made a choice to not “throw a chest pass” (not
just make a direct statement about the Gospel.) Instead he “threw a bounce pass”
where he started by praising them… vs 22 Men of Athens, I perceive that in all
things you are very religious…, which I believe caused them to “open up their
hands to receive the pass”… and then he used the very objects of their worship
to direct their attention to the one true God!
The simple point I am trying to make is that Paul did not
go into the Areopagus to fight, but instead to share… his posture was one of
respect, and he was able to share truth to some “open hands”! He didn’t come
out swinging at their false beliefs… If we are trying to share God’s love,
shouldn’t we try to do it without a fight?
Find ways to share the Gospel, that are culturally relevant.
My simple rule is: The message is NEVER changing; but the methods are EVER changing!
A ready posture is one that understands the situation and
makes the correct “pass”!
1 Corinthians 9:22b I have become all things to all men
that, that I might by all means save some.
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