May 29, 2023 - Play Hard AND Play Right

Last week we talked about the importance of “making contact” with the other team… about not laying back (a “4-Corners Stalling Offense”) and waiting for “safe shots” at sharing the Gospel. Typically, when I talk/write about such things it evokes 1 of 2 different responses…

First are those that dismiss what I am saying and have bought into the “4-Corners” approach to evangelism called “Lifestyle Evangelism.” (I’ll get to the positives of this approach in just a moment), BUT THE NEGATIVE, I believe, is that the enemy used this tactic to create an impotent “low-scoring offense” that is not reaching many people for Jesus…

Second are those that hear the message to be more aggressive on “offense” and think that boldness = brashness… I preached a message a few weeks ago that dealt with this fallacy… in that message we saw where Paul was encouraging an active faith-sharing lifestyle BUT likened the boldness to a mother nursing her child… which leads to be “approved”… (See 1 Thessalonians 2)

Our aggressive offense should not be displayed in loud… rude… puffed up chest; but with a reputation that: (This is where “Lifestyle Evangelism” has some truth… but remember that the Gospel is “good news”… news must be shared to be known!)

·       “lives peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18)

·       “have a good testimony among those who are outside” / “Good standing” (leaders’ requirements found in 1 Timothy 3:7/13)

·       Check out this verse: “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men… honor all people.” (1 Peter 2:15…17)

I always wanted my teams to play hard AND to play the right way!

May 22, 2023 - Enjoy The Game!

I remember as a kid how frustrated I would get when watching basketball games where the infamous “4-Corners Offense” or “4-Corners Stall” was utilized… As a coach I understand why it was used, as it allowed a team to control the game by reducing the opponent’s ability to utilize their strengths. (Wikipedia says this about 4-Corners: “The team running the offense typically would seek to score, BUT ONLY on extremely safe shots.”) A similar approach was when one team would be sitting back in a zone on defense and the offensive team would just stand out at the top of the key holding the ball until the defense changed. These were strategies (pre-shot clock) that gave teams a chance to win that were maybe undermanned… or were maybe weren’t great outside shooters and wanted to unclog the lane… YET, this was incredibly boring for the fans and for the players!!!

These were strategies that were instituted with one goal in mind, winning the current game they were in... possibly for the standings or to advance in a tournament. The scoreboard dictated the strategy. Now I know some old-timers are reading this and probably think the strategies were brilliant, (and I was a huge Dean Smith fan… I think he was a brilliant coach… and still didn’t like it when Carolina was running it.) I just didn’t feel like it allowed the players to grow and face the challenges of playing against better or bigger athletes.

In 1973, Tennessee defeated Temple 11-6, as Tennessee refused to come out of a zone and Temple held the ball for long periods of time… sounds exciting, doesn’t it? As recent as this past February in Oklahoma (where there is no shot clock for high school ball), a team chose to use the stalling approach and the game ending score was 4-2…

As a player and a fan, I love the action and skill of the game… even when my teams were facing far superior opponents, I wanted my players to get after it and feel proud when they lay their heads down at night! I wanted them to enjoy playing the game to the full…

Let me get to the point of this week’s game plan… I fear that often Christians treat the Great Commission and Great Commandment with a “4-Corners” mentality… only being willing to try to score when it is “extremely safe shots.” We stand in the corners avoiding contact with the other team

John 10:10a… The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…

Yes, I know we have an enemy we need to be aware of, BUT I don’t think we are ever told to STALL and not play the game… and here’s the deal, yes we face an enemy BUT we don’t have to worry about the score of the game… JESUS WINS!

John 10:10b… I have come that they may have life, and that they may have life more abundantly.

STOP PLAYING IT SAFE AND STANDING IN THE CORNERS AVOIDING CONTACT WITH THE OTHER TEAM!!!

STOP PLAYING THE GAME ONLY LOOKING TO HEAVEN AND PLAY TO THE FULL HERE ON EARTH!!!

Jesus promised He makes playing the game more fulfilling… more abundant!!!

May 15, 2023 - Trust The Process... The Coach Believes In You!

Around 10 years ago the Philadelphia 76ers’ general manager introduced a new motto of “Trust the Process” --- it was during a particularly rough patch for the franchise and was basically a plea to not get caught up on present circumstances and instead trust in the end result expected from changing the roster… Well today they fell short again, not even making it to the Eastern Conference finals (and it has been 40 years since Moses Malone, Dr J, and the crew hung a banner.)

        I understand if Sixers fans are getting a bit antsy with the wait… but from a coaching perspective there is a lot of truth in the phrase. Many times, a coach will be fine with maybe even taking some losses if that is what is needed to grow for the future.

This weekend I was teaching from 1 Thessalonians 2 and noticed that Paul simply lived his life trusting the process… despite some rough circumstances / losses. He shares in verse 2 that they “suffered… and were spitefully treated.” Yet even though there were some losses, he stated that he and his team “were bold… to speak… the Gospel of God in much conflict.” THEY STUCK TO THE GAME PLAN AND SAW GREAT RESULTS!

In verse 4 Paul shares why they did that… because his team was “approved by God” --- God counted them worthy to the task! As a result Paul shares that God “entrusted” them “with the Gospel.” This is really cool… “entrusted” is the word for faith… or to believe in… Just as we entrust our salvation to Jesus, in turn God then entrust us to share that with others!

God called Paul’s number because He believed in him… and God is calling your number to stick to the game plan of sharing the Gospel, even in the midst of trying circumstances… believers are commissioned to follow the great game plan… TRUST THE PROCESS!

May 8, 2023 - CAUTION: WATCH FOR FLYING GOLF BALLS

“Focus Daniel-san!” “Is ok to lose to opponent… must not lose to fear!” You’ve got to love Mr. Miyagi… I think we need him in the church telling us some things… reminding us to stay focused.

Seriously, I have been reminded lately on many occasions about the importance of being focused on and committed to the task (not just knowing about the task but doing it!)

Part of what has put this on my mind has been counseling I have been doing due to fear and anxiety… some due to messages I have listened to from preachers… etc.

My question becomes simply, what is our mission? We can answer with the overall objective of loving God and loving others… yet that is the personal goal, the mission is the Great Commission of evangelism (Mark 16:15) and Discipleship (Matthew 28:18-20.) So, if we are going to be focused on the mission, the things we do, study, talk about, etc. should be with the goal of looking for opportunities to share the Gospel and teach the Word.

In 1 Corinthians 7:35 Paul has been sharing why, when able, one should remain unmarried… (this game plan is not about marriage vs singleness)… and his reason is because we should be on mission and avoiding distractions. Basically, spiritually speaking, not texting while driving…

“And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.“

Sometimes distractions can be simply things like relationships… sometimes it is sin… sometimes it can even be good things… maybe it is being more concerned with winning a theological argument than getting to the Gospel… maybe being so wrapped up in politics or current events than in sharing the ROCK! (That would be Jesus…)

Don’t hear me wrong, we do need to be aware of things going on around us… but for the purpose of evangelism and discipleship. Our church here in FL has a group that meets named for the Sons of Issachar; the “sons” were listed in 1 Chronicles 12 as part of the “mighty men” of David’s army that helped him in war! So note, each group of men was described by what they brought to and for the battle…

The “sons” were listed, not because of their skill with bows or swords, but instead because they understood their times and what the army should do… they didn’t have knowledge just for knowledge’s sake… but in order to focus on and accomplish the mission!

Let’s make sure we are
staying on task to the mission…

On a humorous note, in this world that tells us to not text and drive, I saw a sign while driving up the coast here in South Florida… the sign was the original impetus in me writing about staying focused… it reads: CAUTION / WATCH FOR FLYING GOLF BALLS

So we were obviously driving by a golf course, yet I couldn’t help wondering how I could keep my eyes on the road while surveying the surrounding skies for incoming golf balls… AND wondering what to do if I see one???

When Jesus ascended into Heaven, Acts 1 records that those present did what any one would have done… they “looked steadfastly toward heaven…” At that point “two men stood by them in white apparel” and said to them (and I put this in my words) Stop gawking at the sky and stay on task, Jesus will be back, and until then we have a job to do!

So even if golf balls are flying you cant stop it, so keep driving…

May 1, 2023 - Why Study The Playbook... (Let it SERVE you!)

Over the years we have always shared that the Word of God is our “playbook” for how we obtain our place on the team (faith in the atoning death and resurrection of the Substitute) and how we should then “play the game” --- (we have always been careful to distinguish between a playbook and a rulebook, as the latter doesn’t bring a lot of excitement… and anyone I know that studies a rulebook is a referee… maybe that is why so many legalists start “blowing the whistle” and pointing fingers!)

I love studying the “Playbook” and gaining new insight… yesterday as I prepped for teaching a Sunday School class, I was in the first chapter of the Book of James and found some great nuggets of truth…

Let me start by asking you (and me) this question: do you get excited about the idea of studying a playbook? Because just like studying a rulebook, it doesn’t necessarily bring excitement… most that study a playbook are players that simply want to figure out where to go and what to do in the “game” and it becomes more about the patterns of the plays than the purpose of the plays… it becomes an obligation as a player.

Yet by studying just the patterns of the plays we still tend to focus on personal obligation as opposed to personal responsibility/opportunity to help the team goal… or personal responsibility/opportunity to teammates and helping them succeed…

Yesterday’s study gave me even a fresher approach to the Word of God! In James 1 the first few verses challenge how we view life… going as far as to tell us to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials…” (vs 2) So it is already a bit strange in regards to perspective of how we view things… yet after it we are told, “if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (vs 5)

So, the idea, in context, is wisdom for navigating trials…  and then it tells us to “ask in faith” (vs 6), in other words, in trusting what God has to say… because He is trustworthy!

There is so much good stuff we could unpack her, but hopefully you will want to dig in and unpack it after reading this next part… I want to focus for just a moment on the word “wisdom.”

We know (based upon vs 5) that wisdom is gained through God giving it liberally… it is available to anyone that HEARS and ACTS upon the Word of God (see Jesus’s words in Matthew 7:24)!

So hear is the cool part… wisdom, according to its Greek definition, involves: skill in the management of affairs… in other words, it is “butler” --- the Word is designed to help us manage life!

As I shared this little nugget with my daughter Faith, she immediately said, “isn’t that cool that the Word serves us!” In Salvation, Christ (the living Word) served us by going to the cross in our stead… in our Christian lives, the written Word is designed to SERVE us… it is truly for our good!!!

Dive into the Playbook knowing that it is not just GUIDING you but SERVING you!