Get in the Game!

The screams were deafening! Hundreds of girls, their fans, and their parents all shouting encouragement one to another as they tried to annilhate the other team! What a scene! Yes, yesterday I was sitting in a huge sports facility with at least 12 games going on at the same time. Volleyball Mania had come to Orlando for yet another weekend. Dawn's volleyball club, Southwest Sunset Club, was participating. And we, like loyal, faithful, volleyball crazy parents had followed along like a "posse" to cheer her on. We were armed with our camp chairs, a thermos of drinks, the requisite volleyball shirts ("Dedicated Volleyball Dad, he pays he drives he practices he waits he watches he cheers" and "I used to have a life, but now I'm a volleyball Mom".) books and magazines to read and a bag of snacks.


As I was watching her team play, with other games going on at courts right alongside ours, it struck me how much this whole scene was like the Body of Christ. First of all there was my team. I was shouting encouragement to them as loud as anyone. My wife says "TOO LOUD!". They were striving to work together, to back each other up, to set each other up to make the point. There was much energy expended to block the opposing team from hitting the ball over to their side, etc. The coach is on the sideline shouting instructions and encouragement, occasionally taking a time-out to re-group her team. They'd win some points and lose some points. All with the goal of being on the winning side.


Wow, I thought. This is what the Lord would want for my church that I am a part of now. Home team. All of us in the church are on the team. We should all be partners in the ministries of the church to enable it to reach its goal of "doing whatever it takes to develop fully devoted followers of Christ", locally and to the ends of the earth. We all have a part in the mission of the church. Some of us are "middle blockers", others "outside hitters", still others "liberos", etc., but all working toward the same goal.


As I looked around I saw teams from all over the state of FL. All playing to win with ferocious intensity. All desiring to reach the goal of victory. Wouldn't it be great if all churches were as commited to ministry as these kids are to winning? What a change there would be in our society. Everyone in the church would have a position to play and be expected to participate to the best of their ability. Our pastors and ministers would not be doing the work but equiping and enabling the members to fully participate. All for the goal of bringing the community to Christ and developing all into fully devoted followers of Christ. Instead, most of us are like the fans, sitting on the sidelines, yelling for our team, but not ready or up to the task of actually participating in the game! (My daughter would be saying about now, oh yeah Dad, I would really like to see you play...HA!) No sarcasm there! But the great thing is that God is just waiting to "kick us into play". All we have to be is willing to be a part of what God is doing! He will find just the right postion for us to play. He will equip us with just the right gifts and abilities to accomplish that tasks set before us.


Are you a part of God's team? Are you willing to get in there, work, sweat, hit, miss, encourage, participate, and work with others to see the Kingdom of God move forward? GET IN THE GAME!

Dan