Church and Football

Today is an exciting day all over the country as college football comes back into full swing. Personally I love college football and being from Iowa makes me a die hard Hawkeye fan.  My wife though is from Michigan and that makes things a little interesting when Big Ten play starts. Then there is my brother that is currently attending Mississippi State (an SEC school). So football is a big deal in my family. 

So this week starts 15 weeks of excitement. Also it starts 15 weeks of every time that 11 players step on to play a game. These 11 players have to work together if they want to have a chance of winning. They each have to know their roles for the day to go well and if they want to make sure that they stay safe as well. The quarterback needs to focus on the offense and the linebackers need to make sure that they are focusing in on playing good defense. In fact even the coaches need to make sure that they are all on the same page and that they handle all of their individual responsibilities in order for the team to be successful. 

What is interesting is that we see in Scripture that the church is a team. In fact the way that we are told that the church functions is like a body. 

1 Corinthians 12: 12-31 states: For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Our desire then as church members should be to figure out where we need to be as church members to make the body of the church function at its highest level. We need to find our area of service and strive to do it to the best of our ability. We should be on our knees praying that God would make it clear to us where to serve and get in and serve with our whole heart. One of the hardest things is to be okay with where God has you. Everyone wants to have the position that is out in front getting all of the glory and all of the praise, but if we are really honest with ourselves the glory does not happen if the small things are being done correctly and for that matter well. I know that I need to be aware of what God has for me in the church and I need to serve. I cannot wait to serve based on God sending me a sign. I must be prayerful about what God has for me but at the same time I cannot sit on the sidelines waiting. We need to serve the church because the local church is the vehicle that God is using to change the world!

Lets Go Hawks!!!