"Faith Isn't A Spectator Sport"

Well, today is Super Bowl Sunday. It will be the first sportsball game of the season for me—I usually catch a few with dad on Sunday afternoons before now but that didn’t happen this year. Apparently, naps won the season opener. Ha. 

I’m interested in a few things about today’s performance—besides the unflinching peek into our culture that the ads give us. There will be plenty of cringe but think about it, each commercial during the Super Bowl will cost about 8 million dollars just to show it. Don’t you think they’re going to try and do something that resonates with people? Those ads are a mirror of our culture—We might not like what we see—but it’ll definitely be interesting.

Same with the halftime show. I probably won’t like it much—but someone will. Again, holding up a mirror to our culture. 

I do have some hope. Jon Batiste on the National Anthem could be cool. Lauren Daigle singing America the Beautiful seems like a solid call—she’s a Christian artist, so it’s nice to see that reflected in the cultural mirror. A little glimmer of hope, I would think.

But the thing I’m the most interested in watching is actually part of the game. Philadelphia’s offensive line is the most massive football squad in Super Bowl history. They’re huge. An average of 6 foot 6 and 338 pounds. That’s over an inch taller and 26 pounds heavier than Kansas City. I know speed, agility, leadership and teamwork are also important but it’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out—even for a guy who only watches sportsball when it pretends to be a national holiday. The Super Bowl is the Christmas and Easter of sportsball events—even people who don’t usually watch football, watch football today. Note to self: maybe we should sell ads for our Easter service. Ha. 

Sometimes people are surprised to find out I played football in highschool. I tried out, made the team, did all the summer double-sessions, ran a few miles every day with the team. As a freshman I was on the starting lineup of the Jr Varsity team as Right Tackle—not exactly the MVP, but hey, I was a freshman.

I also didn’t care for football. So, after all the summer practices but before the season actually began, I told the coach I wasn’t going to stay on the team. I just wanted to prove—to myself and my brothers—that I could do it if I wanted to—turns out I didn’t want to. 

I have something very important to talk about today, and I think football is a really good metaphor for it. The Big Question is this: Are We in the Game or Just Watching? I’m comparing football with the church—playing football with the life of following Jesus. 

In the Super Bowl today millions of people will be watching, analyzing, and complaining—but how many are actually on the field? It’s the same with churches. Millions of people showing up for services—watching, analyzing and complaining—but how many are actually on the field?

Today there’s going to be Super Bowl parties all over the place. Presumably they’re gathered around football, but how many people are just there for the commercials or the music or the chili cheese dip. Plenty of spectators, very few players. Kind of like the church.

They’re also geographical. You got local sports teams and local churches. They’re defined by where they are. Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, NewChurch Lutherans in Katy, Texas. 

In sportsball, a zone defense means every player is responsible for covering a specific area on the field. The church is like that—every congregation is responsible for the geographical area where the local church is planted. God has assigned us, NewChurch, to work the field surrounding us.

In football the members of the team have specific roles to play in the game. Quarterback, running back, center, kicker. Different skill sets and training for each position. It’s the same in the church: Preacher, teacher, administration, helpers, evangelists, hospitality, generosity—everyone has a part to play. 

So, who suits up and gets in the game? 

In Luke 10:2-3 Jesus said,

"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few."

What’s the harvest? It’s what Jesus came to do—save people by letting them know what He’s done for them. Make disciples who will plant seeds, share their faith, share their story, their hope, basically make more disciples. Jesus says the harvest is ready to be harvested but the laborers are few.

In other words, the game has started, we’re all set to score, but we’re short on players.

It takes the whole team, all the special skills needed for each position, to move the ball.

Imagine if the teams in the Super Bowl acted like some people in the church. The coach gathers them in the locker room, gives an inspirational speech, sends them out to the field—and they act like they don’t know the first thing about football. Like they don’t know the rules, or the point of the game. They say things like, “You don’t have to be on a football team to play football.” Or, “It’s not my job to score, or block, or gain yards.” How about, “Last time I played, it was hard, I got hurt—no more trying for me!”

In this metaphor between football and church, what does it mean for the church to score? What are we all supposed to be working together as a team to accomplish? What does a win look like?

It looks like making sure each one of us makes it—we protect each other—encourage each other, disciple each other, hold each other up. You show up for the team.

It looks like sharing our faith with unbelievers so they can have faith.
It looks like baptisms—bringing people into the kingdom of God, under the Lordship of Christ.
It looks like raising our kids in the faith, teaching them the love of the game—to love Jesus, follow Him, join us on the field and get to work in the mission right alongside us.

Dad, if you want your kids to love football, you have to play football with them. You have to watch games with them, go to games with them. Talk about football with them. If you want them to love Jesus, it’s the same drill. Take them to church, share your faith with them, talk about your faith with them. Listen to them when they talk about their faith.

Unlike football, following Jesus is not a spectator sport. Everyone is on the field. We all have a position to play. We all have to do something with our faith that’s for other people. It’s not just about going to church. It’s not just about filling our heads up with Bible verses and topping our hearts off with worship music—those things are like practice. They are not the game. We read Scripture, study theology, pray and worship God to prepare us for the game—which is real life. The game is where we get to use all that stuff from practice, put it to work. All those things that were worked into us isn't just for us, it’s to bless other people. All that time in God’s word and worship is training us for the real thing—God pours all those things into us so we can pour them into others. 

It’s one thing to listen to a sermon or someone teaching from the Bible when we think it’s just for us—that might be mildly interesting. But it’s very different if you know you’re going to have to teach that same material to someone else. You pay attention on a whole different level. Probably take notes, right? Maybe ask followup questions?

This is practice. You need to take all these things out on the field with you. When you leave here, you’re in the game. It’s your turn to put this stuff to work.

You’re called out on the field to play. You all have different positions to play. Your callings. Your vocations: at home, at work, at play, at church, in our nation, on social media, at the grocery store, in the gym, in traffic. The way we treat our family, our kids, our husband or wife—this is the front line. Defending against the attacks and strategies of the world, the flesh, and the devil. But not just defense. Also offense. Driving back all the evil that surrounds us with the equipping God gives us: His word, prayer, thankful praise—loving people: being patient and kind and gentle, giving them joy and hope, making peace where there is no peace—using self control to make sure our emotions aren’t anyone else’s problem. We do these things at home in our marriage, in how we raise our kids. We do these things at work with how we do our job, how we honor our boss, how we treat our co-workers. And at church. Even at our Super Bowl parties. Everywhere we go, the game is on, we’re suited up, and we’re in the game. 

We’re in the local church. We have a position to play on the team. No slacking.

The Super Bowl cultural mirror we’re going to see today—some of it will be shocking but none of us are going to be shocked—we all know how bad things are. Whose job do you think it is to fix it? Politicians? Congress? The media? Maybe you think Kendrick Lamar and SZA are going to do something to make the world a better place. Ha. Nobody believes that. No, it has to be you. Us. We’re the ones who have been given the responsibility to point people to the one person who can fix this mess. Jesus. He gave us the responsibility, the job, the assignment to tell everyone what He did for us—what He did for them. The Gospel. Not only the responsibility but the authority. He said to go. Baptize, Make disciples. Teach everyone to obey His commands—which are at the bottom line, to love one another.

This is the game. And there are no spectators. No one is on the sidelines. Everyone is in the game.

Except, from what I can tell. Hardly anyone is playing. The laborers are few.

When was the last time someone tried to tell you about Jesus?

I mean, as you’re going about your business and someone out of the blue starts talking about what Jesus has done for them, what Jesus means to them, and they obviously want you to know how important they believe putting your faith in Jesus is. 

When was the last time that happened to you? 

I’m not talking about Mormons or Jehovah Witnesses knocking on your door.

When was the last time someone tried to tell you about Jesus because they wanted to make sure you knew the Gospel? I’m guessing it hasn’t happened to you many times. And you might be glad about that because it can be kind of awkward but I think it’s disturbing how much of a complete lack of sharing the Gospel happens in my life. 

It used to happen to me now and then. Someone would start talking to me about Jesus and I’d say something like, “Thanks man. I appreciate it. I’m a believer, too.” Now, sometimes they wouldn’t believe me and would keep trying to get me to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior and pray with them or whatever. 

What if the only chance you ever had of hearing the Gospel was through some person like that? How many of us would have ever found out about Jesus?

We believe unless a person hears the Gospel and responds with faith in Jesus then they have no hope. No hope in this life or the next. That everything is meaningless unless people trust in Jesus for life and salvation. 

And I’ll bet no one has told me about Jesus in 20 years.

When was the last time you intentionally steered a conversation toward Jesus? With the expressed purpose to encourage someone to have faith? 

This isn’t a spectator sport. We have to do something with our faith to share it with other people.

God wants everyone to be saved. 1st Timothy 2:4 says He

“wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

That’s the goal of all this. And it happens in the most simple way—we tell someone what Jesus has done for us and what He means to us. Not by arguing with people. You don’t have to be a know-it-all—it’s actually so much more powerful if you just tell your own story in your own words and let God do the rest. 

People don’t come to faith in Jesus because we explain how dumb other Christians are for believing differently than we do. Jesus actually said just the opposite. He prayed that His church would be unified. Act like we’re on the same team. In John 17:20-21 Jesus is praying for the disciples and He says,

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message (that’s all of us, the whole church throughout time. “I pray…) that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

God wants everyone to be saved, and Jesus says the way unbelievers are going to believe in Him is when we show them that we are one—that we are in unity. That’is how He says the world will believe that He was sent by the Father. How you think we’re doing at all that? Yikes! How well is the church known for how incredibly unified we are? I think there’s room for improvement, don’t you?

So, let’s think about our team. Our local church. How effective are we at reaching people in our area? This harvest that is ripe and ready—how many workers do we have?

It’s probably not 100% of us doing our part.

What percentage of our congregation are you okay with not helping? Just sitting in the bleachers. It’s game time, they’re on the team, they have a job to do. What percentage of the team do you think is acceptable to wear the jersey, collect a paycheck, and you know—sit the season out—refuse to play.

Most people would say none. It’s not acceptable for anyone to refuse to play.

We were talking about this in our Scattered Group. I asked what percentage they thought were really doing the work at NewChurch. One person said 10%. That sounds bad. Another person thought it was probably more like 90%—they thought 90% of our congregation go about their lives talking about their faith in Jesus with people who need to hear it. That’d be great if it was true. What do you think? How do you feel like you’re doing?

If we’re being honest, most of us probably aren’t in the game like we should be. What if we decided right now that from now on we’re going to suit up and play? If we really believe Jesus is the only hope for the world, then what are we waiting for?

We all got to get in the game. Discipleship is active. All Christians are disciples. All disciples have the job of making disciples. All Christians are to live their lives basically saying, "Follow me as I follow Jesus." “Look at me world!” “This is what a Christian looks like.” We never get to take our Jesus jersey off. Everyone sees us and thinks: “This is how a Christian raises their kids.” “This is what a Christian marriage looks like.” “This is how a Christian drives on I-10!” “This is how a Christian acts on social media.” “This is how a Christian treats people they disagree with.”

Whether we realize it or not, we are always representing the team. Showing people what Christianity is. Who Jesus is.

Later today, I’m going to give a live demonstration of how a Christian drinks beer, eats chips and queso, and experiences deep, soul-crushing disappointment when a commercial for one of his favorite things completely misses the mark.

Wherever God has placed you, that’s your field—where the game is played—your mission field.

Your attitude, your actions, and your words matter. Especially when the game gets intense, when there are bad calls, when it’s not going your way—when other people break the rules!

1st Peter 3:9 says,

"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called (Come on! Can you hear this? This is why you were chosen to be on the team) Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."

And the whole point is to share the blessing God has given you with people who don’t have it. The ones who do you evil, the ones who insult you—they’re the ones who need it. 

We need to be doing what God called us to do where we are.   

The good news is, Jesus doesn’t wait for us to get it together—He calls us onto the field just as we are.     

We need to get off the bench. The game is on. Put on your game face. What’s your play? What’s your strategy for reaching unchurched people? What’s your personal vision for how you’re going to share your faith with the people God sends your way? 

There are no benchwarmers in the church. 

In a few hours, the Super Bowl will be over. But the mission of the church won’t be.

One of the teams will go home victorious and the other team will think about what went wrong. The good news for us is already better than whatever happens between the Chiefs and the Eagles. In the only victory that really matters—Jesus already won it for us.

We don’t step onto the field hoping to earn anything for ourselves—Jesus ran all the perfect plays and crushed the opposition. Sin, death, the devil? Defeated. The Trophy of eternal life? His. And He gave it to us. 

But He didn’t just win for us, He won to bring us onto the field, we still get to play. Not as backup players or second string wannabees, but as His teammates, as co-heirs in His victory. It’s a gift. It’s all grace. We don’t have to prove ourselves, try to make the roster, hope our performance will be good enough this season to stay on the team. No—we’re already in. Permanent. Good for life. We belong. Signed, sealed, delivered. Our names are forever written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. That’s more meaningful than the Lombardi trophy and a Super Bowl ring.

And because of that—to stretch this metaphor as far as I can stretch it—we can play with freedom. No fear of being cut, not trying to earn our spot, but because the love of Christ frees us to do what He calls us to do with joy and complete confidence. Get out there and have fun. We don’t fight for victory, we fight from victory.

“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." AMEN 1 Corinthians 15:57-58