Get in the Game
It’s How You Play the Game That Matters
Two Important facts about basketball
Only the last five minutes count
My wife, Donna, has a valid point in many games when the lead seems to seesaw back and forth between the teams. Then in the last five minutes the game intensifies and the contest is finally won in the last seconds.
Donna’s view: "Why don’t they just play the last five minutes of the game??"
The last five minutes take half an hour
Donna has another observation she has made in the past few years. The last few minutes take forever! What with the intentional fouls; timeouts; and occasional overtime’s the last five minutes can easily last over half an hour and include way too many commercials!
Donna’s view: "Why don’t they just play the game??"
Somehow, she has a point!
Perhaps the most important fact about Basketball is that it is a team sport that depends on the individual - Sounds a lot like church!
Only the last moments count. The Last moments are a lifetime of work!
To be on a winning team every individual MUST have evident in their lives three characteristics:
Attitude
That inner motivation which drives you to participate and compete
Aptitude
The innate skill which can be cultivated and honed razor sharp
Activation
The execution of the skill under pressure and tension of real life
Romans 12 shows us that Mercy, Grace, and Faith are the foundations for the Attitude, Aptitude, and Activation of Ministry in our church
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God— this is your spiritual act of worship.
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is— his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
MERCY: deals with attitude and purpose
Mercy is best defines as not getting what we deserve
Let’s make no bones about it: You and I both deserve to die in hell.
We have - there are no exceptions - lived our lives in self oriented rebellion and corruption. What we deserve is condemnation and rejection which matches our own rejection of God.
Now I know that this is not very positive and uplifting - but it is also very true. Neither you nor I are worthy of being in the presence of God, because God is merciful he has provided a way of escape!
Paul in 1 Timothy 1:15-16 makes it very clear.
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners— of whom I am the worst.
16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.
It is the knowledge of this mercy from God that provides the motivation for my ministry! It is not a matter of trying to pay back God for his mercy. It is merely the recognition that without his mercy I have no life. His mercy gives me my purpose.
This is the meaning of the words "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices"
Ministry is not volunteerism. Ministry is gratitude mixed with joy and relief.
I was watching a TV report this past week about a woman who recounted being struck by lightening while seated in a large stadium surrounded by thousands of others in the stands. Yet, lightening struck only her! She received 2nd and 3rd degree burns over much of her body. He clothes were burned through and some how she survived.
On the television documentary she described how this had changed her entire attitude toward life itself. How could it not!
It is a burning fire in your very bones
We don’t lay on an altar of stone and wood and wait for God to light the fire. We lay on the altar of life and the fire burns within.
GRACE: deals with the aptitude and skill
If Mercy is not getting what we deserve then Grace is receiving what we cannot earn!
Not only do I deserve to be destroyed - I certainly do not deserve to be given a place in heaven with God
Yet, this is exactly what I have been given. A place in heaven has been reserved for me. A Banquet table has been prepared for me! A Mansion is being readied!
More than this…
…While heaven is prepared for me
…I am being prepared for heaven
God has given us a wonderful image of this in the Wedding Feast. Jesus is the Bridegroom who has gone to prepare the home for the bride. The church (and I am a part of the church) is waiting for the coming of the groom.
While we wait we are preparing ourselves for his arrival. Now that means getting all gussied up and ready for his coming. Even better we are to get ready with the gifts he has given us to get ready with!!!!
We have the clothes.
We have the makeup.
We have the shoes.
We have the beautiful gown.
We have all we need to be absolutely, stunningly, beyond belief, knock em dead, beautiful!
Nothing in this fact to be proud about! Like a beautiful woman or a handsome man being proud of their looks - foolish they didn’t do anything - God did it in them.
So Paul says "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought"
God given abilities - thankful but not proud. You can always improve and work on it. There is nothing wrong with a little hair spray and makeup! I think if a barn needs painting - you should paint it!
There is nothing wrong with a little practice to hone your abilities and skills. Talent plus discipline of practice makes you effective in ministry.
God has given you by his wisdom a gift of ministry
Seven skills/abilities named her by Paul - given by God
Prophet; servant; teacher; preacher/exhorter; giver; organizer; mercy giver
Each with their own characteristics
If Someone Dropped The Dessert On The Floor, And Each of The Seven Gifts Were Present, What Would Each Say:
Prophet --- "That what happens when you’re not careful." (Motivation --- To Correct the problem)
Servant --- "Oh, let me help you clean it up." (Motivation --- To fulfill a need)
Teacher --- "The reason that it fell is that it was too heavy on one side." (Motivation --- To discover why it happened)
Exhorter --- "Next time, let’s serve the desert with the meal." (Motivation --- To correct the future)
Giver --- "I’ll be happy to buy a new dessert."
(Motivation --- To give to a tangible need)
Organizer --- "Jim, would you get the mop. Sue, please help pick it up; and Mary, help me fix another dessert." (Motivation --- To achieve the immediate goal of the group)
Mercy Giver --- "Don’t feel badly. It could have happened to anyone." (Motivation --- To relieve embarrassment)
You are a uniquely gifted person with parts of one or more in you - directly from God! You have been given a gift from God. Maybe you have good vision or a knack for timing.
Practice can make it better but it is a gift from God - don’t be proud; be grateful.
FAITH: deals with Activation of these abilities in real life
If Mercy is not getting what you deserve and Grace is getting what you cannot earn then Faith is what gives you the strength to take action
Make no mistake - faith is the only quality that allows you to move, act, or function in this life.
By faith you live
By faith you minister
Both fear and pride destroy the faith that powers ministry.
Fear is the enemy of faith
I know people with irrational fear that have been totally frozen in life. Pride is the undoing of faith
When you rely on your self rather than God you become the limit.
That which should be light becomes a burden
This is why it is so important that you "think of yourself with sober judgement "
Not with a false and built up pride and not with a defeated broken useless presence
Recognize a simple fact you MUST believe - by God’s Mercy and God’s Grace you have become a tool for changing people’s lives - ministry
Two important facts about Faith and Ministry
1) God will use you in ministry - in direct proportion to your faith.
If you are tentative and hesitant - your ministry will be halting and not nearly as effective as it could be. Your faith is the limitation you place on God’s work - His Mercy and His Grace in you
2) A little faith goes a long way
Mustard seed faith moves mountains. Your faith can make a tremendous difference.
Get in the Game! Put on your game face!
Some people talk about their "game face". They are referring to the process of preparing mentally and physically for the competition they are about to engage in. Some sit quietly and visualize their every move. Some eat special foods or go through a particular ritual that must be exactly the same every time. Some become so focused that the crowds become unseen and the noise becomes a background hum. The men on the court and the hoops on the backboards are in vibrant color while everything else is a faded gray.
They are serious about their work - putting the ball through the goal for more points than the other team.
I put on my game face. Every day in a variety of ways I serve God with the gifts God has given me.
On Saturday afternoon I put on my game face and minister love to my daughter Susan.
On Sunday morning I put on my game face and minister the word of God to you.
On Monday morning I put on my game face and minister to the staff of MCC.
On Tuesday I put on my game face and study the word in preparation for writing my sermon.
Every other Wednesday at 7:00 AM I put on my game face and work with a group of people who want to become better leaders.
On Thursday I put on my game face and I meet with different ministries and groups in MCC and in other organizations which serve God’s Kingdom
My motivation is the mercy I have been given; my skills are God given and honed by years of experience and training; my success is limited only by my trust that God will use me for His work in meaningful ways.
Folks, I will serve and love my God with all my heart and soul for all of my life and with all of my strength by loving others and ministering to them in every way God has gifted me. I am serious about that work. I will devote my life to that task.
When do you put on your game face and offer your life as a living sacrifice?
What are you going to do today? What are you going to do on Monday? What are you going to do on Tuesday? Wednesday; Thursday?
You respond, "I work on the line", "I go to school", "I’m only a kid", I’m a homemaker", I work in a corporate office", I sweep floors and pickup trash", "I teach children" - I can’t do what you do.
I say, "Good! We don’t need two Rick Stacy’s! (The world can only take one!) What we need is you - motivated by mercy, gifted by grace, and activated by faith to work for him in the church world and in your world!
What are you going to do this week? Will it be for you or will it be for God?
It’s time to put on the Game Face
Let’s get ready to minister.
It’s time to decide. It’s time to pray. It’s time to fellowship at the Lord’s table.
