Spring sports in Kentucky are difficult. Especially this year.
Middle school soccer started February 15. God decided to grace the Bluegrass State with 20 inches of snow that day. Then He saw fit to grace us with another twelve inches of snow a few weeks later. Then, more recently, He decided to grace us with 5-10 inches of rainfall each week, plus thunderstorms and wind gusts.
Needless to say, that has wreaked havoc on outdoor sports' schedules. The middle school girls' soccer team I coach didn't have a game for three straight weeks due to rainouts and weather.
However, we were able to practice.
I noticed, however, that the intensity the players displayed decreased. When we were having regular games, the girls were focused. They came to practice prepared. They came to practice ready to work, ready to improve. We were winning our matches.
Then, during the three weeks of no matches, they started to lose focus. They walked more instead of sprinting. They didn't work as hard. They began losing the drive to win. In other words, without matches to play, they didn't see the need for practice.
Then we had a match. We got destroyed by our across-town rival. You know what the girls said when they came off that field? "We need to practice more."
I wonder if there are any parallels to the church here.
Christianity isn't something that you practice for endlessly. Christianity is a faith that is supposed to be lived out on a daily basis, meaning you are going to have challenges. I guess the parallel to the "match" would be sharing your faith, going on mission trips, accomplishing the Great Commission, teaching your children the faith, struggling with and overcoming temptation and addictions, etc.
The parallel to the "practice" would be Sunday morning worship. Practice is where you are encouraged, taught, challenged, and prepared for the match. Sunday morning is where you are encouraged, taught, challenged, and prepared to live out your faith.
If you aren't accomplishing the Great Commission, struggling with and overcoming sin, sharing your faith, etc- you will eventually see no need for Sunday mornings.
Just like my team, when there is no competition, no matches, no challenge, practice becomes irrelevant. I would not play a sport where all I did was practice and never had any matches. The point of sports IS the match, and the practice is the means to winning.
In the same way, I doubt I would even be part of a church if I was not planning on living my faith out. If I never went on mission trips, never shared my faith, never went to prisons to encourage and witness to inmates, never counseled troubled couples, never preached, why would I need to go to church? Why would I need to connect with my Lord and Savior? I wouldn't be following anything He said anyway-so He really isn't my Lord- so why would I feel the need to worship Him? Why would I need the encouragement of other believers? If I weren't playing soccer matches, why would I go to practice? If I wasn't engaged in God's will, why would I go to church?
I think that's where a lot of "Christians" find themselves. 83% of Americans call themselves Christians, but less than 40% can be found at "practice" on a Sunday morning. Why? Many reasons, but I wonder if they simply see no need to practice what they never intend to do.
So, Christians, do you skip Sunday morning?
I will say this- the more engaged in the Great Commission I am, the more I have a desperation for Sunday morning worship. Living out the Christian faith is difficult. The more engaged with God's will you are, the more relevant and necessary you will find worship. You will desire and crave fellowship with other believers far more if you are actually living your faith. If you do not have a burning passion to worship God, to connect with Him with other believers; I would argue that accomplishing the Great Commission isn't in your life plans. I would be so bold as to say you are not actively making disciples, not leading anyone to Christ, not taking any kind of stand on Biblical issues, and not really doing anything that a nonbeliever doesn't do.
If you aren't in the game, you'll see no need to practice.
If you aren't active in accomplishing God's will, you'll see no need for church.
The second you decide to follow God's will, the second you decide to surrender your life to Christ and live for His glory, you will see the importance of Sunday morning- worship and fellowship. You won't be able to live without it.
So, where are you today? Times are getting tougher. I believe God is pruning His church right now. I believe the coach is kicking players off the team who aren't showing up for matches and who aren't showing up for practice. There's no doubt that the matches are getting tougher, and there isn't any room for those who don't intend to play. He's waking up people from their slumber, calling the faithful to be bolder, more committed, and more effective in reaching the lost. He's calling us to stop rationalizing our sin. He's calling us to wake up out of our sin-induced slumber and calling us to a life of radical love, radical self-sacrifice, and radical soul-winning. In order to do that, you need regular worship and regular fellowship with believers. Sunday morning is no longer one option among many. It's the given around which we schedule everything else.
Middle school soccer started February 15. God decided to grace the Bluegrass State with 20 inches of snow that day. Then He saw fit to grace us with another twelve inches of snow a few weeks later. Then, more recently, He decided to grace us with 5-10 inches of rainfall each week, plus thunderstorms and wind gusts.
Needless to say, that has wreaked havoc on outdoor sports' schedules. The middle school girls' soccer team I coach didn't have a game for three straight weeks due to rainouts and weather.
However, we were able to practice.
I noticed, however, that the intensity the players displayed decreased. When we were having regular games, the girls were focused. They came to practice prepared. They came to practice ready to work, ready to improve. We were winning our matches.
Then, during the three weeks of no matches, they started to lose focus. They walked more instead of sprinting. They didn't work as hard. They began losing the drive to win. In other words, without matches to play, they didn't see the need for practice.
Then we had a match. We got destroyed by our across-town rival. You know what the girls said when they came off that field? "We need to practice more."
I wonder if there are any parallels to the church here.
Christianity isn't something that you practice for endlessly. Christianity is a faith that is supposed to be lived out on a daily basis, meaning you are going to have challenges. I guess the parallel to the "match" would be sharing your faith, going on mission trips, accomplishing the Great Commission, teaching your children the faith, struggling with and overcoming temptation and addictions, etc.
The parallel to the "practice" would be Sunday morning worship. Practice is where you are encouraged, taught, challenged, and prepared for the match. Sunday morning is where you are encouraged, taught, challenged, and prepared to live out your faith.
If you aren't accomplishing the Great Commission, struggling with and overcoming sin, sharing your faith, etc- you will eventually see no need for Sunday mornings.
Just like my team, when there is no competition, no matches, no challenge, practice becomes irrelevant. I would not play a sport where all I did was practice and never had any matches. The point of sports IS the match, and the practice is the means to winning.
In the same way, I doubt I would even be part of a church if I was not planning on living my faith out. If I never went on mission trips, never shared my faith, never went to prisons to encourage and witness to inmates, never counseled troubled couples, never preached, why would I need to go to church? Why would I need to connect with my Lord and Savior? I wouldn't be following anything He said anyway-so He really isn't my Lord- so why would I feel the need to worship Him? Why would I need the encouragement of other believers? If I weren't playing soccer matches, why would I go to practice? If I wasn't engaged in God's will, why would I go to church?
I think that's where a lot of "Christians" find themselves. 83% of Americans call themselves Christians, but less than 40% can be found at "practice" on a Sunday morning. Why? Many reasons, but I wonder if they simply see no need to practice what they never intend to do.
So, Christians, do you skip Sunday morning?
I will say this- the more engaged in the Great Commission I am, the more I have a desperation for Sunday morning worship. Living out the Christian faith is difficult. The more engaged with God's will you are, the more relevant and necessary you will find worship. You will desire and crave fellowship with other believers far more if you are actually living your faith. If you do not have a burning passion to worship God, to connect with Him with other believers; I would argue that accomplishing the Great Commission isn't in your life plans. I would be so bold as to say you are not actively making disciples, not leading anyone to Christ, not taking any kind of stand on Biblical issues, and not really doing anything that a nonbeliever doesn't do.
If you aren't in the game, you'll see no need to practice.
If you aren't active in accomplishing God's will, you'll see no need for church.
The second you decide to follow God's will, the second you decide to surrender your life to Christ and live for His glory, you will see the importance of Sunday morning- worship and fellowship. You won't be able to live without it.
So, where are you today? Times are getting tougher. I believe God is pruning His church right now. I believe the coach is kicking players off the team who aren't showing up for matches and who aren't showing up for practice. There's no doubt that the matches are getting tougher, and there isn't any room for those who don't intend to play. He's waking up people from their slumber, calling the faithful to be bolder, more committed, and more effective in reaching the lost. He's calling us to stop rationalizing our sin. He's calling us to wake up out of our sin-induced slumber and calling us to a life of radical love, radical self-sacrifice, and radical soul-winning. In order to do that, you need regular worship and regular fellowship with believers. Sunday morning is no longer one option among many. It's the given around which we schedule everything else.
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