Footy and faith

One of my favourite past times is to watch the Swans on TV. Once a week I gather a few friends, sit back, yell and scream at the telly and generally have a good time. We are all very quick (especially me at times when the swans are losing) to criticise the players for poor decisions and poor disposal as if they are almost doing it deliberately. What I, and sometimes we, fail to see is the hours and hours and months and months of training they put in. I was flabbergasted to hear that one of the modern greats gets to the game early so that he can do an 8 kilometre warm-up before the game starts and during that game he will run 16 kilometers. EVERY WEEK. That is also not mentioning the years and years of preparation leading to selection for the main game that, on average for a players career, might only last 5 to 10 years!

Thinking on the above I stood back and looked at the church and realised that we are not far away. Most of the time we are quick to criticise and slow to respond. What do I mean by that? Well we are quick to point out what everyone else is not doing and to tell the rest how it should be done but none of us are prepared to put in the hard yards before the game. We make it look like Church is the only place it happens. Can you imagine the result if the football players never trained and never warmed up? The result would be a disaster on the field. The players are smart enough to realise that more work during the week makes it much easier during the game; things just flow better.

In a similar way one of my favourite quotes sums it up rather well.

"We must stop using the church as a petrol station or Spiritual cafe. It is not a place where, when I have run down my spiritual energies during the week, that I come to fill up on a Sunday. I am responsible for my own Spiritual growth"

(MKJV) 2 Tim 1:6 Therefore I remind you to inflame anew the gift of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands. One translation says FAN INTO FLAME

The original word used here denotes the kindling of a fire, as by bellows. The idea is that Timothy was to use all proper means to keep the flame of his calling in the soul burning, and more particularly his zeal in the great cause to which he had been set apart. The agency of man himself is needful to keep the religion of the heart warm and glowing. However rich the gifts which God has bestowed upon us, they do not grow of their own accord, but need to be cultivated by our own personal care. This is where true discipleship happens. When we realise 'the more time I put in before the game on Sunday the easier and more impact I will have on the game'. Also if we are told to keep it burning by means of our own effort, it also means like football if we put in no effort we will be going backwards.

I often hear the lament of 'Where are the miracles? Where are the signs and wonders that we read of in the Good Book?' I believe that if we would commit ourselves during the week to a life of intimacy with God rather than sporadic touch base, we would again begin to see the miracles.
So perhaps, just perhaps, the real cry should be 'where have all the disciples gone?', for he has called us to make disciples...not converts.

Well another random thought

Pastor Rob