#PassTheBall

Two weeks ago at re\\VAMP, I related our discussion to a theme of sports. We played a game of football and used it as an analogy, but for this post I'd rather relay the point with my favorite sport...

To me, there is nothing more exciting in the world of sports than watching a baseball team turn a triple play. But what can the church learn from a triple play?

#PassTheBall

Too often the church falls into a mindset that I'll call, "the multitude mentality."

We put too much focus on numbers and we lose sight of our unity. We want a bigger and better church than the one down the road. As a matter of fact, we desire that so much that often times we water down the gospel to avoid offending the congregation, but that's a different topic. We try so hard to outdo our local churches that we turn what should be unity into rivalry. We focus on Jesus feeding the multitudes (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:5-15, Mark 8:1-9, Matthew 15:32-39) and we forget that the last group He fed was only twelve in number (Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-39, John 13:1-17:26). Sadly, the American church has turned to quantity over quality.

I don't know about you, but I would rather be part of a small family than a large club.

Now, I'm not against larger churches either. That statement can go both ways.

I would rather be part of a large family than a small club.

This lack of unity extends to more than just jealousy, it's also often caused by overly religious denominations arguing that their ways are the only right ways. Don't get me wrong here, there are certainly some denominations (denomination meaning a version of the Christian faith) that are so far off base that it isn't even Christianity anymore. While I don't always agree with Mark Driscoll, I like the way that he describes this...

#PassTheBall

What Mark is saying is that there are some issues within Christianity that aren't worth fighting over and there are some that are. Basically, "state borders" are ideals that we may not agree on, but won't (or shouldn't) cause us to war within the church. How you worship God and how someone else worships God usually should be considered a state border. "National borders" are absolute essentials that if you go outside of, you are no longer within Christianity. Jesus' death on the cross being our only mode of salvation should be considered a national border and anyone who believes in any other mode of salvation has stepped outside of Christianity.

But what does this have to do with baseball and triple plays and why do I keep saying #PassTheBall ?

TEAMWORK!

It is incredibly rare when a triple play is made by one person and it is impossible for one player to beat an entire team on his/her own. THIS is why I say that we need to be willing to #PassTheBall. There are many lessons that we as a church can take from this.

The first lesson we can look at is strength in numbers. There is a reason why regulation sports require an equal number of teammates on each team. If they didn't, the team with more athletes would usually win. There are two ways in which we can increase our numbers as Christians. The first is as simple as learning the difference between state and national borders and creating unity between the churches who only have "state" differences. The bottom line is that we need to learn to stop the gossip, bickering, and quarrels that lead to disunity. And also, Christ gave us a direct list regarding how to handle those situations...

“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector. (Matthew 18:15-17 NLT)

Simple. Talk with that person about what they did to you, no one else. Normally you won't have to take any more action. Stop the gossip.

The next lesson is on sharing the gospel. The last command that Jesus left for us was to share the Word with EVERYONE.

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT)

That job belongs to ALL of us, not just a missionary or evangelist. We are ALL called to share His Word with others and make disciples of everyone that we connect with. Do not be afraid to share the gospel and grow the church.

#PassTheBall
Don't be afraid to share Jesus!
#PassTheBall
Don't fight with other churches over stupid issues!
#PassTheBall
Don't stifle what the body can do by being a "ball hog" or trying to take credit for your entire ministry.
#PassTheBall
Don't be afraid of new ideas that your brothers or sisters bring to the table.
#PassTheBall
Be willing to hear others points of view.
#PassTheBall
Learn to work with people you usually wouldn't.
#PassTheBall
Don't talk behind each other's backs!
#PassTheBall
Try to repair any bad relationships with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
#PassTheBall
Be willing to apologize and don't be prideful.


#PassTheBall