My twin bro sometimes gets illustrations from the Lord that I believe really could help the church. Recently, he explained one that I thought needed to be posted.
The Lord was showing him the similarity between professional sports and the church. Sometimes the simple thoughts bring the most understanding.
When Jesus went and called His disciples, He did not go to the Synagogue (the religious organizations of that time…ie-our church). Instead, He gathered the fisherman, tax collectors and the ‘unlearned’ of that time.
Matthew 13:53-55 When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54 Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked.
55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary,
Luke 5:30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
This move by the Lord is more significant than one might think. Jesus completely bypassed the official ‘church’ of His day. The future leaders of His ‘sect’ as they called them (Acts 24:5-13) did not have any professional experience. When Jesus and His disciples showed up to ‘teach’ Gods truth-what would the Synagogue leaders of that time have thought of this group of scrubs?
Here is this carpenters son (Matt. 13:53-55) and his followers. His disciples, mostly fisherman….would have simply smelled like fish-quite honestly, like the dead fish they took off the boat. You can now start to comprehend what they must have been thinking. These men have no formal experience or training, they smell like a fish dock, they are unrecognized by our religious leaders and ‘they’ want to teach us?!
Imagine a coach going to a professional football team and saying…we would like to play a game with you. The players on my team I have gathered from the towns amongst you.
The owners would simply say…you can’t do that…where is your stadium. The coach then would reply, I have spent years looking for the best athletes for the sport. I have trained them personally, I believe we can actually play football better than ‘the best’ of other teams, because I have chosen them for the ‘love of the game’ and not for the financial reward. I have always heard from your owners and coaches, we are here to play…because of the love of the game.
The owners then replied, we have paid for the best athletes in the country, we play in the best stadiums in the world and when we play the whole world watches. We have become the ‘greatest event’ in the land-how dare you even say you should play with us.
The coach responded and said. You tell your players, play hard because of the ‘love of the sport’. You tell you fans, we love the sport, that is why we give you these marvelous stadiums to watch your sport in greatest of comfort. You do ‘EVERYTHING’ because you say you love the game-but do ‘NOTHING’ about playing the sport for the love of the game.
My players have proved they love the game because they play for no money, risking their health at no cost so they can share this game to others who also love it.
And yet, you will not even let us enter your stadium to play a game, or come to our open field to have a game with us…because you say it is beneath you, we are not worthy.
Luke 18:10-14
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
I absolutely love the above verses….no wonder Jesus full of Joy said
Luke 10:21
21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
We have to become like a child to receive Him, and we have to stay like a child to walk with Him. To put this simply, we desire to serve Him because
1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. John 3:16
He never wants us to lose this simplicity of how we ‘play’ or live our life. Sometimes I marvel about how awesome our God is because He desires life for the ‘joy in it’ and not the ‘fan fair surrounding it’.
Romans 8:31-37 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?….
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
I am seeing more and more in the church leaving that daily childlike behavior and after years of trying to get their attention to become humbled, the Lord is holding true to His Word…
Father…thank You for revealing this to the babes and hiding it from those who would not be humbled and listen with their heart. Matt. 11:25
Proverbs 1:7
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Large places of worship and being well trained in the word are not wrong, Jesus never spoke against them. He always spoke about the condition of the heart. The hard heart always blocks the truth from entering in.
Mark 3:1-6
1 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there…..4 Then Jesus asked them (the teachers of the Law), “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. 5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.
Let’s continue to apply this childlike behavior and attitude as we approach a time when ‘all’ His guidance will be needed to maintain a walk with Him.
For those who would like to know Him, please hit the link below and start a everlasting relationship with Him right now. Contact me was we will can find those you can share your new faith within your area.
God bless,
Bill
Thanks for being in a place bro to hear from God…there is no greater teacher.