A Lesson From The Celtics

 

  How does a team go from losing to championships in one season?  The same way a church can go from ineffective to a powerhouse for the Kingdom.  Both basketball and church are team sports.

 

The Celtics possessed three men who were superstars in their own right.  They each could have hogged the ball, whined about not much playing time, focused only on leading all scores each game, etc.  But not this team.  Garnett, Pierce, and Allan all understood that in order to become champions, they were each going to have to work together and sacrifice together.  Most churches, sadly, practice neither.

 

What would happen if each of us tried to “assist” the others on our team?  Who could we “win” to Christ if we would work hard individually and work hard with our team?  How many “games” could we win during our life if we would sacrifice the spotlight, to do what our team needs us to do.  Maybe it’s offense and we need to step up to be the leader.  Maybe its defense and we need to be there to stand up for our coaches and teammates.  Maybe we’re to play the point and help direct traffic out in the parking lot.  Maybe we are to play down in the post where we’re rubbing shoulders with some of the toughest, meanest people on a daily basis.

 

The point is this–Our prize is something so much greater than a piece of hardware.  When we work together, and run the plays the Lord told us to run (The Great Commandment & The Great Commission), we will most assuredly be the champions we’ve always wanted to be.  And celebrating with our teammates in heaven will be a party that never ends!

 

PS…For all you Laker fans, MAYBE there’s something we can learn from them too.  I just haven’t figured it out yet!

Fellowship Panel at Saddleback

There was an all-star lineup at the Fellowship Panel at this year’s Purpose Driven Summit ‘08.  Here are some of the things these guys had to say about fellowship:

 

  PERRY NOBLE

• “We started a church with eight people in our living room.”
• “My best definition of Small Groups is, ‘Connecting dysfunctional people with dysfunctional people.’”
• “I don’t think we can force Christian community.  I think the church that tries to force Christian community is going to face failure, after failure, after failure.”
• A text message conversation is just as real to teenagers as this conversation–sitting in this room–is to us.”
• “Teaching people to be honest, honest with God and honest with each other, is one of our greatest challenges.”
• “One lady in our church said, “I know you’ll probably never know me, but through your blog I feel like I know you.”

  RON SYLVIA

• “Most pastors have fewer friends now than when they first started in ministry.”

  RAY JOHNSTON

• “The average Christian attends church once every three weeks.”

  RICK WARREN

• “People don’t always know what they need.  People need community.  Small Groups will never take off in your chruch unless you become the Small Group pastor.”
• “People will be in a Small Group when you tell stories about how it has helped you.”
• “People join a small group for the wrong reason.  They need it for relationships but they join it for content.”
• “Give testimonies constantly of people in groups.”

In my opinion, small groups are a vital part of doing church God’s way.  Yet in America, it is one of the hardest things to implement.  We have such a “Lone Ranger” mentality here, where individualism is regarded and rewarded.  Many other countries around the world have such a communal culture that small groups comes about as a natural part of every day living.  I have a few ideas I would like to implement to help these solo-flying Americans merge into small group living.

Purpose Driven Summit ‘08

 

I have really been soaking up what some of my favorite pastors and authors have been saying about the topics discussed at the Purpose Driven Summit ‘08 held at Saddleback Church in California.  I’ve been doing some HEAVY praying and scripture reading lately, trying to seek God about some things I see coming down the pike.  Even pastors need someone to speak into their life.  Over the next few days, I’m going to share with you the notes I have gathered from those that attended this conference.  I know they’ll encourage and help you just as much as they have me. 

 

If you want to check out the list of speakers, just CLICK HERE….Enjoy!

Samaritan, Disciple, or PLUGGED IN?

Yesterday’s message really pumped me up!  If you missed it, the bad news is that it didn’t record.  The good news is that I’m going to go back into the booth this week and record it again.  Here are the highlights of the message that was based out of Luke 9:51-56…

• There is a danger of falling into one of two groups, neither of which understand the heart of God…1)Samaritans–Those that have been burned by the church or those that called themselves Christians and now reject Christ.  Or 2)Disciples–Those that have become a little arrogant in their walk with the Lord and have lost a heart for people and have become a little angry at God because He didn’t work in the way, or time frame, that you wanted Him to.

• The way you treat others is a reflection of your perception of God.  (i.e. If I serve God onlyout of fear of hell, I will treat others as though I have become their judge and tend to point out flaws….If I serve God out of love, I will portray His love for others through my actions that have been saturated with care and affection.

• The palm branch represented something prophetic.  Historically, the palm branch was a sign of “victory over your enemy”.  We each carry two palms that hang from our shoulders, and when you wave these in the air, you in essence declare to the Lord, “Thank you for making me victorious over my enemies!”

So with all of this being said, you must understand that life makes it hard at times to “wave your palms” and praise God during your worst times.  I have found through experience that surrounding yourself with the right people helps you from falling into the trap of becoming as one of the Samaritans mentioned in this text.  When  you’re unable to see the silver lining through the fog that has encompassed your life, a Christ-following friend can help encourage you to go forward.  They can also help you to understand the truth of Scripture and the person of God in ways you may have never seen before.  This way your chances of falling into the same trap as the Disciples shrinks significantly. 

Get PLUGGED IN with a small group of believers!  God designed you with a need for relationships.  My group has helped me tremendously, and helped me not to take myself too seriously…

I went golfing SLAPPING A GOLF BALL ENDLESSLY THROUGH THE WRONG FAIRWAYS with one of my small group friends yesterday.  Scoring 71 would be good in any other sport BUT golf!

Passionate Friendship

Friendship is one of those topics that the church could really learn from non-Christians.  Watch any beer commercial, look through the contact list of a non-Christian’s cell phone, watch the comraderie that develops among some of the best sports teams on the planet, and you’ll discover they have an ingredient in their life that most “Christians” are lacking…PASSIONATE FRIENDSHIPS!

Have you ever noticed that pastors are the worst at getting invovled in lasting friendships?  This is something that I struggled with for years.  I was always playing the part of the “lone ranger”…always feeling that I couldn’t get too close to others…never willing to let others close enough to see I needed some comraderie. 

I have gained so much strength from my small group.  Honestly, I started leading this group to help young married couples.  While I think I did help a little, they’ve helped me more than they’ll ever know! 

If you’re reading this and you’re a Christ follower…You need fellowship outside of church.  You need people to do life with!

If you’re not a Christ follower…You need to get plugged in to the Body of Christ.  Don’t judge the whole body by those that claimed to be a part of it!  One of the greatest signs of a Christ follower is someone that’s humble enough to admit…”I NEED OTHERS!“  Your life will get better when you get PASSIONATE ABOUT FRIENDSHIP!