LIVING ON THE EDGE

My oldest son is making plans to head to Denver with a team of very talented, dedicated and energetic people to birth a church in the middle of downtown Denver. They will be moving in June to begin the strategic work of meeting people and cultivating the area to get it ready for the birth. (I will never forget what it was like when we started WC. I was scared and excited all at the same time.)

This is a very exciting time for the entire team. They have been praying and strategizing for months and now they are embarking on a journey that will impact their lives and thousands and thousands more. They will literally change the face of Denver forever.

When anyone is called by God to change the world for His sake in such a huge way, you can count on Satan not liking anything about the plan or the people involved. So he decides to begin to attack the team and the families of the team members. This is what is happening now.

There are some “well meaning people” being used by the enemy to try and distract, disrupt and divide a team that God has clearly assembled and called out to do huge things for HIM in a city desperate to hear the good news of Christ. I, for one am proud of what they are doing and not just because the leader is my son but because they are doing it right and doing it for the ONE who will ultimately receive the honor and glory for any and all victories they encounter. JESUS CHRIST.

Let me ask you to pray for these men and women as they continue their journey. Prayer covering is what they need now more than anything else. Pray for protection, peace, harmony, unity, the anointing. Pray they will remain humble and pliable in the hands of God. Pray this for them and their extended families as well.

One more thing. If you are one of the “well meaning people” that have a need to run your mouth then I’m praying that God will shut it and keep you as far away as possible from this team. If you can’t be encouraging and uplifting then, shut up, sit down and let them enjoy the ride. And if you need a bigger target, I’m here. Bring it on. IN JESUS NAME!!!

Dang, that felt good.

For the past five weeks, I have had our church in TRAINING CAMP focusing on the fundamentals and the strategy we have implemented so we can win our SUPER BOWL on SUNDAY. Our SBS is every week as we strive to reach as many people for Christ as we can before God pulls the plug on the game.

As I was prepping for the series, I began thinking about how ALL NFL teams start every season with training camp. Their focus is the same: FUNDAMENTALS AND STRATEGY. These two components are essential if the team has any chance at all at making it to the SB let alone win it.

The same is true for the church. If we ever want to win on SB SUNDAY, reaching people for Christ, we need to practice the fundamentals and know, understand, buy in and live the strategy that God has laid out for His church.

These are my thoughts on what that looks like.

Understand your playbook-1 Peter 2:2 “Like newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” Every NFL player sleeps with his playbook because they are expected to know it and implement it on the field. Every follower of Christ must do then same. It’s our playbook for the game we’re in. Read it, study it, memorize it and meditate on it. But above all DO IT on the field of life.

Learn how to connect with the coach -Phil. 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Prayer is the key to staying connected and hearing from God. How in the world do we ever expect to get the plays if we don’t know the coach who is calling them? Look to sidelines for the next call. We need to hear from Him daily for direction, encouragement and our next assignment.

There is no “I” in team- Ro. 12:5 “So in Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Every Christ follower needs a team. There are no Lone Ranger Christians. God desires for us to be in a group and this is where we can thrive and grow. We need to join the team and commit to making it a winner. I have never seen a player from another NFL team one day decide he wants to play QB for the Cowboys. Walks on the field Sunday and says “Hey, coach put me in”. Duh. Never happen. But we do that in churches every week never knowing the person. People need to commit to the team first then start playing.

Leave it all on the field- Matthew 25:14-30- I will never forget Emmitt Smith’s heroics in 1993-while playing the NY Giants for NFC Championship game, he separated his shoulder early in the game. That did not stop him from finishing the game and leading the team to the eventually game winning field goal. Emmitt could have taken himself out but he chose to play-not for Emmitt but for the team. He wanted the Cowboys in the SB and to win it.
God is looking for ordinary people who will be willing to stay in the game even though it gets a little rough. I think God wants people who will do whatever it takes to make God’s team a winner, those who will not take themselves out when they get offended or someone hurts their feelings or they get a little tired, people who have the Kingdom in mind first not their own needs or agenda. And one day when they stand before the owner He will say to them “Well done-good job. Come on in and enjoy the party”.

When churches choose to focus on the fundamentals and the strategy instead of focusing on denominations or their own agenda, then I believe God is going to make sure we win our SUPER BOWL on SUNDAY.