The Crowd

I have a terrible habit of making everything spiritual. But recently, someone shared from Hebrews 11 & 12, and made the correlation between the prophets who suffered, and those who are among the cloud of witnesses. In my own mind, I came up with this modern day thing.

Imagine that Heaven looks down on everyday life, like a football game. When someone makes a bad call, the crowd is upset. When a player is injured, the crowd hushes. When someone makes a good play, the crowd cheers them on. But when someone scores a touchdown, the crowd goes wild!

It's encouraging to know that the saints who have gone on before us know of all the things we experience in this life. Unfair rulings, taking a hit for the team, marching down the field, scoring a touchdown, and sitting out for the season are just a handful of what most players deal with as professional athletes in the NFL.
I think we can relate to all those different emotions as believers. Nothing like scoring a touchdown, where you get down the field and score some points just like sharing your testimony. Two point conversions, are rare, but man are they awesome! Almost exactly like leading someone to Christ. Go for it! Sometimes you go with a field goal attempt, which is hit or miss. That's like inviting someone to a Bible study, or even an a-spiritual place like McDonalds. You may or may not get someone to come. The best strategy though, is to just throw the ball, get the first down, and march up the field to the endzone. That is consistently being the same person, who always is available, and inviting people to be a part of what God is doing. Granted no team is perfect, and a lot of times we drop, or fumble the ball. My brother Ben just told me there are usually 11 guys on either side of the field. That's just one guy short of 12, which is significant, because that's how many disciples Jesus chose to start His kingdom with. So what's my point? A church is like a team. Everybody has to play their position, work together, and stay disciplined. Coaches are very similar to pastors. Their job is to encourage, exhort, and sometimes step in and confront a referee, i.e. elder. Referees also hold coaches in check, so it's a two way system.

It's hard when your team doesn't show up to play, that's like finding a good church that's growing. You're guaranteed to feel the pain of being on the field at times, the enemy or even believers can really knock ya down. It can be frustrating when leadership doesn't have a handle on things, or make good decisions, similar to a pastor who does not cast clear vision, or lead others in it. The worst is when you're out for the season. You're sitting on the bench and watching all your teammates play. But it's just for awhile, and once everything gets healed up, you'll be back in the game soon enough. It is possible as a believer to burn out, get beat up, and be pulled out from ministry for awhile. You learn a lot from coaches, and other seasoned players.

My illustration falls apart when looking for a place for God though. So, it will all have to unravel. Still, I thought it was pretty cool to think of life this way. Professional football players are probably not all disciples of Jesus, but it's an interesting thought.