Super Team Jesus Fans

 

“Football is an honest game. It’s true to life. It’s a game about sharing. 

Football is a team game. So is life.” Joe Namath

 
Though wearing a Cracker Barrell uniform, her Team Jesus loyalty and love shined through her. Her name was Lillian, and she touched my heart.
  I love grits! Unfortunately, the only restaurant that serves them in Wisconsin is Cracker Barrell. When I’m not with Jane or if she’s out of town, as she was last week, I go to Cracker Barrell to get my “fix.”
  When Lillian came to wait on me, it just seemed something was different. It wasn’t the normal server social friendliness. She had a beautiful smile and it felt like more, it seemed like she had real joy. I was there to get my grits and do a little reading. Yet, I try to engage servers in a conversation. It’s opened many doors for the gospel over the years. And it turned out that she was a Christ-follower. Upon learning that, I shared, “I thought you were.” You could sense it. She’d recently graduated from a Christian college and was working to pay off school bills. Her passion though was to be a missionary. She’d been on a mission’s trip to Israel and wanted to return there but knew that it would be difficult because of the current unrest. I suggested Jordan as a possibility and a couple of mission agencies that might consider sending her back to Israel. I wasn’t surprised by her love for the Lord and passion for the lost. Christians run in when everyone else runs out.
  It’s the Super Bowl today. Fans are proudly wearing their teams’ jerseys, even if not attending the game but at home with friends. They’re passionate and cheering on their team.
  Even the most inattentive ears can’t miss the many ongoing conversations about the game. They talk about the field in Vegas or the rematch from four years ago. They’ll discuss whether Brock Purdy has what it takes to get the 49ers the ring after a thirty-year drought? The chatter on the Chiefs side focuses on familiar names like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones. Which coach will pull it off? Andy Reid or Kyle Shanahan?
  Yet, what about us? The Big Game has vital applications for us as Christ-followers. After all, fan is just short for fanatic.
  Do others look at our lives and know that we’re Christ followers? We may not wear a Team Jesus “jersey,” yet, do we live in a way so others see a difference? Fans want others to know what team they love. Do we have that same passion, longing for others to know that we’re on Team Jesus?
  Is being born-again a new life and radical transformation? Is there evidence in our ethics, our conversations, our marriages, and relationships with our children to show that we’re in Christ? What “team” do our social media posts indicate? What about how we spend our time? Is worshipping with other believers a priority? How about our entertainment choices? Are we kind and Christlike even when disagreeing on things like politics?
  Football fans are so excited about their team that they can hardly talk about anything else. What excites us? What is it that we can hardly stop talking about? Is it that we’ve been forgiven a sin debt that we could never pay? Is it that we’re loved by a God who knows our names and every burden that we carry. Is it that He loves us so much that even though we were His enemies, He willingly sacrificed His perfect Son for us? If anyone should be excited to talk about Jesus and His love for us, it should be us. Like a fan, we should be so overwhelmed by God’s grace that we can’t stop talking about Jesus. Like football fans, we talk about grace and forgiveness, peace, and joy in Christ because it turned our lives upside down and we long for others to know Him.
  Super Bowl players have trained for this day. Players spend years coming up through a system of high school, college, and professional sports. They give their all to the game. Their whole life is centered on it. Exhausting, year-round practice, weightlifting, and punishing games. They risk injury and suffer many pains, all for the game. Yet, ten years from now, all but the most gifted ones will be forgotten. As Christ-followers, sharing our faith can make an eternal difference in someone’s life. Do we have that same passion and dedication that the players have? Are we willing to make sacrifices for Jesus? Will we take risks for the gospel? It’s true we’re not paid millions, instead we’re blessed with eternal rewards that can never be taken away.
  Super Bowl Fans love to party. Many fans watching prepared and invited others for a Super Bowl Party? They’ve invited friends and family. They’ve planned the menu. They’ll watch the pre-game and be excited for that first kickoff. They’ll be waiting, anticipating the start.
  Every Sunday is a Resurrection Day. Do we anticipate it? We have the privilege of worshiping the One who sacrificially gave His life for us and conquered death. Are we excited? Is it a priority? Do we prepare our hearts? Do we prayerfully plan for the worship service? Do we anticipate joining our brothers and sisters to worship together? Do we look for those that we can cheer on, pray for, or encourage?
  Fans pay mega bucks to attend the game. Those attending pay a hefty price to attend. Tickets go from $5,000 to $35,000 for regular seats. Fans pay big bucks to attend. Yet, in our post-Covid age many Christians are satisfied with living room church, but it’s not the same as being there. Worship is not about convenience or comfort. It’s about being together for worship. It’s about joining shoulder to shoulder with the family of God.
  Fans don’t care about the clock. Fans watch the clock to see their team win. They watch the clock if their team is behind to see if it has a chance. Some watch the clock at the worship service longing for it to end so they can shoot out the door for what’s “important.” They’re relieved it’s finally done. Fans love the game and will talk about it for days. If it goes into overtime, then it’s a great game! But if the worship goes a little over, some attendees may be irritated that it infringed on their time.
  Fans attend because they love the team and love the game. Yet, many Christ-followers attend out of duty. They’re bored as they sing about God’s grace or listen to the Word or message of how He wants to transform them and make an eternal difference with their lives. Their love has grown cold.
  Football fans leave pumped up. Christ-followers often drag out, unmoved and unchanged. Maybe that’s why we’re making so little difference in this world? Maybe it’s not the world that has a problem, maybe it’s us. So, this afternoon when you watch the game, whisper a prayer that the Church, that our church, would become energized with the Spirit and become Super fanatics for the winning team, Team Jesus!

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.