What football teaches us about the church

“Some people think football is a matter of life an death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that." Bill Shankly

  They’re such a part of speech and conversation that we don’t even realize it. We use them all the time and are so common. Yet, I doubt that most of us think, “That was a metaphor.” Since it’s been a while since most of us were in high school English, let me refresh your memory with a definition of a metaphor. A metaphor is simply a figure of speech used to describe, illustrate or apply something to a lesson that it does not usually denote.

  Did you know that Jesus was the master when it came to using metaphors? As we read the Gospels, we find that He continually used metaphors to communicate truth in powerful and creative ways so that His listeners would understand, and more importantly, remember His teaching.

  Over the next few weeks, we’ll be using “football” as a metaphor to communicate God’s Truth. Though it’s taken some bad hits in recent years, professional football is still the most popular sport in America. The NFL continues to have the highest ratings draws for live sports programming. In fact, no sporting event in all of North America comes even close to rivaling the Super Bowl when it comes to coverage, ratings and overall spectacle. Fantasy football only adds to why so many in the U.S. love professional football more than any other sport.

  So that there’s no confusion, let’s be clear, football is NOT in the Bible. Sorry, but the “G” stands for God, not “Green Bay.” Yet, there are many lessons we can learn from football that have powerful parallels in Scripture. Add to that, for many, football is a religion, with the amateurs playing on Friday and Saturday and the professionals on Sunday. (Sadly, for too many, it devolves into idolatry…even for believers).  

  You’ll often find that even those who detest the Bible and Christianity, unknowingly are successful because they’re applying biblical truth and principles to their lives. And that’s true of football. There are many applications from football which can apply to the local church.

  Hopefully, because football is more familiar turf for many of us, our new sermon series, Game Plan: What football teaches us about the church, will help each of us have a firmer grip on biblical truths that apply to the church. Too often in the church we’re just fumbling and dropping the ball because we don’t know what the Bible teaches about the church.

  Please be assured, though this study is topical, during this series, as always at Grace, we’ll continue to be supremely biblical. We are committed without apology to Sola Scriptura. The Reformers popularized that term. It’s simply Latin for “by Scripture alone.” It’s the foundational doctrine that the Bible is the supreme and final authority in all matters of doctrine and practice. So what can you expect during this series?

  Hopefully, you’ll discover that people often learn best when they’re able to move from what’s known or familiar, to what’s unknown and unfamiliar. By using the analogy of football, we want to have a better understanding of the church. We want to simplify something that was born two thousand years ago, that sometimes can be complex, and make it easier to comprehend for today.

  Hopefully, this will help all of us not only understand but retain what we know. The local church is Jesus’ plan for reaching this world. Then, because of that, we’ll be better able to “coach” others as we disciple them. The Lord gave us truth that could be transmitted throughout the network of our relationships because He wanted everyone to know the truth since it sets us free (John 8:31, 32).

  Hopefully, as we compare something that is so common, and that for many of us is very important and continually on our minds (at least during football season), it will help us understand, contemplate, take some time to meditate on something other than our fantasy football picks J. Hopefully, it will help us gain greater insight into the real world, God’s eternal world by utilizing terms that we deal with on a consistent basis. So as we gather each week, please come prayerfully, asking the Lord to help you gain wisdom and insights that perhaps you’d not considered before.

  Football is about power and skill. Our American tendency though is to think of the church as being weak, unskilled, if not incompetent. Hopefully, by understanding who the Head (Jesus) of the church is, where our game plan comes from (the Bible), Who energizes us (the Spirit) – then we’ll realize that we can be part of something that has an impact long after the game is over and those last seconds of the fourth quarter have passed.

  Football is about unity both on and off the field. Even terrible teams have a strong fan base. There’s a thrill of participating together in something exciting. The tailgate party and anticipation of the game are as much a part of the experience as the game itself. Yet, too often church is seen as a duty or obligation like school or work. Everyone posts when they’re at the big game. Have you ever noticed that only rarely does anyone post that they’re at church? Why is that? Does it say something about our values and what energizes us?  

  At a game, there’s a connection even with strangers, just because you’re all cheering for the same team. Yet, in the American church, our tendency is to make worship a solo experience. That’s unbiblical. God’s plan is that we connect more and more with our brothers and sisters. Worship should also be something we anticipate and enjoy, not endure. The power of the Spirit so surpasses the power of spirits to bring fulfillment and enjoyment, that they’re not even comparable. Yet, too many have only truly experienced the limited power of the temporary and rarely if ever experienced the true power of the eternal.

  If there’s anything that every football team unfortunately knows from experience – it’s defeat. But there’s always next week or even next year. Losing one game doesn’t have to destroy a season. Falling behind in one quarter doesn’t mean you’ll lose the game. In the same way, a setback in your spiritual walk doesn’t mean the whole future is bleak. Keeping a long term perspective helps us individually and even as a church family deal with short term setbacks. Let’s face it, drama queens (those who constantly go from “today is the best day of my life!” to “today is the most awful day ever”) never seem to do well at football. 

  Hopefully, this series will indelibly remind us that while the game is important, what’s most important is the final score in life and eternity. As believers, we already know who wins in the end, yet frequently in the midst of the “game,” we forget. Hopefully, this series will help us to stop forgetting. So plan to join us for all five weeks. Don’t give away your tickets or let your seat go empty. Every player is important, so join us each Sunday for Game Plan: What football teaches us about the church! 

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