Dare 2 Share - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. (Hebrews 12:1)
I don’t know if you are ‘in’ to football or not. If you are, then you are probably aware of the significance of the Super Bowl. If you are not, you should know that this is one of the biggest sports events of the entire year. There will be an estimated 130 million people from nearly 200 countries (are there that many countries?) tuning in to the colossal contest.
We don’t exchange gifts or cards (yet), but Super Sunday might as well be a holiday given the number of gatherings (“where are you going for the game?”) and the bazillions of dollars dished out to devour delicacies such as Domino’s and Dr. Pepper.
To me, the Super Bowl (and its accompanying festivities) brings out three types of people.
First, there are the Inquisitive. These are the folks who are curious about the flashy new commercials and enjoy watching grown people yell at inanimate objects while putting down more food in four hours than a family of four does in a year.
Then there are the Indifferent. They could not care less about the contest, the commercials, and even the condiments. What attracts these folks is the gathering. It’s a chance to get together with friends and take a break from life for a few hours.
Finally we need to mention the Interested. To them, this really is about the game of football. It is the ultimate championship where five months of battling between 30 teams has come down to two contenders fighting to become the Lords of the Ring.
Perhaps you can relate to one of these categories of people- or maybe not. Yet what I would like you to consider this weekend is how the Christian life relates to Super Sunday.
Have I completely lost it?
Maybe, but please just go with me for a moment on this one.
When you trusted Christ, you joined a team and you picked a fight. We were ‘drafted’ from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God (Acts 26:18). Every second of every hour of every day we are engaged in a contest that is bigger than all the Super Bowls combined. Instead of 130 million people watching, we have billions of angels and the God of the universe tuning in. This doesn’t involve over 200 countries- rather our battle encompasses the entire physical and spiritual universe…and just like the big game, it generally brings out three types of people.
Yep, you guessed it. First there are the Inquisitive. Oh yeah, they know that there is an intense and eternally significant war going on- but their real concern is entertainment. They are always into the latest Christian fads and watching other people make fools of themselves as they get ‘radical’ for Jesus. There may be a battle going on, but you wouldn’t know it by watching the Inquisitive.
Of course there are also the Indifferent. Becoming a believer was fire insurance for the future and a party for the present. They could not care less about advancing God’s Kingdom and fighting the good fight, there are too many church functions going on! The Indifferent have been out of the battle so long they wouldn’t know a non-believer from a golden retriever.
Praise God there are still the Interested. To them, life really is about defeating the enemy through the power of the Spirit. Their motto reflects the words of one of heaven’s MVPs- the Apostle Paul:
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (I Corinthians 9:26)
So while you are watching the game, remember that Someone else is watching you to see which type of believer you have chosen to be. Just remember that God’s starting line-up has plenty of positions open…are you Interested?
Questions
1) Which ‘type’ of believer best describes you?
2) What is one thing you can do to join the battle?
3) Is every believer called to fight the enemy? Why or why not?
