Putting the Best Possible Team on the Field (or Court)
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
—Acts 2:42-48
As always, MLB playoff baseball was exciting. On top of that, for NFL fans, the league is in mid-season form. And my personal favorite sport, basketball, is ramping up for another season. (And, hopefully, another deep run in the Tournament for my Bruins!)
So, let’s go ahead and root for the different teams we love. But, in this post, I want to talk about coaching-up the one team we’re all on.
Coaches everywhere agree. They hope for a legitimate shot at the championship of their respective leagues, to be sure. But, that aside, regardless of the level or the sport, every time their teams suit up, all coaches are focused on one thing. When game day rolls around, they all want to put the best team possible on the field or on the court.
That’s why they call practices, watch film, try to motivate their teams with all of those fiery pre-game speeches, and work tirelessly to create a positive team culture. It’s all strategically designed to bring the best out in each of their players.
Every day of the season and for much of the off-season, they’re preparing their teams for one thing. Actually, the main thing. GAME DAY. The day when the fans will all be watching!
When you think about it, at most games we attend, what we hear isn’t very relevant. Neither is what we touch, smell, or taste (Concessions excluded, of course). The reason we attend games or turn on the television is to watch!
Why is that? Well, like I’ve said so often, just follow the numbers and you’ll eventually get to the truth! And here’s another interesting number. 91% of the sensory receptors in our brains are committed to just one of our senses. The other four senses share the other 9%. That’s not just interesting, it’s strategic. It’s why the human threshold for being convinced that something is true is overwhelmingly dependent on what we see. Not what we hear, or smell, or touch, or taste, but what we can see. We were engineered by our Creator to watch!
That’s why we bring people together for fellowship and accountability. That’s why we teach the Bible. That’s why we come together for worship. The Great Commission is about making disciples. But to do that effectively, Jesus wants the best product on the field, simply because all of our worlds are watching us.
For decades, I’ve told pastors that the oikos principle is as much about discipleship as it is about evangelism. They’re shocked! They thought all we had to offer them with that principle is a better evangelism program.
But, keep in mind, coming together to learn more about God, enjoy Christian fellowship, and worship together is supposed to be purposeful. None of them are an end to themselves. Evidently, as we read the Book of Acts, they never have been. In fact, when you think about it, we’ll be better at each of those things about a second after we all croak. When we’re in Heaven, we’ll know God better than ever, worship Him better than ever, and enjoy each other more than ever!
The Church’s earthly purpose has to be something we won’t better at when we’re in Heaven! So, what is it? (Here’s a hint: there won’t be any lost people in Heaven.)
So, let’s read that passage again. And, this time, notice how it’s a list of what the Church did when they came together as a church.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.”
But then notice WHY they spent so much time together doing those things. They were preparing for something really important. It’s in the very next verse (48).
“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
When the believers came together, they prepared together to fulfill the Church’s purpose, which has always been to see lost people become saved people, not just on Sunday, but daily!
I could come up with a variety of reasons to faithfully attend church, but they all boil down to this. The people in our front rows have been genetically engineered to watch how we play. Not to feel us, or taste us, or smell us. (Thank the Lord!) Or even just to hear what we claim is true.
God has always wanted to get the most out of His team. He wants to put the best product on the field today and every day. People need to see Jesus. So, let’s all go to church this Sunday and listen carefully to what we hear. Let’s take notes. And not just sit there, but sing with our worship leaders. Engage with our church families. Get the most we possibly can out of the experience. Do all the things we need to do to prepare. Because the rest of the week matters. Every day is game day.
People are watching. And, more often than not, they deserve a better depiction of Christlikeness than they got out of us last week.
(Preparing to reach your oikos for Christ is just one step in The Oikos Challenge, a five-step strategy to change your world. You can read more about The Oikos Challenge in any of Tom’s three books. And click here to download our free new ebook, “Is Oikos Biblical?”)