Victory Formation Christianity: Playing it safe til He comes

It's as frustratingly maddening as it is sweetly exhilarating. If you're on the winning side there's no greater sight. If you're the loser, you'd rather stick a needle in your eye than watch as it plays out. It's football's Victory Formation.

When the outcome of a football game is no longer in question late in the game, the team with the lead usually goes into an offensive formation that completely protects the quarterback as he takes the snap and almost immediately takes a knee to just keep the clock running. The losing side usually has no timeouts left and no hope of a comeback when the winning side begins this formality.

The Victory Formation is the winning side's way of making sure they don't turn the ball over causing a potential miraculous comeback-win for the opposing side. The Victory Formation is playing it safe.

Unfortunately, the Victory Formation mentality has crept it's way into the Church.

It appears that time may be getting short. The return of the Lord might not be that far away. There are signs all over the place.

Ebola, ISIS, Israel, Russia, Syria, Iran, and the spread of radical Islam all point toward our blessed hope and His glorious appearing. Whether that means His return happens next year, next decade or even longer, we're in the fourth quarter of time.

Because of this perceived shortness of time, many Christians seem content with running out the clock from the Victory Formation while a handful of ministers and leaders continue the trench-warfare that comes with snatching people out of the fire (Jude 1:23).

The hour is too late and the stakes are too high to live out our Christian faith from the Victory Formation. 

Sure, it's a safe way to play the game. There's almost zero chance you'll end up losing possession of the football. Might as well take a knee and run out the clock, right?

In Luke 19, Jesus gives the parable of the 10 talents. In the parable, Jesus says a man of noble birth was going away to become king and he gives 10 servants one talent each with the instruction "Occupy til I come." Occupy meaning put this money to work or continue conducting business until I return as King.

The story continues with the nobleman returning to find one servant who earned 10 talents off the original amount given to him. The next servant had gained five. The final servant hid his only talent in a cloth and did nothing with his master's money. He played it safe because he was scared of his master.

The telling reason Jesus gave this parable is all the way back in verse 11. Luke says "he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the Kingdom of God was going to appear at once."

So it's possible the people had a penchant to play it safe since they thought the Kingdom coming in power was imminent. Maybe the underlying attitude among the followers was one of complacency or worse–safety.

Aslan, the Lion in C.S. Lewis's classic children's story The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe represents Jesus. As the inquisitive children ask about Aslan, Mr. Beaver replies, "Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

Lewis got that one right. Jesus is anything but safe. Following Him is anything but playing it safe. As a matter of fact, Jesus Himself said, "If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross every day, and follow me. (Luke 9:23)" Does carrying your own method of execution sound safe to you?

It's not time to play it safe. It's not time for the Victory Formation. There's still a war over men's souls. There is still a battle to fight. There's still a devil loose.

Yes, we already have ultimate victory. We're marching from victory to victory. But truly following the King is anything but playing it safe.

Rise up, Kingdom Voices!

If there’s ever been a time for God’s people to reach out to a diverse and desperate culture that time is now.

I know the world appears hopelessly lost. I realize it looks like there’s no help in sight. But it only appears that way because the church as a whole is not in her rightful place.

In Isaiah 58, God speaks to the prophet telling him to “cry aloud, spare not! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Tell my people their sins.”

What were those sins? The sins of God’s people were many, but God was specifically calling out those who served Him with selfish motives. The people had a spirit much like Cain did in Genesis 4. Offering something of little worth to God and expecting a massive reward for it before grumbling when God had no respect for their offering.

The lifestyle that God has chosen is the Kingdom lifestyle—a lifestyle that includes breaking chains and yokes off of the oppressed, sharing with those in need, feeding the poor, clothing the naked, and actively meeting the needs of those within our community.

We’ve seen Kingdom work in progress on world news lately. With the Ebola crisis hitting Africa hard, there has been high profile coverage of missionaries putting their lives on the line actively pursuing God’s call. This obedience has also been seen in places like the Middle East, where men and women of God risk their lives daily to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a culture bound with religious chains.

This Kingdom attitude needs to be the rule, not the exception. Unfortunately, the focus in American Christendom appears to be bigger, better worship experiences from a chosen few mega-ministries. It appears that our pursuit of the “good life now” has replaced Kingdom efforts at changing the future of our communities.

It’s time to rise up, Kingdom voices! We must lead the charge in this hour.

True Kingdom voices have to speak up. It’s time to say something. Challenge church as usual. Be respectful, but rock the boat a little bit.

Speak out on social media. Start a podcast. Lift up your voice for true Kingdom principles. Find hurting people and serve them.

Be the hands and feet of God in the community and the workplace He’s placed you in. Actively pursue after God. Intercede for deliverance on behalf of those who are bound.

It’s a desperate hour and you are needed.

Rise up.

Are you listening to Kingdom Voices?

There are so many voices in today's culture. Anyone with a laptop or even a smart phone can lift up their voice with little to no repercussion or accountability. People are saying many things and there are many delivery methods for those voices to be heard.

What are you listening to?

Are you listening to opinions about politics, sports, and/or religion? Are you listening to the many voices attempting to confuse your mind about the truth?

With so many people trying to speak into your life, how do you know who to siphon off and who to open up to?

Do we just go with the flow culturally and allow all these voices to take up valuable real estate in our heads? Are we all so desperate to hear some new thing that we just allow anything to infiltrate our spirits?

I believe it's time that we begin to shut-off some of the noise. There are some voices that have no legal right to be in your head.

Most political voices in this day and age serve to distract and divide—two things a kingdom person should never allow in their anointed mind. Many religious voices in this culture want to deceive and deploy false doctrine into tickled ears. Other cultural voices want to offer idols and those voices will even teach you how to worship those dumb idols, as Paul called them in 1 Corinthians 12:2.

In Romans 12:2, the Apostle Paul also said to not be conformed to this world's superficial customs, but to be transformed by the continual renewing of your mind. If that happens, you will be able to prove, discern, and detect what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.

We must listen to kingdom voices in this age. We must not allow the world's culture to invade our thought process, our doctrinal values, or our churches.

But how can we tell a kingdom voice from a cultural voice? Truth. You won't hear truth taught by culture. According to culture, there is no truth. Everything is relative.

How do you determine truth when mainstream religion has even become a source of falsehood? You determine truth by the Word of God. Not by your personal theology or by the experience your friend had at the hip new culturally relevant church down the street.

You must continually renew your mind on a daily basis by hearing, reading, & studying the word. It must become a part of you.

When that happens, not only will you recognize a kingdom voice you might just become one yourself.

 

Social Media Discretion Advised for Kingdom People

Lately, I've been a bit disturbed at the speed and ferocity with which Internet rumors are posted and re-posted via Facebook and Twitter by supposed church folks.

Before you know it, some off-the-wall falsehood about a preacher has spread to thousands of people with the mere click of the "Share" or "Re-Tweet" button.

I'm to the point where I must ask, what purpose does it serve to spread this story? Whether you had insider info from your cousin's, best friend's, ex-boyfriend or not, we as kingdom people should not have the desire to spread false news about someone else within the kingdom. That goes for outside the kingdom as well. Rumor and gossip in all its forms is wrong—very wrong.

But something is especially discouraging when folks who are supposedly blood bought, sanctified Christians get some kind of rush out of posting and re-posting the latest juicy rumor regarding Joel Osteen or Joyce Meyer.

Unfortunately, preachers and kingdom people are not the only one's to fall into the cross-hairs of fellow "Christians."

In this hyper-aggressive, super-disrespectful age of political discourse, politicians fall prey to falsehoods and misrepresentation by our always-eager-to-expose-some-obscure-Satanic-agenda, uber-evangelical brethren as well.

Case in point is this mis-represented story that went viral in a hurry.

Let me point out that I'm as uber-evangelical as the next guy. I don't agree with much of what certain mainstream televangelists have to say. I certainly don't identify myself as a political liberal.

But we hurt our cause, our name, and HIS kingdom when we post, repost, tweet, and re-tweet stuff that simply is not true. And even if it is true, why would we take joy in seeing a ministry fall, provided that ministry was teaching even a shred of truth?

I'm all for calling out heretical preachers and wingnut politicians when the story is from a reputable source. But this ministry-bashing based on internet hoaxes and vicious viral sharing of politically charged lies really needs to stop.

Especially when it's God's people fueling the fires.

Introducing Joelabarker.com | Worship, Church, Community, Kingdom

Welcome to joelabarker.com! I'm so excited to get this blog launched. As I said in the first post "Ready. Set. Go!", this site is nearly one year in the making.

Over the last year, I have basically had to relearn blogging. After five years writing about sports for various websites and publications, I figured I should take my time in venturing out into a new area of the blogosphere.

Yes, sports was and still is a favorite hobby. Yes, I still know way more than I should about the 4-3 defense, 40 yard dash times, and the MLB trade deadline. But, ministry and the church is my life.

The content that will be covered here is hardly new to me, but, believe it or not, there is a difference between writing about quarterback hurries and church communications.

So, what will I cover here at joelabarker.com? Let's refer to the site header for starters.

Worship

If you've read my about page you know that I am a worship leader. If you've been in church longer than a minute you should know what a worship leader does.

I may cover new songs or worship service experiences in this space from time to time, but more than likely I will cover worship in the deeper sense—the lifestyle of worship.

After all, what we do on Sunday is merely an outward expression of an inward attitude.

Church

No, I will not be critiquing church services, preachers, pastors, etc. Way too many blogs have taken on that fools errand.

I will blog about the church. You know, that whole pillar and ground of the truth thing. (1 Tim. 3:15)

I hope to cover topics ranging from the state of the church to church communications to marketing and planting. My plan is to go as in-depth as possible on issues like church benevolence ministries and outreach.

Community

The word "community" in the context of a blog or website is quite different from the use of the word in a church context.

Sure, I want to build an online community around my site. But my ultimate hope is to play my small part in inspiring leaders to really effect change in the way they view their real-life communities. I'm not just talking about their local neighborhoods, but I want to see communities of believers, churches, pastors actually working together for a change.

We should be sharing ideas, best practices, and resources. Like the Acts 4:32 church.

That's not to say that I'll be preaching at or grumbling about the inward-focused churches or pastors who'd rather eat their own shoe than collaborate with other ministers (Yes, there are plenty of them out there). That's not what I'm about and that's definitely not what this blog will be about. I want to see John 13:35 lived out loud.

Kingdom

Ultimately, I want to be all about the kingdom. I want this site to be all about the kingdom. I want everything I do, say, write, preach, and sing to be all about the kingdom.

If it's for the kingdom, I'm all for it.

Everything written on this website will have a kingdom mindset at its very core.

Hopefully that brief overview explains my starting point for this website. I'd love to hear your input on the ideas presented in this introductory post. What's your take on the worship > church > community > kingdom topic?

 

image courtesy of flickr creative commons user jayneandd