TODAY'S BARGAINOMICS BIBLE PASSAGE

Let’s put some more thought into the “Tug O’ War” I mentioned yesterday. In this competition, we’re looking at two opposing teams, one representing Satan’s darkness and the other representing your church, your corporate body of believers. Think on these important lessons:

(1)   There is most assuredly an opposing team. Every day, child of God, Satan’s forces want to beat Christ’s “team,” drag us across the line and defeat our value as Kingdom workers.

(2)   There’s power in numbers. As the family of God comes together to support each other and work together, we become a mighty force to defeat the powers of darkness.

(3)   When a teammate is pulled across – into sin – fellow believers are not there to condemn him, but to help him come back to the winning team. That teammate isn’t lost, but only temporarily defeated. A Christian who aligns himself with a group of Bible-believing prayer warriors joins a network to help intercede for him while he learns to be an intercessor for others.

(4)   A team should function as one body. Each believer’s “performance” affects every other member of the team: “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” While Jesus Christ has already won the eternal victory for His “team members,” “teammates” must fight the daily battles in this life.

(5)   Every team member must steadfastly keep his head in the game. Allowing yourself to become distracted means giving the opponent the advantage against your team.

(6)   To unbelievers observing a believer’s life, this person represents the whole team. That believer’s entire church – if not the whole Christian community’s – reputation and representation is on the line. Each member shows others what the Christian life is all about. We either show the world that this life is “for real” by enthusiastically advancing the Kingdom or we show them how little significance there is to becoming a child of God.

So let’s make this personal. Is your church growing victoriously? Are petty jealousies, other problems and disagreements upsetting the harmony that should exist among team members? You can be a driving force to heal these rifts. Faithfully attend your church’s services; worship from the heart; learn His Word; pray for others and for your own life to be strengthened in Jesus Christ; take whatever actions are necessary to encourage others; and set the example by modeling your life after the team Captain.

“Now the body is not made up of one part but of many… God has combined the members… so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other” (I Corinthians 12:14, 24b, 25, NIV).