Get in the Game!

Exercise yourself toward godliness.

For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

-1 Timothy 4:7-8

And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

-2 Timothy 2:5

God doesn’t have fans; He has players!  Get in the game!  With these words Charles Ware concludes Special Forces for the Savior in the Demolishing Strongholds series from Answers in Genesis.  The players are on the field playing the game while the fans are sitting in the stands.  And although the fans cheer wildly, eighty percent do not understand the game at all.  They understand when a goal or basket is made, but they have no understanding of the rules of the game.  If they were put on the field to play, they would be lost as far as the regulations and terminology.  The other twenty percent physically can’t play the game.  They are not in physical shape.  If they were put on the field, they would fall panting before the game was over.  Players know the rules.  Players are in shape for the game.

Parents and teachers are not only individual players; they are also coaches.  Coaches know the rules.  Coaches play the game.  But their influence goes deeper.  They develop the players.  Without the coach, the team players lack direction, instruction, and training.  Without the coach, the team players are limited in what they can achieve.  A good coach knows, advises, and motivates his players.  He demonstrates strategies of the game.  He challenges his players to play harder and better.  A coach is an important part of the team.  He can’t drop the ball.

Let us therefore run in such a way that we gain the prize.  Let us not run with uncertainty.  Let us not fight as though beating the air.  Let us discipline our bodies and compete according to the rules.  We must run with endurance the race set before us.  We must coach our children to be winners in the game.  We must endure hardship and expect challenges.  Our goal is the prize and our focus is Jesus.  As Charles Ware reminds us, it’s a game.  People like a good game that is played with skill and proficiency.  Let’s play the game to win!

Answers in Genesis has produced a resource to assist teens in the game, Demolishing Strongholds.  These DVDs feature four “highly engaging” speakers, Ken Ham, Bill Jack, Charles Ware, and Carl Kerby.  The topics include Counterfeit Reality, Answers to Difficult Questions, War of the Worldviews, Evolution of Pop Culture, Special Forces for the Savior, and Simple Tools for Brain Surgery.  Each one is produced to “prepare your students to stand firm on the authority of God’s Word” and to “challenge them to activate their faith.”  Best of all, each can be watched online free at answersingenesis.org.  Simply search video on demand, demolishing strongholds.