Going on Offense
- Pastor Bob and Janet
- Jul 16, 2017
- 3 min read
1 John 4:4-11
The Clemson Tigers and Alabama Tide are playing in the 2017 National Championship. Your team is in a huddle and the ref just signaled that the ball is ready for play. 25 seconds...20...15...10...5... The crowd is in a panic. Both teams' fans are screaming, "Play ball!" The ref blows his whistle and signals a delay of game. Frustration abounds. Sabin throws his clipboard while Dabo does the Dab. For the offensive team, this would be a nightmare. How can your team win if they never break huddle and play ball? Essentially, this is what is going on in the lives of many believers. Many Christians seem to be locked in a "holy huddle." For some reason, they are unable to get out of their huddle, and they never go on offense. Scripture mandates in Matthew 28:17 to "go and make disciples of all nations." This Great Commission was revealed by Jesus to the disciples after He had risen from the dead. The importance of the Great Commission can't be understated. The Gospel was now in the hands of a few believers, and it was (and still is) urgent that they tell the Good News to the world. The bottom line is this - The Gospel must be spread both at home and around the world. If that is believers' purpose, then why are we still locked in a holy huddle?
Freedom from Fear
Previously (v3), John speaks of spirits that are not from God. He calls them the spirit of the antichrist, and reveals that they are already in the world. These spirits cause many problems for believers and nonbelievers alike. One of the most prevalent spirits is the spirit of fear. Fear can cripple believers, leaving them unable to break out of their huddle and carry the Good News to others. John tells us that we can overcome the spirit of the antichrist because we are from God. We are born again and we have the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. His spirit guides us and leads us into all truth. We can overcome because he (Christ) who is in us is greater than he (antichrist) who is in the world. You see, if Christ is in you, you have the power to overcome the spirits of addiction, fear, depression, or any negative influence that keeps you in a stationary huddle. Perhaps the reason believers are too afraid to go on offense with The Gospel is because they have lost the anchor of scripture. Reading and memorizing scripture gives believers confidence in who is God and who they are in Christ. It enables them to go on offense for other people by living a life of service. "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and discipline."
Role of the Holy Spirit
The spirit within us, the Holy Spirit, is an inner witness that helps us to recognize believers and nonbelievers. Nonbelievers are from the world, they have the world's value system, and they listen to the world. Believers are from God, other believers are in community with them, and they listen to each other. Additionally, love is an indicator of belonging to God. If you are a person who loves and serves others, you have evidence of belonging to the community of believers. Why do believers love? We love because God loved us first. He loved us, so He sent Jesus, the perfect satisfaction for our sins. Our duty is to get out of our huddle and serve God and people. If we do, people will come and they will listen. If we love others enough to tell them the Good News, then Christ lives in us.
Final Outcome
The final outcome is salvation. Jesus was the perfect satisfaction for our sin. Because He lives in us, He will be manifested in and through us. In other words, people will see Jesus in us. If they can't see Jesus in us, they may not ever know about Him. Do not count on nonbelievers reading the Bible and finding out for themselves. A recent Barna study indicates that 53% of US citizens have never read the Bible. Another 30% have only read a few stories from the scripture. That means 3 out of every 4 people have no clue about what the Bible teaches. Therein lies the problem. The salvation of lost people depends upon believers carrying out the Great Commission. We must go on offense by first, living what the scripture teaches, loving God and others as the scripture demonstrates, and then sharing the Good News of salvation.
Ready, set, go!
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