PARKS BROWN

For everyone who loves sports and competition, spring is the ultimate season. Warm weather returns, daylight savings time kicks in and sports have something for everyone. Baseball season begins, professional basketball becomes relevant, golf has the Masters, college football comes back to life, hockey gets interesting (for the first time) and the crowning jewel is March Madness. Pick your team and let the games begin.

The two best things about sports is the competitive nature and the clock. The clock reminds us time is of the essence and there is a beginning and an end. In a competition there is a winner and a loser. There is no blue ribbon for participation, only for winning. Every member of the human race is hardwired to compete, play and win because we were born as players into the biggest competition of all time; creation.

The games begun when Adam and Eve were created into space and time. For Christ followers, the fact that the first couple was dropped into a world that was enemy territory makes the game of life more like a war game than a sporting event. Fast forward to 2017 and it’s not popular in the pulpit or politics to recognize the spiritual battle at the heart of every breath we take, but the facts remain the same from day one. The human race is designed to play and win the contest of the millennium.

The competition for believers was outlined in Ephesians 6:12. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Our adversary has been around for a long time and has a high opinion of himself to say the least. Christ followers must remember life is a team sport and there is a clock ticking. To help with our weakness, playing time is limited to a lifetime and not eternity.

To stay with the sports metaphor, our coach rotates his players and substitutes with the best of them. James gave a nice sideline speech to remind us we don’t know how much game time we have left. “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:14. In simple terms, we are players not coaches. Stay apprised of the coaches plan for your life and remember only He knows whats left on the clock. Enjoy your career but leave the front office decisions to the owner.

God renovated this Earth into a beautiful stadium and designed the game of all games. One of the best aspects for believers is that the game doesn’t last forever. I was 50 when my father got sick at 75 years old. Right or wrong, I looked at my dad and thought, ‘OK, I’ve got 25 years.’ It sounded like a 2 minute warning to me. Maybe it was just the end of the first half or the third quarter, I don’t know. Regardless, I heard a warning and went back to the coach to make sure of the game plan. I wanted to be a team player and not sit on the sidelines for the rest of my time. I encourage everyone to do the same and let Him evaluate your competitiveness.

Christ taught some of the earliest Christian team members that life can be so much fun we get carried away with the game itself. The disciple John reminded all the players, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” 1st John 2:15. John knew if you got all wrapped up in the game, you would lose sight of the team and not play to win. We were created to win this competition by staying on His team and letting Him live through us.

Men and women were created to be great players. Psalms 8:4-6 says, “what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands: you put everything under their feet.” Crowns are given to victors in competition. We were made rulers to win the game and not for our own glory. Central to the competition we are engaged in is that you can’t win by loving the game or yourself more than the coach and the team.

We’ve all seen businessmen, athletes, politicians even artists fall to their own talents and abilities. Christ set the correct role model by giving his life. Jesus was the original MVP but He didn’t win any individual awards when He played. Paul reminded us the awards for our playing time aren’t on this side of the dirt. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8.

Our playing time is relatively short and we are all position players. An athlete knows that means you must be ready when your play is called. Age does not matter in the game of life. You are a valuable player at all ages and you are in the game till your last breath. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16. Play like you were designed to play. Finish the drill.

All that spring has to offer represents playing to win. Seeds come back to life and bloom. Champions are crowned. Recommit to the team, the competition and play until the buzzer…play to win.

Leadership has become an overused buzzword and topic of conversation from boardrooms and strategy sessions to the pulpit. The demand for leadership is great because the supply is lacking. Books, seminars, conferences, sermons and college degrees try to teach leadership by reducing it to a shopping list of characteristics and qualities. If it were that easy then we wouldn’t need it so desperately.

The political parties have died because of a lack of leadership. National powers have shifted because of the absence of leadership. The health of families has declined because of a vacuum created by the lack of leadership in the home. Corporations have shorter life spans while they search to find and nurture leaders. At a time where so many are espousing leadership as a ‘to do’ list there is a dearth of true leaders. Could it be the world is looking in the wrong place for the wrong thing?

At the most basic level, leadership is identifying a goal and modeling the way to get there. Leadership requires explaining the purpose and vision for positive growth and change to provide a future that is in the best interest for those involved and affected. We want a leader who is right and not wrong. We want a leader who can make the tough calls in the interest of those being led. Does this sound about right? I ask because it’s starting to sound like we need a savior and not just a leader.

Christian leadership was described by Paul in Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others as better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” If this is a job description for a leader it’s no wonder there’s not an abundance. Real leadership is not a road to personal glory or an outline for a best selling book. Leadership has an attitude, but it’s not one of power and control. Paul went on to describe the attitude of a leader in verse 5, “Your attitude should be that of Christ Jesus.”

Let me paraphrase the attitude of Christ that Paul described in Philippians and how it is the role model for what leadership needs to resemble. Leadership is tied to serving those you lead. A leader should purposefully make himself less than those he leads. A true leader takes on the nature of a servant in leading those for which he is responsible. A leader needs to humble himself. Why? Because if he or she is successful at leading, vanity and a promotion will likely follow. In fact, dying to yourself is a good idea. The world craves leadership so desperately that success can serve the leader and not those you are called to lead. Leadership is not a ticket to a better life, it’s a way of life. Good leadership should and will be rewarded, but maybe not here and now.

Christ was sent to destroy the devil’s work. When his time had come, Jesus modeled a radically different type of leadership than was currently being practiced. The government leaders in Jesus’ day and age were dictators. The civilian leaders took advantage of the systems just to enrich themselves. The religious leaders were legalistic and used the rules to enslave men and not lead them. A change in leadership style was needed to break the mold of sin in the leaders of Jesus’ day. The same is true today. Leaders in 2017 need to follow Christ’s model and not lead from a position of power and prestige to win a popularity contest.

Servant leadership is the model Christ used then and what we need to use today. Servant leadership is easier preached than practiced because the results don’t always benefit the person leading. Christ didn’t look very successful from an Earthly perspective and the world believes leadership results in looking good and being successful. Christ’s model for leadership didn’t use control measures or best management practices. Sending out only twelve guys in groups of two isn’t the most efficient use of time and resources. We need to shed the earthly perspectives on excellence if we are going to practice true servant leadership.

Christian leadership as opposed to worldly leadership is the 10,000 pound gorilla in the room. Christian leadership is what the world needs but not necessarily what is sought after and rewarded in 2017. The church can not be run like a business targeting numbers and events at the expense of spiritual maturity that can’t be measured with those metrics. Corporations can’t target being the ‘best place to work’ if quarterly or annual profits are the ultimate measure of success. The priority of Christian leadership is Matthew 20:28, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Leadership is not measured in an opinion poll.

Christian leadership comes in red letters not a list. “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:37. God put man at the top of the food chain to lead and He gave us Jesus as the example of how to do it right. Christ led by example and the earthly result was a short life and career. Christ’s leadership style was to focus more on leading others to the goal and not his career as a leader.

Christian leaders in 2017 need to be led by the Spirit, confess their mistakes and serve everyone in the organization. Leaders must be courageous and committed to sacrifice themselves with eternity and posterity as the measure of their success. The job description might not be attractive, but the benefits and rewards are out of this world.

Millennials seem to be the most derided generation of all time. There is an abundance of U-tube videos, songs and cartoons that spin from the belief “Life is what happens to you while you’re looking at your smartphone.” At the root of most of the jokes is the fact that Millennials are immature. ‘Why?’, is best left to cocktail party conversation or small group discussion. The better question is ‘what does real maturity look like?’

Maturity is generally regarded as reaching an advanced stage of mental or emotional development that is characteristic of an adult. A mature person is regarded as having the experience and knowledge that leads to good judgement. That would lead us to think maturity comes to everyone with time. The humor and frustration with Millennials stems from the belief they WILL mature it’s just taking them longer than any generation on record.

Before we cast another stone or joke at the current generation, what does real maturity look like? I’m afraid even believers may not have a clear understanding of Christ-like maturity. The nature of maturity runs the risk that even when we know what it looks like, we may want to ignore it or stop it’s progress. Getting older doesn’t necessarily bring us closer to God. Millennials aren’t guaranteed of maturity and neither are we.

Peter was the original Millennial and Jesus told him what maturity would and should look like. After Christ was resurrected, he went to Peter to reinstate and reaffirm the man who had just denied and deserted Him. This is the story when Christ asked three times if Peter loved him. Just like a Millennial, it took Peter several times to slow down, pay attention and understand what was really being said. That’s when Jesus explained it to him. “I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” John 21:18. Drop the mic and walk away.

Yes, “Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!'” John 21:19. When a believer reaches maturity, he follows whatever and wherever God leads him. He glorifies God. Jesus told Peter what was ahead then exclaimed, “Follow me!” The advanced stage of mental and emotional development for a believer is to follow and submit to being led by the Holy Spirit, even on a path of downward mobility that leads to worldly death.

Earthly wisdom, maturity and good judgement says to avoid death and downward mobility. Earthly maturity leads to good judgement that is characterized by more ease, more affluence and more influence. The rich young ruler was mature by all worldly standards. By Christ’s standards, he was a Millenial that refused to grow up.

Luke recorded more of Christ teaching about maturity through the parable of the sower with the soil and the seeds. “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures and they do not mature.” Luke 8:14. It sounds like the rewards attained later in life by years of hard work can keep some people from maturing. Maturity can be attained but it can also be delayed or avoided. Becoming mature depends on your definition, your retirement plan, your goals and your god; or your God.

The writer of Hebrews said the mature folks have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. One thing that stands out is that Christian maturity doesn’t come through riches and a life of ease. As believers, we need to make sure WE understand that and don’t work around or try to avoid what God brings our way…and train the Millennials as well. If our God is sovereign, then it requires submission to whatever He brings into our lives. Jesus had been telling Peter what would happen and Peter had been fighting it tooth and nail. Finally, Peter sucked it up and submitted, saying “Lord , you know all things;” That’s what maturity looks like.

James says maturity will come in the form of testing your faith through times and situations the world tells you to avoid. Perseverance is the key and you don’t have to persevere through good times. “Perseverance must finish it’s work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:4. Maturity demands persevering through tough times. The resulting maturity doesn’t lack anything.

Is your faith being tested? Odds are that if it isn’t you’re not becoming more mature. But submission and maturity don’t always come naturally or quickly. When Christ was teaching Peter, Peter turned around and noticed John was following right behind them. “Lord, what about him?” Sounds like a Millennial again. “Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return again, what is that to you? You must follow me.'” John 21:21-22.

As a Christ follower, the path to maturity for me and the path for you should have similar characteristics but can have different results. Our maturity is dependent on knowing what Christian maturity looks like and our willingness and desire to allow Him to mature us. The command to maturity is the same for both of us, regardless of the cost.

I’m glad I don’t know what the future looks like but I am thankful I know where it leads. Maturity is not something we always choose or prefer, but it is what He desires for all of us….even the Millenial.

Valentine’s Day was a struggle for me last week. It feels like there is ONE day for love to be on display. Kind of like the one Saturday a month where church members show their love for those less fortunate by serving at the homeless shelter or cleaning up someone’s yard. One day to show and tell your love for others just seems so…not enough, so lacking. If we put love on display, is ONE day what it really looks like?

Part of my struggle is that we make love look so pretty and easy; and it’s not. John (the one Jesus loved) gave one of the best definitions for love ever written. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10. So, real original love is defined by an atoning sacrifice. The giving up of something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important, all to make amends or reparations not just a celebration.

Now is when some folks say, yes, that’s what I was doing by serving that one Saturday or taking my significant other out for dinner on Valentine’s…and I hear you. I’m just concerned about our understanding of living a life of love as being shallow, showy and short-sighted. In Galatians, Paul said “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” So, if legalities were all we need to be concerned with then a few displays of love are OK and we can move on. But, loving someone else like you love yourself requires 24-7 sacrifice.

James reminded us that checking off the legal box of love is not enough. “For whoever keeps the whole law and stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” James 2:10. In 2017, our world needs more than a legal decision or a one day display. “Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.” Proverbs 10:12. Love is the only thing that is going to fix what hatred is stirring up.

If John was the disciple that Jesus loved, then I don’t quite know how to describe Peter. Peter probably put on a greater show of love and affection for Christ than anyone. He was verbal and demonstrative. Peter’s Valentine’s Day photos on his Facebook page would have topped everyone’s. But, a few hours after his public display of love he slid into full out denial and turning away from his professed “valentine”. Maybe this is why Peter’s words about love need to sink in with a sense of urgency.

When Peter talks about love he comes from another level and understanding. In 2017 vernacular, Peter says there is love and then there is REAL love. “The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:7. Don’t just love, do it deeply.

For me, that begs the question. Are we loving each other deeply or are we just loving each other? It’s easy to have and show love to a spouse, your kids, a significant other. Heck, it’s even easy to show love to someone you don’t know. But, how’s your love for the couple that irritates you, the girl who hasn’t paid back the money she borrowed or the ex-spouse who cheated on you? How’s your love for that punk at school who threatens to beat up your kid or the political party that doesn’t seem to know how to lose and accept defeat? Love doesn’t keep score.

Real love isn’t conditional upon you agreeing with my beliefs or even liking them. How can you really love me if you don’t get what you want from me? Loving deeply is a decision and not an emotion. Loving deeply has to come from somewhere other than our attraction to each other, a like-minded belief or the benefits we derive from a relationship.

I’m going to say it and you might not agree or like it. Real, deep, unconditional love is impossible without Christ in your heart…and even then, it’s a daily battle. Bottom line is it’s only a matter of time until you disappoint, deny or forsake me. Oh, yeah, and until I do the same to you. And when that happens, love requires me to be patient with you, to not be easily angered or keep a record of what you just did.

Christ knew love was so critical He made it a litmus test for those who followed Him. Love was not something He considered a good idea, He called it a command. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35. So, Jesus commanded us to do something and told us to look around and you would be able to see his followers by the way they loved people.

Here-in lies the issue, friends. I don’t want to just show and live a Valentine’s Day or Saturday serve kinda love. For me, I need more, I want more. Our WORLD needs more and has got to get more real love. People of different religious beliefs, political beliefs, sexual identities you name it. We are living in a time where the world is framing the argument as either hate or love. I’m afraid there is no middle ground of complacency or ambivalence. You’re either a lover or a hater. We are being forced to choose and don’t forget, “Love never fails.”

Christ threw the answer to it all on the table. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13. Sacrificial, atoning, deep love. That’s what is required in 2017 and Christians have the cure for what is ailing our world….but it takes more than an afternoon serve, a march or a date night with tolerance. “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” 1 Cor. 13:6.

Does your litmus test for loving deeply come out positive or negative? Ask the people around you who weren’t in your Valentine’s Day photos or your Saturday serve. Ask the people around you that are hard to like. Ask the Holy Spirit.

The greatest problems we face are not political or economic, they are moral and spiritual. Words and ideas are the guns and bombs used in this battle. If the current state of your Facebook, Twitter or broadcast news feed leaves you with a lack of clarity as to what the heck is going on, don’t expect anything in your life to remain stable for long.

Some folks are happy and relieved after the inauguration. Others are dazed and disappointed. The seeds of doubt and confusion are weapons of mass destruction, but the ground in which they are planted is the critical element. In the tone of George Costanza, it’s not just the seed it’s the soil.

Yes, many of the seeds being planted each day are uniquely destructive. Doubt and confusion are two of the oldest weapons on record. “That is why it was called Babel- because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole world.” Genesis 11:9. Really??!! A little confusion and they scattered over the face of the WHOLE world? Pretty dang powerful result.

Not even 50 years after Christ rose from the dead the new church was suffering from the same. Paul wrote, “..Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” Galatians 1:7. Sew a little confusion and whamo, the whole gospel can be altered. Some may say they aren’t confused so easily and a little confusion is no big deal. Think again.

Confusion is powerful and far reaching. Paul identified the confusion he was dealing with as needing a harsh response. “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned.” In simple terms, if anyone uses confusion to turn your head from the Truth they should be cursed. Confusion can cause dissension and doubt that spreads like a wildfire to contaminate truth everywhere. And that, my friends, is the danger we face.

Doubt is a kissing cousin to confusion. James started his letter by tying together the problems believers encounter with doubt. James reminded us that tests and trials will be numerous for believers. He said all the problems you face will test your faith but you can ask and receive the Godly wisdom behind them all, unless you doubt. “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” James 1:6-8.

We are dazed and confused in 2017. The wicked are confused but so are God’s people. In the name of tolerance and acceptance, Christians can become confused. YOU may choose to have an abortion, but that does not make it acceptable in God’s eyes. Tolerance may dictate all roads lead to God but Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.”…?? Once confusion and doubt cause instability and double-mindedness, all hell can break loose. Look around and tell me what you see.

Dissension may be rampant but we don’t have to participate. “Remain in me, as I also remain in you, and you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4. Remaining in Him means staying in the Word, living on your knees and not loving “the world or anything in the world.” Remaining in Him takes discipline, time and a commitment. If we don’t realize this and buy into it with our daily lives, then it’s going to be hard to tell the difference between a Christ follower and everyone else.

Christians are supposed to be salt and light. That means you stick out from the crowd. Sticking out these days will get you beat up, verbally abused and even killed. More practically in America you may be labelled intolerant, narrow-minded and backwards. The doubt and confusion this presents can keep people from shining their light. Is the fruit in your life stunted because of confusion that you will appear intolerant? Are you not forgiving others because you doubt they will forgive you? Are you not loving others because they didn’t vote for your candidate? Are you confused when Jesus said “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35.

When you plant a kernel of corn you expect a corn stalk to grow. You throw out fescue seed and you expect fescue not bermuda grass. Seeds contain an embryo of the desired crop you wish to grow. Seeds are planted with actions and words but they grow depending on the heart condition where they are received. You can plant seeds all day long but you can only tend to the condition of your own soil.

Make sure your soil is fertilized with the Truth. Let the Holy Spirit rid the weeds in your heart that have taken root due to the seeds of confusion and doubt. Plant the seeds of faith, hope and love. Get the soil ready for spring. It’s time to produce the crop He intended and change the world one person at a time.