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Spring training has started! I am fired up for another World Series potential year for the Houston Astros.
There is a department in the Houston Astros organization called Information Technology and Procurement. In the IT&P department there is a staff position called A/V Specialist. The current A/V specialist is a guy named Chad.
Imagine that Chad loves his job and is super skilled at what he does. He wakes up every day thankful for his work and looks forward to being with his co-workers.
Now imagine that Chad has very little awareness of the Astros. While he is very clear that he works as an A/V specialist in the IT&P department, he has never heard much about the Astros. In fact, one time when one of his co-workers mentioned the Astros to him, he replied,
“Who are the Astros?”
Further, no one has ever told him about the New York Yankees or the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ha! Chad’s experience just gets weirder and weirder. He has heard rumblings about these groups, but he’s never had any clear training about them and their relevance to his life.
“Who are the Yankees? I have heard of them but don’t pay much attention to them.”
Huh?
(I actually had a pastor of a large church in Houston tell me in a 1:1 meeting, “I know spiritual warfare is real but it’s not something we get into much at our church.”)
Jesus says in Luke 4:43, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” He warns Peter in Luke 22:31, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat…” (He says Simon’s name twice! What would that have sounded like? And then Satan demanded…that’s intense.)
Cris goes to ABC church. Loves Jesus. Serves and gives. He has walked with the Lord for a long time. He has no problem praying out loud and has even led a mission trip to Haiti. If you ask him about Jesus, he can give you some good juice. He will even quote some Scripture. One day he is asked what he knows about the kingdom of God. He replies,
“I am not very clear on the kingdom of God?”
At another time, the conversation turns to spiritual warfare. He says,
“I am just not sure how Satan works and what he does.”
Ugh.
At least he has heard of the kingdom and knows about Satan! But this non-kingdom, non-warfare, mostly Jesus, little Father, little Holy Spirit version of Christianity struggles to ignite victory in people.
Hey, look. I know others for whom every bad thing in life is Satan. That’s equally unhealthy in the other direction. But, for many of us, based on our denominational backgrounds and daily lives, we suffer from significant gaps in our training – the kingdom and warfare are two glaring examples.
I want Chad as an A/V specialist in the Information Technology and Procurement Department of the Houston Astros to be fired up about the Astros and fully engaged in his part to help the Astros continually whip the Yankees and the Dodgers!!!
I want you as a member of your church or ministry to be fired up about building our Father’s Kingdom, deputized by Jesus, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to continually whip Satan!
Life in the OVERFLOW is lived on the front-line of our Father’s unstoppable kingdom…
LET’S GO…
