Let us return once more to the idea of being a champion. Any time that you win at anything is fairly exciting. This was true as early as third grade summer baseball for me. My first time of being a champion was pretty exciting. Our team won our league that year. I was lucky to play for a few more teams that finished at the top of the standings through the years. Being on a winning team tends to be more fun than one that constantly loses. Trust me on this one. My favorite team didn't win a title but we won a lot more games than anyone thought we would. But there is still nothing like knowing you are number one. Even my small part of working with two state champions in football was amazing even in my 40s. It is a pride that grows out of humility. You know how much effort winning requires so you try to preserve the moment.


So let us think once more about this concept of a winning congregation. We said that reaching this point is never easy. Every team that wins it all perseveres through tough times. You will never read of any team that never faces adversity. You will never find an athlete in an individual sport who does not push through obstacles along the way. Sometimes it happens in the discipline of training. It may take place in the actual contest. Grinding through an entire season is tough. The church exists in this contest between God's nature and real evil. We should not expect our efforts to be without adversity. What really stinks is when those obstacles are self-inflicted rather than coming from our obedience. Far too often our trouble resides in our still human nature beyond God's presence. How can we possibly change the world if we do not allow God to craft us into new creations?

The very first church faced more than a few issues along the way. What is important is how those troubles grew out of their mission not their carnality. Opposition was common for these people as they carried out God's word. Leaders were constantly adjusting their heart and mind to new direction. Some even dealt with significant loss while pursuing God's vision. They discover that no problem or adversity is ever bigger than God. Don't think this made suffering any less physical. Just note how the idea of joy repeats itself in the ministry of the day. Paul even is able to write to the Phillipian church about his joy even while chained in prison. Our only prisons today are of our own making. We even hold the keys to release our lives from bitterness, hurts and other stuff that crowds out joy. Perhaps we are just gluttons for self-punishment?

Adversity comes to us in life regardless of who we are. It seems to be in the contract of just being a human being. Believers know this as well as the means of being whole despite of it. Jesus models for us how we do not escape problems. He knows full well just how much they can hurt. But we can learn from Him with the promise of His help through it. Adversity is another word for opportunity when we allow God to be involved in life. If we are to be a winning church then we must face up to this reality with courage and humility. Nothing feels so good as not allowing those problems to have the last word. You win this battle and you wind up gaining more than you thought you could lose.

Bro. Trey