Clear Boundaries for Football & Life

As I was praying over the football fields outside the pavilion where we meet for Cafe Church, Kevin (the grounds keeper) was repainting the white lines around one of the pitches.  As I watched I realised how important his job was, although not many people might think about it.  If you are going to enjoy a good game of football you need to have clear boundaries.  You need to know where each side starts and finishes, where the keeper is allowed to handle the ball, where the penalty box is and where the edges of the field are.  You need to see them in an instant and in the heat of the game.  If you don't then bedlam and chaos will follow 

I then went out and asked Kevin how often he does this vital job.  "Once a week" he replied, "I don't have to do it that often, but the clearer the markings are the better and safer the game!"  

It reminded me of Christian ministry.  We're all locked in a game more vital and real than football, the game called life.  The rules and boundaries are set by our Creator but through sin the markings are blurred and hard to see.  We want to play by our own rules and that makes things get messy.  People spend whole life times arguing about what the rules should be and who should get to set them.  When this happens on a football pitch things can aggressive.  The same can happen in the game of life it can with far more serious consequences.

The job of Christian ministry through Evangelism is to help people see the boundaries again and to bring them to a desire to play by the rules.  The job then moves to helping people to mark out those boundaries clearly in their lives through studying the Bible, preaching, prayer and accountability to a church community.  

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.""  John 8:12

Rules don't destroy the game, they make them!  It's the same with life.  God doesn't tell us how to live just to dominate and control us but to help us find the life Jesus promised, "A life in all its fullness!"

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."  John 10:10

If you want to know more about that full life Jesus wants you to enjoy feel free to email me.

If you have it already please pray for me as I seek to share those boundaries with the local footballers that use Flanders Field.