Coach

I’m no athlete, but I know the value of a good coach. People have coached me musically, spiritually and in leadership. When I was younger I played soccer and baseball. Whether it was something athletic, academic, musical or practical I wouldn’t be who I am today without the influence of those people God has placed in my life to be my coaches.

Last week we discovered that we’re all walking in this spiritual continuum. In our spiritual journey there are stages we all go through. These stages are:

1. Exploring Christ – these are the people who aren’t yet Believers, but they’re open and seeking the truth.

2. Growing in Christ – these people are young in their faith. They know that they don’t know, but they’re trying to know and are still green around the edges.

3. Close to Christ – These are more mature Believers who know the basics of feeding themselves and serving others but they are often distracted by the temptations of life.

4. Christ-Centered – we would call these folks ‘Fully Devoted Followers’, mature Believers who are self feeders, close to God not simply because of some weekly injection of spirituality they receive through church attendance, but because they feed themselves spiritually through spiritual disciplines and serving others.

Where are you in all this? It’s not uncommon for people Growing in Christ or Close to Christ to get STALLED in their walk with God. There is a world of reasons for this we won’t go into right now. It’s also not uncommon for the Christ-Centered, mature, healthy Believers, to be DISSATSIFIED with their church. Again I ask…where are you in all this? It’s a question worth considering because it affects EVERY area of your life. Are you satisfied with where you are in your journey? Do you recognize your own blind spots and weaknesses? Are you aware of your strengths and the quality of your skills? It’s often hard for us to see these things for ourselves. That’s why we need a good coach.

As matter of fact, if you’re stalled or dissatisfied in your journey with Christ you can almost place every reason for it into one of three different categories.

1. You don’t have a COACH.

2. You’re not COACHING.

3. You’re IGNORING your coach.

I’m not going to unpack this any further today because I need you to consider this with me. It’s critical to you, your family and the future of this church. We can institutionalize Bible Study. When I look at the church calendar I discover organized, well planned, compelling Bible Studies that meet almost every day of the week. We can package, print and market amazing devotional materials. We can develop cutting edge websites, graphics and media content filled with the deep spiritual truths of Scripture that relate to your life and mine in a way that is meaningful and life changing. But we will remain stalled or dissatisfied in our walk with Christ if we don’t ingest and digest the material ourselves. What’s that mean?

It means some of us need to find a COACH. Some of us need to be a COACH and some of us need to stop ignoring the great COACHES God has put in our lives.

Do you genuinely want to take your intimacy with Christ to the next level? Be a self feeder – get a coach, be a coach.

Love y’all, God Bless,

Chad