Last weekend my wife treated me to a secret road trip to see the Carolina Panthers Bank of America Stadium. As we walked inside the stadium, I was in awe of it's sheer size. The stadium I had only seen on TV was now right in front of me. I was standing where the Panther's play. Our tour guide began talking about how the stadium was designed to give everyone, even those in the cheap seats a clear line of view of the field. I would love to see an actual game played there some time, even if it was from the cheap seats.
Later on tour, we were taken to field level. I was standing in the same tunnel that great athletes from visiting teams had walked out and could only imagine what it would be like to enter the field to a roaring crowd. To watch the game, even from the cheap seats is nothing compared to being on the field.
Too often church attenders are content to sit in the cheap seats "pews". Jesus did not call us to spectate and get "fed". Jesus called us to GO, Get in the game and be fishers of men.
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”
Matthew 4:19 NLT
Church can become so much more fulfilling when we get out of the cheap seats to experience the full game that God has for us, Yes! Getting closer to the game might cost us more but being closer to the game changes our perspective. We need people to take steps of faith to get into the game. Church is so much more that coming on Sunday to watch the show and leave unchanged. God is calling you and I out of the cheap seats, will you answer?
Pastor James