EXTENDED FAMILY/A CHAMPIONSHIP ATTITUDE

SCRIPTURE  OF INTEREST

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3 KJV).

MY COMMENTARY

THE EXTENDED FAMILY CALLED THE CHURCH

I love my family and we do come together quite often. We get together for birthdays, Easter, Christmas, suppers or just get together because we want to. But when God is our focus then we expand our vision to include others in the equation. This is church at work.

This gathering called the Church, is what Jesus intended it to be; a gathering of families who embrace Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. As mentioned previously, the church is God’s idea and when it is His idea then it carries a tremendous spiritual weight.

It is true that you can have gatherings and call it church, if you want to. There are groups who come together that have a form of religious exercise and they call themselves churches, but end up being nothing more than a social gathering. They do have a dogma written out as to what they believe and practice. Sounds great, even very religious in some cases. But what it is missing is Jesus Christ being the center of this gathering. What makes a church? People who have accepted Jesus Christ into their lives and He imparts life into them. And let me tell you when Jesus is center and you walk into that gathering you know there is a difference. The place is alive especially when it comes to Pentecostal or charismatic gathering. Jesus said in John 14:6 (KJV) “I am the way, the truth, and the life . . .” Hallelujah!

The beautiful part of this is that even though I have a family and I love them dearly, the more important thing here is that when each member of my family accepts Jesus Christ into their lives the relationship takes on a new meaning. Because now it is what God wants for us as families? That now becomes the major focus. Not only does Scripture indicate how we should function as a family but now something happens within us where we want to connect with other families, especially those who know Christ in a personal way. In Christ we are brothers and sisters on a larger scale and Jesus is our older brother as well. This is church. But it doesn’t stop there for when we know what Jesus has done in our personal lives we then invite those who are outside to come in and join this family of God called the Church of Jesus Christ.

There is no institution in the world that is as unique as the Church. God’s love, compassion and real life is experienced here and He calls us as believers in Him to exhibit that truth. It is here that we exhibit the true nature of God as we love one another and we reach out into the community to show to the world that we are different. Our actions are different and should be different because of our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Why is that? Because He changes our hearts, delivers us from wrong thinking and gives us new life. Jesus said in John 10:10 (KJV) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

I know that there are those who have lost desire for church or simply have come to the conclusion that their life is a mess so therefore they cannot come to church. Unfortunately, many of us have fallen into a state of denial which is there not to help us but to destroy us. Facing truth and admitting to ourselves that we need help is the best place to be because it is in that state that we can turn to Him and He will help and rescue us. The church is made up of broken people, emotionally, mentally and spiritually but God wants us to come just as we are for He can bring forgiveness, salvation and healing to our brokenness. However, I must add that He wants our cooperation. Romans 10:9 – 13 (KJV) says, “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, whosoever believes on Him shall not ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Q and A

Question: Does God really forgive sin?

Answer: That is one of the reasons why Jesus came. He went to the cross to pay the debt that I owe and provided for you and me all that is needed; forgiveness, deliverance, freedom, healing and life. But in order to to be forgiven there needs to be an admittance of sin, repentance of it and asking to be forgiven. Scripture points out in 1 John 1:9 (KJV) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Once we make that confession we must be thankful for forgiveness based on the promise. “Give thanks unto the Lord” (1 Chronicles 16:8 KJV).

TESTIMONY OF THE GOODNESS OF GOD

This testimony was shared with the Charisma magazine some 20 years ago by Elizabeth Moll Stalcup, about a Christian woman who had incredible odds against her ever accomplishing anything in life. The name of the story is entitled “A Championship Attitude”.

Track star Jackie Joyner-Kersee called Jean Driscoll “a role model, athlete and true inspiration.” It’s no wonder. In addition to her Olympic medals and Boston Marathon laurel wreaths, Driscoll had broken world records across America and around the world – despite her disability and her life threatening pressure sores, broken bones and 22 surgeries.

Driscoll at the time of this writing was healthy and strong. Charisma met with her in Washington, D.C., where she attended the “Dinner of Champions” at the White House in honor of the 2000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

During the interview, she wheeled up to a sofa in her hotel room and in one smooth, graceful motion swept herself out of the chair and onto the sofa. Driscoll saw her disability as a characteristic, like hair color or eye color.

“My disability does not define who I am any more than having big feet or small feet defines a person,” she stated. “I liken my chair to a pair of eyeglasses. People who have poor vision get up in the morning, and the first thing they do is reach for their glasses. Then they go about their day. In the same way, the first thing I look for in the morning is my chair, but then I stop thinking about it. My legs are weak, but that does not keep me from charging throughout my day.”

And charge she did. Before she retired from competitive racing, Driscoll spent six days a week at the University of Illinios in Champaign, arriving by 7:30 a.m. for a grueling workout. She started with 120 minutes of bench pressing, tricep extensions, prone rowing and bicep curls. Then she was out on the road pushing 13 to 23 miles  a day in her sleek, three-wheeled racing wheelchair.

The chair was as long as a bicycle, but Driscoll propelled it forward by using her arms, bending over so her chin nearly touched her knees. The position looked uncomfortable, but Driscoll said it’s the most efficient way to get maximum power from her stroke.

Driscoll competed in the Paralympic Games as well as the Olympic Games. The Paralympic Games are Olympic-level competitions for athletes with disabilities and are held in the same venues as the Olympic Games, a few weeks later.

Wheelchair athletes, dwarfs, amputees, athletes with cerebral palsy and those with visual impairments compete in the Paralympic Games. Athletes must qualify for their events and meet certain time standards just as they do in the Olympics.

Driscoll said that one of the hardest things about being in the wheelchair is the attitude of some Christians: “They think I am more needy than they are because I am in a wheelchair. That bothers me. They assume that I need healing. I have received a tremendous healing in my heart, and, quite frankly, I would rather have my heart healed than my legs healed.”

“Walking is overrated,” she adds with a laugh, “They can walk, but that doesn’t mean they are more whole than I am.”

“In my view,” she continues, “I am able-bodied, but my legs are not functional. I am created in His image. Our picture of perfection is not God’s picture of perfection. My body is perfect in Jesus’ eyes. I trust God will continue to heal me because I have hurts from my past that still need resolution – just like everybody else – but it has nothing to do with my physical limitations. I would be in denial if I said that life wouldn’t be easier if I could walk, but I don’t dwell on it. I own my own home, I drive my own van, and my life is filled with meaning.”

It disturbs Driscoll to hear that a physician has counseled someone to abort her unborn child because of spina bifida. “Those words break my heart. Look at what God has done in my life! He is a miracle-worker,” she says. She continued on by saying, “I am not trying to say that everyone with spina bifida lives ‘happily ever after.’ Some people have much more challenging circumstances that I do, but that doesn’t mean their life doesn’t have value, because everyone’s life has value.”