ARE WE LOSING OR HAVE WE ALREADY WON?

Former Birmingham News sportswriter Wayne Martin for years covered the beat of the Birmingham Barons.  I got to be friends with Wayne while I was the Barons' play-by-play announcer.  Wayne's contention was that no matter the score of the game at that moment it was incorrect to say someone was winning.   See, the outcome had not yet been decided.  For example, if the Barons took a 1-0 lead in the first inning it didn't mean they were winning the game.  They were just leading.  In reality, even though they were ahead, they could be in the process of losing.  The point being: If they lost the game 2-1 they were in the midst of losing all along; even though they were leading at one point.  Pretty deep stuff.  Oh, how many times I have watched my beloved Cardinals leading the Braves in Atlanta only to find out they were losing all the while!

But there is another more serious "competition" that is occurring in our world today. I am here to tell you that in this case the game has already been won!  No matter what the score, no matter what the count, no matter what the circumstances...it is "game over"!  The final outcome has been determined.

One of my longtime friends and former schoolmates forwarded on Facebook this weekend a video that has been making the rounds online since 2008.  It talks of the alarming decrease in the fertility rate of certain demographics in Europe and in North America.  This video laments the ever increasing numbers of Muslims in those countries and serves as a warning to Christians that we soon will be outnumbered.

The first reaction by many professing Christians is "oh no...we are losing."  Should we Christians start having more children to "catch up"?  Do we need to put a limit on Muslim births.  Surely the video is not a call for "ethic cleansing".  The video actually quotes a German government agency: "The fall of the (German) population can no longer be stopped. Its downward spiral is no longer reversible......  It will be a Muslim state by 2050."  Wasn't that the same type of thinking that lead to the extermination of 6 million Jews?

Some view the Muslim community as the enemy rather than as part of God's creation.  Some fret over the "obvious" non-Christian while accepting a non-biblical American dream based Cultural Christianity.  Or worse yet, ignore the need of family, friends and co-workers to see the TRUE gospel displayed to them and for them.

I do not take the message of this video lightly.  There is urgent physical and spiritual need in this world.   However, if we approach our witness as if we are "attacking" the enemy we will close off the ears of the very people we are witnessing to.   This includes our interaction with Muslims, atheists, agnostics, gays, liberals, conservatives, et. al. 

This particular blog is not meant to be a deterrent to witnessing, missions or evangelism!  I think the message is quite clear we must "preach the gospel to all nations." We want others to share in the eternal life that we are assured through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!  However, we should not view those who are not Christ followers as our enemies.  Instead we should see them as our brothers and sisters who were created in God's image too.   Let's approach them not as a judge for their salvation but with confidence in the sovereignty of our Lord to call them to Himself.  True Christians want God to receive His full glory from all people groups, tongues and nations.  I prefer for God to be God.  I will never be ready or qualified to judge who "gets in and who doesn't."

Christians spend so much time defending God that we often stand in the way of His work.  God doesn't need me to defend Him.  Last time I looked, He was a pretty BIG GOD!  Because of that He DOES deserve my effort to share the good news.  Rather than judge and hate we must share with them, love them and let God work in them. 

All this brings me back to the title of this blog.  You see, as my pastor David Platt says, God has this thing rigged!  The battle has already been fought and it has already been won.  Long before we were born, God called us to Himself.  Oh,  it may "appear" that we are losing but in reality Christ has already won!   Will there be rough roads ahead?...you bet!  Will it be easy?...not likely!  But just like with the baseball analogy we must keep "playing".  Just because the outcome is assured doesn't mean we can "coast this thing out."  We MUST know Christ....and we must SHOW Christ in how we deal with everyone we encounter!

Some reading this will fall into one of the groups mentioned above.  My prayer for those who have not yet accepted the gift  Christ has provided you is that you will reflect on the words of Isaiah:  "I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

For those of you watching the scoreboard, the game has been won.  Now let us gather all God's people to cheer the victor!

To God be all the Glory!

Thanks for reading!

Jeff