Playing on God's Team E-Book

T.C. Stallings

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Seitenzahl: 141

Beschreibung

CHRISTIAN ATHLETES, LISTEN UP. When it comes to your sport, I'm sure you've been told to strive to be the best athlete you can be, which should produce success in the game. Spiritually, it's no different. God commands your best! But in this case, the game is LIFE. The Bible is the playbook. The coach is CHRIST. And YOU are the player. In Playing On God's Team, athletes everywhere will find out what it truly means to be on Team Jesus, and will be challenged to live as true Christian athletes. All athletes are familiar with the meaning of dedication, desire, perseverance, and giving great effort. In this study, they will come face-to-face with the Scriptures revealing the biblical fact that God demands these same actions from Christians—His team! This challenging Bible study and devotional will help athletes answer this simple question and equip them to respond: When it comes to God's team, what kind of player would Jesus say you are? No more "game-day-only" Christian athletes. Playing on God's Team is about being an everyday follower of Jesus, on and off the field, in and out of season!  What's Inside: —21 weeks of powerful, short, easy to digest devotional lessons that provoke thought and discussions! —Multiple discussion questions at the end of each chapter, perfect for team or individual weekly bible studies! —Wrap up videos covering all 21 sessions featuring "going deeper" commentary from TC himself! (Videos viewable via tcstallings.com) —TC Stallings' own inspiring story of how he learned what it truly means to play on God's team—the same story that inspired the book!

Leseprobe

ENDORSEMENTS

“In this 21-week Bible study, T. C. Stallings challenges us to take a hard look in the mirror and decide if we are a “participant” or “true team player” for Christ. What an awesome study to bring us closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

RYAN RUSSELLDirector of Athletic Performance Auburn University Football

“It’s refreshing to see T. C. Stallings boldly living for Christ. His experiences as a former college and professional athlete give him the much-needed credibility within the world of athletics, which in essence, allows him to be his brothers’ keeper. As iron sharpens iron, one person sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17). My prayer is that you will use this devotional to sharpen your spiritual skills, get you off the sideline, and fearlessly play on God’s team!”

AUTRY L. DENSON, JR.University of Notre Dame Running Backs Coach

“There are many examples of humility being a catalyst to greater success and happiness. Another is athlete T. C. Stallings.”

RICK PITINOHall of Fame Coach

“T. C. is the big brother I wish I always had growing up. The type of man who always leads by example and does things in life the right way.”

DEION BRANCHSuper Bowl MVP

“T. C. is a huge inspiration in my life. He showed me how to be a college Christian athlete when I needed it most.”

BILAL POWELLNFL Running Back

“T. C. speaks from experience and walks his talk. He enthusiastically connects with athletes, coaches, and sports fans of all ages!”

STEVE WIGGINTONFCA National Director

BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC

Racine, Wisconsin, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

PLAYING ON GOD’S TEAM:

21-WEEK DEVOTIONAL FOR BUILDING TRUE CHRISTIAN ATHLETES

Copyright © 2017 T. C. Stallings

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5364-8 (softcover)

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5365-5 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188, USA. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Stock or custom editions of BroadStreet Publishing titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, ministry, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].

Cover design by Chris Garborg, GarborgDesign.com

Interior design and typesetting by Katherine Lloyd, theDESKonline.com

Printed in the United States of America17 18 19 20 5 4 3 2 1

You may one day hear your earthly coach say that you’re one of the most dedicated players on the team. But when it comes to your dedication to God’s team—which is the one that matters most—what kind of player would Jesus say you are?

—T. C. Stallings

CONTENTS

How to Use This Bible Study and Devotional

Session 1: You Must Hear This First

Session 2: Now, Let’s Set the Table

Session 3: What We Do Matters

Session 4: Grace and Effort

Session 5: The Recruitment Process, Part 1

Session 6: The Recruitment Process, Part 2

Session 7: The Recruitment Process, Part 3

Session 8: Strength Training

Session 9: Endurance Training

Session 10: The Playbook

Session 11: Study the Opponent

Session 12: Practice

Session 13: Team Meetings

Session 14: The Open Door Policy

Session 15: The Uniform

Session 16: The Armor of God

Session 17: The Armor of God: The Helmet

Session 18: The Armor of God: The Sword

Session 19: Prayer: In-Game Communication

Session 20: The Wrap Up: Pregame Speech

Session 21: Reflection and Celebration: A Closing Video

Appendix: Renew Your Commitment to God’s Team

About the Author

HOW TO USE THIS BIBLE STUDY AND DEVOTIONAL

This Bible study and devotional was specifically designed to help build, encourage, inspire, and produce committed and serious Christian athletes. It was designed for the purpose of producing true soldiers for Christ, not imposters, and real spiritual athletes, not fake ones. It was designed for men, women, boys, and girls who desire to consistently follow the game plan of Christ, not those who have become wishy-washy with Jesus, and who would like to stay that way. It is my desire that there are no more game-day-only Christian athletes. The call of God is about being an everyday follower of His Son, Jesus Christ, both on and off the field.

This Bible study is for athletes who not only want to be committed to their sports teams but are first and foremost interested in being committed to the team that matters most—God’s team.

A Few Quick Training Tips Before We Begin

This study is challenging, and it covers a lot of Scripture. While this study can definitely be done alone, it is designed as a team study. Pushing through this experience and growing together as teammates, brothers and sisters in Christ, is highly encouraged and by far the best way to experience this twenty-one-week Bible study. But it’s okay if you prefer—or you are in a situation that requires you—to tackle this study alone. The experience may be different but the outcome will be the same if you take it seriously. You will become a better player on God’s team.

It is my desire that this would be a resource that empowers Christian athletes everywhere. I want you to confidently and courageously become the God-honoring, Christ-following athletes you were made to be, while letting nothing distract you, stop you, or stand in your way of following Jesus. For this reason, I suggest these tips as you power through over the next twenty-one weeks:

Always Pray First

Always begin with prayer. Every session. Every day. Pray for clarity and understanding. Pray about who you should involve in the study. Pray about who should lead this study (warning: it may be you!). And pray for the strength to finish this study and for the courage to attack the weekly training sessions with great determination. Also, pray for Jesus to speak to you in a life-changing way throughout and to help you dive deep into the challenging devotional sessions (called time-outs).

Group Format Suggestions

At this time, log on to www.tcstallings.com. On the “Playing on God’s Team” page, watch the first video entitled “How to Use the POGT Team Bible Study and Devotional.” If for any reason you cannot access the video, here is a quick summary of its contents. The Bible study consists of twenty-one sessions that are best experienced one week at a time to allow for proper retention and spiritual growth. Here is the suggested format for each session:

1. Opening prayer (one minute).

2. Discuss how everyone’s week went in relation to the previous week’s session (five to ten minutes).

3. The group leader may set the table for discussion by giving a short summary of the material for that day’s session (this should take about two to five minutes).

4. Then discuss the passage, review the questions, and discuss as many answers to the questions as possible; be sure to review and discuss all the scriptures referenced (twenty-five to thirty minutes).

5. Watch the session wrap-up video (three to five minutes).

6. Final remarks and comments (two to three minutes).

7. Then take prayer requests and closing prayers (two to three minutes, or however the Spirit leads).

Each session is designed to take about an hour, but feel free to always let the Lord lead the group, making any necessary adjustments for tailoring the study to fit the needs of those who are attending.

A FEW MORE SUGGESTIONS

Make sure to watch all the wrap-up videos that the study provides. It’s best to watch the videos just after the discussion time since they are designed to wrap everything up and bring closure to the session.

It is also important to involve as many of your teammates as you possibly can. The more accountability you have throughout the study, the better it will be. It’s so awesome to grow together as a team.

And always remember to have fun! Getting better, stronger, smarter, and more committed to God’s team should be extremely exciting for Christian athletes. Just as I enjoyed learning how to be a better football player, I also learned how to enjoy learning more about Jesus and being a better player on His team—even when I was challenged by some of the tougher lessons. Walking with Jesus isn’t always hard, scary, or turbulent; following Him also brings laughter and joy. Enjoy these moments when they occur, for they will refresh and recharge your soul.

When I wrote Playing on God’s Team, I had you in mind—the Christian athlete. Why? Because that’s exactly what I was from age twelve to thirty-two, from a little league athlete all the way to the pros. Over this span of twenty years, I have learned what it truly means to play on God’s team. Now, in a direct and challenging way, I am going to help make sure that you and your teammates understand this as well.

Are you ready to get started?

Okay. Enough warming up already—it’s time to start training. Let’s do it.

I’m proud to call you a teammate in Christ! In Jesus’ name we pray, and on His team we play!”

—T. C. Stallings

Team Study Leaders

If you are a coach or player planning to be (or have been asked to be) the leader of a Playing on God’s Team study group, I have a quick message to share with you before you start the first session. Please log on to www.tcstallings.com, and on the “Playing on God’s Team” page, click on “Leadership Video” to view a short message for all group leaders.

SESSION 1

YOU MUST HEAR THIS FIRST

During my college years at the University of Louisville, I had my reasons for thinking I was a good Christian. I was well known for my beliefs in college. I attended many Christian and faith-based events. I went to several campus-hosted Bible studies and even led one of my own. I even went to church on most weekends. I attended all the team chapel meetings (and even led many of them). And I was looked at by my peers as one of the only Christians on the team. In fact, whenever there was a request for a Christian athlete to represent my team, I was usually the player asked to do the honors. As a result of this, I was a proud Christian athlete—never the least bit concerned about my relationship with Jesus.

That is, until I discovered how bad it really was.

During my sophomore year, I was approached on campus by a random student while heading to lunch. He politely asked if I would be willing to join him and his group for a campus Bible study. Hungry and in a rush, I quickly told him no thanks, and then I went on to explain that I already attended a weekly FCA Bible study and did not feel the need to attend another one. He politely stepped aside, and I went to lunch. But he wouldn’t be dismissed that easily. From that day forward, any time he saw me, he kept suggesting that I attend his group.

Days later, we crossed paths once again. This time, however, he changed his approach. He boldly asked if he could come to my dorm room for a one-on-one study, promising that if I’d accept, he would not bother me about attending the group anymore. That sounded good to me! I just wanted the guy to move on and stop bothering me. How bad could one simple Bible study be anyway? So I quickly agreed to go to it.

Later that evening, he knocked on my door. He entered my room carrying his Bible and a videotape. Wasting no time at all (and probably sensing my impatience), he proceeded to pop in the tape. Fading in from black, the scene began. A soft worship song began, along with the sound of a whip snapping against flesh. I quickly sensed where this was heading. It was a well-done reenactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Soldiers were beating Jesus. Flesh was falling off His back. People were spitting on Him. He was brutally nailed to a cross and then lifted up. His face revealed His terrible agony. It was hard to watch. Sure, I knew the story of Christ … but this was tearing me apart. Why did we have to watch this?

Slowly, the screen finally faded back to black. Thank God, because I’d had enough. But then a few words began to slowly fade in and out: “Jesus paid the price for our sins … both yours and mine.” Then more words appeared: “It was the sins of the world that put Him on the cross.” One after the other, phrases kept appearing on the screen—and the point kept hitting home. I didn’t know why he was specifically going this route … but what I did know is that I felt terrible.

When the video stopped, we got down to the nitty-gritty. He began to tell me what led him to me. It was really quite simple. I was a rising star on the football team with the reputation of being sold out for Christ. So he began to watch me on campus to see if I was in fact “the real deal.” But I was not the real deal at all; I didn’t even know what it took to be the real deal. What did that even mean?

When he used the words “real deal,” he meant a true Christ follower. Not simply a “believer” in God, but also a true follower of His Son Jesus Christ. Being the “real deal” meant I was a person who had been changed by the Holy Spirit, and then clearly lived a life that reflects the change. This sounded so new to me that I didn’t even feel like a Christian anymore. I wasn’t sure what I had been doing all of those years, but it certainly wasn’t following Jesus, at least not faithfully.

How had I felt so comfortable for so many years? I was about to find out.

We opened our Bibles, and we began reading Scripture—probably more in an hour than I’d read all week. Verse after verse clearly confirmed that I was not a true Christ follower. This was hard for me to hear, that my relationship with Jesus—at least the one that I thought was solid—was lukewarm at best.

That’s what drove this guy my way. He’d heard people refer to me as one of the best Christ-following athletes on campus, and he simply wanted to help me live up to that title. I will never forget the gist of what he said before he left that evening: “I know that you are known as one of the top Christians on the football team, and people look up to you as a result. You have a God-given platform … and I didn’t want you to ruin it. That’s why I felt led to share all of this with you, man.”

Wow! I had nothing to say, and so I just sat there.

When he left my room, I got angry. I felt horrible about how much I had taken Christ’s death on the cross for granted. I was embarrassed about how much Scripture I did not know. I thought I was a soldier for Christ, but then I realized I was not even a committed follower. That bothered me tremendously. It hurt me, too, because I misrepresented Jesus.

I didn’t know that following Jesus was much deeper than a belief in God, carrying a Bible, going to church, praying over my food, and trying to avoid whatever is perceived as the “big” sins. I didn’t know that the little things in life matter, like how I talked, what I thought in my head about girls, what music or movies I entertain myself with—that all of these things matter when it comes to following God.

I knew now, and I wanted to fix it immediately.

I begged God for forgiveness that night and promised Him that I would do my best to become a true follower of Christ. I’d read in Scripture, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder” (James 2:19). I was done just believing, because I realized that belief alone was not what makes us Christians. It only makes us believers! And so I decided that day that I wanted to be a Christ-following believer. I wanted to start living for Jesus, not just acknowledging that He exists.