Get in the Game

“What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).

There comes a moment when we either need to put up or shut up. We’ve taken lessons, watched a video, read an article, and observed someone else doing it in person. Now it’s our turn. It’s at this moment we go from being a spectator to a player. It’s time to climb out of the bleachers and run onto the field. Once Jesus makes us part of His team, He wants us to stop watching and start playing. 

Paul tells his Philippian friends that the time has come to get in the game. He’s coached them up. They know what to do. They know how to do it. They’ve seen him do it. The only thing left to do now is to do it themselves. “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things and the God of peace will be with you” (v9). The time for talk is over. The time for action has come. And don’t miss what happens when we start applying what we’ve learned. God will be right there in the trenches with you giving you His peace. 

The apostle remembers those crazy days God used him to plant the Philippian church on his first visit to the city. Dr. Luke was part of the team and records a lot of it in the sequel to his biography of Jesus (Acts 16:12-40). He stopped by a couple of more times, once as after spending a few feast days while traveling (Acts 20:6) and the other when the church gave money for a drought relief fundraiser (2Cor 8:1-5). Each time he was with them, Paul taught them all about Jesus and what it means to be one of His followers. Here in this letter, he makes the point that it’s game time. It’s time to stop talking and start doing. It’s time to apply what they’ve learned and let God use them to be a firehose of His grace.

From his Roman prison cell, the apostle tells them it’s “go” time. “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things” (v9). He describes four different ways that he’s passed along the message and application of the Gospel. They’ve learned. They’ve received. They’ve heard. They’ve seen. There’s a HUGE lesson here if you’re a teacher, instructor, or coach. People learn in different ways. Some respond to lectures. Others need demonstrations. There are folks who are visual learners. When teaching, let’s not be a one-trick pony. Try different methods. Use different techniques. Research shows people retain and apply the information more quickly when we break things up, move them around, and change the environment. It sure appears that the man from Tarsus is an expert in this idea.

Learning. Receiving. Hearing. Seeing. Each of these four methods of teaching have one critical thing in common. Without going into boring detail on the original language, every last one of them leads to a result. In other words, the folks in Philippi didn’t just fill their heads with meaningless details and Bible trivia in order to do well on the final exam. This isn’t about getting a grade. No, they sat under Paul’s instruction with the intent of doing something with it. They weren’t simply professional students who were afraid of putting into practice everything they had learned. 

A team goes through drills and scrimmages with the idea of playing their opponent. Let’s never miss a big point of why we listen to messages, attend a small group, or even have our own quiet time. (Can I be blunt? I absolutely hate the phrase “quiet time.” It sounds like I’m having a prim and proper tea party with Jesus. There are mornings I need be anything but quiet. We now return you to our regular program already in progress.) But sermons, small groups, and personal Scripture study are actually means to an end. 

They’re important ways of taking our relationship with Jesus to a new level. Our man Paul knows all about the passion to know Christ more deeply (Phil 3:7-11). They’re means of giving us God’s way of thinking and seeing the world (Rom 12:2). The Lord uses them to do spiritual surgery (Heb 4:12). You see, God is taking this goofy hot mess of my life and remaking it into the image of His one and only Son (Rom 8:29). A key part of that is putting what I learn into practice. Mike Lee says if we’re going to church and reading the Bible and our lives our changing, we’re doing it wrong. If I’m not changing, I’m wasting my time. If I’m not applying what I learn Paul says I’m just filling my head with hot air (1Cor 8:1). I learn so I can apply. I study so I can do something with it. I practice so I can play the game.

A big part of Paul’s coaching has been setting an example for the Philippians. They’re to do what they’ve “seen in me” (v9). Aren’t there times that imitating someone else’s technique is the best way to learn a new skill? Playing the imitation game is a key part of the apostle’s teaching tool box. He’s already told his readers, “Brothers, join in imitating me” (Phil 3:17). When the church over in Corinth runs off the rails, the apostle tells them the best way to get back on track is to “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1Cor 11:1). Paul tells his boy Tim, “Set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1Tim 4:12). The apostle Jesus nicknamed Rocky writes that spiritual leaders shouldn’t be heavy handed but instead “being examples to the flock” (1Pet 5:3). Paul isn’t so much a washed up athlete as he is a player-coach. He knows his fundamentals. He knows his technique. He knows the scouting report. If you don’t do anything else, do what he does when you get on the field.

So who are you watching? Who are the fellow Christ followers you’ve got your eyes on? Who are godly examples of how to live out what you’re learning? Maybe it’s a friend at work. Or your pastor. A buddy in your small group. That lady down the street. Maybe it’s an author you read. You know, it doesn’t have to be just one. A couple of VERY important points about following the example of others. First of all, do NOT turn them into an idol. Don’t make them your savior. Don’t make them your hero. Jesus already has that job. Second, know they’re probably going to put their life in the ditch at some point. Remember, Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians to follow him while he follows Christ. Once someone stops doing what Jesus does, you need to keep following Jesus. There’s a pretty good chance they’re going to drop the ball at some point. There are many imitators but only one Jesus.

Let’s turn that around. Who’s watching you as an example? This might seem like stupid question but it doesn’t change the fact that folks are watching. They want to know how you apply God’s Word to your life. They watch how you work. They watch how you parent. They watch you love. They watch how you drive (and wonder just how does that fish sticker hang on to that fender at such high speeds!). You may not like it, but people all around you are watching how you live as a follower of Jesus. And get this, some of them aren’t even Christian (GASP!). While the thought of folks watching you might be a little creepy, remember that this ultimately isn’t about you. They’re watching what Jesus is doing in and through you. Give Him the credit. Point people back to the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth every chance you get.

Who doesn’t have butterflies before the big game? You’re lying if you say you don’t. Just in case you haven’t been paying attention, lying is bad. So bad that it made God’s Top Ten list. It’s okay to be nervous. But don’t freak out and never take the field because “the God of peace will be with you” (v9). Nothing like the peace of God straight from the God of peace when things get a little scary (Rom 15:33; 16:20; 2Cor 13:11). If you’re anxious and feel far from God, the best thing to do is to do what He says. The writer of Hebrews goes so far as to pray, “Now may the God of peace….equip you with everything good that you may do His will” (Heb 13:20-21). He promises to be present and accounted for. He promises to be right there with you. He promises to give you His peace in your obedience. Remember, His peace “surpasses all understanding” (Phil 4:7). It’s reassuring to know God and His peace will be right there at your side during crunch time.

Don’t think of this so much as a letter from Paul to the Philippians as it is a pre-game locker room speech from the coach to his team before the season opener. You know the scouting report. You know your techniques. You know all the plays. It’s time to lace up your cleats. It’s time to buckle your chin strap. It’s time get on the field. It’s “go” time. It’s game. Don’t worry, the God of peace is lining up right beside you.