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Steve Says

Last week was the beginning of the NFL season and the High School Football season and College Football started a few weeks ago. For those of us who enjoy watching football this is a great time of year. We get to watchour favorite teams suit up and go “into battle” on the Gridiron. We like the sport because it can be extremely exciting with explosive plays on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. In every game there are those who suffer the agony of defeat while others celebrate in the thrills of victory. For NFL fans Sunday is a day filled with emotions because we watch our teams give everything they have so they can win.

At times I have felt like we treat “going to church” the same way that NFL teams treat a game of football. We show up wear our best clothes and we put on a good show so we can “look good” before God (and each other). However, we would often forget that the battle we fight as Christians takes place EVERYDAY!  

I think the times have changed. It seems to me that most Christians I have realized that I don’t need to put on my “Sunday Best”, which if we want to be honest was more than just nice clothes but often a fake smile as well. Instead, we come together to encourage each other, to celebrate together, to mourn together, and to worship together. There is a battle that we face every day, and Paul makes it clear in Ephesians 6 that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against an evil darkness in our world today.

We see this evil every day when we scroll through our social media feed or turn on the news and hear about the hatred in the world. We are called to be a light to the world, we are called to love our enemies, we are called to be different and set apart for God. We NEED the encouragement that comes from the gathering of the children of God every Sunday morning. In fact, we need that encouragement more than JUST Sunday morning. Sunday morning worship is a time for us to be encouraged and built up in love so that we can face the true battle we fight against evil every day.