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We all want to win, but sometimes the game gets away from us. When you find yourself down in the 4th quarter, you need a game changer.
A game changer is a play that ultimately alters the outcome of the game by changing the momentum of the game.
I think that we could use a game changer in the year 2019.
What does somebody need to change the game? Is it money, power, intellect, or beauty? No. All that you need are moves from the playbook.
I believe that the move which will make a significant difference between your 2019 and last year has already been written down in the bible 1000’s of years ago.
Now – If you do not believe that the bible is the word of God, then I challenge you to hear out this message. I am going to show you a game-changing plan straight from the bible. I believe that before we are finished, you will see that this plan is what you need in your life.
Here are some game changers who have used a similar plan to change the world.
Let me give you some examples.
JJ Watt & Lebron James
J.J. Watt is one of the greatest Defensive Ends to ever play football. He has won too many defensive awards to tell you about during his 7 year career with the Houston Texans.
Yet what Watt may be most known for is his reaction to Hurricane Harvey that hit the Houston area last year. J.J. Watt started a foundation that raised 41.6 million dollars for those effected by the Hurricane.
In this picture, Lebron James was getting scored on in the 2011 NBA finals by Dallas Mavericks great Dirk Novitski! Currently, Lebron is probably the most recognizable sports figure on earth right now. Currently a forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, King James has won 3 NBA Championships and many other league awards.
Yet his greatest contribution may be the school he started last year in Akron called the “I Promise” school. The multi-million dollar school will help generations of at-risk youth.
The world is used to Super Stars receiving trophies, but this last year the world stopped to appreciate these game changing athletes who served their communities through giving.
Toms Shoes
Toms is a for-profit shoe company. The Company started in 2006 and from the beginning, the company has served children in 3rd world nations who do not have shoes. For every pair of
Service is a game changer. The world had seen shoes stores before… but the world had never seen anything like Toms. A FOR PROFIT that is known for its NON-PROFIT service.
Mother Teresa
A Christian lady, a nun, who received world-wide recognition like the Nobel Peace Prize for her service to those in need; Mother Teresa was a game changer by serving. In 1952 she started a hospice house. This was a house for the poor & terminally sick to be cared for. It is called “home for the dying” and still stands in Kolkata, India.
At the age of 18, with no formal education, with she heard about the needs of those in India and decided that was what she would do with her life. And she did.
Service is a game changer. The world had seen religion before… but the world stood and took note of a little old lady who held the hands of the dying. A woman without a high school diploma now has many high schools named after her.
Serving is a Game-Changer
Many people have used this game-changing plan in the secular world. This play is used in business, government, and countless organizations. You can find leadership & self-help books about this subject, but really service is a Kingdom idea. This game-changing play comes from the Kingdom of God.
- Lebron
& JJ Watt used God’s plan to change lives.
- Luke 12:48 (NIV2011) …From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
- The more you have been given, then more you should serve. Scripture gives us the idea that God is aware of what you have been given, and is asking you to do more with it that just consume it on your own materialistic lusts.
- Tom’s
Shoes didn’t come up with their own plan to change lives. They
used God’s Kingdom plan.
- Mark 12:30-31 (NIV2011) 30-31 “…Love the Lord with all… & ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
- Tom’s lives out the radical Kingdom idea of loving your neighbor as you love yourself. They sell a shoe and they give a shoe. They receive & give. They did not get this from a business school. They got this idea from Jesus and Jesus says… when you understand these greater commands of love…
- Mark 12:34 (NIV2011) “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
- Mother
Teresa, the small unassuming woman with the quite voice, stood
before kings and world government leaders. The Princess of England,
Diana, said after a visit with Mother Teresa…
- “Today, something very profound touched my life. I went to Mother Teresa’s home and found the direction I’ve been searching for all these years.” She added, “The Sisters sang to me, a deeply spiritual experience, and I soared to such heights in my spirit. The light shone from within these ladies, saints for want of a better word, and such love came from their eyes and their touch was full of warmth.”
- The life of a servant brought direction to the life of a princess. That princess encountered God’s Spirit through the warmth & worship of a servant.
- This is not a “how to win friends and influence people” book. This is God’s Kingdom idea of Service.
Serving is a Game-Changer
Jesus tells us something radical about being great. Who here would like to be great? Would you like to be great at something… would you like to be seen as great at your job or great in skill and accomplishment?
Mark 10:43 (NIV2011) …whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
This is a radical kingdom idea. To become great, you become a servant.
The way to go up in the eyes of others, is to go down and serve humbly.
Let’s dig deeper into this scripture. The word here for servant is the Greek word ‘diakonos’ which is where we get the English word “Deacon” which is used as a title of leadership within the Church. A Deacon is viewed as a person with authority in the Church.
In God’s kingdom authority is not given to “Lord” over people… Authority is given to SERVE others.
I am a pastor. This is not a title that I use to bully you into submission. The word pastor means shepherd. Shepherds serve the sheep.
It is wrong to use authority to LORD over people… because there is only 1 Lord… AND WE ARE NOT HIM.
This is what is wrong with government… We elect people to serve us but they end up being our Lord.
That is what is wrong with the leadership structure at your job… Everyone is scared of the boss, but the boss is actually supposed to be there to HELP YOU… SERVE YOU!
The Quarterback is often the primadonna of the football team. Primadonna is a very temperamental person with an inflated view of their own talent or importance.
But a quarterback is really the servant of the offense. They receive the ball to give the ball to others. They pass… they hand off… and that is what gives them the most success. The Quarterback is not the Lord of the football team…
The quarterback gets a play call from Coach… The Quarterback is entrusted with this knowledge and the opportunity of receiving the ball…. This all comes from the coach by the Way. (God is the coach.) The quarterback then receives the ball and sacrifices everything to get that ball into the hands of others.
The authority the quarterback is given is meant to serve the others on the team.
Mark 10:43 (NIV2011) …whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
Mark 10:44 (NIV2011) and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
Jesus even uses a stronger word for servant here in verse 44 that we translate as slave. This word is the Greek word ‘doulos,’ where we get the idea of a bond-servant – A servant, so dedicated & devoted to another, that they will neglect their own interests.
Do you want to be first? You must be willing to neglect your own interests for others. This game-changing principle is radical… but you know it is true.
- You will follow a leader who is willing to sacrifice.
- You respect others who are not just out for self interest.
- What drew the princess to the mother Teresa was that her servanthood love.
- What draws you to Jesus is that He is all of this… Jesus is the greatest of all, because He is the servant of all.
- Mark 10:45 (NIV2011) For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
- The best leader is the one who loves you.
If you want to be great in 2019, you need to serve. It is a game changer.
I have talked about serving others, and before today is over I am going to challenge you to talk to God about serving others. But for the next few moments I want to talk to you about the best way to serve yourself.
You serve weakness from strength
Two paralyzed men can’t help each other walk across the room. But if one of the men had the strength to walk, they could serve the paralyzed man’s weakness from their strength. The man who walks could pick up and carry the one who is too weak to walk.
You serve weakness from strength. This is true when helping others… but it is also true in serving yourself.
Somewhere in your
Take a moment to recognize your strengths as well as to recognize your weaknesses!
Often, everything you need to overcome your weakness is already placed within you as a strength.
Golden Triangle – Time, Energy, Money
We have these 3 areas of our life… Time, Energy, & Money. If you are weak in one of these 3 areas you can leverage your strengths in other areas to serve the area you are weak in.
For example:
You are weak in the area of money? Do you have time? Do you have energy? If you leverage your time & your energy you can make money. Take some and spend some energy to go find a job… you will get money. If you are spending time and energy but still don’t have enough money… spend a little more time and energy to get a 2nd job… or even a better job. Perhaps you work harder at your job and receive a promotion that will bring you MORE MONEY.
You serve weakness from strength. Your strength in time & energy can serve your weakness in money.
You are weak in the area of time? Do you have money? Spend your money to hire some energy to free up your time.
You are weak in the area of energy? Leverage your work & your money to find a way to work smarter.
We all are weak in some area. But we are all strong is some area. Serve your weakness from your strength.
Perhaps we are begging God to help us, but God is waiting for us to wisely solve our weakness through the wisdom of self managing the strengths he has given us.
I have a final point and then I am going to invite you game changers to come talk to God.
Serve with reserve
You can only serve from a reserve, not a deficit.
If you have a time deficit, then you can’t serve anyone with your time.
If you have a money deficit, then you can’t serve anyone with your money.
If you have an energy deficit, then you can’t serve anyone with your energy.
If you want to serve from these areas then you need to start creating a reserve in these areas.
How did Mother Teresa create hospice homes in 3rd world nations? She built into her life a reserve of time & energy. She said “no” to other things that would eat her reserve so that she could use her reserve to serve.
Teresa said no writing a book until she was 73 years old, because she was using her time & energy elsewhere.
How did Lebron & Watt serve others so amazingly with their money? They built into their life a reserve of money. Now you are saying… “yeah easy for them. They are millionaires.” But I tell you that the principle remains true. If they spent all their money on themselves and left nothing in reserve, they would have no strength to serve from their money.
How did Tom’s shoes donate one shoe for every shoe they sell? They built into their business a reserve of energy. They put the same amount of energy into a pair of shoes they sell as they do for a pair of shoes they give away. How do they do that? They reserved that energy to serve in that way.
The greatest game changing servants you will ever meet are people who have created a reserve.
They say no to Starbucks and movie tickets, so that they can say yes to other things. They live meager lives so that they can serve at a Kingdom level.
They say no to energy draining commitments so that they can say yes in serving with their energy in other areas.
They say no to some commitments so that they have time to serve in reserve.
Serving is a Game Changer
Are you interested in a game changer this year?
When you can in today you were handed a note card and a pen. We are going to use them now.
On one side of your notecard I want you to write what you feel compelled to say yes to in service. What is something you want to do in service in 2019. Say yes to it.
On the other side of your notecard I want you to write something you need to say NO to, in order to create a reserve, from which to serve. What will you say no to so that you will have a reserve in money, time, & energy.
Our team is going to lead some worship, and as you finish your card I challenge you to come pray over this year.
If you are in this place and are in need a prayer I invite you to come in the first 2 feet of this stage and our staff will be glad to pray with you.Villagio – Marshal
Children – PA