Become a "Gatorade Fierce" Christian. [CFL News ~ December, 2014]

Become a “Gatorade Fierce” Christian

In John 15:1-11, Jesus teaches that the fruitfulness of our lives depends upon our trusting, intimate, ongoing relationship with Him. He shows this by repeating the verb “abide” (meno in Greek, sometimes rendered “remain in”) ten times in these verses. Meno means “to have a close and settled relationship with someone.” So, when we remain in a close and settled relationship with Jesus, Jesus-like fruit will gush out of our lives (i.e., we will “bear much fruit,” v. 5).

This is where Gatorade Fierce comes in. Their recent ad campaign beautifully illustrates the idea of overflowing what you meno. As you watch the clip, notice how the athlete who’s imbibed lots of Gatorade Fierce overflows with Gatorade Fierce.

It’s easy to translate this vivid illustration back to John 15:1-11. We’re the athlete. Jesus is the Gatorade Fierce. When we constantly imbibe Him, we gush Him. When we remain in intimate connection with Him, we bear His fruit. Only His fruit is not chest-pounding athletic pride. It’s love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

So, how’s it going with Jesus? Are you “drinking” Him daily? Are you enjoying His joy in you (v. 11)? Obeying His commandments (v. 10)? Soaking in His Words (v. 7)? Believing that He loves you (v. 10)? Drink, be hydrated, and gush His fruit in your Christian life in general and in the life arena in particular!

[This and many similar themes are discussed in detail in CFL President’s new book, Gush: Refreshment for Thirsty Christians, available here.]

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Resourced

A resourced Life Team is provided with financial and other assets by their church to pursue its mission. Resources can include money (annual budget), shepherding care, access to personnel, facilities, communications channels and prayer communities, and more. Be sure to navigate your church’s specific protocols for resource requests. Always remember that resources, like relationships, depend upon trust. So, develop a good track record of trust before/as you humbly request resources. When you do make the request, be prepared to back up your figures (if you’re asking for money) and don’t be shy! Being humble doesn’t mean asking for crumbs. Ask for what you need with a humble demeanor, giving thanks and entrusting the outcome to God, our Ultimate Resource!

For more on this topic and many others essential to Life Team health, consider Tool 3: Life Team 101.

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(Re)Believe the Gospel

Practically every Christian leader is tempted from time to time to attach their sense of worth to their performance as a leader. Even though doing a good job is a good thing, it’s a soul-binding trap to rest our sense of worth upon our performance as leaders (or upon any other category of our performance, for that matter). When you do this, repent. You may have to repent several times a day. Admit that you’ve swapped God’s strong, freeing, and permanent declaration of your identity (beloved child of God) and embraced a weak, enslaving, variable identity (my performance as a leader). As you do this, reconnect with God’s forgiveness in Christ, and believe the gospel anew – not to be re-saved, but to mature in your salvation and to re-experience the joy of Christ.

Reminder: Join our Life Team Leader conference call on Tuesday, December 16 at 7:00pm. Click picture for details.