Hey guys, So with about 6 months to go before we all ship out on this awesome mission trip for 11 months I figured it would be a good time to start blogging more. I’ve had this on my heart for a long time and I’m sure one day ill talk about it in more detail during a sermon but for now lets see if I can talk about it on this blog thing. So March madness is right around the corner and we all know it’s a huuuge deal for so many people including myself. The brackets, the betting, the hope that maaybe your team will finally make a statement. There is also the people that just love a good underdog story. During march madness you hear the term cinderella or underdog so much it gets a little played out but it is what it is. So in the spirit of underdogs, it got me thinking on a topic that has been with me for a while and that is, that Christians are the ultimate underdogs.
Try and stay with me for a moment. Think about it, For thousands of years Christians have been persecuted because of their faith. What does that really mean.. I’m talking about beatings, torture, slavery, imprisonment, kicked out of their homelands, and murder to just name a few all because they are Christians. Being a Christian in many parts of the world as I said before has been far from easy. I hear people say oh josh, well its not like that anymore. I got news for those people, it is like that and still really bad all over the world. Nearly 75% of the worlds population lives in areas with severe religious restrictions. Talk about having the odds stacked against you. Christians in around 60 countries face persecution from their governments all because they believe in Jesus and that is today, 2018. I dont know about yall but that makes me sad and angry. The fact that my brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world are treated this way makes that fire in my belly grow stronger. It should for yall too.
On average every month 255 Christians are killed,100 are abducted,66 churches are attacked, and 160 Christians are imprisoned without a trial. I know these numbers are depressing but I want to shine some light on the fact that the world hates Christians and always has.The odds are not in our favor. We have always been counted out and treated badly but if history has shown us anything its that we serve an all mighty God who is capable of anything and we will always come out on top. Its important that we continue to come together and work toward expanding the Kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 12:26 says that we are one body, if one part suffers,every part suffers with it;if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
God loves an underdog. Just being a Christian in today’s world you are an underdog buuut we are given the tools to win. He gives us the tools to win but he also promises the victory. We have the playbook with all the best plays and we have the best coach. We will win even if the world doesn’t think so. There are so many great underdog stories in the bible. The one I’m thinking of right now is the thief on the cross that was being crucified next to Jesus. Now how is this an underdog story? I look at it like this, this man lived a life of sin. He went in the opposite direction of Christ. He did everything he could do to lose at the game of life. Yet at the end of everything, as the other man next to them mocked Jesus, this man asked him to remember him in the kingdom of heaven. One last hail mary, that shot at the buzzer, one last shot to save his soul and it worked! When it was all said and done he won because Jesus told him, you will be with me in paradise. Luke 23,32-43 will go into the conversation between the three men. Such a great story. Don’t wait until the last minute to come to Christ like this man. Live the life God has called you to live. I promise it’s worth it.
Most people know the story of David and Goliath. Now David had no business in the eyes of most to fight a warrior like Goliath but David went in with confidence in God who can do impossible things. David knew because of his relationship with God that God had already won this battle for him. Not only did David defeat this monster of a man but he also delivered Israel from the Philistines for a while. There are so many more. Moses freeing his people from Egyptian slavery or even Jesus himself was an underdog. Jesus prepared 30 yrs for a 3 yr ministry. When the Jewish people said he had to go, the plot to kill him began. Then the roman government was the final call to kill Jesus. He was alone, even his closest friends abandoned him. Everyone counted him out when he went to the cross that day. They had to of thought who can defeat the grave.. this is it, Jesus his gone. The ultimate comeback. Yall know the story. Resurrection!!!
I’m gonna get out of here so look, It doesn’t matter where ya been, or what you have or haven’t done. The odds may be stacked against you and it may seem like nothing is going right or ever will but remember you have a God that loves you. A God that loves underdogs and is in your corner all the time no matter what. Learn to lean on him for support. We are no match for this world alone. We are no match for the sin in it. He’s there waiting for you to call on him, to ask him for help. To give you the tools, the plays, and the strategies to overcome the challenges you are dealing with. Remember to support one another in this crazy time we live in. As Christians, it’s only going to get harder on us as time goes on. You have a voice so use it!! Stand up for what and who you believe in. Remember we win in the end so stay positive and trust in the Lord. Everything going to be ok. That’s his promise not mine!! 🙂 Love yall. Thanks for taking the time to read me ramble some. haha. Talk soon!
