PLAYS 1-10
PLAY 1: BE SAVED
Here are Four steps to be saved and my version of the “Sinners Prayer”:
Confess you are a sinner - Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Ask God to save you - Romans 10:13, for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Believe and have faith in Jesus Christ - John 3:16, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Repent and turn away from sin - Acts 3:19, repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.
Men, you can’t say you are a Christian unless you are saved. When you are ready, please say this simple prayer. It has to be a heartfelt cry to God and must mean something. God sacrificed his one and only perfect son to die for your sins. So your imperfect soul will be saved. Jesus died on the cross suffering the terrible death of crucifixion. Do not go through the motion and make this shot count! Dear Father God, please come into my heart and change me, I confess that I’m a sinner. I asked that you save me. I believe you sacrificed your son Jesus to forgive my sins. From this day forward I will repent of my sins and will sin no more.
The flip side is if you are not saved, then your soul will go to Hell.
Matthew 10:28, Hell is a place that will utterly destroy and kill the wicked.
Matthew 13:50, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Revelation 14:11, and the smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.
PLAY 2 : LOVE GOD
God created us so we must respect and honor him. Love Jesus, God’s son who sacrificed himself so we may live with him forever in heaven. In Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus replied, love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest commandment.
Love God’s son Jesus. He died on the cross to forgive our sins. If we believe, we will be saved and have eternal life in heaven. 1 Corinthians 6:20, You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
Honor God’s 10 Commandments - 2 John 5:3-4, This is love for God; to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world,
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, ….here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
Run Plays 3, 5 and 6
Micah 6:8, He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Matthew 5:16, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Use your time and talents to bring glory to God. Soon this short practice session of life on earth will end. We will face judgment and our works will be placed in fire to see what shines like gold.
Get fired up by listening to the great hymn, Doxology - Praise God from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I like David Crowder’s version on YouTube.
PLAY 3 : LOVE OTHERS
Matthew 22:39-40 Jesus replied, and the second is love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.
The priority is love God, love your wife, your children, and then work. Do not put work in front of God, wife, and children. Or your children in front of your wife and marriage.
See Plays 5 and 6
2 John 4:11, Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Peter 4:8, above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
PLAY 4 : REPENT
Stop sinning. Remember life on earth is short in comparison to the eternal life in Heaven. Life on earth is like a vacation in the sense that it ends quickly and you go back to work on Monday. When on vacation we often try to see and do as much as we can. The same mentality applies as a Christian on earth. But a Christian tries to see how much good works they can accomplish before God calls them to heaven.
Do not let sin spoil your soul.
2 Peter 2:4–10, for if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgement
Romans 6:23, for the wages of sin is death
James 1:1, 5 then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
2 Chronicles 7:14, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
PLAY 5 : LOVE YOUR WIFE
God blessed you with a helper. A teammate that will help you on earth and with the same goal of life (glorify God and enjoy him forever).
The two of you together are stronger and better than one. In sports you can anticipate a Play and know how best to help your teammate. Similarly, anticipate your wife’s needs and don’t wait for your wife to ask.
Set the pick, block, fight for her, give words of affirmation, and then celebrate with her. If she asks you to do something, ask what else can I do?
Multi task and listen to a sermon the same time doing a household chore that helps your wife. Unload the dishwasher, wipe down the refrigerator / appliances, wash her car, fold the clothes, etc. I know a guy who wakes up early. He told me he wears Bluetooth head phones to not wake anyone. And then listens to sermons while doing chores to help his wife. The head phones only cost $20 at the Factory Outlet and his wife likes his help.
Think about what else you can do to help your wife when you drive home from work. Ask her about her day and just listen. Resist the temptaion to fix it unless she asks for it.
Lift her up and celebrate just like you would with your teammate.
Ephesians 5:25, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
Colossians 3:19, Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with her.
PLAY 6 : LOVE YOUR CHILDREN
The most important thing to teach your children is to be saved. That way you and your wife will enjoy them forever in heaven.
Your next goal is to teach children to leave home and be self-sustaining. Let’s get them pointed in the right direction. Proverbs 22:6, train up a child on the way to go. Give your children time and put them on your Game Plan / Weekly Schedule. Let’s get them train up so they have a high powered offense that will give them options to handle the challenges of life.
Teach them the three keys to life. Faith first, what do for a career next (first get good grades in school), and how to pick a wife / husband. Faith is taught using the Plays from your Playbook.
How to choose a career is critical and is the second biggest decision in life. the career they select must be able to fund the lifestyle they want. If they want a house, pay for their children’s college education and retire, then they need a career that pays well. Children must be taught how much money they need to retire. Because no one wants to work for ever.
Once your child knows how much money they need to retire, they should start looking for careers that pay well and are in demand. Try not to allow your children to take on a student loan for a degree that will does not have a clear path to a job. Or else they will be like 90% of Americans who cannot afford to retire. And not have the last period of their life to spend a lot of time volunteering to glorify God (the goal of life). Start your children looking into careers now instead of playing video games. See what others do and search online. Consider trade school and allowing your child to live at home. This will help them save money for retirement, build savings, and leave the house without any debt but with savings. My sons friend is an auto mechanic and has saved enough money while living at home to buy a house.
I use to read financial websites at lunch time instead of sports. And I learned how one can retire and how to invest in mutual funds / stock market. There are number of F.I.R.E (Financially Independent Retire Early) websites where individuals share what they learned for free. Seek and you will find.
Choosing a wife / husband – tell them what a first round teammate looks like. It should be someone who is very similar. To be evenly yoked in faith, education, and jobs. It takes two incomes to get ahead. Two incomes are better than one. If one falls, the other will help. Having more money allows options. Unfortunately, 50% of marriages end in divorce because of money. And your children will be better equipped to support themselves if, they get divorced.
Let your children know how the periods of life are played. That the first 1/3 of our life, we go to school, start a career, and get married. During the second 1/3 of our life, we raise a family, and save up for retirement. We share the gospel at work and with the people we meet daily. The final 1/3 of our life we can be devoted to volunteering and glorify God even more. Each person will have different periods and it all depends how straight and narrow their path is.
If you do not plan your children’s future, they most likely will not have a good future. And your future may suffer. I know couples whose grown children have moved back in with the grandchildren. I know of a poor single grandmother who is raising four grandchildren. Do your best to train up your children the first time around, or you may pay for it later.
Nourish your children. We nourish our bodies but what are we doing to nourish our children? Pick times during the week to nourish them. Explain why you do things before showing them. Discuss the importance of them. Show them how to do all things in life budget, save, meal plan, cook, grocery shop, laundry, clean, car maintenance, take care of their body (diet, exercise, sleep), let them fail, etc. Proverbs 22:6, Train a child on the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
Teach them everything while you have their attention. Most do not listen to you after they get into middle school. So teach them how to make smart choices and how to think for themselves . Before society takes them over and they become rebellious.
Ask yourself is there a better use of my children’s time then this activity? Let use sports as an example. Sports is not the goal of life and most will not get a scholarship. Instead, sports will use up your time which is your most valuable asset. And time that you can spend yourself training your child on the way to go. Make sure you and your children keep their eyes on the end game and not the wrong ball.
If you do not train up your child, then the world will.
Ephesians 6:4, Fathers, do not exasperate your children, instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Matthew 7:13-14, Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Children are the only earthly possession you will see in heaven.
PLAY 7 : PRAY
The first thing a new believer often does is the Sinner’s Prayer in Play 1. Prayer is how to we talk with God and is important part of being a Christian.
If you do not pray much, first start by saying a blessing for dinner. Your family will see it is important and learn.
Pray at night before you go to bed thanking God for your day.
Create a Prayer schedule and each morning you pray for others each day of the week. Your wife and children, leaders, relatives, blessings, culture, government, school, work, etc. Write down and use some of the prayers in the Bible and by other pastors you hear. Over time, your prayer muscles will be strong and defined.
Prayers are to be short and to the point.
The Lord’s Prayer is the example prayer Jesus gave. The prayer starts with doing God’s will and ends with giving God glory. One could simply use this format to frame a prayer.
Pray in public especially when you go out to eat. This world needs Christians to show their faith and is pleasing to God.
Pray for others immediately when the need arises.
You will fumble a few prayers. So, be patient and do not give up. Be a “Rudy Ruettiger” when it comes to praying.
Barry Meguiar owner of Meguiar’s Wax likes to asks the Water when he goes out to eat “if there is anything we can pray for you?” He sometimes says we are some crazy Christians who are going to pray for our meal and wondered if, there is anything we can pray for you about”. Here’s his website https://igniteamerica.com/ I have heard him say it starts with prayer, love on everyone, and connect God with the good deeds that you do. When you give someone money or do them a favor you can simply say God Bless You. Barry Meguiar said to said God moved me to do this.
PLAY 8 : READ THE BIBLE
to learn and increase your knowledge. To get those spiritual muscles you have not been using in shape. In reading just 2 to 3 pages per day, you will be able to read the entire Bible in one year. Pencil this in on your Game Plan.
Start reading the Bible instead of one TV program per night to start. Consider having the entire family read the Bible together.
Or go to bed say 1/2 hour early to read the Bible. This will also get you on a better sleeping pattern.
Read the Bible in the morning when you first wake up. This way your day is bookend by the Word.
Read the verses that go with your Plays to help your children see where it came from.
Buy a guide that will help you better understand the Bible. I like “Know Your Bible” by Barbour Publishing, Inc. It is simple, short, and to the point. Like a 30-second time out.
See who is speaking, who too, and why. Then ask how this applies to my life.
Use a ball point ink pen to underline the scripture that speaks to you. Write notes in your Bible
Make note of prayers your read and add them to your daily prayer list.
Consider starting in the New Testament especially if, you are a new believer to start. It is about three times shorter than the Old Testament and gets into salvation from the get go. The first four books Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (called the Gospels) are about the life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And the rest of the books seems to relate more to me about current life, things of this world, and end times (Revelation).
Bring your Bible to church and turn to the scripture that is being read. The Pastor likes to hear Bible pages turning in his church. It also shows you care enough about his sermon and are there to learn. Pastors are also your teammate and need to be lifted up. Help them help you and pray for them.
Extra Credit – remember the books of the Bible. Start with the New Testament because it is shorter. Memorize the first 3 or 5 books. Then add one book every week until memorized. Then repeat this exercise every time you read the Bible.
2 Timothy 3:16-17, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Joshua 1:8, This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Job 23:1, I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
Proverbs 24:3-4, By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.
PLAY 9 : CHANGED LIFE
Many Christians say they are Christians but do not have any good works to show for it. They still do the things of this world and do not bring glory to God. Even the devil knows God sacrificed his son so those who believe can have eternal life in Heaven. But the devil does not have any good deeds to show for it. What good deeds do you have that differentiates you from the devil? What you do in life shows where your heart is at. You asked God to come into your heart and change you in the sinner’s prayer. What are you going to say to God and Jesus on Judgment day when they question the use of your time? If the use of your time was put to fire, would it burn up or shine bright like gold? Here are some Plays to run:
A. Change and plan how you use your time.
Time is your most valuable asset. It is more valuable than money. Of course it takes time to make money. But you can’t make more time. People die with unused money but not with unused time. So your free time is like money which should not be wasted. Complete the Excel spread sheet on how you spend your time (see Game Plan). Allow for work, commute, bathing, dressing, eating, sleeping, etc. Add other things like date night, time watching TV, media, hobbies, working out, commitments, etc. You will quickly see that there is only a few hours each day and a little on the weekends that you have to freely use. Does the use of your time, the most valuable asset God gave you, show you glorify God? Or is your schedule full of things of this world that do not matter? That will not survive the fire on Judgment Day. I challenge you to change how you use your time. This will have a huge and immediate impact on your life. The spread sheet is a planning tool to help you be successful and win games. Just like preparing a Game Plan to prepare your team. Failure to plan is planning to fail. Proverbs 14:8, the wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of the fools is deception. CHANGE AND PLAN HOW YOU USE YOUR TIME.
B. Change your media
The eyes are the gateway to your mind. And the mind controls your body. Whatever your eyes and ears feast on, your body becomes and will do. If you put garbage into your mind, your mind will become garbage. And your body and soul will become garbage. Proverbs 4:23 (TEV), Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.
Start with reducing the amount of TV you watch. Even the commercials are bad. TV is like a Trojan Horse; bad things come out of it. We watch TV and then go to bed. So, the last thing on our minds is the things of this world. This sounds like a Play the devil wants you to run. Change to watching good shows or documentaries. Subscribe to Pureflix.com to get Christian movies. TV watching should be like dessert which we should not eat too much of.
Change the music you listen too. The cultural music is full of bad stuff. Switch to Christian stations. They can also be listened to on line or set up a Pandora station. Listen to sermons on the radio during your commute to work. One sermon in the morning and evening would be 2 sermons per day, 10 per week or 500 per year. That is 10 years of sermons from seasoned Hall of Fame pastors. Your spiritual learning will greatly improve in one year.
Eliminate video games from the house. They are addicting, violent, and waste your most valuable asset, your time.
Consider eliminating social media unless you use if for work. People typically brag how good their life is which God does not like. James 4:6, God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. CHANGE YOUR MEDIA.
C. Change your friends?!
Perhaps you have people in your life that are making your sin. Or a better use of your time would just be without them? Yes, Jesus often spent time with sinners. But he was there to save them and Jesus did not sin like they did. Unfortunately, we are not as good at resisting temptation like Jesus. Proverbs 13:20, he who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harms. 2 John 1:7-8 & 10-11, Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. And, such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for but that you may be rewarded fully. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him share in his wicked work. Proverbs 27:17, as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. 1 Corinthians 15:33, Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.” You will become who you hang with. CHANGE YOUR FRIENDS!
D. Change how you spend money
The money we earn is because of the ability and talents God gave us. Ask how you can change your spending and saving habits to bring glory to God? Start with tithing. Proverbs 3:9, Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce. Then spend your money into a saving account for life’s uncertainties. Then spend your money into a low expense retirement account (Vanguard, Fidelity, and Charles Schwab). When you retire, you can spend more time glorifying God instead of working. Or you can continue working and use the extra money to build God’s kingdom. Having money gives you these options. I have spoken to two different mortgage brokers and they stated no one has much money saved. There are many articles written that support this and the retirement crisis. This means most will have to work forever and not have the last part of their life to spend more time glorifying God. Is a life spent working just to get by really what God wants us to do? Or is it better to use our time and talents to earn more so we can help others? CHANGE HOW YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY.
E. Take Action / Get in the Game
How do you make these changes? If married, first talk to your wife about this. Try starting with the easy things to change like picking the “low hanging fruit”. Cut off the branches that are not producing fruit. This will take a few years on some things. Your improvement should look similar to a good stock market chart. It will go up and down but overall the use of your time is trending up and improving. You will notice that your mind, body, and tastes will start changing slowly over time. It was hard for me to change certain things. Try to rationalize and look at our bad habits like an addiction. If you knew someone who was addicted to a drug, your first thought might be to tell them to stop taking the drug. But in this case we are drug users because we have become addicted to doing the things of this world. We have taken our eyes off the ball. Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Shamgar - start where you are, use what you have, do what you can. TAKE ACTION!
PLAY 10 : LEAD OTHERS TO CHRIST
Memorize and use the Sinner’s Prayer in Play 1 (confess, ask, believe, repent). Your responsibility on this Play is to share the gospel of eternal life in heaven through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Chrsit. Jesus was conceived in Mary by the Holy spirit, Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins, and then rose again from the dead. If we believe in Jesus Christ, then our soul will be in heaven when our body dies. Then share your Plays to help get others started. Suggest they start reading the books of the Bible that go with your plays, go to a church, get into a bible study, show them what you are doing in Play 9, and periodically follow up or even offer to meet as needed. Also this is an opportunity to see what you can learn from your fellow man and how you can help each other. Even if it is with an earthly project. Time spent together will strengthen both of you. Remember the greatest gift you can give someone is life in heaven for eternity! and who else can offer this?!
Acts 20:24, However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.
Ezekiel 3:18, When I say to a wicked person, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.
Mark 16:15, And he said to them, Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
Gospel = Good News, And the Good News is God loves you. So much that he sacrificed his son so you can have eternal life in Heaven. If you want this gift, I would like to lead you in a prayer so your soul will be saved. See Play 1 for the Sinners Prayer (confess, ask, believe, repent).
SAVE SOMEONE!