"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen." Matthew 28:18-20
There are countless ways to effectively spread the Gospel and to disciple people across the world. No one way is better than the other, because Christ works through all of them for His glory. Personally, one of my favorite ways to teach others the truth of Christ is through games and physical activity. I discovered this passion through working at Centrikid, in which I was able to spend an entire summer doing this through the daily recreation time and the Outdoor Games track (which is the best one if anyone ever asks...which they might...probably not, though.). When I first started leading recreation at the beginning of the summer, I'm not going to lie, I was pretty terrible at it. My heart was not in it. I was much more interested in getting it over with and heading to Bible Study. Yet, as the summer progressed, God began revealing a couple things to me that planted in me an ever-growing passion for recreation, and once He put that passion in me, I noticed a huge change in how much I enjoyed recreation, and how much my groups were enjoying it.
1. I realized that true ministry isn't about emotional experiences. As imperfect humans in an imperfect world, we have been conditioned to think that true life change hasn't happened in someone's life unless they get emotional about it. I had that thought in my mind for the longest time, and that was part of the reason why my heart wasn't as into recreation as it was bible study. I don't really remember anyone ever getting emotional on the rec field (except for that time I scraped my toe really bad the last week and a kid jumped on it...twice...but that was mostly just pain). Yet, emotions aren't what facilitate life change. Christ facilitates life change, and He manifests His power in numerous ways. When I acknowledged this, God also revealed to me that Christ doesn't reveal His power in emotional ways during recreation. Using recreation to teach children the Gospel isn't about emotional experiences, but about drilling into the minds of the kids essential truths to living out the Gospel and providing them with the tools to relate the fun, everyday things in life to the incomparable and supernatural power and love of Christ.
2. There is a balance that must be achieved between the actual game and the "debrief" that follows. You can't just spend the entire time playing the game, read a bible verse that is somewhat relevant to the point of the game and move on. However, you also need to allow enough time for them play the game and understand the rules and objectives so that when you read them a verse or passage and relate it back to the game they just played, they will be able to make a clear connection between what they just did and the guidance you have given them on how to live a life glorifying to Christ. Achieving this balance is crucial for having the greatest impact upon the children who are playing. The balance can be hard to find, so until you find that balance, just do your best to ensure that you emphasize the "debrief", or lesson that you are teaching through the game. To quote my good friend Caleb McDonald , "The debrief is the reason we play the dang game! Don't take the debrief lightly at all, do you want the kids remembering the game more, or the lesson that Jesus gives us through the game?"
3. Recreation provides a unique viewpoint on Christ, separate from the conventional atmosphere of worship and Sunday School. In my last blog post, I spoke briefly on how every child is unique and that they learn differently. The beauty of God's grace is that He has given us all the tools to teach in different ways that cater to each child's unique way of learning. That is what recreation is. It gives the children a fresh perspective on the Gospel that they may not have thought of before. No matter how common the verse or passage is, no matter how often a child has heard it, it is the Living Word of God. You can read a verse five times and learn something new from it each time, especially when you hear it in a different atmosphere, and that is what recreation does. To reference another good friend Vincent Thomas, "It [recreation] can be a great representation of where leading by action or example
can be more impacting. God can use that to minister to some kids more
than others."
4. As the last point, I learned that if you're heart is not in it, theirs won't be either. This is true across the board, especially in kids ministry, and specifically for recreation. Have fun with it. If the kids see you enjoying it, then they will begin to enjoy it, too (no matter how cool they think they are). I've found that giving a unique (meaning weird) team name is a great way of bringing them more together as a team and getting them to enjoy it more. Team names such as The Narcoleptic Sheep, Juggling Junebugs, and Purple Orthopedic Mattresses have proved very effective for my groups in the past. Above all else, if you are in a position where this is part of your job description, and you don't feel as passionate about as you should be or want to be, give it your all and pray that God gives you that passion and you will be amazed at the blessing He pours out to you (Malachi 3:10).
Remember that recreation is an incredible and unique way to fulfill the call of the Great Commission to teach others how to truly follow Christ (yes, there was a purpose in putting that passage at the top of the post. I don't just do random things for fun...). I pray for all of you that have read this and that God would have revealed something to you through this post, because the power of Christ is the only way I could ever say or do anything useful to others in this world, so that is what I, and all of us, must rely on.
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