Jeremy McGarity
·
February 2, 2021

Team Colors

God's game is back! Did you know baseball is God's game? The Bible DOES start in Genesis by saying, "In the BIG-INNING!"
Get it?
Beginning... Big-INNING.
In the ... you get it.

Anyway, I'm so excited to kick off another amazing season of baseball! We're a just a couple weeks away from Spring Training, if they don't push it back a month like they are talking about doing. And I want to know ... what team colors are you wearing this year?

Whenever we join a team or become a fan, we put on their team uniform and colors. 
The same goes for when we decide to follow Christ! When we've made a decision to follow Jesus, we put on a NEW uniform. If we join the Padres, we wear brown and gold (The best uniforms in the league if you ask me). We don’t join the Padres and say β€œI want to wear Dodger blue.” No, we wear the team colors. It is our public profession that signifies that we believe in this team.

When we make a big decision like following Jesus Christ, we do something similar in putting on the team colors, the Bible calls it baptism. Christians confirm they are on "Team Jesus" by participating in baptism. It is the Christian's public profession that they are on Team Jesus.

It's important to note that you don't have to be baptized in order to attend a church service, read the Bible, or learn about Christianity. But ... if you come to a point where you're ready to admit that you're a sinner and need the Savior ... you may be ready to take a step of faith and follow Jesus. 

If you're new to Christianity, you may be wondering what baptism looks like. As Jesus demonstrated in the New Testament, we too are fully immersed in a body of water. By completely submerging your body in water, you're symbolizing a burial to your old way of life. When you come out of the water, this symbolizes new or like Jesus, resurrected life.

There isn't anything magical about the water. Many people ask if they have to be baptized in a church. The answer is no. In fact, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River! You can be baptized in a lake, the ocean, a friend's pool ... any body of water. We do this as an outward display of an inward decision to follow Christ.

Following Jesus isn't always easy, but it's always worth it. Many of you know exactly what I'm talking about. You won't magically and instantly have it all together. Every day is a willful and conscious decision to become more and more like him. We say it all the time at Skyline Church, God does not require perfection out of your spiritual walk, but he does require progress. And sometimes that's two steps forward and one step back. When you're ready to make a decision to follow in HIS footsteps, we'd like to invite you to celebrate that choice through baptism.

So let me ask you again ... what team colors are you wearing? All season long I'll be wearing my Padre gear. When I wear Padre gear, I'm saying I have faith that I'm on the winning team. I'm wearing the brown and gold jersey rain or shine. Are you ready to put on a winning team jersey? I can promise you, that Jesus IS the winning team.

Jesus will beat anxiety every time.
Jesus will beat stress every time.
Jesus will beat depression every time.
Jesus will beat financial struggles every time.
Jesus will beat temptation every time.
Jesus will beat pride every time.
Jesus will beat deception every time.
Jesus will beat religion every time.
Jesus will beat diseases every time.
Jesus will beat _____fill in the blank with your specific circumstance___ EVERY TIME!

Soon, we're going to see our Padres take the field (and for our Kansas Church baseball fans, the Kansas City Royals will be playing too!) And maybe, we'll see you take the field for Jesus THIS weekend, February 7 at our Baptisms. Come join the over 50 people who have already signed up to be baptized on Super Bowl weekend! 

Maybe you're on the fence and want to know what it really means to be on this team. We want to help you navigate those questions. Let us know if you have any questions about baptism!

4 comments

4 thoughts on “Team Colors”

  1. D'Anna Cook said:

    I’m Team White and Blue!!! Team Hotspurs (EPL) every day!! English Soccer if for true athletes!

© 2024 all rights reserved