There Are No Bench Warmers in the Kingdom of God - Mack Tomlinson

Now if you played high
school football guys,

if you weren't a starter,
you were a scrub -

a bench warmer,

a substitute,

a backup.

I remember early in high school,

the coach would walk by

and all the subs were getting too close

to the line of the playing field.

He'd walk by: "Back up.
Back up. Back up, boys."

So we called ourselves "the backups."

So if you're on a football team,

you'd played in either one of four places:

offense, defense, special teams,

or the bench.

But contrast that with the Kingdom of God.

There aren't three phases of the game.

There's one phase.

And everybody's a starter.

No backups, no substitutes,

no bench warmers.

If you're warming the bench

and the pew in church

soaking it in,

and you're not advancing the kingdom,

get off the bench

because you are in Romans 16

and they were workers.

If you're a member of a church -

a hundred, five hundred,

you're a full team player.

But so many Christians
who aren't preachers

or have any public ministry

feel like they're a
second team substitute.

I don't do anything really in my church.

I take up space.

I love the sermons

and I love the church lunches,

but I don't have any real significance.

I mean, when it comes down to it,

I'm not really needed.

I wouldn't be missed
a whole lot if I left.

I don't make much difference.

It doesn't matter
a lot if I miss some days.

I'm not really anybody.

And then the devil comes to you

and he steals the truth from you

with lies like: "See there,

you're really not important."

"It doesn't matter if you go.
It wouldn't matter if you left."

"You're not a blessing much to anybody."

"You're always struggling."

"You're a burden at times to others."

"It would be better if you leave

because you're really insignificant

and not important."

"You're just a member."

Just a member.

That's right. Just a member.

Just a Christian.

Just a child of God.

Just an heir of heaven.

Just an ambassador of Christ.

Just a follower of the Lamb.