There Are No Bench Warmers in the Kingdom of God

Sports teams have those who are starters and those who sit on the bench. In the kingdom of God, in the church, there is no one who sits on the bench. Everyone is a starter, everyone is a worker, and everyone is important.

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.