"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." Romans 1:16
New year, same purpose.. sharing the love of Jesus Christ and making disciples through soccer. I love new years resolutions. Many people look down on them, because they usually get broken so quickly, but goal setting can be very helpful, serving as a good kick-start for many people. For that reason, we had the men's team, Tenfifteen FC, share their new years resolutions and goals with us in three areas- soccer, career, and spiritual. I will not be sharing any of the resolutions/goals here, so as not to betray trust and be manipulative. The purpose of collecting these from the players is to show them that someone cares about their future, to hold them accountable to their goals, and to offer assistance in reaching them. Tenfifteen FC is more than just a men's league team. We are creating a culture of family and trust. In this type of culture, we can genuinely share the good news about Jesus and be taken seriously. This spring, every Tuesday before training starts, we are reading a chapter from Mark, and Zach shares something from the chapter- something that the Holy Spirit illuminated to him or context around the text. What is our purpose if we are not being intentional about sharing the good news, reading the Scripture to the team, and praying for and with the players? None, there is no point if Christ is not at the center. We do not fool ourselves, it is not we who will change anyone, but only God- "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:7). But we can live in a way that is obedient to Jesus - "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments." (1 John 2:3).
God has granted each believer gifts to exercise. Many believers are consuming too much and not exercising. They are becoming overweight in their consumption when they should be exercising their faith. Ask the Holy Spirit for illumination and conviction. Where should you be serving with your gifts- starting with your local church? Are you using all that God has given you for His glory- outweighing your life to serve others? Being like Jesus, "...who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8). Can you relate to this kind of humility? I cannot, without God changing me daily (Romans 12:1-2).
By God's grace, we continue to move forward in expectation and excitement around 2023. We have come under the authority of our local church, ONE Church. We believe the ministry should be a part of the local church- to accomplish the Great Commission in the right context. There are several opportunities this year we are praying for that ONE Church would come alongside Tenfifteen Ministries and we can serve together. For one, several of our players who have expressed interest in being discipled by men from our church. Another opportunity we are praying through is starting a Beautiful Feet soccer clinic (youth outreach) 1x a month. We would be transporting kids in from underserved areas to the fields. Lastly, we are praying about an international soccer mission trip to India in December! Please continue to pray with us for the players on Tenfifteen FC, and the all the other ways we can use soccer to share the gospel and make disciples while we continue to serve the community here in Dallas. Thank you for your support and prayer!