Imagining the Championship: Renewal, Discipleship, Global Mission

The championship image gives the church a picture big enough to make people take the field. Revelation 7 shows the trophy already lifted, a great multitude no one can count from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and worshiping God and the Lamb. That vision creates motivation, because what a person sees determines how that person plays.

First Samuel 1 through 3 shows that dark spiritual times do not mean God has gone weak. Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, used holy things for their own greed and contempt, and the word of the Lord was rare in those days. Israel treated the ark like a lucky charm, lost badly to the Philistines, and watched the ark get captured. Ichabod sounded right for the moment, “the glory has departed,” but Israel’s weakness was not a sign of God’s weakness. God was already preparing Samuel just below the surface, a young soul sensitive enough to say, “Here I am.”

The Wesley story gives the same pattern in another age. England looked spiritually dead, with cold churches, lifeless preaching, empty worship, collapsing morals, addiction, poverty, corruption, and apathy. God had John and Charles Wesley being formed in an Epworth parsonage, and God used young people seeking him in prayer, service, discipline, and Scripture to set England on fire. Wherever people seek the Lord, he is sure to be found.

Philippians 2 gives the promise that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Matthew 28 gives the assignment, to make disciples. The victory is already certain; the question is whether the church will show up on game day and do its part.

Spiritual renewal begins with desperation. The old Methodist societies only required “a desire to flee from the wrath to come,” which means knowing the need for grace and Jesus. The church has to care for the down and out, but also the up and out, people polished on the outside and falling apart inside.

Disciple making conviction understands that movements do not spread through programs, but at the speed of relationships. Acts 2 gives the simple method, the box and the circle, the church gathered and the church sent. Acts 1:8 gives the map, home, the greater region, and the ends of the earth. God gives each person a particular calling, not a generic one, with talents, stories, hobbies, and places to live, work, and play. The promised championship ends with creation healed, sin and death gone, every tear wiped away, and Jesus Christ proclaimed as Lord.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Weakness never means God is weak Israel’s collapse around Eli, Hophni, Phinehas, and the captured ark looked like total defeat. Ichabod named the grief honestly, but it did not name the whole truth. God was already preparing Samuel beneath the surface, proving that divine faithfulness does not wait for religious leadership to look strong. [39:52]
• 2. Desperation opens the door to grace Spiritual renewal does not begin with polish, self confidence, or looking moral enough. The old Methodist requirement was simply a desire to flee from wrath, which means a person knows the need for Jesus. Grace has nothing to offer the self sufficient, but everything to give the hungry soul. [43:17]
• 3. Discipleship moves through relationships Movements do not spread at the speed of programs. They spread when people love, connect, welcome, and make room for others to “come and see.” A church becomes strong when its life is close enough to real people that the gospel can be seen and heard. [45:51]
• 4. Mission reaches near and far Acts 1:8 refuses the false choice between local care and global concern. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth all belong on the map because Jesus loves the whole world. Love becomes more visibly Christlike when it steps beyond comfort, culture, and familiar people. [47:48]
• 5. Every calling is particular A person’s story is not just a backstory. Talents, interests, hobbies, abilities, and ordinary places are part of the narrative of God. Some people can be reached by one particular life in ways no one else is positioned to reach them. [52:26]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [35:29] - Imagine the Championship
• [36:10] - Revelation’s Multitude Before the Throne
• [37:56] - God Works in Weak Times
• [38:21] - Eli’s Sons and a Rare Word
• [39:35] - Ichabod and Hidden Hope
• [40:42] - England’s Collapse and Wesley’s Flame
• [42:44] - The Victory Is Already Certain
• [43:17] - Spiritual Renewal Begins with Desperation
• [45:27] - Discipleship Spreads Through Relationships
• [46:39] - A Simple and Clear Game Plan
• [47:48] - Home, Region, and the Ends of the Earth
• [52:26] - Each Person’s Particular Calling
• [53:31] - Imagining the Promised Victory
• [55:29] - Prayer for the Championship

Bible Reading

Revelation 7:9-10
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” [36:10]

1 Samuel 1-3
“Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, ‘Here I am!’” [38:01]

Philippians 2:10-11
“so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [42:53]

Matthew 28:19-20
“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 that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” [53:41]

Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” [47:48]

Acts 2:42-47
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” [47:26]

Observation questions

1. In Revelation 7:9-10, what details are given about the people standing before the throne, and what are they doing? [36:10]
2. In the story from 1 Samuel, what signs show that Israel was in a spiritually dark season, both among its leaders and among the people? [38:21]
3. In Acts 2:42-47, what are some of the simple practices that marked the life of the early church when gathered together?
4. In Acts 1:8, what places are named as the church’s mission field, and how does that map move outward? [47:48]

Interpretation questions

1. Israel treated the ark like a lucky charm rather than honoring the Lord himself. What does that reveal about the difference between using religious things and truly trusting God? [38:57]
2. “The word of the LORD was rare,” yet Samuel was being prepared beneath the surface. What does that suggest about how God works in seasons that look weak, quiet, or discouraged? [39:52]
3. Philippians 2 promises that every knee will bow, while Matthew 28 commands the church to make disciples. How do certainty about the final victory and responsibility in the present fit together? [43:04]
4. Acts 2 shows the church gathered, and Acts 1:8 shows the church sent. Why is it important to hold those two together instead of choosing one over the other? [47:26]

Application questions

1. Weakness never means God is weak. Where does life currently feel most discouraging or fragile, and what would it look like to believe that God may be working just below the surface there? [40:01]
2. Spiritual renewal begins with desperation. Where is there an honest need for grace right now rather than a polished appearance of having it all together? [43:26]
3. The church must care for both the down and out and the up and out. Which of those groups is easier to notice personally, and which is easier to overlook? Why might that be true? [45:02]
4. Movements spread at the speed of relationships. Who is one real person in the circle of home, work, neighborhood, or daily routine that could be invited into a deeper conversation, a meal, prayer, or a “come and see” moment? [45:42]
5. Acts 1:8 calls believers to care about home, the greater region, and the ends of the earth. Which of those areas receives the least prayer and attention personally right now? What is one small step that could change that? [48:07]
6. Each calling is particular. How might personal story, talents, interests, and ordinary places of life be part of God’s mission rather than just background details? [52:26]
7. Jesus is Lord, and one day every tongue will confess it. If that future is truly certain, what would it change about courage, urgency, or hope this week? [53:39]