You will remember that at the beginning of his message Ken
told the story of his high school basketball coach. (Interestingly there was a man at the 11:00
service, a perfect stranger to Ken, who had gone to the same high school Ken
had, around the same time, and he knew it instantly when Ken mentioned his
coach’s name.)
But there’s another basketball coach who comes to my mind
today. He’s arguably the greatest
college basketball coach of all time.
His name is John Wooden. He
coached the UCLA Bruins to more college basketball championships than any other
NCAA coach in history. What was the secret to success? Teamwork.
Not just the, “Come on guys, let’s all work together like a team” kind
of thing where every player really does his own thing. Wooden produced the genuine article.
Coach Wooden insisted on a level of dedication and
selflessness that is almost unheard of today.
The team members all wore the same uniforms and the same kind of
shoes. Coach Wooden actually instructed
his team, every year, on how to put on their socks to avoid blisters. When a young recruit, Bill Walton, was
confronted with Wooden’s rule that no facial hair be worn, Walton said, “Coach,
I have a beard and I am going to keep it.”
Wooden simply smiled and said, “We’re going to miss you, Bill.” Needless to say, Walton shaved his beard.
Individual accomplishments and records held little value to
Wooden. Every year he put together the
best group of players he could find. And
the five men who best complemented one another and worked together are the ones
he started. But he didn’t consider them
to be any more important than the substitutes, his assistants, or the equipment
manager. His motto was, “The most
important player when we win is the rest of the team.”
Coach Wooden used to encourage his players to acknowledge
the assists of their teammates. If one
player received a pass that allowed him to score, Wooden wanted him to give the
other man a wink or point to him as they moved down to the opposite end of the
court.
“But what if the other player isn’t looking when you point
or wink?” a new player asked Wooden once.
Wooden just smiled and said, “Oh, don’t worry. He’ll be looking.” You see, John Wooden understood people and
the power of partnership. So did Paul.
Two weeks ago we noted that perhaps the most vivid theme of
Paul’s joy-filled letter to the Philippians is koinonia – fellowship/partnership.
In fact, it’s his partnership in the Gospel that moves Paul to write to
them from a Roman prison. More than any
other church, the Christians at Philippi are partners in Paul’s ministry. But that doesn’t mean they have no problems
or concerns. They live in a city of
intimidation. They face the persecution
of Greeks, Asians, and Romans. They have
the same fears that you and I have when it comes to living out the Gospel.
So what does Paul do?
After reminding them of their standing in Christ as saints, after
offering his thankfulness to God for His work in their midst, after rejoicing
in God’s plan for them, he addresses their fears. At the end of Chapter one (1:27-30), Paul
gives four reasons why they and we can have joy replacing fear.
In preparation for Sunday’s message, “Joy without Fear” you
may wish to consider the following:
1. If
brevity is the soul of wit, what is the seedbed of wit?
2. What
do we know of the imperial guards mentioned in 1:13?
3. What
is Paul’s definition of life? What is
his bottom line? (Ken focused on this last week.)
4. What
does Paul mean in verse 27 when he says, “Only let your manner of life be
worthy of the Gospel of Christ?” (See
“Roman colony”)
5. How
does that replace fear with joy?
6. What
were the privileges associated with living in a Roman colony? How do those privileges translate to our
standing in Christ?
7. What
does Paul mean when he says, “Stand firm”?
8. What
is their comfort in their striving? (See
verse 27c.)
9. How
does suffering help us replace fear with joy?
10. How
does Paul prove his partnership with them?
See you Sunday!
