My utter and complete lack of any athletic ability during my teenage years provided many moments of embarrassment, annoyance, and hilarity as I was growing up. Learning early on not to take myself too seriously allowed me to join in the fun even when not competing at a very high level. Not being very coordinated, agile, or competent at sports led to some awkward times, but in the end, I survived!
On the positive side, not having a very successful background in sports meant that I had legitimate excuses for avoiding the pressure to coach my kids’ athletic teams. Rightfully claiming a deficiency of ability, I happily volunteered to assist in other ways but avoided the heavy lift of being the head coach. This certainly benefitted me, and frankly, I’m sure was a good thing for the kids as well.
Away on the sidelines, however, I was able to observe others’ coaching techniques. As you can imagine, there were some high-quality coaches, and some “less-than-quality” coaches. Skill levels and temperament and personality all weighed in on the differences, but there were some common themes in the successful column. Some standouts: leaders who… encouraged; challenged; were knowledgeable; patient, yet expectant; gracious, but firm. I appreciated that some of the best coaches took their jobs seriously—this was wee-tiny sports, after all—but these teachers knew that what they were doing was important, even if on a wee-tiny level. Instructors who knew their stuff, and were self-consciously teaching, stood out against those who were just going thru the motions. Knowing when to push and when to relax, when to encourage and when to rebuke, all are included in a good coach’s repertoire. Leaders lead by example, of course, and the kids needed someone to look up to, to see the sport modeled as well as taught.
Unlike the coaching position on my kids’ sports team, however, I can’t hide away on the sidelines of my faith. Indeed, for every Christian, the command to “coach” is built into the heart of the practice of our faith. Paul writes to the Philippians, “join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us” (Philippians 3:17). Paul’s words have a double meaning for every believer—(1) we are to keep our eyes on those who can encourage, instruct and coach us toward victory, and (2) we are to be those kind of “coaches” for others.
For many of us who are self-consciously aware of our sin, the idea that we would encourage anyone to “imitate me” is ludicrous. Yet, that is exactly what Paul does, and what he implies we need to do. It is a simple truism that the Christian faith is more “caught than taught,” that is, we follow examples of faithfulness as much or more than we do the teaching of faithfulness. Hence, the call to all believers to imitate others, and realize that others are imitating you.
One of the stark realizations for any parent comes when we are aware that our kids are consciously and unconsciously adapting our characteristics and traits. That’s coaching, if we like it or not. The imitation occurs; and if so, we should do all we can to be worthy of being imitated. Well, how do we do that?
In the greatest walk of life—that of our faith journey with Christ—how do we become those who are to be imitated? In I Corinthians 11:1, Paul, well aware of the dual task of coaching and being coached, writes: “follow me as I follow Christ.” In other words, others will imitate us, so we better be imitating Christ! This week in worship we will be looking at this imitation, God’s call for us to follow Christ, our Lord and Savior. We encourage you to join us!
In preparation for worship this week, read Philippians 3:12-4:1.
- In verse 12. Not obtained what? What is Paul saying he has not yet obtained? What is the “this” in verse 12? How would you evaluate your own pursuit in obtaining it?
- Recognizing that he has not yet obtained it… that is a quality called humility. Where else in this passage must one have humility to benefit from it?
- I think verse 14 is worded in a hard-to-follow manner. If you were to summarize verse 14 to a younger believer, what would you say? What is the “upward call of God?”
- The “enemies of the cross” (verse 18) are described as “their god is their belly” and “they glory in their shame” (verse 19). What do you think these two phrases describe? What do they look like in everyday life?
- Pressing on and standing firm are two prominent commands in this text. They tend to communicate the same idea, but with different “metaphors” (pressing on implies movement, standing firm implies stability). Which speaks more powerfully to your own spiritual experiences right now?
By Henry Knapp