Da Bears

Oct 5, 2021

"I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and heart."

- St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 1:10

"Some people think they are in community, but they are only in proximity. True community requires commitment and openness. It is a willingness to extend yourself to encounter and know the other."

- David Spangler

If you were raised, like me, in the heartland of America there is one date that will forever be indelibly imprinted on your consciousness -- January 26, 1986. On that infamous day, the Chicago Bears played the "heathen" New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.

As "Da Bears" gathered in the locker room before the game, Coach Mike Ditka asked "The Fridge" William Perry… the 6'2", 325lb Chi Town lineman… to lead the team in the Lord's Prayer. As they all bowed their heads, legend has it, that Jim McMahon, their star quarterback, leans over to Linebacker Mike Singletary and whispered:

"I'll bet you 100 bucks Perry does not know The Lord's Prayer."

As a hush fell over the team, "The Fridge" began to pray:

"Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray the Lord my soul to keep,

If I should die before I wake,

I pray the Lord my soul to take."

As Perry finished his prayer with AMEN, McMahon looks at Singletary, hands him $100 bill and says, "I'll Be darned… I had no idea Perry knew The Lord's Prayer! (Smile!)

"Da Bears" may not have been Bible scholars, but they knew how to play professional football as a team, and they went on to soundly thrash New England… 46-10! The exhilaration of that season was only matched by the disappointment the following year when they failed to repeat. When one sports writer was asked to explain their poor play, he said, "Their ‘WE' got replaced with 'ME!’" Following their Super Bowl win, all these players became Mega-Superstars… from appearing on Saturday Night Live to performing the Super Bowl Shuffle on Johnny Carson, a great team quickly became a collection of individual egos all clamoring for what they felt they deserved. The competition of "ME" replaced the complement of "WE!"

This last week, the Pastors and leaders at the Church at RB called everyone to join a Table Group… that is, to experience community. Here's why… We do not believe you can discover God's will for your life as a Lone Ranger Christian. God declared in Genesis 2:18 that it is not good for man or woman to be alone. You and I were created for relationship. You and I do not have enough wisdom in ourselves for making the right decisions all the time. We need the wise counsel of brothers and sisters. Proverbs 13:20 says, "Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get into trouble."

The Apostle Paul states that Christian community is the best environment for continuing our work of personal transformation -- so that, individually and together, we can grow in maturity and knowledge in understanding the will of God for our lives.

I have always been a firm believer that we should seek the counsel of godly friends who are today where we would like to be tomorrow. More than once, Candace and I have said to a couple in our Table Group, "Hey, we want to be where you are in your marriage… or in your family… or in your walk with Jesus. Please share your map with us cause you're already there."

The problem is, oftentimes, we ask people for advice who are either right where we are or who are worse off than we are. You're on a golf course with a guy who’s on his third marriage, and you say,

"Hey, I'm having problems in my marriage...any Advice?"

He says, "What's going on?"

So you tell him, and he gets all animated and exclaims, "Well, let me tell you what I'd say to my wife if she did that!"

Really?! No! No! No! That's not advice that's called wise!

Or you're trying to make sound financial decisions, and so you call a buddy who's got the big house and all the stuff… but he's declared bankruptcy three times and he's up to his neck in debt and you say,

"My wife and I are trying to get ahead financially and set something aside for retirement… any advice?"

He says, "Heck, just borrow more money!"

Really?! No! No! No! That's not advice that's called wise!

You and I don't have any business asking people who aren't any further down the road than we are for advice.

They can pray for you… they can support you… they can hang out and have fun with you, but if they are not where you want to be in your life… chances are, it's not the wise counsel you need. Table Groups are composed of people who are seeking God's best will and wisdom for their lives and are willing to share what's worked and what hasn't.

When our kids were small, Candace and I were in a Table Group with an older couple who had a great marriage, and together they had raised these great kids who were all grown and out of the house and engaged in very successful careers. So, one evening, feeling overwhelmed and constantly outmaneuvered by our kids, we asked this couple, "Would you be willing to raise our children like you did your own?!" Ha-Ha! Actually, we told them that, if our kids could turn out half as good as their kids…

"Do you have any advice?" we asked? They said, "Well, we've made a lot of mistakes along the way… but we learned some things too." Wow! For the next four weeks, they shared… and we took notes… ‘cause it was wise counsel!

The lesson is this: if your desire is to know the will and wisdom of God because you believe it will give you the full and abundant life Jesus promised in John 10:10… then join a Table Group!