CHARGER NATION: GAME #7
Charger Nation,
Last weekend Charger Football had a clean sweep across the board winning every
game. After the middle school, JV, and Varsity won Thursday and Friday
nights, our 3rd/4th grade team and our 5th/6th
grade team had exciting victories Saturday morning. Last night our middle
school and JV won again to extend their undefeated seasons. Hopefully we
can have a repeat of last weekend! I certainly appreciate these coaches
for the investment they are putting into our boys at ELCA. The PEOPLE,
not football, is what makes ELCA Football special.
“So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, ‘What
are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like
this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both
our place and our nation.” John 11:47-48
This verse signifies the beginning of the plot to kill Jesus by the key
religious leaders of Israel during Jesus’ day. Jesus had just healed a
blind man and had just raised Lazarus from the dead. Everyone was
starting to listen to him and became very intrigued by him. When they
listened to him and watched him it was apparent his wisdom was not of this
world. Jesus came to show the world God. Jesus came to show man his sin
and to show him the right way. This is why John refers to Jesus as the
“Word.” He was the Word of God in the flesh. He was God in the
flesh. He came to show the world their sin, to show the world the correct
way, and to become the Savior of the world through death on the cross for our
sins.
We know the plan was that Jesus would die for our sins. But while the
religious leaders planned to kill Jesus, they did not know that was God’s
ultimate plan. They wanted to kill Jesus because he was exposing the
hypocritical nature of their lives and how they used God for personal gain and
benefit. He exposed their sin and threatened their power. He
threatened their glory seeking, self-exalting, and selfish lifestyle.
They wanted him dead and wanted it done quickly. People were starting to
follow Jesus and listen to him. They were beginning to believe in
him. They were beginning to see the Truth and have a hunger for it.
Their eyes were opened up to the false ways of the Pharisees. The
Pharisees used God as a means to expand their glory, their status, their
nation—their power. Jesus was a threat to this. They wanted him
dead.
We read this and we just think how on earth could the Pharisees think this way
and reject the living God? How could they kill Jesus?
I was about to go to practice on Wednesday and I was sitting at my desk and an
email from Mr. Gilliam popped up. I don’t read emails much but of course
if they are from the headmaster I click on it. In it he had sent to us a
mandate stating that no teacher in a Henry County public school can have
anything Christian in their classrooms. A teacher cannot have a Bible on
their desk or a Bible verse on their wall. They already aren’t allowed to
talk about Jesus in their classroom but now they can’t even have anything
personal in their classrooms that have anything to do with Jesus. Just
like the Pharisees had planned 2000 years ago---The final edict has come down from
our public school system: Get Jesus out of here! Kill Him! (**My
interpretation--But notice in John 11:47-48 that they did not use the word
kill…but their thought process led to death of Jesus. Go read verse 50.)
Why as a football coach do I
say these things or care about these things?
I should only care about winning the game tonight. My whole life is invested in 15-18 year old
boys and preaching to them Jesus Christ.
This school has one purpose: Jesus Christ. Everything we do in ELCA Football is all
about building a man who can lead. We
make it really hard because life is really hard. We work really hard because to be a leader
you have to work really hard. There are
no shortcuts. We obsess over the details
and we demand excellence because that is what leaders do. Success is not easy. Responding after failure is not easy. Leadership is not easy. It is not for the faint of heart. We are trying to model for them the
principles that are necessary for them as they grow to be leaders in this
world. We are trying to make them
strong. We are trying to instill in them
core values that point to Christ.
Believe me, I am trying to make them so much more than I ever was or
ever could be. I need these young boys
growing up into Godly men and leading my family and me! I want them to be men who are way stronger
for Christ than I am. This is what our
world needs!
We are sending our boys out into a
world that is demanding that they crucify Christ once again. The majority wants Christ crucified. Our schools are in the process of crucifying
Christ. They don’t even want a remnant
of Christ. Are we developing young men
who will be able to stand for Truth in the midst of this chaos? Are we developing young men who will are
grounded in Truth and willing to defend Truth?
Are we developing Spiritually strong men who will not bend and conform
to this world? We need tough kids! Our children’s faith is going to have to be
stronger than ours. They now live in an
era where they will be persecuted for their faith. They are going to feel the pressure of
rejecting Christ way more than we ever did.
If they fail, it will not be good.
To develop these men of Strength and Honor and Courage is why ELCA
Football exists. If I am ever forced to
remove Jesus from my coaching I would have 0 reason to coach. To coach just to win seems absolutely
meaningless to me. Wins come and go but
Jesus Christ is forever. Christ gives
meaning to what we do! May God continue
to bless Christian schools with the opportunity to preach Christ. May God bless our Christian brothers and
sisters in the public school system.
It’s an honor to serve and assist you parents. May God give us the wisdom and show us the
way as we lead these young boys to become leaders for God’s Kingdom.
“The horse is made ready for
the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.” Proverbs 21:31
Beat Our Lady of Mercy!
Wholly for Christ,
Coach Gess
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