Team Jesus!

At last week's New York Jets v. Miami Dolphins football game, I witnessed two very passionate groups who were both incredibly loyal to their team and both diametrically opposed to those with differing views, or as one Dolfan put it, "beware of those rude ones in the ugly green shirts from the dark side."  It didn't matter if they were your friends or not, if a group had a different color jersey you didn't like them, you treated them poorly, and felt an overall disdain for them.

While this seems fun at sporting events, it is unfortunately a poor practice of how Christians are supposed to treat their neighbors. We want our team to win yes, and it's alright to cheer for your team, but to taunt and belittle the opposing fans lacks spiritual maturity.  Be passionate, but remember those Jets fans or Patriot fans or Seminole fans may be on the same team as you... Team Jesus.

Jesus prayed for the believers to behave as one in John 17:22-23.  Jesus prays to God, "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

The message Bible says "The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind - Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us.  Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.

What's that?  Jesus is praying to the Father that we need to show the world we're on the same team.  Regardless of our team, our school, or the church we go to, Christians are all on Team Jesus.  Again, this doesn't mean we can't cheer for our country or hometown team or favorite university, but it does there is a bigger team we belong to and we are to behave like it.