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Blockers or Knockers?
No one is more essential to the offense of a football team than the blocker. The front-line men are the backbone of the whole offense and if they fail at their job, the team will never score any points. The fancy-footed back can be shifty, swivel-hipped and fast as greased lightning but he will never be able to display his skills if the blockers fail.
There is a great need for members in congregations everywhere who will “dig in,” put their shoulders to the tasks before them and work hard. This requires steadfastness and trustworthiness – workers who are not so concerned about who gets the attention and glory as they are that the work is done. I really suspect that we have too many quarterbacks in most congregations – brethren who like to call the plays but who don’t want to get their jerseys a little soiled.
I think I have known some blockers who, when missing their blocks, became knockers – they adamantly affirm that it really wasn’t their fault that they failed their assignment so it must have been the quarterback’s fault for calling the wrong play. So, they grip and complain and point fingers at teammates in order to cover up their failures. When the time comes that players quit blocking and start knocking, the moral of the whole team is affected. And, nothing affects team unity and spirit more than the knocker does.
Sometimes, Christians begin looking for things about which they can knock. “The other members are not what they should be.” “That person didn’t speak to me.” “That church up there is not as loving as it should be.” “Those people are unfriendly.” “Those elders are not doing their job properly.” “The preacher’s lessons are too long and too hard to understand.” Such complaints immediately convey a divisive spirit, because one is differentiating between the church and self – we should always see the church as “us” and not “them versus us.” Knockers are essentially divisive and destructive to the morale and work of the group. Every Christian should be prepared and committed to doing whatever needs to be done. The battles can be difficult but the blockers and not the knockers determine the final, eternal outcome. – Jim R. Everett
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