Majoring in the Minors

In the sport of baseball you have the major league and the minor leagues. In the major league you’ll find athletes who are playing at the top of their game. These individuals are focused on their skill set and also on the ultimate goal which is to win a championship pennant. Their love for the game and the high level of competition drives them to stay in shape and concentrate on the teams goals. If a player begins to show a lack of consistency he’s sent to one of the minor league teams where the competition is not as high, nor is the accommodations which pro players have become accustomed to. You can’t come up to the majors if you’re still performing at the level of the minors.

Over the years I’ve often found myself smack-dab in the middle of religious debates….(something that now-a-days I refuse to be a part of)….I’ve had people come to me with all types of topics. One person once told me that if you didn’t speak in tongues that you weren’t saved, another said that God doesn’t call women to preach, yet still another argued that Jehoshua is the proper name for Jesus and someone else argued King James Version vs. New International Version….

I am often amazed however, at people’s un-willingness to concentrate their efforts on what really matters…”well what do you mean preacher?”

Let’s begin with salvation and speaking in tongues first; we’ve all quoted John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

And Romans 10:9-10

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

The argument on the speaking in tongues side is that tongues are evidence of the existence of the Holy Spirit at work in the life of the believer, and I agree. However, one’s ability to love their fellowman unconditionally is greater evidence of the Holy Spirit. It was Jesus who said that upon the act of love rested all of the law and the prophets. (Ref. Matthew 22:34-40)

Tongues can be mimicked, but “Agape Love” is always genuine.

The Spirit of Christ lives within every believer as Christ himself has declared to the Father. (Ref. John 22:22-23)

The second issue refers to the name of Jesus. Some have argued that the proper pronunciation is Jeshoua, to that argument I submit that if I were Hebrew, that would be the correct manner in which to pronounce His name. However I’m not Hebrew, and in my native tongue the name is pronounced Jesus. Look; my birth name is John which in the Hispanic tongue is pronounced Juan. Has my name been disrespected or disgraced? Not at all, it’s simply a matter of geography. We live in a world of many different languages where grammar and pronunciations are very different.

So what's the real point I’m trying to make here?

As a Christian my first responsibility is to love God, and my second is to carry out the great commission. I must also maintain a prayer life and “Live In His Word”

When we “major in the minors” not only do we confuse the many who desire to surrender their lives to Christ, we also miss out on an opportunity to let our light shine, meaning that our Father in heaven gets no glory out of us. (Ref. Matthew 28:19-20 and 5:16)

Stop wasting time and effort on foolish arguments and debates; too many souls are hanging in the balance. Let’s stop “Majoring in the Minors”.