Weekly Content for P.A.C.K. Meetings
P – PRAYER
Pray for your time together. Ask God to give you open hearts and ears and a willingness to be open and honest with each other.
Wrap up your time together by having guys share additional personal prayer requests and pray specifically for one another.
You can also pray this prayer as a follow-up to the topic: Heavenly Father, please give me discernment to know when and how to speak up. Show me the best ways to experience accountability with other believers and help me lovingly encourage others to keep growing and pursuing You. Please help me be willing to listen to encouragement and correction as well. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
A – ACCOUNTABILITY
Ask guys how their week was. Follow up on last week’s topic about Olympic athletes and separating ourselves.
Also, it can be an opportunity for guys to share any struggles or challenges from the week that need to be confessed or held accountable for.
If married, ask how everyone is intentionally serving their spouse…and if a parent, what the biggest challenge is right now.
C – CONVERSATION
Talk about weekly content that connects sports to life and faith.
UNPACKIN’ IT DEVOTIONAL CONTENT
Pushing His Teammates
The NFL season is quickly approaching, and one of the more intriguing teams is the New York Jets. After Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending injury in week one last year, the team hopes he bounces back to lead them to the playoffs.
He is critical to their success this season but can’t do it alone. As a Super Bowl-winning quarterback heading into his 20th NFL season, he knows what it takes to win and is helping his teammates understand what it means to maximize their abilities and play at a high level.
In an article on ProFootballTalk.com with the headline, “Aaron Rodgers is Pushing His Teammates to Perform at a High Level,” Mike Florio writes, “The best quarterbacks not only play at a high level but also hold their teammates fiercely accountable to do the same. It’s one thing to hear it from the coaches. It’s another to hear it from someone who’s out there, putting in the work….Rodgers is trying to make everyone around him want to get the absolute most out of what they have.”
Rodgers could only worry about himself and stay quiet when he sees a teammate doing something wrong, but instead, he shares what he sees and speaks up based on what he knows to be true about winning football.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh recently said about Rodgers’ leadership: “I’ve heard stories of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady — not to compare them — but it’s the same thing. The expectation and the standard is high. As a quarterback, he’s trying to operate at a certain level of efficiency, which means people around him need to be efficient at the same level. When he’s not feeling that as a group’s leader and voice, he voices his opinion.”
As Aaron Rodgers holds his teammates to a high standard of excellence and calls them out when they fall short, hopefully, they’ll do the same for him. Successful teams push each other, encourage one another, maximize their talent, and point out anything holding them back.
As followers of Jesus, we aren’t on this journey alone. We have “teammates” and need to push each other to live at a “high level” or in a way that is holy and pleasing to God.
Romans 14:19 (AMP) tells us, “So then, let us pursue [with enthusiasm] the things which make for peace and the building up of one another [things which lead to spiritual growth].”
Similarly to elite quarterbacks, in our own lives, we “not only live at a high level but also hold our teammates fiercely accountable to do the same.”
Hebrews 3:13 (NLT) tells us, “You must warn each other every day, while it is still ‘today,’ so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.”
Regarding our “teammates” or other followers of Jesus, we must humbly speak up, encourage each other, and point out anything holding someone back.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT) states, “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:14 (AMP) says, “We [earnestly] urge you, believers, admonish those who are out of line [the undisciplined, the unruly, the disorderly], encourage the timid [who lack spiritual courage], help the [spiritually] weak, be very patient with everyone [always controlling your temper].”
Today, as followers of Jesus, let’s remember we’re called to a high standard. By God’s grace and power, let’s help each other live that out. Let’s leverage our experience and understanding of God’s truth to invest in our “teammates'” lives so we can succeed together.
Proverbs 27:17 (AMP) explains, “As iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens [and influences] another[through discussion].”
Let’s help each other grow in spiritual maturity, strengthen our faith, and maximize the gifts God has given us. We must remember to do so with patience, grace, and love with our eyes fixed on Jesus.
I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!
PODCAST:
ADDITIONAL VERSES:
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT): “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
Ephesians 4:1 (NLT): “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- Where would you rank Aaron Rodgers among all-time great quarterbacks, and why?
- Which team in the NFL do you believe is prepared to take the biggest step forward in 2024?
- What are your expectations for the New York Jets during the upcoming season?
- Which quarterback currently playing in the NFL do you think is the best leader for his team?
- In what ways does having a community of believers around you help you to grow as you follow Jesus?
- How should you practically go about confronting issues of sin that you witness in the life of a fellow believer?
- How can you best prepare yourself to receive corrections that you might receive from others?
- Why is it important that you distinguish between issues of sin and issues of preference/Christian liberty when interacting with others?
- How have you benefited in the past from having other believers help hold you accountable?
- Why is it important that your relationships also include plenty of encouragement and building up, and not simply calling out sins and errors?
K – KICKING AROUND INTERESTING AND RELEVANT SPORTS STORIES AND TOPICS – YOU CAN START WITH THIS:
THIS WEEK’S SPORTS HEADLINES/TOPICS:
- Final thoughts on the Olympics
- NFL Preseason reactions…should starters play?
- Which rookie QB will have the best season?
