Teague Bible Church

ZEITGEIST AND BASKETBALL
You hear the German word, “Zeitgeist” a lot in political news today. It means ,”The defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.” I just call it the “Spirit of the age.” It seems some believe that if you can gain a consensus on an idea, then that idea can come true.
There is this thing, however, called reality, that pulls all such foolishness to the ground. As one of my professors said of a particular Zeitgeist of the 70’s, ” It was a beautiful theory but it was destroyed by a gang of ugly facts!”
So if you are avoiding the truth you will need to recruit distractions to sell your idea. If doing it via a movie, you would have moving music in the background. You would manipulate the pictures to give a certain impression. You give only one side of all philosophical arguments. Check out this verse.
“,,,If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” II Corinthians 4:3-4. I did not see this truth of the gospel till the Lord saw fit to reveal it to me at the right time. That time was when I was held up to see the truth from the Zeitgeist, and then helped to accept the truth. I had to chose also.
I was into mindless activity and fun. As long as I kept the noise going I was content in the “spirit of the age.” Very few consequences had come my way at 19 years old. They were coming, but I did not sense them because I choose to stay blind. John 3: 16-21.
I played basketball in school. My only resource? Speed! I was sent in to do the “fast break.” A little fast guy gets the ball and outruns the others and scores a layup. One problem: the Zeitgeist of the other team. They knew how to deal with someone like me. Even if they could not catch me they could intimidate me by stooping their feet and yelling loudly right behind me as I went up for the shot. I missed that shot a lot because you have to slow down the last two steps and gently lay it into the backboard or you missed.
The facts were that nothing was hindering me from hitting that shot. However, the Zeitgeist seemed more real to me many times that the reality. The reality was the points were mine if I could deliver under the noise and pressure. My coach did this one thing that helped me during those fast breaks. He would cup his hands by his mouth and say, ” Slow down.” Those two words I could distinguish from all other voices.
How has the Zeitgeist affected you? What fear is trying to run your life right now? I have certain verses that help me, ” deliver to the basket” each day. I hope they help you escape the spirit of the age so you can continue toward the upward call of God in your life. Let us continue to pray for each other.

“But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10:3-5 (Matthew 6: 32-33/ John 16:33/ I John 4: 4b) JWP