Are You a Werf?
Ponder: Being a religious fanatic.
Scripture: “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory . . .” (Luke 9:26 NKJV)
I remember a lapel button that read: “I’m a Werf!” That was supposed to prompt people to ask, “What’s a werf?” The wearer would then explain that werf stands for “Wide-Eyed Religious Fanatic.” Supposedly this opened the door for a discussion of the Bible. This was eons ago. I doubt that the whole scheme really worked all that well.
I confess that I am frustrated when devotion to a sports team is considered normal, but similar devotion to Jesus, His word, and His church makes you a weird-o. Knowing everything you can about your team and what happened in every game is just being a good fan (that’s short for “fanatic”); but if you memorize Scripture, know the life of Jesus, and enjoy discussing it, you are a dangerous nut-case who should be watched lest you harm yourself or others!
Far be it from me to suggest that we turn our assemblies into entertainment extravaganzas where we whoop, clap, stomp, cheer, and whistle. However, we can and should express that same enthusiasm in worshipful ways: heart-felt singing, fervent prayers, thoughtful meditation, generous giving, and attentive interest in sound preaching. Just think, we wouldn’t even care if the assembly went into overtime!
Neither am I suggesting that we should be obnoxious and “in-your-face” with the gospel, as some sports fans are with the praises of their favorite team or player. We can and should, however, be more bold – I’ll even say aggressive – in presenting the good news of salvation. After all, nobody’s relationship with God depends on the outcome of a ball game. Hearing, believing, and obeying the gospel, on the other hand, are matters of eternal consequence.
Are you a werf? I don’t know about the wide-eyed part, but I hope we will be enthusiastic and bold about our faith in Christ. This much we know: in the final analysis, His team wins!
Song: I’m Not Ashamed to Own My Lord”
Prayer: Father, we thank You for the best news of all – the gospel of Jesus. Help us, we pray, to be bold in speaking to lost people about Him before it is eternally too late. In His name, Amen.
Joe Slater (Justin, TX)