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Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
I am sitting here in shock having just read your post (#247). You have changed! A year ago I would have gotten a lecture on this misuse of metaphor and how this is due to WL.
Yes, I think I agree with you (perhaps I have changed a little too). The only verse I can think of is in Hebrews which says "seeing that we have so great a cloud of witnesses let us run the race". Therefore I would agree that spectators are part of the Christian life.
Which leads to the next question: does this cloud of witnesses refer to the saints who have died or to those that are alive as well?
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But in the end, the metaphor only covers some aspects of the discussion. For Lee, he would make every effort to force it to be a complete identity. For every item observable in the metaphor, there must be a corresponding parallel in the Christian life, "church life," or whatever.
What I did not take from the metaphor is one of the things that Lee would have found. He would have noted that there is a virtual disconnect between the team and its management from the fans. The manager, head coach, specialty coach, etc., directs the team to do certain things. They are the only ones doing anything related to the sport of basketball, baseball, football, hockey, soccer, etc. And except for those crazy Brazilians who go out and drive like maniacs after one of their race car drivers wins a race, most spectators just go back home, to work, etc. and live lives that have nothing to do with the sport no matter how much they may talk about it.
And that would be the way Lee would have spun it. And it is not untrue with respect to spectators of sports. But it is not simply a metaphorical match when put up against all those people who go to some Baptist church on Sunday morning, sing 3 or 4 songs (typically 1st, 2nd, and last verse), hear the choir sing, listen to the sermon, put some money in the plate, and go home after sining "Praise God from whom all blessing flow" or something like that. (Wait, I forgot about the required altar call. If anyone thinks I am making fun of them they are wrong. There is nothing wrong with any of it.) And if our assessment is going to be based upon an isolated view of the acts undertaken, and there is no value assigned to those acts, then Lee would be right. But no matter how pathetic he thinks the organ and piano sound, and how poorly the people sing, there are words in front of them giving admonition, instruction, encouragement, etc. as they muddle through the singing.
And even though we might like to suggest that it is just "going through the motions," the only reason we think that is true is because "we" are much more spiritual. We all give popcorn testimonies about how great it is to know that God is the processedallinclusivelifegivingsevenfoldintensifie dspiritbeingdispensedintoourspirit. (The break in that impossibly long, run-on word was put there by the system, not me.) And since they don't know that, and don't say it, they are pathetic.
As to your question about the cloud of witnesses, it might be worthwhile to note that the answer is not clearly given, so "both" might be the best answer. Surely there are witnesses here on earth. Even witnesses that are not of the family of faith. But their observation may become the spark that moves them along the spectrum toward joining that family (our family). Yet surely the principalities and powers on all sides in the spiritual realm are also watching. Some are hoping to see us fall while others are cheering for our success. I would like to think that the latter is the home crowd and therefore the stronger voices. But that may not always seem to be the case. We just need to be encouraged at every opportunity. Always giving thanks as we go through our light afflictions.