You're Not an Attender. You're an Assignment.
By Erik Kingsley · · Imagine Church, Pembroke Pines, FL
Here's a question worth sitting with: Are you in the stadium, or are you on the field?
Because there's a difference — and most of us know which one we've been.
This past Sunday at Imagine Church, Pastor Erik Kingsley opened with a scene everyone in the room could picture: billions of people glued to their screens for the World Cup. Sixty thousand in the stadium. Millions more on the couch. Twenty-two players on the field. And the rest of the world — watching.
Then he made the pivot that landed like a gut check:
"That is exactly how most people do their faith."
They come to the stadium. They wear the jersey. They cheer at the big moments. But they never step on the field.
The sermon — titled Take the Field — was Week 6 of the It's Time to Act series, preached on July 5th, the day after America's 250th birthday and right in the middle of a World Cup summer. But the message wasn't about sports or patriotism. It was about something the early church figured out in Acts 6 that most modern Christians are still missing.
When Pressure Shows Up, It Doesn't Mean God Left
Acts 6 opens in the middle of a winning streak. The church is growing. The mission is expanding. And right in the middle of the momentum — a problem surfaces.
"Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution." — Acts 6:1 (ESV)
The pressure came because they were winning. And that reframe is worth slowing down for.
Pastor Erik put it plainly: a team losing 6–0 has no pressure. A team in the knockout round? Every second matters. The difficulty isn't proof the mission is failing. Sometimes it's proof something is actually growing.
"Pressure is proof you're still in the game. Don't quit in the knockout round."
If you've been in a season where the friction keeps coming and you're tempted to read it as a sign to stop — this is worth hearing again. The 89th minute is not the time to walk off the field. That's usually the minute right before everything changes.
Freedom Was Never Meant to Be Comfortable
Here's where the July 4th weekend made the message hit differently.
The apostles' response to the pressure in Acts 6 wasn't to work harder themselves. It was to distribute the assignment. They called out seven people — everyday believers, full of the Spirit — and handed them the work. They pushed the ministry into the hands of the people, because the few cannot carry what the many were called to hold.
And then Pastor Erik brought in a verse that redefines what freedom actually means:
"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." — Galatians 5:13 (ESV)
America wasn't built by spectators. The founders pledged their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor — for something they wouldn't fully see. And the Kingdom works the same way.
"Freedom is not a couch. Freedom is a field."
That line landed hard — because most of us have quietly treated our salvation like a reward for sitting. We got in. We're safe. We show up on Sundays. But the New Testament doesn't describe the church as an audience. It describes it as a body. A team. A formation where every position matters and nobody sits out.
Some of us have been free but seated. Saved — but sitting. Blessed — but on the bench.
And here's the part that stings: "What you refuse to carry, someone else has to drop."
Your inaction isn't neutral. It has a cost. And it falls on someone else.
Stephen and the On-Ramp Nobody Talks About
The breakthrough moment of the whole message came from one name on a short list in Acts 6.
When the seven were chosen to serve tables, the first name listed was Stephen. A man assigned to logistics. Food distribution. The kind of role that doesn't make the highlight reel.
Then the very next verse:
"And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people." — Acts 6:8 (ESV)
The table servant became the wonder-worker. Not despite his small assignment — but through it.
"Stephen didn't despise the towel — and God trusted him with the wonders."
This is the part of the message that speaks directly to anyone who has ever looked at their role in the church and thought: this doesn't really matter. The nursery. The parking lot. The setup crew. The prayer team. The follow-up call nobody sees.
None of that is beneath your calling. According to Acts 6, it might be the very thing that leads to it.
"Your assignment is not small. It's your on-ramp."
And when everybody takes their position? Watch what happens in verse 7: the word of God increased, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly. That's not a coincidence. That's a formation working the way it was designed to.
Multiplication follows participation. Every time.
So What Do You Do This Week?
The sermon didn't end with a feeling. It ended with a decision. Here's what Pastor Erik asked everyone to walk out and actually do:
- Name the one assignment you've been leaving to "somebody else" — and claim it this week.
- Serve once. Setup, prayer, kids, parking, greeting, follow-up. Pick a spot and play it.
- Do one act of service for someone in the church who can't pay you back.
- Treat the small role faithfully. Whatever your "tables" are right now — do it like it's the World Cup final. It's your on-ramp.
- Bring a teammate. Invite one person to serve alongside you next Sunday.
You can also download the free 12-Week Acts Reading Guide and live the ACT Challenge daily at imaginechurch.us/act.
The Church Is Not a Stadium
The greatest team in the world doesn't need more fans. It needs players who take their position.
If you were in the room Sunday, you already know what you're supposed to do next. If you weren't — now you do too.
Freedom was never meant to be watched from the stands. It was meant to be carried onto the field.
You're not an attender. You're an assignment.
Take your position.
Listen to the full message on the Imagine Church podcast, or watch it on YouTube once it's up. And if you haven't been in person yet — doors open at 9:30 AM every Sunday. We saved you a seat.