Football Coach Fired For Prayer

Foxnews.com reported on October 29^th that Coach Joe Kennedy has been placed on administrative leave with pay from Bremerton High School in Washington State for not stopping his post game prayers.

“Kennedy, who is a devout Christian, had been under investigation since September after someone complained about his post-game prayers at the 50-yard-line.”

There are a lot of Christians who are very upset about what has happened to this coach, but what exactly did Jesus say about our prayer life?

Also when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already. But when you pray, go into your [most] private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open. Matthew 6:5-6

I am not saying that this coach is a hypocrite, I do not know him or anybody that does know him, but Jesus tells us that we must not pray like the hypocrites do. So even if this coach is not a hypocrite, he is still praying like one, in the open, to be seen by men. Jesus tells us to pray in secret and what we pray for in secret will be rewarded openly. Jesus plainly tells us that if we pray like this in the open, then we have received all of the reward that we will ever get. So while praying like this looks religious, it actually goes against the way that Jesus taught us to pray.

Many will say that satan is attacking this man for his faith, but couldn’t it be our Father loving Joe enough to force him into praying in secret, so that our Father can truly reward him and the players in the open? Jesus was very clear in what He taught us about prayer and there is victory in praying in our most secret place.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do You Want To Be Rewarded Greatly?

Thus, whenever you give to the poor, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets like to do, that they may be recognized and honored and praised by men. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already. But when you give to charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, So that your deeds of charity may be in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:2-4

Generally speaking most Church people are very generous givers. We give tithes, we give offerings, and we will gladly give to the poor. Study after study shows that Christians are some of the best givers. But my experience is that most of us who give, including myself, will let it be known in some way that we are giving. We may not blow a trumpet on the street corner about it, but we will sure take the deduction on our taxes. We will let our names be written in the annual reports of the places that we give to. We will fill out the offering card in the offering plate. We will go up to the altar, in front of the whole church while everyone is watching, and lay our money down.

These actions, and all the other things we do like them, are in total contradiction to what Jesus told us to do. Jesus tells us so plainly that if we do these things: “we have our reward in full already.” Jesus tells us to be truly rewarded we must give in secret. He tells us that we shouldn’t let our left hands know what our right hands are doing when it comes to giving.

The Holy Spirit has been dealing with me a lot on this lately. I openly confess that I take my tax deductions. I have had my name printed on reports, and I have filled out the offering cards. I have actually gone to see if my name was printed. I have even made sure people have seen me drop money in the offering plate. These things are all wrong! The Truth is that I have received all of the reward for these offerings that I will ever receive. The Holy Spirit is dealing with me to want more. He is causing me to realize that I want eternal blessings, not worldly ones. He is causing me to realize that I truly want the praise of our Father, not men. I would be lying if I said I do not like to be liked, but our Father is causing me to realize that we do not have to give up being blessed. Our Father wants to and will bless us while we are still in this world, just as long as our giving is done in secret. What our Father causes us to do in secret, He will reward us openly for.

There is no condemnation here, Romans 8:1. Our Father has allowed me to act these ways in the past. He has allowed me to do these things so that He can show me that there is a better way and He will be the power that enables me and gives me the heart and desire to always give in secret. We have not been given a spirit that causes us to look to ourselves, we have been given the Holy Spirit Who causes us to look to our Father for all things. It is our Father Who will give us the means and the ability to give wonderfully and it will all be done in secret and what He causes us to do in secret will be rewarded openly.