Victor Week 1

Motion Church | Victor, Week 1: "Victory Question"

Kicking off a brand-new series called Victor, this message starts with an honoring of two longtime leaders — including Motion Church's very first youth pastor, who began serving "16 years ago" and is, as Pastor Andy puts it, "still serving with all his heart." It's Mother's Day too, and Shelly gets her well-earned shoutout.

Then into the heart of it: life isn't a fairy tale. "If you don't know this by now, sweetheart, Cinderella, this ain't a fairy tale." Adversity is guaranteed for everyone — "the rain will come... at some point you're going to go through a storm." The real question isn't whether trouble comes, but how you respond to it. "I think that there are two basic mentalities that you can have. You can be a victim, or you can be a victor."

Scripture doesn't leave us guessing about which one we're called to be: "We are more than conquerors through him... not through your effort, not through your talent." As Jesus said in John 16, "in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation... but take heart, I have overcome the world."

The difference between a victim and a victor comes down to one thing: the question they ask. Victims ask "why" — why me, why now, why is this happening. Victors ask "what" — "God, what do you want me to see in this struggle?" Even David swung between the two in Psalm 22, moving from "my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" to praising God in the very same psalm. Even Jesus, in Gethsemane, asked "let this cup pass from me" before landing on "nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."

And here's the encouragement: it's okay to visit "Whyland" for a moment — "we can pass through, we can make a day trip, maybe, but that's not where we live... we're making our way to What land."

The message closes with a powerful image: "Seeds don't grow unless you put them in the ground. Muscles don't grow unless they're torn." Nothing in your life is wasted — "we don't lose. We learn." So the question for Motion Church is simple: "Are we going to be victims or are we going to be victors?"