Costly Credit

One final thought when it comes to the world of sports, postgame interviews and our chance to exalt Christ.

It's going to cost you.

Though I doubt he perfectly nailed it every time, I always enjoyed hearing Charlie Ward share after a game. Though an incredible athlete (a Heisman trophy winner and NBA basketball player who was also drafted by two MLB teams), Ward regularly turned the attention to the gospel. His statements made it clear the gospel was his first love.

I remember one year the Knicks were making a deep run into the playoffs. In the midst of this, a New York reporter chose to sit in on a Bible study some members of the team enjoyed. In the study, Ward made a comment that the Jews rejected their Messiah and had Him killed. The reporter wrote his article, declaring Ward an anti-semite and had the whole city in a tizzy. Much was made during the game of Ward's comment, with announcers even wondering if his comments would hurt team chemistry. Though never an All-Star (on a cast of all-stars), Ward hit several key threes to seal a victory. At the end of the game, a reporter grabbed Charlie and immediately asked about the game, the controversial week, and whether Ward regretted his statements. Skillfully, Charlie simply stated his love and devotion for the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation He provided him. It truly was one of my favorite "sports moments."

As much as I love Charlie Ward (and I'm a Pistons fan!), I'm not going to claim his loyalty to Christ cut his career short. (I think the real reason was knee cartilage.) However, it certainly created some tension and stress at times. Bold Christian athletes have regularly had their intensity, loyalty and team chemistry questioned. People will accuse the player of proselytizing, preaching at other players or being judgmental. Sacrifices will probably be made.

This should serve to remind us that all sacrifice involves cost. Often we want to offer our bodies a living sacrifice, but we hope that comes free of charge. However, if we take advantage of opportunities to speak of Christ and His work on our behalf, it will sometimes create a cost. The cost does not mean you've done something wrong. It just may mean you've done something right.

Don't Trust Statistics

It's amazing how the moment you attach numbers to an opinion, it can quickly seem like fact. A recent study finds that 74% of all people find a great amount of confidence in a statement that is verified with statistical data. (Ok, made that up. But made you look.) Anyway, statistics have become all the rage when trying to trace Christian patterns.

For instance, 27% of born again Christians have been divorced, in comparison to 24% of those who are not born again.

"What does this mean," we may ask? "Are Christians less committed than pagans and our marriages [or lack of] ruining any possible testimony for the Lord.

John MacArthur says, "Not so fast."

In an article, MacArthur reminds us that we need to take a second look at this statistic. One question we should be asking, "What do they mean by 'born again'?"

Apparently, the person who receives the phone call gets to decide if they are born again. To be classified as born again, the person called simply needs to claim (1) to have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important to him today and (2) that he will go to heaven because he has confessed his sins and accepted Jesus Christ as His Savior.

But such pollster strategies (I'm not suggesting a better way. I don't know that conversion can be confirmed over a cold call.) create a perfect "Lord, Lord situation." Sadly, this can allow for a situation where a person claims to know Christ, but Christ would not claim to know him/her.

For instance, using these same criteria to poll only the "born again", another study found:

15% deny the resurrection of Christ
28% believe that Jesus committed sins during His life on earth
34% believe that if a person is good enough he can earn a place in heaven
26% believe that it doesn’t matter what faith you follow because they all teach the same lessons
45% believe that Satan is a symbol of evil rather than an actual being

As I've stated before, such critical analysis of statistics should also cause us to reconsider the whole "All young people (and most boomers) are bailing on the church at an alarming rate" poll results as well.

So next time you see a stat, let it be a chance to remind you that you do not want the "Gentiles to blaspheme His name" because of your actions, but to rest in the fact that God sanctifies those whom He justifies. No need to panic...unless He is not in charge.

Vague Credit

First of all, I want to thank God, for without Him, none of this would have been possible.

This week, I've been taking a look at this phrase. It doesn't thrill me, but I think we can learn from it. However, even if the athlete chose to say, "First of all, I want to thank Jesus Christ, for without Him, none of this would have been possible," I think the statement can be improved.

While the above statement is true, for all things have been made by, for and unto Him, He is therefore worthy of all thanksgiving, the listener is still left to wonder just what you mean. By simply saying you are thankful for all things, you are actually thanking Him for nothing.

So what should you thank Jesus for? The win? I always find that troubling, for what do you make of the fact that other players/fans were probably rooting for the other team. You could thank Jesus for your health, but again, this could seem awkward if another player was injured during the game. You could thank Jesus for your gifts, skills, abilities, breaks, contract, teammates or opportunity, however, trying to list all of these things could make you sound like the NASCAR driver who tries to rattle off every sponsor in less than four seconds.

How about thanking Jesus for the most central thing He has ever done for you?

Ultimately, whatever the outcome of the game, it's still just a game. Despite the grace of your physical health, it's still just your physical help. No gracious blessing you could receive will mean a thing if you still stand before God condemned for your sins. The athlete may not get the chance to say, "Hey, this is only a game," without the statement being misconstrued as apathy or complacency. He doesn't need to state how his salvation exceeds all other blessings he has received. Simply by only giving thanks for your salvation, you automatically place it out front and center.

In the same way, we should seek to take our speech to the gospel. We should seek to take opportunities to thank Jesus not just for the blessings we've received in life, but for the most blessed work He did for us. Don't always attempt to thank Him for everything, for without the gospel, none of it would mean anything.

Non-Derogatory Preaching

Though I lack Edwards' brain and the administrative skill to place all of these in one location, I thought from time to time I may lay out some resolutions. (Of course, any resolution needs to be prefaced with: BEING SENSIBLE THAT I AM UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT GOD' S HELP, I DO HUMBLY ENTREAT HIM BY HIS GRACE TO ENABLE ME TO KEEP THESE RESOLUTIONS, SO FAR AS THEY ARE AGREEABLE TO HIS WILL, FOR CHRIST' S SAKE.)

Resolved, I will not speak derogatorily of preaching again. In light of the gift of God that preaching is to His children, and the privilege it is to participate in it, I will not succumb to the world's low view of preaching. This does not mean that I will not critique sermons (or preachers) which fall far short of God's standard (but rather, I might in effort to keep the standard for preaching high), but I will not speak ill of the practice of preaching.

I will lose the phrase, "Sorry, but I've got to preach to you on this," or "Oops, I'm sorry. Did that seem like preaching to you?" even when used in the midst of everyday conversation. Such statements violate that preaching is a gift and tool used by God and instead participates in the worldly perspective that preaching is oppressive, boring and authoritarian.

Instead, when given the opportunity to preach (whether behind a pulpit or in everyday conversation) I desire to have a heart of gratitude to God for having revealed His Son in His Word and for having granted me the privilege of being His herald!

Giving Jesus Credit

First of all, I want to thank God, for without Him, none of this would have been possible.

I mentioned Monday that the phrase doesn't thrill me, and mentioned yesterday that there could be something for us to learn from it.

My first concern is that this phrase is just too vague. Except for the vexed atheist, everyone else is left to think you may be talking about their god. Even if the person knows you are a Christian, a simply compliment to "God" can allow the person to take a more relativistic perspective; knowing who you mean by God, not believing you are limiting yourself to only this God.

Jesus leaves no room for doubt. By giving thanks to Jesus Christ you leave no room for doubt. If a person objects that they truly wanted to thank God the Father, then I would suggest they say, "God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Here's the ultimate question:

Could the same statement of thanks have been made by a Jew, a Muslim or a "God-fearing" pagan?

So often, we're content for people to know general things about us: we're religious, we go to church, we don't do this-or-that. However, those things do not tell us much. The world is not offended by religion, church or morals. Frankly, Jesus would not have been crucified had He simply been a good, church going guy. No, Jesus was killed for declaring that He is God, had the power to forgive sin and would be raised to life after dying in place of others.

If you are a believer, you were not saved by being a monotheist. If you are a believer, you are saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, who offered Himself on behalf of your sins. If you want to glorify God in every opportunity, make sure you speak of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Just Incredible...

If you are a Lord of the Rings fan, you simply must check this out:

The Hunt for Gollum

Now, as a fair warning, I should tell you what kind of LOTR fan I am. I have read the Hobbit, but none of the other books. I enjoyed the trilogy of films, but I watch movies for entertainment, so I did not assess their cinematography or fidelity to the books. I have no idea if this short film is from a story line in another book, or if this is all speculative.

I simply found it entertaining and was shocked by the quality of volunteers.

(HT:DJP)

Credit Score--Does It Matter

Yesterday, I mentioned that I find the statement, "First of all, I want to thank God, for without Him, none of this would have been possible," is not a statement that thrills me to hear.

But is this just a case of being nit-picky? I mean after all, can't we cut some slack? These men (or women) have just endured a competition that taxed their physical, emotional and mental limits only to have a camera stuck in their face and to be asked, "What do you think?" Half the time, these athletes are still huffing and puffing from the competition. Can we really evaluate what they say?

While we should offer grace in these situations (and notice, I'm not calling anyone specific out), I do think there are lessons for us to learn, even for those of us who will probably never have anyone with a microphone ask us what we believe...especially in a heated situation.

1. These athletes have played this moment in their head in advance. Seriously, even "players" like myself--who mastered keeping the bench pinned to the floor--visualized playing a central role in a high profile game. It may be the first time a microphone is in their face, but it's not the first time they have played the scenario in their head. This is a perfect example of, "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;" (1 Peter 3:15). You may never cross the checkered, sink a putt, drive in a run or drain a shot when everyone is looking, but if your sanctification is visible to the world, questions will be asked, and you should have answers prepared in advance.

2. Similarly, we live in a sound byte culture. When the reporter asks a question, the athlete will not have time to breakdown his take on the covenants, why he's complementarian or his former religious views. He has probably been asked a different question already and will only have a moment to make another statement, before he must deal with the questions he's been asked. If he keeps ignoring the question before him, he will appear rude, smug and selfish. Though it may be halftime or postgame, the clock is still ticking. Our days are often filled with similar opportunities. No, evangelism is not the sum of pithy cliches and witty one-liners. However, I often pray that doors would be opened for the opportunity to share and underestimate how often I may have a chance to influence the conversation or nudge it in a direction. Examining a quick statement at the beginning of an interview can help us remember we need to articulate the things that matter.