Redeeming the World of Sport by Redeeming the People of Sport Relevant Gospel Outreach Through Sports / Part 2

Part 2
The question must be asked! 

By Dr. Greg Linville

What can Christians do better on earth than in heaven?[1]   The answer: Evangelism!  Our ability to study the scripture, comprehend Theology, pray, fellowship and glorify God will all be enhanced upon entering heaven.  I should even be able to sing better in heaven – a true answer to my long-suffering wife’s prayers!  So, evangelism is the only thing done better on earth.  “Just a minute,” some might say.  “What about the Westminster Confession’s statement about glorifying God and enjoying Him forever?”  Again, this will all be easier and better done in heaven.  Are there any other possibilities?  Suffering is sometimes suggested as an example of what might be done better done on earth.  But even suffering enables, empowers and enhances a Christian’s witness, at least when Christians suffer well.[2]  So then, from a logical perspective, Christians are left on earth to be witnesses to those far from Christ.  But for the sake of the argument, even if this logical proposition doesn’t stand up under more sophisticated scrutiny, one cannot deny the Biblical command to “go into all the world, making disciples of all people.”[3]  Thus by logic and by Biblical command, the purpose of a Christian’s earthly existence is to work to bring others into a personal relationship with Christ.

This question is further underscored by the following:

• A tragedy: Over two million Americans die each year
  
• A bigger tragedy is: approximately 1.4 million who die each year spend eternity in hell
  
• The biggest tragedy: the church did not reach any of the 1.4 million last year[4]
  
• A great hope: approximately 800,000 of these people will go to heaven when they die because they have entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by accepting Him as their Lord and Savior
  
• A greater hope is: the church can reach each of the 1.4 million each year before they enter eternity
  
• It’s not as if the church doesn’t try.  The Church is doing a lot to reach those far from God.  There are hundreds of thousands of ordained/full time church ministers & missionaries, thousands of itinerant evangelists, hundreds of millions of dollars spent on TV, radio and other technological outreaches and over 1 billion dollars spent to purchase Christian books and music each year!  One specific evangelistic ministry - Campus Crusade – distributed the Jesus film to millions of people the world over.[5]
  

With all of these efforts and resources, it might be assumed the world would soon become exclusively inhabited by Christians.  Sadly this is not the case.  The church is need of new strategic and relevant models of outreach.  What follows shares the reality of how irrelevant the church has become but also the great opportunity the church has to reach the world for Christ, if it can create a vision for outreach that involves strategies relevant to those far from Christ.  The development of such relevant outreaches begins by understanding the secular culture and the people who inhabit it.


[1] Thanks to my good friend and colleague Ron Wilkes for introducing these thoughts to me and many others within the Young Life family
[2] This is not said lightly or flippantly.  Having suffered for years with debilitating back pain I empathize with anyone experiencing pain.  My only consolation for the pain is God will use my suffering for His glory and to bring others into a personal relationship with Him.
[3] Matthew 28.18-20
[4] Thanks to Ric Mitchell of “Sports and Rec Plus” for sharing these thoughts with me and others
[5] Statistics change on a very regular basis.  A good internet search will reveal the most up to date and relevant