Like most young men in America, I was introduced to athletics at a very young age. Additionally, I was exposed to many of the venues often associated with these platforms. For one, I was initiated into FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). My initial impression was “amazing”, all of us hold religion and God as the most important aspect of our lives…I had found a home! It was not so. It wasn’t long before I noticed that all the doctrines of the organization were not found within the pages of Scripture. This was a personal hindrance to mine, as it should be for all who anxiously await His appearance. I had previously read, “…by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (His authority), that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment (1 Corinthians 1:10b). I needed to reason in myself whether this entity, albeit “good”, was one that I was willing to risk my eternal soul salvation at. I was not. For two, I noticed that some of my fellow student-athletes began to treat sports as a form of deism. This became a thought formation in which many young men (and women) began to favor athletics as their “god”. In other words, somehow God had manufactured sports just for them. This became increasingly obvious as it moved from “Friday Night Lights” to every day of the week. Children who used to be encouraged to maintain a faithful attendance at Bible Studies and Worship, were now fostering regulated hours in their respective sports or “lose playing time”. One just CANNOT have that. They no longer were required to learn the significance of the Book of Galatians, but how to score a goal. Children were motivated not to obtain a correct understanding of the Pauling Epistles, but rather the pitching stats of their favorite baller. Young members who needed to learn more about repentance were driven to recite the names of all the victorious players of the “Miracle on Ice.”
Like most young men in America, I was introduced to athletics at a very young age. Additionally, I was exposed to many of the venues often associated with these platforms. For one, I was initiated into FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). My initial impression was “amazing”, all of us hold religion and God as the most important aspect of our lives…I had found a home! It was not so. It wasn’t long before I noticed that all the doctrines of the organization were not found within the pages of Scripture. This was a personal hindrance to mine, as it should be for all who anxiously await His appearance. I had previously read, “…by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (His authority), that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment (1 Corinthians 1:10b). I needed to reason in myself whether this entity, albeit “good”, was one that I was willing to risk my eternal soul salvation at. I was not. For two, I noticed that some of my fellow student-athletes began to treat sports as a form of deism. This became a thought formation in which many young men (and women) began to favor athletics as their “god”. In other words, somehow God had manufactured sports just for them. This became increasingly obvious as it moved from “Friday Night Lights” to every day of the week. Children who used to be encouraged to maintain a faithful attendance at Bible Studies and Worship, were now fostering regulated hours in their respective sports or “lose playing time”. One just CANNOT have that. They no longer were required to learn the significance of the Book of Galatians, but how to score a goal. Children were motivated not to obtain a correct understanding of the Pauling Epistles, but rather the pitching stats of their favorite baller. Young members who needed to learn more about repentance were driven to recite the names of all the victorious players of the “Miracle on Ice.”
The Apostle Paul states, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Why would one fall? They have not been taught correctly, OR they have been educated significantly towards what is good and just, and have decided they will not continue in (Hebrews 9:8). What is the BIG TAKEAWAY this morning? Jesus came so that we might have life eternal (1 Timothy 1:15). He is and ALWAYS will be (1 Peter 2:21). That is the “I do”. He then relinquished His authority to those who followed Him, the Apostles (Acts 15:7). Then it was written down for our benefit! They are the “We Do”. The “You Do”, well, isn’t that up to you and me? God did not leave His ultimate well-being and education up to worldly sources; He left it up to you and me to guide our children into what is right and acceptable in the Lord (2 Timothy 2:2). The Hebrew writer encourages all of us who have been in Christ for some time, possess the “YOU DO”! (Hebrews 5:13). If we do not, can we fault others? It’s more than time for us to stand with God; “what will it be, what will it be, what will your answer be?” Think about these things and God Bless!
-Dr. Archie R. Green, Ed. D.