Rising Above the Noise
I can hardly wait—football season is coming! The anticipation is keen, and people are talking and gearing up for it. The excitement of a new season is hanging in the air!
It’s a new chance to start over for most and a challenge to defend a title for a select few. We await the click of the towering floodlights as they come on, filling the field with a blinding light. We can already smell the fresh scent of newly cut grass and look forward to the loudspeaker squawking in the background, the roar of the crowd, and the band playing to cheer our team on to victory.
But…wait. How is it that we can get so excited about a 12-game sports season, something that passes by (pun intended) so quickly, and yet many hearts hardly quicken when someone challenges us for the eternal work of the kingdom?
Let me be clear: it's perfectly okay to be excited about football or any other sport. But we are not to be consumed by it. Amidst all the clamor and noise of sports, we must still hear the clarion call to reach the lost for Christ. We can admire someone’s giftedness and effort to be successful in a sport, but we must also realize that it is fleeting and temporary. What is eternal must get our utmost attention, and friends, where we will spend eternity—where our favorite athletes will spend eternity—is of utmost importance
Put the spotlight on what matters
This world excels at taking something good and making it all-consuming. It happens in sports, with food, and with success in every field of the working world. We get distracted with something good and forget to focus on the most important thing: our relationship with Jesus Christ and the fact that most of the world does not know him as Savior and Lord. There are entire groups of people, Muslims for instance, who have little to no opportunity to hear of him.
You could help change that. Use something you are interested in, such as a sports event, to invite a Muslim friend, neighbor, or colleague to join you. You can explain the game to them while cultivating a deeper relationship with them. Ask them about their favorite sport or hobby and, if you are not familiar with it, ask them to explain it to you. In the midst of the conversation, take time to explain that while you are interested in sports, you also know that eternal matters about God are much more important.
Ask if you can share the gospel story with them. While the average Westerner has eliminated God from their conversation, Muslims often remain open to hearing about your thoughts and beliefs about God. Also, please take the opportunity to ask how you can pray for them, and spend some time right there praying for them.
And now, you have had the chance to share that Bible story you have been working on!
10/10 Prayer Initiative
We are praying for 10% of the Muslim world to follow Christ in 10 years. It would take a miracle, and that is what we are asking God to do—something so big and amazing that all the glory goes to God alone. Please join us in prayer in seeking his glory spread among the Nations!
Other Prayer Requests:
As schools begin a new school year, pray for Christian students and teachers to be bold and seek out Muslims and befriend them.
On college campuses around the world, Muslim international students from unreached countries and people groups are arriving to study. They will only be there for only a few short years. We have an unprecedented opportunity to reach people who would otherwise never have the chance to hear the gospel. Pray for college campus outreach ministries as they begin fall activities.
Pray for Muslim Olympic athletes who heard the gospel at the recent Olympics in Paris. Pray for the Good News to sink deep into their hearts and minds, and that they would give their lives to Jesus.
Pray for Ryan Corbett, who has been held hostage by the Afghan Taliban for over two years now. Pray for strength for him and his family as they struggle through this very difficult time. Pray that the Taliban leaders would have a dream and that they would release him.
Tensions are high in the Middle East as Israel faces numerous challenges from all sides. May the voice of peace and truth be heard. Pray for mercy for the remaining hostages and their families as we soon approach the first anniversary of the attack on Israel. Pray for those fleeing the unrest, that they would find true peace and rest.
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