“For though I am free
from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I
might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in
order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the
law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those
under the law...”
(I Corinthians 9:19-20)
The Gospel is the most important
message to communicate to people. It is the message that, while we
have broken God's heart and are deserving of God's perfect justice
and wrath, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins so we might be
reconciled to Him and declared righteous in His sight. It's
important to communicate that to our friends who are lost, and it's
important to communicate that to one another, because we are never
beyond our need for the overwhelming grace of Jesus Christ.
Just don't start sharing about the
Gospel on 4th and 1 on what could be a game-altering play.
At least not with a passionate fan of the team playing.
Of course, I'm somewhat joking
(emphasis on somewhat).
We never want to shy away from opportunities to walk through open
doors to minister the gospel and point one another to Christ. And
sometimes, for those of us who follow Jesus, the call of sports
idolatry is a real thing. Sometimes I need to shut off the TV and
love my wife, play with my kids, and put their needs before my wants.
But sometimes I think we try to force doors open rather than seek to
help open those doors through how we relate to people.
I was recently watching a football game
that I really was excited about, and invited friends over to watch it
with me. And here we were, sitting on the couch, and play after play
was another deep, provocative question that had nothing to do with
football.
In seeking to serve him, I missed a
number of pivotal moments in the game, and rather than including these friends into
something I enjoy, it became less of an opportunity to welcome these
people into my life, and more of an opportunity to entertain
questions that I didn't really want to think about until after the
game.
Now, I need to constantly lay down my
life. But it gave me a thought. When we are seeking to minister the
Gospel, sometimes we put ourselves in this mode of, “I need to ask
this person questions all the time, because this will love them.”
That may be what you want to do, or it may be what you feel pressured
to do. However, sometimes the best way to love a sports fan is not
to ask a bunch of questions, even about the game. Instead, it's a
great opportunity to enjoy something that is loved by that person.
This is true with anyone we want to
love. There is a time for deeper questions. Sometimes it does
present itself while a person is sharing their loves with you.
Sometimes, we force the issue, and we actually miss an opportunity to
actually help open a door to deeper conversation.
With that being said, here are a few
ways to love a sports fan:
1. Don't expect a lot of initial
conversation – The
person wants to watch the game WITH you. They don't want it to be
background noise to conversation. To us, it's the main event, much
like a long-anticipated movie. It doesn't mean you can't have the
occasional thought or question, but also be sensitive to different
moments within a game. Timeouts and commercial breaks are good to
figure out how serious the fan is, and what they want or don't want
to talk about.
2.
Don't rely on the other person to explain every aspect of
the game – In
general, I love explaining things about football. So asking
questions is good. But answering the same question about why there
is a holding call gets hard, or why the uniforms are that color,
or... you get the picture. Take five minutes to get a little handle
on some of the rules, the teams that are playing, and who the star
players are. If someone who knows nothing about football comes to me
and says, “I hear that JT Barrett is a pretty good QB,” my
excitement to share something that means a lot to me goes through the
roof, and trust is instantly built.
3. Let them
share their excitement about specific plays, players, or moments that
they remember - Sometimes, we have
very specific memories, because we love our team. We can feel like
we are part of the team (for good and for bad). Letting us share our
memories is not meaningless, you're actually getting to know a part
of our soul. It's something the Lord has allowed us to love.
Sometimes we love it too much, and there's a conversation for that
later. But letting us share about these seemingly meaningless
memories actually gives you a picture of some of the great joys and
sorrows of being a fan.
4. Marvel when
God opens doors to deeper conversation – As trust is built, and
as you become a 'sports fan' to another sports fan, it really builds
trust to deeper conversation. When Heather waits to talk to me about
my frustration until after the game, I'm much more apt to share and
confess that I may have been hoping too much in my team. When others
take the time to enjoy a pasttime that I've enjoyed for the entirety
of my life, it deepens trust to talk about spiritual realities.
That's a work of God, and we should marvel when God uses something as
trivial as a football game to minister to the soul.
This is true of
every passion out there. If someone loves art and music, invest in
what they love. If someone loves to cook, be willing to be their
assistant for a day. If someone loves coffee houses, go with them to
their favorite and try their favorite thing on the menu.
And consider your
loves. What are the things that people can do with you that will
deepen trust?
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