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"Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play…it is war minus the shooting."

George Orwell

Where Christ is not known

It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known. Romans 15:20

I remember the chaplain of an English professional football team once saying to me, “I like to go places where people don’t expect to see a Christian minister”. Those of us who work in the world of sport may often feel that we are in a place where Christ is not known. In saying that I want to stress that I personally don’t think the world of elite sport is any more godless than business, the military etc.

Speaking of the UK, where I live, society generally is very godless. This week I was reading the autobiography of a professional footballer who described how he stopped going to church when he was 11 because none of his mates went. Being a Christian is counter-cultural in the UK today.

If you are a Christian in the world of sport, I am not expecting you to “preach the gospel” but you are there as Christ’s representative to live your life for him. Jesus said (Matthew 5:16) “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”.

Remember the quote attributed to Francis of Assisi: “Preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words”.

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