Why do sporting events draw so many viewers as opposed to the communication of the gospel?
I had the opportunity to spend about 25 minutes on the local Christian radio, KRSA, to talk about whatever was on my mind.
With the Tour de France just having ended and the London Olympics starting and going for the next couple of weeks, I talked about sporting events drawing the attention of millions of people and why people are so drawn to them. I then discussed our communication of the gospel and why it doesn’t seem to have the draw that sporting events do.
People watch sporting events not primarily for the stats, the scores, and certainly not for the rules and regulations. People watch because in each competition, in each event, there is a story that unfolds that grabs our heart and our emotions.
Similarly in our communication of the gospel, we can opt to talk about theology and doctrines, or we can choose to talk about the story. Which grabs the attention of someone unfamiliar with Jesus? Which do most people enjoy? It’s not that theology and doctrines aren’t important or have no value. There is much that is important to rules and regulations in sports, but the focus is not on them but on what happens – the story that unfolds. It should be the same with how the gospel is communicated: for the presenter, theology and doctrine forms a framework but that is not what we are to communicate. Rather we should be focusing on the story: its appeal and enjoyment. Jesus should be seen as the hero in whom our fears die and our hopes born.
2 comments:
My testimony is that I believed in the “story” before the “doctrine.” I started reading the Bible in my early 20’s and saw this guy Jesus who kept arguing with everybody about truth, reality, hypocrisy, how good people should live and how he could give people eternal life. I couldn’t figure out why these guys were so ticked off at him for saying all these things that seemed ‘right on’ to me. What really impressed me about Jesus was that he always won. No matter how they tried to trick or trap him, he always had the perfect answer that stopped them in their tracks. I thought, “Wow, this guy is awesome!”
It was at some point in my reading that something (I know now to be the Holy Spirit) turned me from fascination to conviction; not conviction of sin to the best of my memory, but a conviction that I needed to be on this guy’s team. I was certain that no one ever could or ever would get the better of him, so the best thing I could do would be to join up. I know I believed in Jesus during that period, although I couldn’t tell you what day or what language I used. It was some time later that I hooked up with other Christians and churches and began learning about what had happened.
But the part of my testimony I find most interesting today is that I don’t remember reading about his death or the cross—the doctrines—playing any prominent role in my coming to faith. All I can say for sure is that Jesus revealed enough of himself for me to believe in him, receive the Holy Spirit, and get on with discipleship.
Thanks Bryan!
There is a position among some Christians that if sin, repentance, cross, death, and resurrection aren't mentioned, then we have failed to communicate the gospel. Your testimony shows that the gospel is much simpler than that. It is just the story of how great Jesus is.
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