Winning the World and the World Cup

The Bible tells us that we are to follow the example of Christ, who has called and anointed us to be His ambassadors, His representatives in this world.  We read in 1st Peter 2:
21For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

1st John 2 addresses the concept of walking as He walked.   We follow the Lord in salvation as well as in sanctification - in becoming more like Him as His disciples.  And, we follow Him in sharing our faith.  Christ commissioned us to go into all the world and preach the gospel.  The tools and the means to do that are more pronounced than ever before.  But, we also recognize that as we follow in His steps., we can have impact on those people with whom we directly interact.   There may be an occasion you have today to share what God has done in your life through Jesus Christ - it's important that we take that call seriously.

2nd Corinthians 5 defines a key role that each of us play in God's plan for this world:
18Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,19that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.20Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

The summer marathon known as the World Cup concludes this Sunday with the championship game between Germany and Argentina.  As you know, the team representing host country Brazil was ousted in rather convincing fashion by the German team earlier this week.   And, while the games have featured not only intense drama and thrilling competition, activity surrounding the tournament involves the sharing of the gospel message - by evangelists from Brazil.

Christianity Today highlights the work of the gospel that is going on there.

Rudi Zimmer of The Bible Society of Brazil says that, "Brazilians are football-mad...We want the Bible to have a prominent presence amidst all the excitement. It's an unprecedented opportunity for churches and Christians here to share God's Word with local and foreign fans, and we want to equip and encourage them to do that."   Volunteers for the Bible Society of Brazil are passing out 20,000 copies of the Gospel of John in eight different languages.

About 100 evangelicals hit Copacabana Beach to hand out 15,000 booklets on the history of Brazil and soccer, including an article by Brazilian soccer star Kaka, who says that "the true sense of victory is having Jesus in my life," reports Yahoo news.

Child Evangelism Fellowship has reportedly made up thousands of soccer ball in the colors of evangelism, an adaptation of the "wordless book": gold (heaven), black (sin), red (atonement), white (righteousness) and green (growth).  These were intended to be passed out to schools with the explanation of the gospel.

The Brazilian Baptist Home Mission Board developed a strategy for handing out yellow cards to fans as a way to begin conversations about what they've done wrong and how they can be made right through the gospel.

Tomorrow, more than 1,000 Brazilian evangelicals plan to circle the Maracanã soccer stadium to "send a message of peace to the world," according to Yahoo news.

As the CT article states, "Brazilians have a history of traveling to witness when other countries host the world's most famous soccer tournament, but this time they've got a home field advantage."  People literally from throughout the world have been converging on the nation the last few weeks - what a great opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission when the world comes to you.

More than 90 percent of Brazilians claim to be Christian — making it the world's second-largest Christian population, with 8 percent of the total (lagging only the United States' 11.3 percent). While most of those are Catholic, evangelicals have expanded from 15 percent of the population in 2000 to 22 percent in 2010.

Just a few thoughts about this unique opportunity to share Christ:

One of the by-products of our increasingly global society becomes the ability to share the gospel with people throughout the world.   Through improvements in transportation, we can go to tons of places in short-term and long-term applications.  We can routinely get people into various areas for missions trips, and we might experience improved access to a variety of people-groups.   And, people will travel and even move into areas where there are significant international populations - I think of the missions trips that our friends in the Christian vocal group No Other Name sponsor in Nashville, where you have a variety of nationalities that live there.  Or, the work of Plywood People and other groups in the Atlanta region of Clarkston, which was described by TIME magazine as the "most diverse square mile in America."  Through international travel, we can interface with people from "all the world."  Now, Brazil is experiencing the world coming to its doorstep, and its Christians are providing inspiration to all of us to seize an opportunity to share.

And, the rapid improvements in technology also give the ability to share the gospel with people around the world.  I think of the millions who have accessed the message of salvation through Christ through such websites as PeaceWithGod.net, with which Faith Radio partners - it's an outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.   Also, there's Global Media Outreach, that provides website content that is coordinated with terms and topics for which people are searching.   

There are creative tools to share our faith, and I am thankful for ministries that continue to share the word and equip the saints.  And, you too, can be an instrument that God will use for His glory, as you are willing to share what Jesus has done for you.