Do you think there might be Christ-followers in the government of North Korea? How about in Afghanistan? In Vladimir Putin’s government?

I don’t have any evidence. It would also be very unsafe to come out as a Christ-follower in those places and many other places around the world. Not much has changed in 2,000 years. It’s always been dangerous to be Christ-followers in certain places. 

It was risky to be a born-again Christian in Caesar’s household, yet the Apostle Paul writes: Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household (Philippians 4:21-22). Just as there were Christ-followers in Caesar’s household, heaven will reveal that there were Christians in nearly every place. While it may not be a large percentage because of anti-Christian pressure, there are Christ-followers in Hollywood and in the pop music world. There are Christians in politics on both sides of the aisle. 

Yet probably no sphere that’s in the limelight has more Christ-followers than professional sports. Because I grew up in Georgia, I’m a diehard UGA fan but when it comes to NCAA basketball, I’m an Alabama fan. Their coach, Nate Oats, is a committed believer. Many believers in sports are bold about their faith. Some that have been in the headlines about their walk with Christ are Tim Tebow, Kurt Warner, Ally McDonald Ewing, Kevin Durant, Allyson Felix, Drew Brees and Joe Gibbs to name a few. 

The Bible has a lot to say about sports. The Apostle Paul must have been a sports fan. There are many allusions to athletics in his writings. He often referred to the Grecian/Roman games. If you want to check them out, the main references are 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Philippians 3:12-14; 1 Timothy 4:8; 2 Timothy 2:5 and 4:7-8. 

Why did Paul make references to sports? His passionate purpose was to share Jesus Christ. In order to communicate spiritual truth, he used language familiar to those he was writing to. No doubt Paul was exposed to the games while growing up in Tarsus, the Roman city of his birth. He certainly encountered the games as he founded churches throughout the Roman world. People from those areas would be familiar with the games. 

God uses sports to reach people. They have the power to inspire and bring people together. For many Christian athletes, their faith plays a significant role in their athletic careers. One Barna study found that by more than a three-to-one margin, Americans believe professional sports players have more influence on society than do faith leaders. The research suggests that most Americans are comfortable with a mash-up of their faith and their sports, says David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group. That there’s such a strong and positive awareness of Tim Tebow and his faith reveals Americans—and particularly Christians—desire for an authentic role model who is willing to so publicly connect his faith and life.

A recent edition of Christianity Today interviewed, retired Milwaukee Brewers pitcher, Josh Lindblom, who spent seven seasons pitching in the big leagues. He candidly shares how Jesus must be the greatest part of his life. I realized that the most important thing about me can’t be my sport or even my faith in a general sense. Viewing faith as an add-on, like I had done in the past, causes you to miss the gospel and fall into a performance-based identity. It becomes about what you do and how well you apply faith to your life. The gospel does not start with what we can do for God. The gospel starts with what God has already done for us.

That truth needs to become deeply embedded in everything that I do: my relationships with my teammates, my relationships with my coaches, my relationship with the fans, how I go about my day and my work, everything. And that’s really where I would say that my career and my understanding of faith and sports started to change, where the focus became different.  And then I go back to the fact that Jesus is at the center, and He’s given me the gifts, talents, and abilities that I use in sports.

Though a professional athlete, Lindblom has had his share of trials. He’s married to Aurielle, and they have three children: Presley, Palmer, and Monroe. Their daughter, Monroe, was born with a congenital heart defect that’s required surgery. Having one of your children suffer will always get your attention. Let me share another quote from his interview:

I remember when I was playing in Korea, I was also finishing my undergraduate degree in biblical studies. And for some reason for my final thesis paper, I choose the book of Job. There’s a verse in Job 1:9 where the accuser asks, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” So here I am as a baseball player. I have a daughter in the hospital, and she’s just come out of her first heart surgery. Reading that verse, I put my name in the passage. I asked, “Does Josh fear God for nothing?

If all of this were taken away, if I didn’t have the baseball career and the family and the support that I had, would I still love God? If Jesus wasn’t an add-on to help me accomplish what I wanted to in sports, would I still love Him? In that moment, I realized that the most important thing about me can’t be my sport or even my faith in a general sense. As a Christian, the most important thing about me has to be what God has done for me through His Son on the cross.” Amen and Amen! 

Like many other Christian athletes, Josh Lindblom is a model for us and our children. We all need Jesus. What a blessing to have those who seem to have it all like a Josh Lindblom yet who realize that without Jesus and the gospel, we have nothing. 

Do you love sports? Do you want godly athletes to have an influence on you and your children? Check out Sports Spectrum and sign up for their daily devotional. Sports are a part of our world. Why not hear some sports news and some good news with your sports news?