Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching.
– 2 Timothy 4:2
My dad saw his business as a way to share his faith. Every time he met with people to help them with their investments, he ended each meeting by sharing his faith and giving his clients one of his favorite devotional books, a Gospel tract, or a Bible.
He was often invited to speak at churches for their men’s breakfasts, and he would challenge the men to share their faith in the workplace. Every time he spoke, he set up a “resource table” in the back with items he loved to give away when sharing his faith. His favorite was Gospel tracts. He left them with every tip at a restaurant, he handed them out at toll booths, and he even gave them to people he had just met for the first time.
I remember attending one of the men’s breakfasts where my dad spoke, and when he ended his talk, he opened it for questions. A young man challenged my dad and said he felt tracts weren’t an effective way to share the Gospel. My dad asked, “What’s your way?” He didn’t have an answer. Then my dad said, “I like my way better than your ‘no way’!”
Paul encouraged Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2 to always be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. The Message translation says it this way, “Proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple.” I can imagine Paul saying what my dad said to those he was discipling, “What’s your way?”
As I have traveled around the world, I have met so many incredible people who are committed to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all they meet. I have a friend who has made a commitment to not go to bed until he has shared the Gospel with at least one person. He prays each morning for God to bring people to him so he can share the Good News. Hundreds of people over the years have decided to follow Christ as a result!
FCA has been committed to sharing the Gospel with every coach and every athlete since 1954, and that is why I love serving with FCA! We have been laser-focused on our vision to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes. This past year, we witnessed 16,838 coaches and athletes respond to the Gospel and decide to follow Christ. This happened at camps, retreats, Huddles, Fields of Faith and many other outreach events.
In 2019, FCA decided to simplify and clarify our way of sharing the Gospel. We launched the “The Four,” which equips Christian coaches and athletes to share their faith with others. The Four is an initiative that gives our staff and volunteers a simple, relevant, repeatable way to clearly communicate the Gospel using four biblical truths within our disciple-making efforts.
The four Gospel truths include the following:
1. God Loves You: God is real, and He wants you to personally experience His love and discover His purpose for your life through a relationship with Him.
2. Sin Separates You: Everyone has sinned. It keeps us from experiencing the fulfilling life God intends for us. The result: You are eternally separated from God and the life He planned for you.
3. Jesus Rescues You: Because of God’s great love, He became a human being in Jesus Christ and gave His life for you. Through faith in Jesus, you can experience God’s love daily, discover your purpose, and have eternal life after death.
4. Will You Trust Jesus? You choose to trust Jesus when you believe and confess that Jesus is Lord and surrender your life to Him. Are you ready to place your trust in Jesus?
For 68 years, FCA has always had a way of sharing the Gospel, and we have been fulfilling the vision and following the Great Commission using the vehicle of sports. After much growth over 68 years, FCA is seeing Jesus transform the lives of coaches and athletes. We have our way, and it is bearing fruit around the world.
Let’s be committed to sharing the Gospel in season and out of season. We all need to find our way and proclaim the Gospel at all times. What’s your way?
Father, I want to find my way to share my faith with others. Show me how I can share the Gospel all the time. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
-FCA-
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