Written by Ken Cross, Church Coach and Mentor at CEDE Sports
“Be kind and tender to one another. Forgive each other, just as God forgave you because of what Christ has done”
Love that verse. Don’t you? The verse assumes that there is a need for forgiveness because we hurt one another is so many ways. The motivation and basis for forgiveness and tenderness is the tenderness freely given to us, even though we have never earned it! This is a great truth and a needed practice for each one of us. I hope this makes you smile.
With that context I want to address one of the most avoided practices of Sports Ministers – confronting people in the sports ministry you lead.
We confront sin in others when they are unrepentant for the same reasons we just laid out. Forgiveness is available from our Mediator Jesus and it is kind to lead people to Him for that forgiveness.
Let’s face it – messengers often times get shot. I’ve seen it and I have wounds from these metaphorical bullets. There may not be scars on my skin however they still hurt. But has Jesus asked us to obey him only when it does not cause potential pain?
It is so easy to just “let it go” when someone in our sports ministry acts out with destructive and sinful actions that needs to be addressed. We “turtle” and hope the situation will fade and go away like a terrible bout of flu.
Deep down, however, we are aware that when we do nothing, we are really not loving or protecting those in attendance who are being hit by the lava coming from a sinning individual or the perpetrator.
At CEDE Sports we talk a lot about sports being a laboratory, in which we see life lived out on the court, pitch or field. In a lab sometime certain elements, when combined, blow up! Take tense competition, unresolved conflicts at home, a besetting sin of anger, a hard foul or a bad call and stir.
The goal of this blog today is to remind you that God has called you to step in and minister even when you feel uncomfortable. Be kind, gentle and offer forgiveness but remember the gospel and call for faith and repentance. It might take time for someone to hear you, but keep stepping into their life. It is a true benefit they deserve purely as a result of being involved in the ministry God has called you to!
