A Christian in sport

What does it mean to be a Christian in sport? It’s a question you may well be asking after reading our columns this year.

Have a look at Colossians 4.2-6. What these verses give us is a principle we call Pray Play Say. It might be a nice slogan and fairly easy to remember, but it also takes us right to the heart of our vision to reach the world of sport for Christ. You could simply say that a Christian in sport is someone who seeks to pray, play and say in the sporting context where God has placed them.

The principle of Pray Play Say is something Christians can use in any walk of life, but as sportspeople, we’re applying it to the world of sport. From these verses, the best way to make disciples of sportspeople is for Christians in the world of sport to pray for their sports friends to come to know Jesus Christ, to play in a way that honours God and to say something of the hope we have in Jesus Christ when the opportunity arises.

Pray

The first thing we can do to connect our sport and our faith is to pray about it. In Colossians 4.2-4, Paul calls us to be devoted to prayer, praying that God will help us be watchful and thankful and, specifically, we should pray for openings for the gospel message. So as sportspeople we can encourage each other to pray for our sports friends constantly, pray for ourselves to make the most of every opportunity and pray that the door would be opened for us to share the gospel in our clubs and teams.

Play

We’re called in Romans 12 to bring our whole life before God. This includes our sport, both on and off the field. In Colossians 4.5, Paul instructs us to be wise in how we act so that we can be a light in a dark world. In the sporting context, this means the way we train and compete. We are called to play in a way that honours God in and out of competition.

But why does it matter? In Colossians 3.17, we are urged to do everything for God’s glory and not our own and in Colossians 4.5 we are challenged that the way we behave has an impact on those who don’t yet know Christ.

Say

In verse 6 we are called to say something of the gospel in a way that is full of grace and sets out how amazing this message is. Our words are to be seasoned with salt. At the time Paul was writing, salt’s primary uses included making food taste nice and preserving it. Our words should be tasty to those who hear them because the gospel is the best news in the world and preserving because the gospel is God’s power to save those who believe in him.

How will our teammates become disciples of Christ? This happens as they hear and respond to the message of Christ. Our friends in sport aren’t going to start a relationship with Jesus just because they know us – they need to hear the good news.

The Bible also makes clear that this is something Christians are called to do together. Remember how Colossians 4 v.2 began? Paul writes ‘devote yourselves to prayer’. He is addressing a group of Christians, not an individual. Let’s remember this and encourage our fellow Christians in sport to pray, play, say together.