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"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost."
Anyone that knows me understands that I love professional football. I've followed the Dallas Cowboys for over 30 years now. When people I haven't seen for a long time run into me, its usually not "how have you been ?" , "how is your wife?", or " what are you up to now?". It's usually "are you still cheering for the Cowboys?".
I was thinking about this last week as football season came to an end with the final seconds of the Superbowl. I had listened to various players throughout the previous week give their testimonies about how God was working in their lives, how some of them praised Jesus for where they were as men. I even heard how Kurt Warner's "life" verse from the Bible is Matthew 6:33.
This took me back a few years when the Dallas Cowboys players were having trouble with drugs, women and alcohol. Michael Irvin their star wide receiver was accused of holding a gun to a woman's head while teammates raped her. I remember being highly relieved when it came out that the woman was lying and it hadn't happened. But there was enough sinful activity to tarnish the players and the team.
Friends, both Christian and Non-Christian would come up to me and shake their heads, "How could he do this?", "How could someone who has money, power, prestige, everything, sink so low?" They made jokes, made comments on how they would never be involved in anything so sinful or disgusting. I would just try to explain "There, except for the Grace of God, go I"; and that all of us are sinful, and it really doesn't matter the degree. It still separates us from God. That not many people have the opportunity to sin at the level a professional football player has; Yet each person will fall into a sinful lifestyle if they don't keep their eyes on Jesus or have a personal relationship with Him.
What opened my eyes to how truly horrifying I was acting during this episode in my life, was listening to a Pastor talk about praying for people we witness to as we share our faith. I thought about how Paul in Timothy writes:
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone; for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior" (1 Timothy 2:1-3 NIV)
Yet in all this episode of the Cowboys and their problems with sin, no one suggested that we pray for them. Including myself. It dawned on me that Jesus died on the cross for Michael Irvin also. I was so caught up in defending him and whether the charges were true or not. Or what effect it would have on the team, I never thought to pray for him. This was truly horrifying how I had let my King and Savior down.
Now you're probably thinking "ummm this is just Michael Irvin…a professional football player caught in sin…". But when we look at just a few of the other great sinners in history we see the wonder, the power, the Grace of God. How he takes us out of the Garbage heap and makes us a new creation. Think about the lifestyle of John Newton before he wrote "Amazing Grace", think about the lifestyle of Saul before his encounter with Jesus and writing much of the N.T., think about George Muller and his life before God turned him around. How the children of England benefited greatly from his ministry. As I thought about the work in these men's lives, I looked back at how God had taken me and is slowly rebuilding me moment by moment.
At the time when I realized how I had let Michael Irvin down by not praying for him it was very convicting. I began to understand the admonition from Paul to Timothy. I began to understand that lifting up people and interceding for them is one of the most wonderful ministries in which we are privileged to take part.
As I look back and think about this episode in my life I praise God for the understanding that people don't need our explanations of their actions. They need our prayers. Especially football players in the NFL.
Sincerely,
Your Brother in Christ,
Pastor Terry Johnson
Calvary Chapel Westwood
P.O. Box 1386
315 Ash Street
Westwood, Ca 96137
530.256.3309
http://ccwestwood.com
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