Be Careful Who You Invite to the Big Game
15 comments | Permalink“NFL lawyers in past years have . . . hired undercover investigators dressed up as fans to prowl for unauthorized broadcasts.”
posted by JT at Saturday, February 02, 2008
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15 Comments:
I have never understood the whole concept of churches hosting Super Bowl parties.
I wonder how many that have "made decisions" at such events become disciples.
It's a sad day when it takes lawyers to make churches think about what they do with God's day.
I'm not sure that the Lord's day was given to us to be a celebration of man's sporting prowess. Surely it was given to us to focus on our relationship with God.
What are the churches playing at in the first place?
Its time for Christians to start giving God his day back.
Is it safe to assume Jerry and jmark that you guys will not be watching the "S*per B*wl"? Otherwise, it seems to make little difference what building we watch the "Big Game" in. What matters far more greatly (I think) is in what kind of attitude and heart we watch the game. I won't profess to do this perfectly but unless we say it is altogether wrong to watch the NFL then it matters very little where you watch the game but what matters is how you watch the game. What is your goal in watching the game? Can we celebrate Christ while watching tonight's Game? If not, I suppose we should not watch it, if so, then I see no problem watching football on a Sunday. All days belong to the LORD after all (Romans 14:4-6).
Violators are subject to a 15-yard penalty and loss of down.
queue,
The last time that I saw a Super Bowl game was 1984. It was Monday morning for me in the Republic of Korea, and the only reason that I saw it was due to the fact that the commanding officer had ruled that our duty day wouldn't begin until after the game and the NCO club was serving a free breakfast.
My comments, however, were in no way a condemnation of football, but sincere questioning as to how effective this form of evangelism actually is. If we can only get folks in the door by giving them what they can already get in the world can we have any expectation that they will come back when we remove the worldly elements?
queue,
I could answer in lots of different ways :)
No I wont being watching the Super Bowl - largely because my sport of choice is rugby and soccer.
I agree wholeheartedly that how we watch is more important than where we watch.
My problem isnt so much with the where - its with the when. For me watching and playing sport on the Lord's day is a breaking ofthe 4th Commandment.
Just so you don't think I'm a legalist - let me put it this way. My relationship with God is the single greatest relationship I have. He is the Gospel as Piper would say. The gospel is that I get to have a relationship with this awesome being.
My question is: On a day that he says "I particularly delight to meet with my people and feed and nourish them", why would I want to watch a ball game that adds precisely nothing of my understanding of who God is and what it means to have him as my Saviour and Lord?
PS I dont for a moment think that is what Paul was talking about in Rom 14. It becomes clear in Col 2 that he is not refering to having one day set aside as per the 10 Commandments, but to the plethora of holy days the Jews had added to the calendar, and to the additional keeping of the 7th day as well as the Lord's day.
Jerry,
Interesting thoughts. I think that inviting friends into our lives is a key part of evangelism. I would think that inviting a friend to watch a super bowl party could be an effective way simply to build a relationship with an unbeliever. This would then hopefully lead to opportunities for evangelism.
Just my thoughts!
Jerry and Jmark,
Fair enough. Thanks for the cordial reply.
What if someone really did not esteem Sunday as a better day than any other to meet with God and was not convinced that the "Sabbath" changed to Sunday? I personally don't see enough evidence in Scripture to say that Sunday is now the Sabbath. It may be "the Lord's day" as stated in Revelation but there are only two other references to this (that I can think of) and if I remember correctly they were not very convincing.
If someone fell under this thought (and let's say it was true), would you still feel the same?
Stephanie
For me if a person isn't convinced of the sanctity of the Lord's Day, then that changes the question slightly. Although when it comes to evangelism, I would be in agreement with Stephen - it might be a good opener, but never a substitute for you talking.
However on the issue of the Lord's day - or whatever you wish to call it - when people say they arent convinced that they should keep it, the burden isnt in that direction. All throughout the OT the command is rigidly enforced. The OT was the bible of the NT and since there is no command to abrogate it, we cant simply point to the two times it is mentioned in the NT and say it cant be that important. The whole weight of the OT has to be taken into account.
Hey jmark (John Mark?),
"Stephanie" is was actually me. That was my wife's account, she must have signed in without me realizing it and unintentionally posted under her name.
Anyway, I agree with you that the weight of the OT must be taken into account. My position is that I'm not sure Scripture (or Jesus) actually teaches that Sabbath is now on Sunday. It seems to me that the Sabbath is a day we keep in principle (as in all need to have a Sabbath rest to spend time with the Lord) or that it still on Saturday. I recognize that there is a Lord's Day mentioned in the NT, but it is so vague I don't see why we conclude that it is the Sabbath shifted to Sunday.
So in my mind, if I spent Saturday in rest and thought towards the LORD and then came together with the other saints in my local church body on Sunday morning for worship and then met together again Sunday night for fellowship (as in we actually studied the word for a little bit and I had conversations about God and even practiced my Scripture memorization) while we watched the "Big Game" (and we even had someone man the remote for questionable material)then why should I conclude that I'm celebrating man and keeping God's day from Him?
Again, thank you for the interaction, I would love to hear your thoughts again.
Queue
Jmark - James Mark - known as Mark :)
If God expected a rigid inforcement of the Sabbath under the OT - such that God's people were expected to keep their feet from breaking the Sabbath and and from doing as you please, and not speaking idle words - how does that transfer into the NT?
Nowhere does Jesus negate the command. In fact what he says reinforces it as a day for man's benefit. That benefit is not only in terms of rest, the rest is for a purpose and the day is for a purpose - it is a Sabbath TO the Lord your God. So rest is not the aim, it is only the means to the end. And that rest seems to include a rest not just from physical labour, but a rest from anything that takes our mind off God - hence Is 58.
In reality I don't keep the Sabbath because I have to, but because I get to. I find it a joy to be free from sport, free from tv and free from all the other stuff of life. It is a joyful discipline to fill the day with God.
JMark,
I noticed you were blog commenting on Sunday! I think that's fine, but I'd be curious to hear what your criteria is for activities to engage in and to avoid.
I'd highly recommend the work by D. A. Carson (editor), "From Sabbath to Lord's Day."
Blessings!
Justin
Justin
Nice one - well spotted!! For me the criteria come from the command and Is 58, which can be summed us as Rest & Remember.
So does the activity help me to rest from the work of the week, AND does it help me by focusing me on God.
So watching sport may certainly be rest, but it is not remembering. It's primary focus is not to draw me closer to God.
I see the phrase "A Sabbath TO the Lord" as significant, with that significance being fleshed out in the rest of scripture.
That means that it is not so much the activity that is the issue - two people may be identical on their avoidance of watching sport on the Lord's Day (for example) but only one is utilising the day to draw him close to God.
(Also - since I think it is wrong to play sport on the Lord's day, it is also wrong to watch men breaking the Lord's day)
As for blog reading and discussing, it comes under the same category as reading Christian books and discussing them with fellow believers. :)
That being the case, my web-surfing on the Lord's day will be significantly different from that of other days. I dont read the sports pages!
I wrote a brief piece a long time back:
http://three17.blogspot.com/2004/12/sabbath-delighting.html
James Mark,
Thanks again for the reply. I guess here is where we part ways for I don't really think there is any day that we should do things that would take our mind off of the Lord. Now, I don't profess to do this perfectly, so if a Sabbath is meant for someone to do all the things that they KNOW will keep their mind on the Lord and use the other days for "practice" so to speak then maybe that is a different thing. But I think work, play, rest, reading, conversation and all else is supposed to draw our minds and hearts towards God. Or, at the very least, we should focus our hearts and minds towards God in all these things that we do.
I suppose there may be an argument for making Sunday especially about the Lord, so that all activities are worshipful ones that we specifically find in Scripture but I don't see that assumption in Scripture. Like I said, I don't see anything that Jesus taught suggesting that Saturday is not still the Sabbath. I don't see any of the Apostles making that clear either. That makes me think the Sabbath remained as is and they simply met on additional days as well. Or that, the Sabbath remained in principle and the day you meet for worship and then rest in the Lord is not important, but it's important that you do it.
I might get that Carson book for I have never had anyone present me a compelling (Scriptural) case for the Sabbath now being on Sunday. And I have studied it several times, genuinely wanting to know.
Thanks again for your time.
Queue,
I would respond to your point that even in the OT God expected that everyday would be lived with love for God with heart soul mind and strength, but yet he set aside one day when it was to be more focused.
As regards to the NT - I think that some did continue to keep the Sabbath special in addition to the Lord's Day - hence why Paul says, "Let no-one judge you with regard to keeping the Sabbath or New moon festival". It is this additional keeping that Paul is refering to as being unessential.
As I understand it the Carson book isnt a case for maintaining the Sabbath - maybe I have the wrong end of the stick.
I should look it up.
Mark
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