January 4, 2022
I had an opportunity to attend the SEC championship game and it was quite an experience. I saw many things that would make a preacher blush going on at the tailgating experience and in all areas outside of the stadium. Morals and modesty were not the major priority of many attending this game.
As we started to enter an area leading up to the stadium there was a man with what appeared to be his wife and possibly daughters there by the entrance to the ramp leading up to the stadium. They had signs that said, “Jesus Saves”. “Repent Now Before It Is Too Late” and “Jesus Loves You”. The man had a loudspeaker type system and he was preaching the gospel. I hear him say something like, “You think that this game is the most important thing but I promise you that it doesn’t matter in light of eternity”. I listened and he was bringing the truth of God’s Word in a bold and unashamed way.
Many people would take the gospel tracts that the evangelists were passing out and throw them on the ground right in front of the preacher. I heard one intoxicated man say, “Somebody get these fools out of here. We came to enjoy the ballgame not be preached to”. When the man said that it made my heart hurt for the people trying to share the gospel of God with this mostly heathen crowd.
I thought about the verse of scripture in 1 Corinthians 1:21 “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” What this man was calling foolishness was really the way of salvation. The intoxicated man thought that his wisdom of getting drunk and being loud and boisterous was smarter than these foolish (In his eyes) people who were trying to tell people about God’s love.
I thought about this event and was ashamed that I had come to the game and had not prepared some type of witness. Maybe you remember the guy who used to go to sporting events and hold up the “JOHN 3:16” sign. Or I could have joined the people preaching and passing out tracts. Or even at least stopped and prayed for their ministry. But I didn’t. I have since asked God to forgive me.
There were 78,000 people attending the game and most of them thought that these people out there preaching, holding Christian signs, and passing out gospel tracts were foolish to try and influence such a large and immoral crowd (Not judging but just based on the open acts of sin that were on display). But if ONE person stopped and listened or got a tract and they got saved then this “foolishness” would be worth it.
If one person’s life was saved from hell and they spend all eternity in Heaven then it was worth being called a fool by the world. Because in God’s eyes these people that the world called “fools” are His faithful servants and one day they will hear, “Well done thy good and faithful servant.”
The Bible says that “The fool has said in his heart there is no God.” It is better to be thought a fool by the world and honored by God than to be thought a fool by God and condemned for all eternity.
In love with Jesus – Gary Mimbs