For years, I heard from family members how clean sports were and that they taught good sportsmanship and how to work with others.
Sadly, this is the rhetoric that was spoken to make sports appear acceptable to Christians. In my opinion, these were just excuses to justify teaching children to be competitive with others and excel in something to make their parents proud.
Boasting about the activities of the children has been extolled as a virtue in our day.
It is clear that God wants us to do the best we can with the gifts He has given us, however, doing our best to create a good product or to walk circumspectly is far different from competing to be better than someone else.
Perhaps the Bible teaches us to do the best we can at whatever task we have as we also help others excel with our support of them, to do the best they can. It is not about winning over others, it is about helping everyone be their best as they follow the Lord.
In fact, scripture tells us to help others reach their potential, nothing about competing to be better.
Philippians 2:2-3 "…2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves."
James 3:14-16 "But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice."
James 4:16 "As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil."
Galatians 5:26 "Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another."
Luke 14:11 "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. / It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs."
1 Peter 5:5-6 "Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you."
Colossians 3:12 "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."
1 Corinthians 10:24 "No one should seek his own good, but the good of others."
If a team in sports was taught to do the best they can and help their opponent do the best they can, then I might be able to agree it was a good thing, but that wouldn't make any sense in the very nature of competitive sports.
Perhaps it would be better to forget the ball games and teach everyone to serve the less fortunate, take care of the elderly and promote working together for eternal things.
1 Corinthians 3:11-14 "For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward."
John 6:27 "27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”
There will be those who say we are too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good, but I say, those who are heavenly minded will be more earthly good because they will be living out their Christianity that not only cares for others but will bring the gospel to the unsaved, which is an eternal reward for those who become born again and also for those who serve Christ.
Saturday, July 4, 2026
Expunge the Distortions and Become Holy
The modern church often distorts the truth of God's Word by using a sentence to describe a concept or principle, even commands of God, rather than seeking to understand God's meaning as given in the rest of the Bible.
When a concept, principle, or command is taken out of context, a wrong interpretation is passed on from generation to generation. By the time someone challenges the false belief, the people are so entrenched in it that it becomes a cultural icon, causing people to resist the truth out of hand.
Some of our modern ideas, such as the nature of forgiveness, repentance, divorce and remarriage, hell, not forsaking the gathering of believers, which day to meet, what happens at the gathering, the holidays, and many other things that have been added to Christianity that God never intended or endorsed have reduced Christianity to a paganistic ideolization of phylosophies that fly in the face of God's Word.
Sadly, when this happens, the people follow more unbiblical cultural things than they do Biblical truth. In adding so many untrue ideas, they have little left of true Christianity. They have developed a "religion" that no longer resembles the faith in Christ or His Word, the Bible.
These wrong beliefs shape how people view Christ, salvation and even how one lives their lives. They shape entire cultures that claim to be Christian but have no desire to know the truth. They live according to their own false truth and are resistant to God.
Just recently, a "pastor" attacked a person on the street for heckling him and threatening his family verbally. Many in the cultural Christian camp applauded this as though it was the right thing to do, when it in fact violated much scripture for the conduct of any Christ follower.
,
When the culture has been inculcated with Darwinistic psychology and standards of pagan religions we will miss the mark in the Christian life. And, perhaps those who do this, without interest in God's heart and mind, were never born again.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Not everyone who has been deceived by false doctrine is unsaved, but most are not born again. This brings us to the tasks for born again believers, that is to warn people who have been decieved that they may not be saved even though they attend a church gathering, and to rebuke those who appear to be saved but are allowing the culture to guide them instead of God's Word.
The challenge is for each one to ask God to reveal truth to them, without the input of any other person, that Christ would show them. The prayer might include the request to show them nothing but truth untainted by men, so that they would be cleansed of the cultural traditions that have distorted God's Word.
Our walk with Christ is a witness to the world; the last thing we should want is to distort God's principles making people feel comfortable in their lost state.
Ephesians 5:15-20 "15 So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise,
16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord;
20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father;"
When a concept, principle, or command is taken out of context, a wrong interpretation is passed on from generation to generation. By the time someone challenges the false belief, the people are so entrenched in it that it becomes a cultural icon, causing people to resist the truth out of hand.
Some of our modern ideas, such as the nature of forgiveness, repentance, divorce and remarriage, hell, not forsaking the gathering of believers, which day to meet, what happens at the gathering, the holidays, and many other things that have been added to Christianity that God never intended or endorsed have reduced Christianity to a paganistic ideolization of phylosophies that fly in the face of God's Word.
Sadly, when this happens, the people follow more unbiblical cultural things than they do Biblical truth. In adding so many untrue ideas, they have little left of true Christianity. They have developed a "religion" that no longer resembles the faith in Christ or His Word, the Bible.
These wrong beliefs shape how people view Christ, salvation and even how one lives their lives. They shape entire cultures that claim to be Christian but have no desire to know the truth. They live according to their own false truth and are resistant to God.
Just recently, a "pastor" attacked a person on the street for heckling him and threatening his family verbally. Many in the cultural Christian camp applauded this as though it was the right thing to do, when it in fact violated much scripture for the conduct of any Christ follower.
,
When the culture has been inculcated with Darwinistic psychology and standards of pagan religions we will miss the mark in the Christian life. And, perhaps those who do this, without interest in God's heart and mind, were never born again.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Not everyone who has been deceived by false doctrine is unsaved, but most are not born again. This brings us to the tasks for born again believers, that is to warn people who have been decieved that they may not be saved even though they attend a church gathering, and to rebuke those who appear to be saved but are allowing the culture to guide them instead of God's Word.
The challenge is for each one to ask God to reveal truth to them, without the input of any other person, that Christ would show them. The prayer might include the request to show them nothing but truth untainted by men, so that they would be cleansed of the cultural traditions that have distorted God's Word.
Our walk with Christ is a witness to the world; the last thing we should want is to distort God's principles making people feel comfortable in their lost state.
Ephesians 5:15-20 "15 So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise,
16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord;
20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father;"
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