July 31, 2024
Leadership Notes
I wasn’t going to do it. I didn’t want to do it. We are in the middle of Vacation Bible School. Things are quite hectic around here. I wasn’t planning on doing a Leadership Note this week. But 2024 won’t stop 2024ing.
Let’s talk about the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. First, in the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never watched opening ceremonies. Never interested. Never cared. This year, I read about them and saw highlights. And the lowlights. Gay Papa Smurf made for a fascinating tableau.
First, God bless the French. Their dedication to being sordid, decadent, and disreputable is unmatched.
Second, from what I read and saw, parts of the extravaganza were darn good. Except when one of Lady Gaga’s dancers fell off the stage. Highly unfortunate. All in all, I’d prefer they skip the artsy-fartsy stuff and get right to the competition and its concomitant thrill of victory, agony of defeat, and inspiring story lines. Amen?
Now on to the top two questions posed to me since the opening ceremonies:
1. Were you offended by them?
2. Were you bothered by them?
My answer to both is a resounding, “No.” Pagans gonna pagan, as I sometimes have been known to say. I am neither stirred nor shaken by things like this. Remember what Jesus said in John 15:18 – “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.” These are the kinds of things that people headed for destruction do.
I love Darrell B. Harrison’s take:
“I have to say I’m a bit perplexed that so many professing
Christians seem to be taken aback by the egregiously anti-
Christian spectacle put on today during the opening ceremonies of the
Olympics. How else would you expect the enemies of Christ to
behave? Jesus warns us about such people in John 8:44, saying,
‘You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of
your father.’
The preposition ‘of’ in John 8:44 is significant in that it denotes
nature, character, and disposition. In other words, these people
are literally the spiritual children of the devil and, as such, reflect
in their deeds the character, disposition, and nature of their
father. Knowing this, it should not startle or astonish us that the
Olympics would openly display such blasphemous mockery of
Christians and their God – the only true God {John 17:3*} –
knowing that it is in their nature to do so {2 Peter 3:3*}.
As followers of Jesus Christ, what we should respond with is pity,
for these children of the devil do not realize that, unless God
mercifully grants them repentance {2 Peter 3:9*}, they are
storing up wrath for themselves at the hands of the very God
against whom they have dared to demonstrate such arrogant
derision {Galatians 6:7*}.”
Was I infuriated? Nah. I really don’t care. Does it bother me that people insult my faith or shake their fists at God or insult God? I don’t know why it would. As someone succinctly put it, “I’m not infuriated by lost people shaking their fists at God. Why would I be? Human rebellion against God is the story of man. This isn’t infuriating or even surprising. It is just ugly and sad. If they start hurting a child or another innocent person, I’ll get mad.
Finally, here’s the first of many positive, refreshing stories to come out of the 2024 Olympic Games:
Sixteen-year-old Brazilian Rayssa Leal, who won bronze in
women’s street skateboarding, whilst on camera {no interview
was taking place}, used sign language to say, “Jesus is the Way,
the Truth, and the Life.”
What a great kid.
And now, your Moment of Spurgeon:
Oh, for more of this living with the eyes upward, less minding of
earthly things, and more looking for and hasting unto the coming
of the Son of God!
As Always, of Good Cheer,
Richard
*John 17:3 – “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
*2 Peter 3:3 – “Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.”
*2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
*Galatians 6:7 – “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”
*Galatians 6:7 – “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”
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