Read
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
James 1:22
Reflect
As I sit here writing this reflection, I’m flipping between a college and a professional football game. It’s amazing to watch these finely-tuned athletes run as hard and hit as hard as they do. I’ve always loved football, but the athletes of today are bigger, faster and stronger than I ever remember seeing when I was a kid.
The crowds are also larger. Stadium sizes are getting ever larger, and there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of fans to fill the seats. My favorite team is the Florida Gators, and when I started following Florida football in 1980, the capacity of Florida Field was about 62,000. It’s been expanded three times since then and now stands at just under 89,000. That’s enormous, but that places Florida as just the 12th largest stadium in the United States. (The University of Michigan’s stadium holds the U.S. record with 107,601. When sold out, that stadium is one of the state’s largest cities.)
I’m reminded of a saying that my stepfather borrowed from former head coach Bud Wilkinson of Oklahoma. Dad used to say, “College and professional football is 80,000 people in the stands who desperately need exercise cheering for 22 men on the field who desperately need rest.” Bud and my stepfather aren’t wrong. If you’ve been to a football game lately or seen one on TV, the average football fan is far from a picture of physical health. While they knock back beers and hot dogs in the stands, the players they root for are running at full speed and experiencing violent collisions that can break bones and cause concussions. At the end of the game, you’ll hear these fans saying things like, “We blew them out! We were incredible today!” If we’re honest, there’s no “we” involved here. “We” watched the game and lost our voices because “we” shouted the entire game. “They” blew the other team out and won the big game.
Sadly, this spectator model too often applies to most churches. Church members talk about how “we” have impressive youth and missions programs though most of them have never helped with the youth ministry or gone on a mission trip. Most don’t even give much money to these efforts. On top of that, the average churchgoer gives about 2 percent of their income to their church. It’s hard to envision how most Christians can say “we” when they’re disengaged spectators at best.
Christianity was never meant to be a spectator sport. James reminds us to, “…be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Jesus commanded us to “go,” “preach” and “baptize” — and all three of those are action-oriented. Nowhere are Christians commanded to “sit,” “listen” and “procrastinate.” Our faith is meant to be shared, and the mandate to do that falls to everyone who calls themselves Christians. That doesn’t mean we all have to become missionaries to foreign countries or that we have to be street preachers in the inner city. It does mean that we’re expected to share our faith whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself. It also means that we’re supposed to live our faith in such a way that it commends Christianity to those who we encounter.
If Christianity was a sport, it would be completely unique. In no other sport can you instantly go from the stands to the field. I pray that today you are more than a mere spectator who cheers on others who are sharing the Christian faith. I encourage you to get out of the stands, suit up and put yourself in the action. It’s not only a command from the Lord — it’s the best place to watch the game!
Reflection copyright © 2025 Doug DeBolt.
