19:54 Should Christians Celebrate "Day of the Dead?"
Is the World Cup Idolatry?
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Key points
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“People think it's just the 1% of the biggest sports fanatics that are guilty of idolatry, but it is the 99% that the Lord has sent me to warn.”
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“Whenever you measure yourself against the worst offenders instead of according to God's holy standard, it is easy to feel good about yourself.”
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“However, I've seen that the line between physical activity and idolatry is much thinner than people realize.”
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“Don't just look at the outside individual activities, each of which on their own might seem innocent and defensible enough under Christian liberty, but look at the overall spirit behind the entire enterprise.”
The World Cup as Religious Idolatry
People think it's just the 1% of the biggest sports fanatics that are guilty of idolatry, but it is the 99% that the Lord has sent me to warn.
The World Cup is perhaps the biggest idolatrous event in existence. It captures the hearts of people across all the nations of the world. Rituals, traditions, chants, jerseys, superstitions, rejoicing, disappointment, celebrations, and even blasphemous prayers before penalty kicks exceed the fervor of any religious event that you have ever seen.
While modern players and fans would laugh at the idea that they are doing anything idolatrous, ancient people would recognize the whole spectacle as a religious event. The flow of alcohol and foul language melds seamlessly with the whole thing, revealing the true spirit that is behind it. All of that prayer, energy, rejoicing, disappointment, and cheering goes to some god, whether you admit it or not, and it certainly isn't the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
People tend to highlight the worst offenders as the problem, those who take it too far, identified as the exceptions, the ones who give sports fanaticism a bad name. We're talking about the people who throw remotes, break TVs, threaten refs, and start fist fights over differences in team loyalties. This allows others to justify themselves. Whenever you measure yourself against the worst offenders instead of according to God's holy standard, it is easy to feel good about yourself.
All of that prayer, energy, rejoicing, disappointment, and cheering goes to some god, whether you admit it or not, and it certainly isn't the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
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A Question for Christian Fans and Players
There's an even darker spiritual reality underneath it. Many players and fans are involved in superstitious rituals, even performing sacrifices or putting hexes on other players or teams, among other types of witchcraft.
All of this begs a question to the Christian fan: why does this event enthrall you instead of grieving you? Do you really believe it is advancing God's kingdom as opposed to the kingdom of the enemy?
I know some players are Christian and a few even dare to outwardly express it. I do believe that God has called even people on this big stage and through all the traveling to plant seeds. However, we have to question how much credibility a star player carries in calling people to come out of the world and to be separate from it, and to turn from idolatry and team loyalty to instead honor God.
I've certainly never heard a single player advise fans to skip the games to stay home and to worship God instead. I do believe those players who truly belong to God will eventually in their lives repent and turn away from the whole spectacle and stop supporting it.
Discerning the Spirit Behind Sports
At the very base level of sports there is an innocency. Paul even compared our walk with Christ to a race, albeit he was specific that the race and the prize are both spiritual. Still, people need exercise; God designed us that way. Children need to develop their motor skills, and teamwork and discipline are worthy skill sets, of which sports are one way to build them.
However, I've seen that the line between physical activity and idolatry is much thinner than people realize. We see this with children obsessing over their talent, parents overreacting to unimportant children's competitions, all the way up to professional athletes and coaches disgustingly receiving millions of dollars. All of this shows where the priorities of the world lie.
Those with eyes to see recognize the whole bread and circus element of it too. Powers of spiritual wickedness definitely want you focused on these games.
This brings us to our biggest point of discernment. Don't just look at the outside individual activities, each of which on their own might seem innocent and defensible enough under Christian liberty, but look at the overall spirit behind the entire enterprise.
This is where true discernment comes in. What is the spirit behind the World Cup? It's certainly not the Holy Spirit, because if it was, the world would hate it. Follow the Spirit of God, not the spirit of the world. Peace and blessings.
Don't just look at the outside individual activities, each of which on their own might seem innocent and defensible enough under Christian liberty, but look at the overall spirit behind the entire enterprise.
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From the video teaching, lightly edited for readability.
Questions this teaching answers
Is the World Cup considered idolatry for Christians?
“The World Cup is perhaps the biggest idolatrous event in existence. It captures the hearts of people across all the nations of the world. Rituals, traditions, chants, jerseys, superstitions, rejoicing, disappointment, celebrations, and even blasphemous prayers before penalty kicks exceed the fervor of any religious event that you have ever seen.”
Isn't sports idolatry only a problem for extreme fanatics?
“This allows others to justify themselves. Whenever you measure yourself against the worst offenders instead of according to God's holy standard, it is easy to feel good about yourself.”
Can Christian athletes use the World Cup to share their faith?
“I know some players are Christian and a few even dare to outwardly express it. I do believe that God has called even people on this big stage and through all the traveling to plant seeds. However, we have to question how much credibility a star player carries in calling people to come out of the world and to be separate from it, and to turn from idolatry and team loyalty to instead honor God.”
Are all sports sinful for Christians?
“At the very base level of sports there is an innocency. Paul even compared our walk with Christ to a race, albeit he was specific that the race and the prize are both spiritual. Still, people need exercise; God designed us that way.”
