Editor’s
journey
The
wrong jersey
SPRINGFIELD, MO. —
The annual California Bears vs. Stanford Cardinal football game
is billed as “The Big Game.” The rivalry is marked
by fan hysteria and student antics, such as using a massive slingshot
to bomb the marching bands with water balloons. I attended my
first California vs. Stanford game when I was 18. It was nearly
my last.
A friend, Duane Williams,
played for California and gave me a ticket that day to sit in
the student section. Since I was a fan of both teams, I made the
mistake of wearing Stanford colors. As I scaled the bleachers,
hundreds of Cal students began chanting, “Take off that
red shirt.” Two students grabbed me to “roll”
me, or pass me hand-to-hand up the stands. Fortunately I broke
free from the mob and, for my own safety, hastily tore off my
jersey. The students cheered. I promptly found a vendor and bought
a Cal T-shirt.
Spiritually speaking,
many people today sport the wrong jersey. They have sworn their
allegiance to the gods of this world — money, bands, teams,
false religions and more. Tragically, if they should die without
committing their lives to Jesus Christ, they will spend eternity
in a terrible place known as hell. (See John 3:1-21.)
The football players
featured in this edition of Today’s Pentecostal Evangel
wear the right jersey — one that declares they belong to
Jesus Christ. He is their Head Coach, Lord and Savior.
Gridiron stars like
David Carr and Shaun Alexander know there’s a more important
contest than The Big Game or Super Bowl, and there’s more
at stake than trophies. There’s a battle being waged for
your soul. Satan wants to destroy you. He wants you to wear his
jersey. But God loves you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to
die on a cross for your sins that you might experience the greatest
trophy of all: the promise of eternal life.
If you want to switch
jerseys and join Jesus’ huddle, follow the ABCs
of salvation. In response we’ll send you a free booklet
that will help you in your walk with Jesus.
— Hal Donaldson
E-mail your comments
to pe@ag.org.
