To watch a talk on this topic head to the bottom of this study.

Discuss

Who helped you become a Christian and how did they do it?

It’s great when a sports friend wants to become a Christian, especially if this is off the back of reading the Bible with them. However, we want to make sure our sports friends are ready to take this commitment and fully understand what they are committing to. This is not to scare them off but ensure they have understood the real gospel and what it means to repent and believe.

• How does this passage describe who Jesus is?
• Why did He come to earth?
• How does this affect you personally?
• How does being a Christian affect your life?

Sum Up

We have a responsibility, as a Christian friend, to ask questions to help our sports friend know if they are in the right place to make a commitment to Christ.

This passage helps us to do this with these 4 questions:

• Who do you think Jesus is?
• Why did He come to earth?
• How does this affect you personally?
• How would being a Christian affect your life?

Praying with a sports friend

If your friend has answered the above questions and you’re satisfied that they understand the essence of the gospel, pray! Pray with your friend – pray aloud. It’s helpful if you lead as they will be inexperienced in praying.

Pray that God would help them to put their trust in Jesus. A helpful framework for you both to pray through is:

Admit - your need for Jesus to die in your place for the forgiveness of your sins

Believe - in Jesus Christ’s death, as payment for your sin, and resurrection to life as guarantee that the price has been paid, thanking Him for what He has done.

Commit - to turning from the direction your life has been going and reorient your life to follow and obey Jesus Christ.

Sum Up

When a sports friend becomes a Christian, on one hand you want to celebrate wholeheartedly with them and on the other hand you will be desperate to make sure that their commitment is genuine. Never make a judgement on the strength of their commitment – this isn’t for you to judge and it is impossible to read. Some people are more reserved than others. Help them understand that this decision is the start of a life-long journey/relationship - not the completion.

• What is the role of the Holy Spirit in these verses?
• What is the role of the Christian now they are enabled by the Holy Spirit?
• What encouragement and assurance do these verses give to a new Christian?

Sum Up

It is such an encouragement for a new Christian to know that they are not alone. God has given us the Holy Spirit NOW to help us live for Him!

What does this mean for us?

One of the hardest things is asking a friend who is really interested in becoming a Christian if they want to make a commitment. Hopefully, now we feel more equipped to help them. Pray with each other that you all would have the courage to ask your sports friends to respond to the message of Jesus by making a commitment to living life His way.

Go Deeper

All Bible quotations are taken with permission from the NIV:
Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.