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God’s message to the world through the Olympics

From the beginning, we knew that God had a message for humanity through the 2016 Olympics. As a result, we’ve been covering some of the amazing things coming out of the games, all of which speak to the promise of redemption throughout the globe. The final week of the games was perhaps the most dramatic in this regard. Here’s some more highlights:

    “Christ is in me, and I am enough.”
One of the more incredible moments of the Olympics was a stunning upset in women’s wrestling. Helen Maroulis, a 24 year old American, beat Saori Yoshida, who is considered the best female wrestler ever. Yoshida has won 3 gold medals in previous Olympics and has 13 world championships under her belt. She was expected to win very easily.

Helen has a powerful story in and of itself. Her life leading up to this moment is a classic story of perseverance and triumph. But perhaps the most beautiful thing about this story were the words that came out of her mouth the moment she got on the mat to face Yoshida (something for which she had been training for over two years). Maroulis mouthed these words: “Christ is in me, and I am enough.”

This simple phrase became her grounding strength. This was her third time facing Yoshida (she had lost the past two times). She won the match, which led to an eruption of emotion, gratitude, and celebration.

This article isn’t about winning a game through magic spiritual words, nor is it about highlighting one wrestler over another. This is about the greater message behind the living parable of this story. For those who have ears to hear, Jesus is still speaking through parables to this day…

So what is the meaning of this parable? It is the truth that knowing that we are enough, knowing that Christ is in us…this is what leads to true victory in our lives… For two days, death had seem to conquer Christ, but on the third day He rose in triumph. It is no coincidence that this was Helen’s third match with Yoshida.

This parallels a previous story we ran where two Olympic divers declared on national TV that their identity in Christ is all that matters and that’s what gave them peace in the midst of the pressure of the Olympics.

Let the nations listen. 

    Usain Bolt’s foundation
Usain Bolt is regarded as the fastest human being ever timed, breaking several Olympic records and earning eight gold medals overall (three from the 2016 games). He recently brought joy to the world in a photo that went viral showing him running with a smile. However, one thing that hasn’t yet gone viral is the reporting of Bolt’s deep faith and his belief that Christ has given Him this speed in order to share the good news of salvation with the world. This is partly why Bolt purposely waits until cameras are on him in order to make the sign of the cross before a match. He wants the world to know that his strength doesn’t come from himself, but from Christ.

Another message of the importance of finding our identity in Him.

    Olympic runner overtaken by Holy Spirit 
Another amazing story from this week was when two rival runners collided–Abbey D’Agostino from the US and Nikki Hamblin from New Zealand. After Hamblin hit the ground, D’Agostino had the chance to keep running, but something rose up within her causing her to stop running, which ruined any chance for an Olympic medal. Instead, she turned around to help her fallen rival. The LA Times posted a beautiful picture of them embracing and called them “the real winners of Rio.”

Here’s the crazy part. D’Agostino said it was “the Spirit of God” within her that led her to do this. She told reporters that this is not something she would have normally done, but Christ was moving in her heart, leading her to this.

Are you catching a theme yet?

    The prophecy of the lion and the eagle
Back in June, the Elijah List published a prophetic word from Kat Kerr and Kathie Walters on the United States and England “walking together” and rising into a new place of prominence in order to become a fresh beacon of light to the world. The word speaks about the original division between the two (leading to the birthing of the US) and a renewed union (not necessarily a geopolitical union, but a deeper spiritual partnership). The word also mentioned a great national shaking, published a few weeks before the UK voted to leave the EU–to everyone’s surprise.

At the end of the Olympics, it was the US and Great Britain that took the #1 and #2 spots for the gold. There is a confirmation and connection here to this prophetic word. This is not about who is the best country nor is it about God loving some nations more than others (if that’s your theology, please go back to Sunday School and take a John 3:16 memory verse class). This is about the strategic plans of heaven to bring the message of redemption and identity through these two nations. Together, they will be at the tip of the spear to awaken the Body of Christ to the victory of Christ’s finished work. Of course, many other nations will be a part of this, but watch as new leaders and movements arise from these countries to provide spiritual wisdom and direction in the days ahead.

A “majestic, poetic, and emotional” home run with all the glory to God

In other athletic glory-news (in the same week as these amazing Olympic stories), there was an equally beautiful story out of Major League Baseball. This was during the August 19 Cincinnati Reds and LA Dodgers game. The Reds manager called the night “majestic…poetic, and emotional,” and one of the most amazing things he’s seen in baseball…

After a strong lead over the Dodgers, the Reds brought Michael Lorenzen to the field as a relief pitcher. It was his first game since his father recently passed, making this an especially emotional time for him. He pitched very well, but the amazing thing came when he was up to bat. This was only his fourth time batting this entire season. To everyone’s surprise, Lorenzen hit a three-run home run on the very first pitch. It was the first home run of his entire career in the Majors. As he crossed home plate, Lorenzen raised his arms and pointed to the heavens in honor of his father. It was a powerful moment for him, his family, and for the entire team. For those who follow sports and particularly these kinds of stories, it is hard to not see the hand of God at work in these kinds of events.

Afterwards, in the interviews, Lorenzen was obviously filled with gratitude and emotion. However, the main theme of his gratitude was Jesus Christ. He gave all the glory of the event to Christ. He also quoted the book of Romans to reporters, saying that “all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes.”

An important discussion between Pharrell and Kirk Franklin

Pharrell Williams is currently one of the most influential people in the entertainment industry. This past week, Pharrell invited Gospel sing Kirk Franklin onto his podcast to discuss a number of things. Here are some significant highlights from their conversation:

1) They looked at the influence that the black church has had on pop music–that it is actually the root-system and foundation for many of the world’s most famous singers and musicians. (There is a whole other side-commentary we could discuss on the redemption and fruitfulness that arose from the black church even in the midst of the horrendous evil and injustice they endured) 2) Pharrell discussed growing up in church and witnessing the “Spirit run around the place up and down the aisles,” and how he assumed everybody grew up experiencing the Spirit like that. 3) Kirk and Pharrell turned an Elton John song into a song about Jesus coming back. 4) Pharrell began apologizing to Christians for his language and for some of his songs, but Kirk quickly told him to stop and affirmed him for who he is. Kirk acknowledged Pharrell’s positive influence and how this wouldn’t be possible to the same extent if he was solely making “Christian” labeled music.

Pizza drones coming to your front door

Last week we looked at the impending future of driverless vehicles. This week, news came out that Domino’s got the green light to use drones to deliver pizza. This will be tested out first in New Zealand.

While flying robotic machinery carrying slices of Sicilian sounds absolutely nuts, just think about this: You can listen to Ludwig van Beethoven off a rubbery wire coming out of a small, rectangular, metallic object in your pocket. That would sound absolutely bonkers to a 17th century chap who only knows the enjoyment of music by traveling miles on horseback to get to a live concert with good ol wigged up Ludwig playing on a large piano… iPods and headphones are normal to us. For better or worse, this automated robotic future will be incredibly “normal” to the next generation as well.

Special thanks to Sean King, Ralph Brucato, and Justin Munier for sharing some of these stories.