But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
1 Peter 3:15
I travel around the world teaching at various international schools. This week, there was a basketball workshop held for the basketball team at my school.
There were rumours around the school that the workshop was being run by some NBA players. I’m a big basketball fan and so I decided to check out the workshop and meet some NBA players.
When I got there, it was in the middle of the workshop. There were no NBA players. But what transpired was truly amazing.
They were doing a shooting workshop and going over how to perfect the shooting mechanics. It was halfway through my lunch break and I was thinking of just going lunch. As I was pondering about lunch, the person leading the workshop said that his buddy on the sideline was going to share a special message with them in a few minutes.
The first thought that came to my mind was, “Are they about to share the gospel? I don’t know what other message could be so special.” And then my eyes were opened. I noticed that the t-shirts they were wearing had a Bible verse on them.
Five minutes later, they started to share the gospel. At the end, they prayed for the team and asked if anyone would like to believe and follow Jesus. Several hands were raised.
I knew that I had to tell the team that I am a Christian and if ever have any questions about Jesus or the Bible, they can always come and talk to me. The opportunity came as the workshop leader was transitioning the time back to the coach. I quickly went to the group and told them that they can ask me about Jesus or the Bible at any time.
This experience reminded me to always be ready to witness for Jesus. You never know when the opportunity will come and when it does, you have to represent.
The workshop was run by Crossfire Ministry which is an sports evangelistic ministry that uses basketball as a means to share the gospel all around the world. They have done basketball workshops and camps in over 65 countries. If your school, church, or organization is interested in doing a basketball workshop, please contact them.
