For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ~John 3:16
Quite possibly the first verse any church-raised child memorizes, John 3:16 has made a surge over recent weeks. First, there was the unexpected victory by the Denver Broncos, led by the apologetically faith-driven Tim Tebow, over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first week of the NFL playoffs. What does that football game have to do with John 3:16? Technically, nothing at all.
However, as people dove into Tebow's stats (316 yards on 10 completions for an average of 31.6 yards per catch) it was hard not to draw some sort of connection. Also, Tebow used to place tape under in eyes with John 3:16 written on the tape throughout his college career. He wanted to continue in the NFL, but the No-Fun-League wouldn't have any of it. But as a result of all of that, John 3:16 was the top search for Google the following day. People wanted to know what the big deal was.
On top of that, John 3:16 received an entire commercial during the Patriots-Broncos game this past Saturday, thanks to Focus on the Family. If you haven't seen the commercial, check it out.
It's nothing fancy, just a handful of adorable kids reciting God's Word. I smiled while I watched it. More importantly than the cute kids, the gospel of Jesus Christ filtered into millions of households across the nation, possibly even the world. Best use of a thirty-second commercial ever!
As a result of all this attention (mainly from the commercial), the interwebs have been ablaze with a variety of responses. I read a petition from an interest group trying to force CBS to issue an apology for allowing a "hate group" to advertise on public television. (I am going to refrain from responding for a variety of reasons and allow you to find the multiple points of humor in that statement). I also read comments declaring a major turning of the tide in regards to Christianity and the media. (And while I pray that would happen, I will simply rejoice in the fact that God's Word was clearly heard by millions).
Even with all that, the dual reality remains: the world does not like Jesus or His followers, but His followers are still called to declare the gospel (John 15:18-27). We can rejoice when God's Word takes center stage in the public sphere. However, we can also expect resistance and anger when it does. Regardless, we should not stop trying to see the gospel engage and transform culture, but neither should we look for anyone else to do the work in our place.
Quite possibly the first verse any church-raised child memorizes, John 3:16 has made a surge over recent weeks. First, there was the unexpected victory by the Denver Broncos, led by the apologetically faith-driven Tim Tebow, over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first week of the NFL playoffs. What does that football game have to do with John 3:16? Technically, nothing at all.
However, as people dove into Tebow's stats (316 yards on 10 completions for an average of 31.6 yards per catch) it was hard not to draw some sort of connection. Also, Tebow used to place tape under in eyes with John 3:16 written on the tape throughout his college career. He wanted to continue in the NFL, but the No-Fun-League wouldn't have any of it. But as a result of all of that, John 3:16 was the top search for Google the following day. People wanted to know what the big deal was.
On top of that, John 3:16 received an entire commercial during the Patriots-Broncos game this past Saturday, thanks to Focus on the Family. If you haven't seen the commercial, check it out.
It's nothing fancy, just a handful of adorable kids reciting God's Word. I smiled while I watched it. More importantly than the cute kids, the gospel of Jesus Christ filtered into millions of households across the nation, possibly even the world. Best use of a thirty-second commercial ever!
As a result of all this attention (mainly from the commercial), the interwebs have been ablaze with a variety of responses. I read a petition from an interest group trying to force CBS to issue an apology for allowing a "hate group" to advertise on public television. (I am going to refrain from responding for a variety of reasons and allow you to find the multiple points of humor in that statement). I also read comments declaring a major turning of the tide in regards to Christianity and the media. (And while I pray that would happen, I will simply rejoice in the fact that God's Word was clearly heard by millions).
Even with all that, the dual reality remains: the world does not like Jesus or His followers, but His followers are still called to declare the gospel (John 15:18-27). We can rejoice when God's Word takes center stage in the public sphere. However, we can also expect resistance and anger when it does. Regardless, we should not stop trying to see the gospel engage and transform culture, but neither should we look for anyone else to do the work in our place.
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