Christian Pro Athletes & Sunday Church Attendance

[rlvaughn]

How about Christian singing groups - they are hardly ever if ever in their home church on Sundays??

How about full-time evangelists who are hardly ever (if ever) in their home church on Sundays?

 

[1689Dave]

Here's something that's bothered me: How can a professional athlete participate in a sport on Sundays and claim to be obedient to God's Word when Hebrews 10:25-26 commands a Christian to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together?
I'm not saying that a person who willingly does so is not saved, but how can he/she willingly forsake attending his/her local church on Sundays?

Paul says we don't need to keep the Christian Holy Days.

“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.” Romans 14:5–6 (KJV 1900)

 

[SovereignGrace]

I willingly forsake gathering together on Sundays, because we decided to get together on Saturdays years ago.

But to answer the OP, I'm not sure that what i would say would be well-received;
Even so...what does being a believer and forsaking this world have to do with professional sports?

I don't see anywhere in the Scriptures that God's people are to be involved in such activities.

Paul seemed to enjoy sports, and AFAIK, he never wrote anything negative about participating in sports. Granted, we don’t know if they had sporting events on the sabbath back then or not. In the early 1900’s they didn’t play baseball on Sunday.

 

[asterisktom]

Here's something that's bothered me: How can a professional athlete participate in a sport on Sundays and claim to be obedient to God's Word when Hebrews 10:25-26 commands a Christian to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together?
I'm not saying that a person who willingly does so is not saved, but how can he/she willingly forsake attending his/her local church on Sundays?

This passage is not about church attendance per se. It concerns something more fundamental - leaving the faith altogether. Verse 26 speaks of it as sinning willfully, a sin that has no sacrifice left for it. The "assembling together" is the same as that of 2 Thess. 2:1, the gathering in of saints to make up the Kingdom. I cringe whenever I read this passage in Hebrews used merely as a goad to church attendance. Clearly, reading the context, it is about something greater.

 

[Mike McKinney]

Here's something that's bothered me: How can a professional athlete participate in a sport on Sundays and claim to be obedient to God's Word when Hebrews 10:25-26 commands a Christian to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together?
I'm not saying that a person who willingly does so is not saved, but how can he/she willingly forsake attending his/her local church on Sundays?

First, not all churches meet on Sunday, and many have services at other times.

Second, I don't think attending the Sunday am service is the only way to be involved in the life of the Church. I was a paramedic for many years and, while I missed the Sunday am service, it was always my understanding that there are other ways to be fed and to serve and that the important thing, really, is that you're under the instruction and submission to the a local church body.

Third, NFL games, typically, are played at 1 pm, 4 pm, and 8 pm. The 1pm start gives a player plenty of time to make the pm church service and the 8pm start gives him plenty of time to make the am service.

Fourth, unless you're Bo Jackson, you're not playing sports every week. Most sports would only require you to miss a couple of Sundays a year.

 

[Mike McKinney]

It's not participating in a sport, it their job. Plenty of people have jobs that require working on Sundays.

I agree. I was a firefighter for many years and my job often required me to work Sundays. While I missed being in church, I never felt guilty about it because there's a difference between somebody who desires fellowship, but can't, and somebody who can fellowship, but won't.

 

[Salty]

Third, NFL games, typically, are played at 1 pm, 4 pm, and 8 pm. The 1pm start gives a player plenty of time to make the pm church service and the 8pm start gives him plenty of time to make the am service.

Fourth, unless you're Bo Jackson, you're not playing sports every week. Most sports would only require you to miss a couple of Sundays a year.

An NFL team plays 17 regular season games and 3 pre-season = 20 games .
Each team will usually play one Monday night and one Thursday game.
and as stated before - some games are at 4 pm or 8 pm, giving those players time to attending a Sun AM game.
And as I stated before, many teams have a chaplain who can hold services on game day.

There have been several committed pro-players - that have been a great witness for the Lord!

My personal disappointment - Tim Tebow. He decided to go back to Fooball - had he stayed in Baseball, I was going see about getting an interview with him as he had been and would have been assigned to the Syracuse Chiefs.