Behind the scenes, there was a huge prayer and evangelistic movement with “hundred upon hundreds” of salvations according to Frank Shelton, a four-time chaplain at the summer games. His team of volunteers was part of a multi-national initiative to pray with athletes, coaches, and spectators throughout France.
“We had the honor to see souls saved on the street,” Shelton wrote to me in an email. “Some of the athletes I met shared worship was happening on their own time, and I saw video footage of them praising God near the Olympic Village. We all witnessed the USA dominate, but {what} was so beautiful was how so many gave glory to God.”
Shelton acknowledged the outrage over the opening ceremony but had this to offer.
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“I reminded all those disgruntled at home after the opening ceremony that if we have to wait for the ‘perfect conditions’ to share the Gospel, we will never get started,” he explained. “As Christians called to share the faith, we must resemble a dedicated fireman or a running back. Why? We just need an opening to run in and through when everyone else is running out or quitting.”
For Shelton, it all boils down to understanding the call to reach everyone with the Gospel and that regardless of power, prestige or position, we are all “like sheep gone astray.”
He shared the following picture to summarize the ministry outreach in Paris. It shows a chaplain for track and field walking and conversing with track star Grant Holloway.
Frank wrote that another chaplain said, “God just opened the door for me to start a Zoom Bible study with some of the Olympians long after we leave Paris.”
What if the last two weeks were only a sampling of something bigger and better the world has to offer? What if the post-Olympic blues could be replaced with an eternal high and an everlasting hope?
While offering a break from reality and providing a glimpse at a world in harmony, the games can’t compete with the greater picture of peace and unity outlined in Scripture.
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Reprinted with permission from cbn.com. Copyright © 2024 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.
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