In 2020, the Wheaton College baseball team embarked on a mission trip to Colombia, utilizing the platform of baseball to share the gospel. Colombians, Americans, and Venezuelans filled both dugouts. “Playing baseball with Venezuelan players was incredible,” junior A.J. Dhus said after the team’s week-long mission trip to Colombia. “Baseball was the common language for everyone, which made the field feel like a home that all of us shared. Speaking Spanish made the whole experience infinitely better—sharing a language made the community within the games not feel like ‘the American baseball team coming to play with the Venezuelan refugees,’ but simply a bunch of guys playing baseball.”

Jonah 1-2 – Reluctant Messenger

Too often, we limit what God might do in the mission field to reach those who don’t have a relationship with Him. Like Jonah, we often limit His love to those around us who are like us. Jonah’s story reveals the prejudices and limitations we impose on God. Jonah’s experience in the whale’s belly demonstrates that his initial disobedience led not only to personal revival but also to that of the Ninevites. Many think this revival is one of the most incredible evangelistic efforts ever.

One of the themes throughout the Book of Jonah is God’s salvation. God’s mission is to redeem the lost world, yet we are often self-absorbed in our own interests. The physical salvation in Jonah set the stage for spiritual salvation through repentance, which was at the heart of Jonah’s message to the Ninevites. Each of us is responsible for being messengers like Jonah; we are tasked with sharing the good news of the gospel with others.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete believe they are responsible for sharing the gospel with all people at all times. They view their task as conveying to the world God’s message of salvation.

Bible Memory Verse – “But as for me, I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to Yahweh.” Jonah 2:9 (LSB)

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