As I watched the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary “Lance,” I wondered if anyone might have tried to witness to Lance Armstrong during his dominating cycling career, which was overshadowed by his doping. I found an account from 2013 posted by the Baptist Press in which brothers Jedidiah and Caleb Coppenger tried to share their faith with Armstrong in 2006. 

While the brothers were cycling alongside Armstrong on a 450-mile ride in Iowa, they took the opportunity to discuss their faith. “We asked him if he was a Christian, and he told us no,” Jedidiah Coppenger, now a church planter in Nashville, recalled. “We told him that we’re not just against certain manifestations of death [such as cancer, which Armstrong had battled], but the whole thing. Since Jesus has overcome death in all its ugly wholeness, we’re all about taking on death itself.” Armstrong “graciously dismissed” their conversation and then moved on. As Mark Coppenger, now on Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s faculty, ponders, “You can’t help but ask, ‘What if?’ when you think of his opportunity to respond to Christ that day.”

Acts 24 – Hardened Hearts

In Acts 24, Paul is sent to Caesarea to appear before Felix because of his Roman citizenship. Felix was the Roman governor of Judea, who called for a formal hearing of Paul’s case. Even though he gave Paul a break by giving him the trial, he failed to act on his message. History shows that Felix’s heart toward Paul and spiritual things continued to harden. He likely died in his sins. Procrastination never pays. Whether it’s Felix or Lance Armstrong, when anyone fails to regard Scripture’s warnings, they are likely to lose the ability to be influenced by it (2 Cor. 6:2). The best time to trust and tell others about Jesus is now.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete are concerned with responding to God’s Word and heeding its warnings when the Holy Spirit convicts them. They believe it’s not enough to know the facts about Jesus; they must also repent of sin and trust the Savior (John 5:40).

Bible Memory Verse – “…And He [Lord] said to me [Paul], ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” Acts 22:21 (LSB)

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